Chapter 3 - THE INTERVIEW THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED
At nine the following morning, Roarke Castellano discovered that Adeline Vance had been fired.
He was reviewing a shipping contract when his assistant, Nora Bell, entered with the personnel report he'd requested.
"Her employment was terminated at six-thirty this morning."
Roarke looked up.
"By whom?"
"Bernard Pike."
"On what grounds?"
"Unauthorized access to a restricted suite."
Roarke set down his pen.
"I authorized her presence."
Nora hesitated.
"The report says she entered before you arrived."
"She was assigned to clean the room."
"Apparently, her access credentials were issued through an exception."
Roarke studied her.
"Who approved the exception?"
Nora turned a page.
"Silvio Marchetti."
The room went quiet.
Roarke looked toward the window.
Silvio had insisted on handling the woman.
Now Silvio's authorization appeared on her employment record.
Coincidence was becoming expensive.
"Preserve the original records," Roarke said.
Nora nodded.
"And contact Miss Vance. Tell her the termination is being reviewed."
"Should I offer compensation?"
"Offer the wages she's owed and explain the process. Don't ask her to sign anything."
Nora paused.
"What about the foundation interview?"
"Arrange it through the foundation director."
Roarke returned to his papers.
Then stopped.
"Nora."
"Yes?"
"Keep Silvio out of it."
By noon, Adeline sat in the offices of the Castellano Community Foundation.
She wore the only business clothes she owned: a navy skirt, a white blouse, and a cardigan with one loose button.
Across from her sat Dr. Miriam Shaw, a former hospital administrator with silver hair and a manner that suggested she disliked wasting time.
"Mr. Castellano asked me to interview you," Miriam said.
Adeline stiffened.
"I didn't ask him for a favor."
"I know."
Miriam opened a folder.
"Your application says you completed three years of nursing education."
"Almost four."
"Why did you stop?"
"My mother died. I became my sister's guardian."
Miriam nodded.
"Do you know what a patient navigator does?"
Adeline shook her head.
"Not exactly."
"We help patients understand appointments, referrals, insurance, transportation, and treatment plans. We don't provide clinical care. We help people find their way through systems that can be difficult to navigate."
Adeline leaned forward.
"I've been doing that for Posy for years."
Miriam smiled.
"That's why I wanted to meet you."
For forty minutes, she asked Adeline practical questions.
What would she do if a family couldn't understand a discharge instruction?
How would she handle a patient who missed appointments because of transportation?
What if a parent was embarrassed to admit they couldn't afford medication?
Adeline answered honestly.
She didn't know every policy.
But she understood the fear.
At the end, Miriam closed the folder.
"You don't yet have all the qualifications for a full patient navigator position."
Adeline's heart sank.
"But," Miriam continued, "I have an opening for a paid trainee. It includes supervised training, benefits after the probationary period, and tuition assistance for approved coursework."
Adeline stared.
"Is this because of Mr. Castellano?"
"He referred you. The hiring decision is mine."
Miriam leaned forward.
"And if you accept, you will answer to me."
Adeline looked down at her hands.
For the first time in years, someone had offered her work that might lead somewhere.
Not just another shift.
Not just another paycheck.
A future.
"I'd like to accept," she whispered.
Miriam smiled.
"Then let's discuss the details."
Adeline left the office with an employment packet.
She was halfway down the sidewalk when she noticed a black sedan parked across the street.
The same car had been outside her apartment that morning.
A man in the driver's seat lifted a phone to his ear.
Adeline stopped walking.
May you like
The sedan pulled away.
And she understood that her new job might be the least important reason someone wanted to keep watching her.
