When and if the building and the machinery were eventually sold, security would be the new owners' problem.
For Lacey and Vic, this foray to Black Martin was supposed to be a quick road trip away from Washington, D.C. Lacey could work on her serious fashion story, Vic would meet his new client, and she and Vic could have a romantic dinner somewhere. But their plans for a little romance were spiraling down the drain, along with the blue dye dripping from the corpse.
Things had gone wrong from the start that morning. Vic and Lacey were supposed to meet with Vic's contact, a company official named Rod Gibbs. But Gibbs hadn't shown up, so general manager Tom Nicholson had filled in. He was giving them what he called the five-cent tour.
Rod Gibbs was also the company official Lacey had intended to interview. He promised her on the phone that the shutdown would be temporary and he would give her details of "an exciting new plan" for the factory's future.
At the moment, Vic was taking a deep breath, no doubt trying to control his emotions.
For Lacey and Vic, this foray to Black Martin was supposed to be a quick road trip away from Washington, D.C. Lacey could work on her serious fashion story, Vic would meet his new client, and she and Vic could have a romantic dinner somewhere. But their plans for a little romance were spiraling down the drain, along with the blue dye dripping from the corpse.
Things had gone wrong from the start that morning. Vic and Lacey were supposed to meet with Vic's contact, a company official named Rod Gibbs. But Gibbs hadn't shown up, so general manager Tom Nicholson had filled in. He was giving them what he called the five-cent tour.
Rod Gibbs was also the company official Lacey had intended to interview. He promised her on the phone that the shutdown would be temporary and he would give her details of "an exciting new plan" for the factory's future.
At the moment, Vic was taking a deep breath, no doubt trying to control his emotions.
"This is a disaster,"
he whispered and shook his head.
"This is not my fault, Vic Donovan," Lacey whispered back.
"I know that, Lacey."
"That's not what your tone says."
"My tone? Are you telling me this is one of your infamous crimes of fashion?"
"Just what would you call it? He is tied to a spool of velvet. He is blue. Do the math."
"It's a workplace homicide," he said. "Just so happens the workplace is a velvet factory. Besides, I didn't mean this was your fault. I meant mine."
"This is not my fault, Vic Donovan," Lacey whispered back.
"I know that, Lacey."
"That's not what your tone says."
"My tone? Are you telling me this is one of your infamous crimes of fashion?"
"Just what would you call it? He is tied to a spool of velvet. He is blue. Do the math."
"It's a workplace homicide," he said. "Just so happens the workplace is a velvet factory. Besides, I didn't mean this was your fault. I meant mine."
Lacey raised an eyebrow in response.
"Your fault? How do you figure that?"
"I should have started this job yesterday. Then this wouldn't have happened."
"The company set the timetable, not you. The client is always right. Right?"
"Yeah. That was my first mistake. The client is usually wrong."
"I should have started this job yesterday. Then this wouldn't have happened."
"The company set the timetable, not you. The client is always right. Right?"
"Yeah. That was my first mistake. The client is usually wrong."
A handful of other witnesses were sharing this spectacle.
Vic and Lacey's tour had picked up a few hangers-on, employees who trailed along in a kind of melancholy parade, not knowing what
to do to fill their time on their last day on the job. [cont.]
Shot Through Velvet, Chapter 1, continued
Vic Donovan, the man in her life, had tipped her off to the
factory closing story. He invited her along to the little town of Black Martin, Virginia, to see the factory firsthand while he initiated
the security contract for Dominion Velvet in its waning days. After angry graffiti was scrawled on a factory wall one night, the company
had instituted some stopgap security measures, but its original plan was not much more sophisticated than locking the doors and turning
out the lights.
The workers were unhappy about losing their jobs. The local economy was devastated; there
were no other jobs in town. Dominion Velvet was afraid an empty plant would just encourage more vandalism. The company hired some
local good old boy to watch the plant at night, but he wasn’t a real security guard. Donovan’s company was hired to install a serious
security system to ensure there would be no more incidents on-site.
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