For a hotel chain that preached non-discriminatory work ethics and then had an associate commit suicide because he was pressured about his sexuality, also meant suicide for the property. Cathy was summoned as the property carried out its internal investigation into the website.
"You know, Cathy, on the one hand, I want to tell everyone that it's no big deal. Go back to work. It's business as usual. But the fact that our associates participated in creating such a website and nobody brought it to our attention sooner, well ... that's one of the reasons you're here," said Terry Kimel, the General Manager of the property.
He seemed distraught and for good reason. The negative reaction this could set off was fatal for everyone involved and needed to be handled as cautiously as possible.
"For more than twenty years, I've held this post and I've never seen anything like this. They keep telling me technology is moving us forward. Bah!" He was agitated, his temples visibly vibrated as he raised his voice. Part of him was furious while the other seemed reminiscent of days when websites were a luxury not misused for creating mischief.
"And we are absolutely certain that Adam started the site?" he asked. He stood up but continued to look down at the paperwork on his desk.
Oliver, the Security Manager nodded. "IT checked and he's been banging on about it every minute of the day. His Twitter account is full of it as well. Gary denied his leave application for the Christmas holidays so this is what he did." The man splayed his hands in frustration. "Damn twit, if you ask me."
"But Cathy, you can issue a statement that this was the act of one employee, no? We have to get the word out that this is not MoonStar practice. We're nearing the deadline for our new room promotions, not to mention the bookings we'll be receiving for the Carnival of Venice. Cancellations of any kind are bound to rock the boat," piped in Pietro the Director of Sales and Marketing.
"Until HR makes a final decision about how they want to deal with Adam, I'll keep telling the press the same thing, ‘We do not discriminate and that this is a time to focus on the special person Gary was and to ensure his family receive the support they need’. No one else is allowed to comment any media unless I say otherwise," Cathy prompted.
The mood in the room got gloomier by the minute. Cathy expected no change any time soon. 'Common sense isn't common, that was a given,' she thought, 'but when you act as though your actions do not have consequences and rummage through someone else's life, you are definitely in for a rude awakening.'
"What kinds of animals raise people like these? When I confronted Adam yesterday, he actually thought all of this was funny. That it was his right to say whatever he wanted using information any way he saw fit," fumed Oliver.
"I get it Oliver, you see fault with his parents, the media will see fault in MoonStar. They will stress that we didn't teach tolerance," Cathy said softly but a little impatient. "We all loved Gary, especially those who worked with him everyday. His sexual orientation didn't matter to us. Who he dated was none of our business but the media will put words in our mouths and emotions where they don't belong. Like it or not that's what we're up against," she continued.
"What about other MoonStar associates who are gay? I'm sure we can mention them," Pietro wondered out loud.
"Yes, when push comes to shove we can use them as a public front. I don't think anyone who has worked with MoonStar can even broach the topic of discrimination on any level," Cathy responded.
A loud knock on the door distracted them. A bespectacled head peered through the slightly opened door.
"I'm sorry to interrupt but uhhh ... something's not right ... and you should know," said Andy the IT Manager.
Terry motioned for him to enter. He looked just as exhausted as everyone else in the room. Cathy guessed he would have been one of the first few who were pressured for information when the website surfaced. Rumours that the site had been started using the Internet connection from within the property, made his job even more difficult.
"The pictures ... the ones on the site ... GayGary.com ... it's not Gary," he blurted out.
A stunned silence fell on the occupants of the room.
"Apparently he dated this girl awhile back, Natalia. She's from the spa and she came to my office. She wanted help ... she asked me to scan a picture they had taken together at last year's associates picnic. She said that it was the only picture she had of them together and wanted to remember him ..."
He spoke quickly. He was obviously excited about the information he was sharing but was missing the impact that this had on his colleagues.
"Andy, how do you know it's not Gary?" Terry prompted as his patience was stretched a little further.
"Oh, yes ... as I was scanning the picture I saw that Gary had a birthmark or scar on his left shoulder," he motioned to his own shoulder, "and the pictures on GayGary.com didn't have the mark. I enhanced the pictures and I looked ... three times. That's when I saw the touch up marks on each photo. The images are not real."
He appeared smug but the others looked with horror at each other. This shed a whole new light on things, sprouting a whole new set of different offenses. Yes, the issue of discrimination could be thrown out now. But, the fact that a MoonStar associate with enough time on his hands but not enough humanity in his heart had carried out such a heinous act was bound to raise questions.
Ready to explode, Oliver, the Security Manager blurted out what everyone else was thinking, "I want to be very clear about what you are saying. You are telling me that this cretin was bothered enough to take someone else's pictures, edit them and embarrass Gary to the point of suicide, all because Gary denied his leave application?"
"Well, that's kinda how it looks," said the flustered Andy waving his arms.
Terry looked at Cathy. His facial expression told her he was ready to exercise his authority as General Manager, to the fullest extent.
"I don't think MoonStar Corporate has rules for this. But, I will make a precedent. I will start and I will make sure that corporate follows suit." He paused as though evaluating the severity of his actions. "I'll have HR prepare Adam's termination papers. I won't let this hotel chain or all the hard work I've put into this property be brought down by some punk who has too much time on his hands."
Cathy nodded. "I'll check if legal would like to pursue criminal charges as well."
Very few General Managers could claim a lack of fondness for the property they ran. Most viewed it as a child they raised. Blood, sweat and tears marked every substantial effort put into making the property outshine others. Anyone who tried to belittle this effort or take away this 'child' was in for a losing battle.
Even if Adam had started this as a joke, this was the point where the fun times came to a stop, responsibility began and it became someone else's turn to laugh.
GUARAPARI, BRAZIL
January 2009
Espirito Santo which literally translates to "Holy Spirit" signifies the state’s Christian roots. Espirito Santo is located on the southeastern corner of Brazil and is a blend of many different cultures. It is predominantly influenced by the Portuguese who had arrived sometime in the later 1500s, although it has received cultural influences from the Italians, Germans, Spanish and Africans. Early recordings showed that locals addressed the Portuguese as "Capixabas". This had different meanings in some dialects but generally meant "corn hair” which addressed the blonde hair of the Portuguese.
For centuries, economic boom resulted from agricultural growth in sugarcane fields and coffee. However, in the late nineteenth century when the state suffered severe food shortages, throngs of farmers deserted their fields in pursuit of the gold rush. In recent years, 45% of the state's economy relies on income derived from year round tourism.
With a vast coastline, almost every food outlet boasts a gastronomical feast for seafood lovers alongside other famous Brazilian dishes such as Caruru which is a rich combination of okra, onion, shrimp and toasted nuts; Feijoada, a bean and meat favourite; Tutu de Feijao, a
paste of beans and cassava flour; Moqueca Capixaba, a combination of slow-cooked fish, tomato, onion and garlic topped with cilantro and yet another local favourite Chourico, which is spicy sausages. Numerous varieties of the Brazilian Cachaca, a native home made liquor are also found here.
Tucked beneath these layers of rustic tourist charm, is Guarapari. It is a small coastal town located within Espirito Santo. Also a highly popular tourist destination, it is well-known for its black sand beaches. Guarapari is draped with a scenic background that includes architecturally astounding chapels, a theatre, old town houses and colourful street markets.
It was way past dinner time when Cathy walked through the multi-coloured lobby of MoonStar Guarapari. She thought of having a quick meal at the buffet counter before going up to her room to face the chore of year-end reports. One of the more popular MoonStar properties for family holidays, the lobby was a great hit with children of all ages.
Its walls were lined with main characters from various Disney movies while the entire open space of the lobby was filled with various toys and gadgets for them to enjoy. Even as they neared the main entrance of the resort, colourful monkey bars, tunnels and bowling pins welcomed and entertained them, as their parents finished checking-in or made payment when checking out. With at least ten children playing in the lobby at any given time, noise was a force the MoonStar associates dealt with well.
However, a different kind of scream pierced the air that evening. A young mother pointed at a little girl no more than six years old. She was almost hysterical and her husband held her back from lunging at the MoonStar associates that were gathered in the area. As Cathy neared and made sense of the conversation, she felt as though someone had reached in and wrenched her guts.
"This is not my child! My daughter's hair is dark brown not black. Larissa's hair had a pink band ... this is not my child!"
"Madam, we understand that a mix-up has occurred. We'll ... please just sit down and we'll get your daughter," came the desperate voice of Front Office Associate Assistant, Luka.
Cathy followed him to the back of the counter and waited as he scurried about looking for the Front Office Manager, Matheus. A soft spoken twenty-two year old, Luka's eyes darted in fear as he assessed the situation before him. It took a long five minutes before Matheus showed up. He was perturbed at being dragged away from his dinner but became more fearful than angry when he heard the sequence of events.
For the past four days, Martin and Sophia Cooper went shopping at 10:00 a.m. and left their six year old daughter Larissa with Front Office's nanny service. It was a complimentary service for all guests and operated daily from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. This allowed parents to sip up a little of the island's nightlife.
On most days, the nanny service was handled by three licensed child care givers. Each of them was assigned to no more than five children at a time. But with only thirty guest rooms occupied and with overall occupancy at its lowest, two of these ladies were on leave. The third had called in sick. The supervisor on duty made the decision that Front Office Associate Nela would take charge of Larissa for the rest of the day.
She could do this while she attended to her regular duties at the Mangaba Children's Club. This was a centre where kids could play board or video games, meet other children their age but the club's rules specified that the children had to be supervised by their parents at all times.
With so few guests during the rainy season from October to January, Nela was not expected to have any problems with one extra child in her care. All went well, till the Mangaba closed at 4:00 p.m. and Nela went to chat with a new associate. She took Larissa for a walk to the pool bar. Nela claimed that Larissa never left her sight and was given a jigsaw puzzle while the two associates 'bonded'. They were later joined by a third associate who had finished her duty.
However, she did admit that the place had started crowding with other kids as the poolside barbecue started at 7:00 p.m. An hour later, she reached for the girl dressed in a lime green t-shirt and brought her back to the lobby. This was when she realized she had brought the wrong child and the mother had started to scream.
When they went back to the pool area to look for Larissa, she was nowhere to be seen and Mindy, the little girl Nela had with her casually mentioned that it was her first day at MoonStar Guarapari. She also stated that her parents' names were Rick and Ally but that was unhelpful information. Those could be abbreviations for numerous other names. Additionally, the resort had no couple registered under those names.
Luka took a deep breath as he finished with Matheus who was ready to strangle anyone who walked into his path at the moment.
"Take the parents to their room and have someone sit with them. They're causing a scene in the lobby and there's no way of calming them down. In the meantime, we'll organise a search party. Look for Larissa at the pool area again. Someone must have seen her. I'll inform the boss as well ..."
No General Manager of any property enjoyed interruptions after working hours but with such a disastrous situation getting worse at every corner, Matheus knew he needed to inform his boss.
"Cathy?" he prompted as he saw her shaking her head.
"I was just thinking, what if she ran through the lobby and out towards the night market? I could go talk to the mother and ask her for a picture, that we could use to distribute," Cathy suggested.
She was fully aware of the fact that so much time had passed from the last time the girl had been seen. Anything could have happened to the child. Too many scenarios played in Cathy's head as she reached the Coopers' guest room.
Front Office Associate Manuela was already seated there. She was busy on the phone receiving further instructions. Other guests needed to be called and asked if they had seen Larissa in other parts of the hotel. She shook her head as Cathy walked in, signalling that "all was still not well" with the Coopers. Cathy nodded. Nobody expected anything different.
With his nose pressed tightly against the glass, Martin Cooper leaned against the window. At the sound of another person entering the room, he turned with hope and expectation. However, from Cathy's expression, he knew there was no news. He returned to his position at the window.
"For the first time since we've been here, I've just realised how big the island actually is. And if it's big to me imagine how big it would look to Risa ... We were supposed to go ...," his voice cracked as he looked up at the ceiling.
"My wife's lying down. I gave her a Valium. I think all this has been too much for her. I don't even ... I feel like all this is a dream," he sat down on the couch and sobbed.
Cathy sat opposite him as Manuela went to make him a cup of tea. She squeezed his shoulder but knew there was no possible consolation she could offer in a situation like this.
She spoke softly and did her best to comfort the wretched grief he felt, "Mr. Cooper, we are going to go look for Larissa at the night market area and I was wondering if you had a recent picture of her ... something we could show others?"
"A picture? Why, of course ... I'll send it via bluetooth to your mobile."
He grabbed his mobile phone off the coffee table and showed Cathy a picture of Larissa laughing as she stood with an ice-cream cone at the resort's lobby.
"I think that's the best picture. It's got all of her." His voice was gentle as he traced the outline of the smiling little girl.
"Tell me honestly, I'm not mad at the resort but did that girl .. Neela ... Nela have anything to do with this? Did she do something to Risa on purpose?"
"Mr. Cooper, I'll completely understand it even if you are angry, but no. Admittedly, Nela was negligent and should have paid better attention but she didn't forcefully do anything to Risa. We have another child sitting in the lobby with no parents and you don't have your daughter. I'd really like to think it was a horrid mix up. It’s the scariest of situations but we are doing our very best to get the word out. Chances are Mindy's parents did the same thing Nela did. They only noticed the colour of the t-shirt and bundl
ed her off but we'll keep looking and until we find her ..," Cathy's voice trailed off.
She was uncertain if the situation seemed as simple as it looked. Worried about making a promise she had no way of keeping, she looked down at her hands.
Martin nodded. "Yes, anyone could have made that mistake. Sophia and I could have done it too. It's just that the things you hear these days. And it's been so long ... if it was the wrong girl, they must have noticed by now," his voice was pleading and he walked back to stand by the window.
"I'm going to go downstairs and start circulating the picture via mobile and emails. We'll also do as many printouts as we can."
Frequent Traveller (Cathy Dixon #1) Page 9