“Bernie did what had to be done. I didn’t do anything Mr. Cooley. You should thank him. I am just sorry that you ended up in hospital.” Christine was surprised to hear Jack showing concern for Mr. Cooley, he seemed totally focused on the chemical plant when she spoke with him earlier. Sorry Jack, I should have given you more credit. I honestly thought you would be in here shouting at poor Mr. Cooley.
Jack turned toward the door and saw Christine standing there. He smiled and spoke to her softly, “I will be out in a minute, almost finished here.” He turned back to the bed. “You concentrate on getting better Mr. Cooley. Mr. Martin and I will take care of everything. Don’t you worry.” He turned to Christine, who gawked at him in awe. The thought of Jack and Charles Martin working together was ludicrous? This whole situation was getting more bizarre by the minute.
Jack ushered Christine from the room. The two headed for the hospital cafeteria where they could talk. “I think you should come and see Sarah and explain the situation to her. She will be released in the morning and I know she has been called to a meeting with Charles Martin.”
“This is her problem, she wanted to work with Martin and now she can face the consequences.” Jack was overcome with past hurt. He still felt betrayed by Sarah.
“Jack! How can you say such a thing? Now finish your coffee, we are going to let Sarah know exactly what is going on. You owe her that much after three years together.” Christine was angry with Jack’s attitude toward her friend. “I just watched you tiptoe around Alvin Cooley, who is definitely the enemy as you put it Jack, so you can be civil with Sarah.” Jack realized that she was right.
“Okay, you’re right and I’m being an ass. Alvin Cooley just told me that he informed Martin that we uncovered the dump this morning. That would have been before I met with him and he had time to come up with a plan. He would not tell me if Martin knew about the dump site before today. I think I am being had, but right now I need to focus on doing whatever I have to, so that the site is cleaned up as quickly as possible.”
“Jack, Sarah needs to know.”
He downed the rest of the coffee and stood up. “Let’s go.” She followed and soon they both stood at the foot of Sarah’s bed. Sarah, head bent, had a pad and paper in front of her. She was making notes. Slowly, she raised her eyes and was surprised to see Jack standing there.
“Jack, well this is a surprise.” She felt strangely uncomfortable with him. She reached down and pulled the covers up to her chin.
“Sarah, I am sorry that you are ill. I have something to tell you and please don’t interrupt until I finish.” Sarah glowered at him. She could feel her body tensing with anger. She couldn’t help but think; You have been here two minutes and you are starting already. How dare you come in here and tell me not to interrupt! The nerve of the man.
“Jack Giovanni, don’t you come in here and give me orders. Just get out! I don’t need this right now. Christine, how could you?” Sarah turned away, refusing to look at either of them.
“Sarah, you need to hear what Jack has to say, it is important and pertains to Martin and Schultz Chemical.” Christine was being the peacekeeper, but she could see that Sarah was upset and angry. Sarah turned toward her defiantly, about to challenge them both, when Jack raised his hand to silence her. The gesture only made her more irate.
“Just get out!” She rolled on her side refusing to look at them. Jack spoke to her in a steady quiet voice.
“Bernie and I have discovered a chemical dump site on Martin and Schultz property. The Water and Waste Management and Environment Canada have been called and a full investigation has begun. You are in here because you drank tap water and now you and dozens of other people are sick. The water is contaminated by your beloved Martin and Schultz Chemical. And yes, the proverbial ‘Shit has hit the fan’ Sarah, so get ready for a rough ride, now good bye.”
He turned on his heels and left the room. Christine just stared in amazement and Sarah slowly rolled over to face her friend. “Is it true?”
“Yes, I’m afraid it is, but there is something very strange going on. I was just up in Alvin Cooley’s room and I heard Jack tell him that he and Martin were working together on this.”
“Alvin Cooley? What happened to him?” Sarah was groggy and confused. She gave her head a shake, trying to decipher all of the information.
“He had a heart attack on the site, when Jack and Bernie were digging up the barrels. Anyway, I needed you to know what you are up against before you get out of here. This has blown up Sarah, and I don’t know what is going to happen next.” Christine gave Sarah a pat on the shoulder. “Do you need anything before I go?”
Sarah shook her head. “See you tomorrow morning. I am going to work on a strategy for Martin and Schultz Chemical. You will come and drive me home?” Christine looked at her in amazement. Sarah was going to help protect them, unbelievable. As sick as she was, she was going to get to work right away to save the chemical plant.
“Of course, rest today Sarah. See you in the morning.” Christine picked up her laptop and her coat and left Sarah alone. Sarah reached for her handbag in the side table and called Charles Martin. The secretary put her through.
“Sarah, I was trying to reach you. We have a situation.”
“I am in hospital, but I will be released in the morning. What is going on Mr. Martin?”
He gave her his explanation, denying any knowledge of the dump site, and told her that he would give her all the details at the meeting tomorrow. “Please arrive half an hour early so you and I can go over a few things.” He added as an afterthought, “Oh, and Sarah, I am glad to hear you are being released, you aren’t sick, are you?” She told him it was nothing and hung up. Then she sat staring out the window. Dear God, what are we going to do about this? I just spent months convincing everyone that Martin and Schultz Chemical was going ‘green’ and now this. I will have to come up with a very good plan for damage control.
Charles Martin was coming up with a plan of his own. He called a meeting with his senior staff in the boardroom. Everyone was tense. “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a crisis on our hands and this is how we are going to handle it.”
The ten people in the room looked at each other skeptically and then focused on Charles Martin. One man raised his hand, “May I ask how you plan to handle this? It is the worst possible time for this to have happened.”
“You can all ask questions later. I am sure all of you know our attorney, Miss Martinez.” He nodded toward the opposite end of the table, to a sophisticated, dark haired woman. Everyone acknowledged her presence. “Miss Martinez is here in an official capacity.” The men and women in the room were growing more nervous as time went on. Charles took a drink of water from his bottle and continued. “I will confirm that a chemical dump site has been discovered on our property.” Several gasps were heard, but no one spoke. “Our position on this is simple. We knew nothing of the site’s existence. It is a complete shock to all of us.” Many of them agreed, having been hired in the past five years and knowing nothing about the dump site themselves.
Ed, a gray haired man at the left side of the table raised his hand. “I was here in 1975 and so were Tom and Alvin, how can we say we didn’t know?”
“You and everyone in this room have signed a non-disclosure contract with Martin and Schultz Chemical. I am telling you that we didn’t know, and that is final. Do I make myself clear?” He looked around the room, several people refused to meet his gaze. “Anyone that does not agree will see Miss Martinez after this meeting and will be dismissed, without bonus, no exceptions. This is not open for debate.” People looked at each other nervously. “Ed, you, Tom and Alvin will be taking early retirement, with leaving bonus, effective immediately. Naturally you will not speak to anyone about this or you will face a very large lawsuit. Miss Martinez will give you the details.” Ed gaped at Charles in shock. He didn’t know what to say. No one else moved or spoke, they all understood what this meeting meant and they had no in
tention of putting their high paying jobs and big bonuses in jeopardy.
“How am I supposed to explain retiring a year ahead of time, to my family and friends?” Ed was upset.
“Very simple, I will announce a few cut backs in order to help offset the cost of the dump site removal. Voluntary early retirement by three of our oldest employees is much appreciated by Martin and Schultz Chemical.” Ed just watched him in astonishment. This whole scenario was unbelievable and now it had turned his world upside down. He looked away in disgust.
“Just to let you know the facts. Many scientists agree that global warming is nothing but the Earth’s natural reaction to carbon dioxide. The planet gives off carbon dioxide naturally and there was an ice age long before there was industry and automobiles. Personally, I feel that this entire environmental issue is nothing but a media scare by a bunch of tree huggers and a research money grab by scientists. And from conversations with most of you, I think you agree.” Several people nodded in agreement. “There are no regulations on adding “Natural” or “Green” to product labels and everyone is jumping on the band wagon. As you know, we have joined the ‘Green’ movement, purely as a marketing ploy and thanks to Miss DeVries, it has gone very well. Although I feel the global warming is nothing but nonsense personally, professionally I want the millions of people that do believe in it, to buy our products and the products made by our customers. As I said, this is a great marketing ploy and we are now “Green” and will stay that way. From this moment on, our position is shock and dismay at the discovery of the dump site. We are going to co-operate fully with the local authorities to get the site cleaned up immediately and with as little disruption as possible. This will be the standard reply by all of us, do I make myself clear? I am calling a press conference on Thursday, after I speak with Miss DeVries tomorrow to discuss our next move. Now are there any questions?”
“I think we all understand our position at Martin and Schultz Chemical, “one of the women commented. She looked defiantly around the table, for anyone to disagree. No one spoke.
“Fine, please go back to work and remember; this meeting did not take place. There will be no further discussion on this matter. Anyone that wishes to speak with Miss Martinez can do so privately after the others have left. Slowly and quietly, they filed out of the room. Charles looked down the table at Miss Martinez, who gave him a nod of approval. He left her alone with Tom and Ed to sort out the final details. Back in his office, he sat staring smugly out the window. He was very proud of himself at that moment. I will turn this into my crowning moment, and you Mr. Giovanni will help me do it. He started to make plans for tomorrow’s meeting with Sarah. They would collaborate on a plan that would not fail and Charles Martin would be the town hero.
Chapter Sixteen
The first dusting of snow had fallen during the afternoon and the trees and lawns were sparkling with ice crystals. Christine admired the glistening trees from her window. Matt turned on the television. Slowly, she moved toward him. Christine and Matt huddled together on the couch, watching the latest news from Bridgetown. The mayor, Mr. Carver from the water treatment plant, two members of the town council, a doctor and a representative from Environment Canada appeared on the screen. Christine reached for the remote and turned the volume up. “This should be good.” Matt reached for his coffee and sipped at the boiling liquid carefully.
Mayor Burton gave a short intro informing the public that a chemical dump site had been uncovered at the north end of town. He noted that Martin and Schultz Chemical executives were shocked at the discovery, having been totally unaware of the site, which originated more than thirty five years ago, in 1975. At the bottom of the screen, a teleprompter promised an upcoming interview with Charles Martin and more in-depth information. Christine turned to Matt, “I don’t trust Charles Martin, and he and Jack working together is totally beyond belief. He is up to something.”
“Probably wants to come out of this a hero. Don’t ask me how, but if anybody can do it, Charles Martin can. He is being groomed for provincial politics you know.” Matt finished his coffee and set the cup on the table. His arm moved around Christine’s shoulders.
“Really? How do you know that?” Christine picked up a piece of toast from the plate in front of them.
“Mr. Harrison was telling me that a friend of his in Ottawa sat in on a meeting with one of the party leaders and Martin’s name came up. It was right after he got that award from Mayor Burton for his environmental inspiration of Bridgetown.” Matt laughed out loud. “What a joke!”
The Environment Canada representative began to speak and they both focused their attention on the screen. All over Bridgetown, television sets were tuned to the speech.
“At this time, we have no idea whether any of the chemicals have escaped into the environment. We will advise the public on our progress as it occurs. I repeat, we have not confirmed that we have a chemical contamination at this time. When and if we do discover a leak, steps for immediate decontamination of the site will be taken as follows. He started to read from his notes: While the provision of medical care to victims is obviously paramount in the acute phase, from a public health standpoint the following activities must simultaneously be considered:
1. Institute surveillance/information systems to track the extent, severity, distribution, etc., of morbidity and mortality.
2. Anticipate, prevent, or control public health consequences of the localized disaster such as spread of chemical contaminants in the environment, or appearance of infectious disease epidemics.
3. Assess the utilization and effectiveness of emergency medical and health services.
4. Initiate acute epidemiologic investigations to study risk factors for morbidity and mortality, identify groups at highest risk, evaluate clinical course and natural history of disease, evaluate treatment regimens, identify groups at risk for long-term disease, and study whether the emergency planning apparatus such as warning systems, evacuation plans, provision for acute care, etc., functioned effectively.
5. Develop a solid database so that long-term clinical follow-up and epidemiologic investigations will have full scientific validity. These acute phase activities will proceed over a period lasting from several days to several weeks or months.”
Looking back at the camera, he continued. “All of this has been initiated and we will keep the people of Bridgetown informed of the progress of the chemical dump site cleanup.”
Matt and Christine looked at each other, mystified. “Sounds like a lot of bureaucratic bullshit to me. I didn’t understand one word of it.” Matt was disgusted. The speech told him nothing. “Maybe the doctor will make more sense, looks like he’s next.”
The doctor stood in front of the microphone looking very nervous, he adjusted his tie before speaking. “Ladies and Gentlemen of Bridgetown, this is an emergency situation; however it does not call for panic. We are taking careful and considerable care in discovering the cause of the mysterious virus X. At this time we have no concrete proof of any association between the recent chemical dump site discovery and the illness. When and if such proof develops, we will take steps to counteract any chemical toxicity in victims at the hospital. I repeat, at this time we have no reason to associate the chemical dump site with virus X. We advise everyone to boil all water before using, and most importantly, wash your hands with soap and sterile water several times a day. This will help avoid virus X.
In dealing with the second matter of the dump site, we are only in the beginning stages and much investigation must be done to discover whether any of the chemicals have escaped into our environment. As far as the exact chemical toxins we are dealing with and how we will deal with it, environmental and industrial experts are critically necessary to evaluate the industrial setting, the mechanism of chemical release, the environmental transport and fate of the chemicals released, the route of exposure, etc. This is not simply an exercise in looking up the medical effects of chemical ‘X’. One must be aware of all th
e environmental subtleties, which may lead to formation of hazardous chemical by-products or could modify the exposure pathways of chemicals released. I will not bore all of you with the details right now, but rest assured that the people on this podium are all working together to remedy both of these situations as quickly as possible. I repeat: we do not at this time feel that Virus X and the chemical dump site are related.” He left the microphone and was replaced by the local TV reporter.
Matt looked at Christine in disgust. “Wash our hands! It sounds like the mayor and his group are washing their hands of this whole calamity. We have to push for action on this, Chris. This town and everyone in it are being threatened.” Matt was getting worked up, but Christine put her hand on his arm to silence him as the reporter took her place at the microphone.
“Stay tuned at one o’clock for a full interview with Charles Martin of Martin and Schultz Chemical. We have been told that Mr. Martin is very distressed over events at the chemical plant and is co-operating fully with all levels of government on the cleanup.”
Christine turned off the television. “Not one word about Jack Giovanni.” She agreed with Matt that the entire press release was nothing more than government ‘jibber jabber.’
“Did you really expect that group to mention Jack? What are you going to do about your article? Hopefully it will give people the information they want and need.” Matt took his jacket from the closet and picked up his lunch bag from the counter. “I’m late. You know I was born in Bridgetown and I love this place. I don’t want to see the town turned into a ghost town when half the people in it die from chemical poisoning.” Christine kissed his cheek, she felt the same way.
“I’m meeting with John at the Banner later this morning. He wants to tread very carefully and we are going to wait until we hear Martin’s interview before we make our final decision, but I intend to interview Jack and get his slant on this entire scenario. Where are you working today?” She cleared the dishes and put them in the sink.
Bridgetown's Eleventh Hour Page 16