Operation Butterball

Chapter 4. disappeared.

Lou was drowning in paperwork and anxiety. Her boss Xiang Liu was on her ass every single day about safety protocols, mandatory safety briefings, and machine safety seminars.

Since Rhonda Allison's accident and subsequent 2.5 million dollar settlement, Lou hadn't had a good nights sleep, a good fuck, a good game of pool down at Q's, or hell, a decent conversation. Rhonda had really made her life miserable with all the new traffic and work from the higher-ups.

Rhonda Allison had also disappeared off the face of the planet. Her inherited house from her deceased Aunt had been placed on the market immediately after the settlement check cleared. It was already sold to some pot head community college hippy frisbee freak who had hung Bob Marley and Janis Joplin tapestries in the window. Different cars seemed to be parked in the driveway every day, and Lou was pretty sure her Great-Aunt Jerry had been over there a few times. She said it was to meet and greet the new neighbors. Lou was pretty sure Jerry was over there to score some 'reefer'.

It just didn't make any sense to Lou. Rhonda hadn't even told her goodbye. There was no warning, she was just gone. She had tried calling her phone repeatedly and it had been disconnected.

Lou felt disconnected. She reached into her purse and pulled out a flask of an innocuous brown liquid. Pouring a hearty amount into her cold morning coffee in the now, late afternoon. She gulped the mixture down in a hurry. The burning sensation in her stomach gave her enough drive and courage to get up in preparation to round up the troops and face the ever present smirk of Tina Toto during the afternoon safety briefing.

Tina Toto. The bane of her existence since 11th grade. Years of unrequited rage welled up in Lou's throat. She contemplated drinking straight out of her flask then thought better of it. Toto wouldn't get the best of her today.

She gathered up her leather bound padfolio with serial killer writing all over the notepad inside, and pushed her chair in. She let out a heavy sigh as she looked up at the ceiling. She marched towards the door with a mid afternoon buzz and new resolve, cracking her stiff neck on the way.

The conference room was all whisper this and whisper that but went deaf silent as soon as Lou walked into the room. Xiang Liu was no where to be seen. It was just Lou and 20 marshmallow white clad females, their hoods down, and their googles hung around their necks or sat unceremoniously in their laps or on the floor.

Tina sat up front with two or three of her meat packing cronies, cliqued together much like high school lunch hour or a prison gang.

Lou stepped up to the podium, flipping open her padfolio as she did so. "Right. You gals know the drill. Hoods up, goggles on at all times. Gloves changed after every task. And for fuck sakes keep them tucked in under your sleeves. We don't need another incident. If you get tired or you need a break, you're to hit your call button so a floor manager can fill in for you. You get 10. No more on the clock than that. It's a safety break. It's not a smoke break. It's not a text your dick of the week break. It's not a reason to fuck off. It's to make sure your fucking head is on straight so no one get's hurt. If I find you are abusing this new policy. I'll dock you shifts. Simple as that. Are we understood?"

The marshmallows murmured and nodded. Lou felt the whiskey boiling in her blood. "No more accidents."

She slammed her padfolio closed and walked out of the conference room and right into a tall Asian man's chest. Her belongings slipped down her grey pencil skirt and onto the tile floor. Her phone case made a harsh cracking sound as it hit and skidded three feet away.

"Do you often use that kind of colorful language when addressing your inferiors Ms. Duncan?"

Lou Anne looked up. "I don't think anyone is my inferior.... I'm sorry I don't know your name...?"

"Ren Liu. Xiang is my mother. Here. Let me help you." Ren bent his tall body down to gather up the split in two phone case, Lou's cellphone and her padfolio in one graceful long-armed movement. He smoothed his suit and his tie ritually as he handed her belongings back to her.

"Thanks. Sorry about the language. It's a little rough and tumble here in Nowhere. I try to talk in language everyone understands."

"I see." His smile was genuine if not mischievous.

"Are you here with us long?" Lou shifted her body weight from foot to foot aware that the marshmallows were now exiting the conference room and Toto and her cronies were watching this exchange.

Noticing the crowd, Ren gently grabbed Lou's elbow and steered her down the hall away from the packing floor and towards the private offices. "I'm here as long as I am needed. I'm investigating the incident and assessing safety protocols here at the plant. I'll be here indefinitely, Ms. Duncan."

"Oh?" Lou felt the grip on her arm tighten as Ren turned her toward him outside of an adjunct office. He released her arm and pointed with his thumb over his shoulder. "This is me, if you need to find me."

The door read: R. Liu I.A.

"What does I.A. stand for?"

"Internal Affairs".

"Ah." Lou tried not to react.

"I'll be seeing you again soon Ms. Duncan".

Ren Liu winked at Lou Anne Duncan, then turned around and entered his office, closing the door behind him.

Lou stood there for a moment staring at the placard on the door.

Fuck Rhonda Allison and fuck her big fat hand.