help because in the end it all depended on your own ideas, values, and sometimes conscience. Besides, there was another factor which Brett had no intention of discussing with these two: Lately he had experienced some of the same questioning and doubts himself. The chief of Color and Interiors had a skeleton immediately inside his office, used for anatomy studies in relation to auto seating. The skeleton hung slightly off the ground, suspended by a chain attached to a plate in the skull. Brett DeLosanto shook hands with it as he came in. "Good morning, Ralph .”
Dave Heberstein came from behind his desk and nodded toward the main studio. "Let's go through .”
He patted the skeleton affectionately in passing. "A loyal and useful staff member who never criticizes, never asks for a raise .”
The Color Center, which they entered, was a vast, domed chamber, circular and constructed principally of glass, allowing daylight to flood in. The overhead dome gave a cathedral effect, so that several enclosed booths-for light-controlled viewing of color samples and fabrics appeared like chapels. Deep carpeting underfoot deadened sound. Throughout the room were display boards, soft and hard trim samples, and a color library comprising every color in the spectrum as well as thousands of subcolors. Heberstein stopped at a display table. He told Brett DeLosanto, "Here's what I wanted you to see .”
Under glass, a half-dozen upholstery samples had been arranged, each identified by mill and purchase number. Other similar samples were loose on the table top. Though variously colored, they bore the generic name "Metallic Willow .”
Dave Heberstein picked one up. "Remember these .”
"Sure " Brett nodded. "I liked them; still do .”
"I did, too. In f act, I recommended them for use .”
Heberstein fingered the sample which was 5 pleasantly soft to the touch. It had-as had all the others-an attractive patterned silver fleck. "It's crimped yarn with a metallic thread .”
Both men were aware that the fabric had been introduced as an extra cost option with the company's top line models this year. It had proven popular and soon, in differing colors, would be available for the Orion. Brett asked, "So what's the fuss .”
"Letters," Heberstein said. "Customers' letters which started coming in a couple of weeks ago .”
He took a key ring from his pocket and opened a drawer in the display table. Inside was a file containing about two dozen photocopied letters. "Read a few of those .”
The correspondence, which was mainly from women or their husbands, though a few lawyers had written on behalf of clients, had a common theme. The women had sat in their cars wearing mink coats. In each case when they left the car, part of the mink had adhered to the seat, depleting and damaging the coat. Brett whistled softly. "Sales ran a check through the computer," Heberstein confided. "In every case the car concerned had Metallic Willow seats. I understand there are still more letters coming in .”
"Obviously you've made tests .”
Brett handed back the folder of letters. "So what do they show .”
"They show the whole thing's very simple; trouble is, nobody thought of it before it happened. You sit on the seat, the cloth depresses and opens up. That's normal, of course, but what also open up in this case are the metallic threads, which is still okay, providing you don't happen to be wearing mink. But if you are, some of the fine hairs go clown between the metallic threads. Get up, and the threads close, holding the mink hairs so they pull out from the coat. You can ruin a three-thousand-dollar coat in one trip around the block .”
Brett P.Tinned. "If word gets around, every woman in the country with an old mink will rush out for a ride, then put in a claim for a new coat .”
"Nobody's laughing, Over at staff they've pushed the panic button .”
"The fabric's out of production .”
Heberstein nodded. "As of this morning. And from now on we have
Dave Heberstein came from behind his desk and nodded toward the main studio. "Let's go through .”
He patted the skeleton affectionately in passing. "A loyal and useful staff member who never criticizes, never asks for a raise .”
The Color Center, which they entered, was a vast, domed chamber, circular and constructed principally of glass, allowing daylight to flood in. The overhead dome gave a cathedral effect, so that several enclosed booths-for light-controlled viewing of color samples and fabrics appeared like chapels. Deep carpeting underfoot deadened sound. Throughout the room were display boards, soft and hard trim samples, and a color library comprising every color in the spectrum as well as thousands of subcolors. Heberstein stopped at a display table. He told Brett DeLosanto, "Here's what I wanted you to see .”
Under glass, a half-dozen upholstery samples had been arranged, each identified by mill and purchase number. Other similar samples were loose on the table top. Though variously colored, they bore the generic name "Metallic Willow .”
Dave Heberstein picked one up. "Remember these .”
"Sure " Brett nodded. "I liked them; still do .”
"I did, too. In f act, I recommended them for use .”
Heberstein fingered the sample which was 5 pleasantly soft to the touch. It had-as had all the others-an attractive patterned silver fleck. "It's crimped yarn with a metallic thread .”
Both men were aware that the fabric had been introduced as an extra cost option with the company's top line models this year. It had proven popular and soon, in differing colors, would be available for the Orion. Brett asked, "So what's the fuss .”
"Letters," Heberstein said. "Customers' letters which started coming in a couple of weeks ago .”
He took a key ring from his pocket and opened a drawer in the display table. Inside was a file containing about two dozen photocopied letters. "Read a few of those .”
The correspondence, which was mainly from women or their husbands, though a few lawyers had written on behalf of clients, had a common theme. The women had sat in their cars wearing mink coats. In each case when they left the car, part of the mink had adhered to the seat, depleting and damaging the coat. Brett whistled softly. "Sales ran a check through the computer," Heberstein confided. "In every case the car concerned had Metallic Willow seats. I understand there are still more letters coming in .”
"Obviously you've made tests .”
Brett handed back the folder of letters. "So what do they show .”
"They show the whole thing's very simple; trouble is, nobody thought of it before it happened. You sit on the seat, the cloth depresses and opens up. That's normal, of course, but what also open up in this case are the metallic threads, which is still okay, providing you don't happen to be wearing mink. But if you are, some of the fine hairs go clown between the metallic threads. Get up, and the threads close, holding the mink hairs so they pull out from the coat. You can ruin a three-thousand-dollar coat in one trip around the block .”
Brett P.Tinned. "If word gets around, every woman in the country with an old mink will rush out for a ride, then put in a claim for a new coat .”
"Nobody's laughing, Over at staff they've pushed the panic button .”
"The fabric's out of production .”
Heberstein nodded. "As of this morning. And from now on we have
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