young?"
"Sure," I said , remembering back to when my biggest problem was whether to get the turquoise - blue pony with the pink , glitter y hair , or the purple one with the lime - green mane . "It's a rite of passage , midway between building blocks and Barbie."
"Try telling these guys that."
"Neigh to that."
Edward cracked a smile. "I think I've heard every bad horse joke since we got the booking. But let's get serious. Another bad event could truly sink us. My bosses are not happy."
"Are they looking to remove you?"
"Not yet, but they will if revenue drops below predictions."
That piqued my interest. "What happens then?"
"If I get fired for the hotel failing, they either bring in a rescue team, or sell the hotel and cut their losses. Or they could close the place down , if the books aren’t viable for a sale . It's not just I who will suffer. We employ a lot of people and I try to be flexible in my employment practices. Single moms, kids who need to bus tables to make money for college, and staff who come from nothing , but possess the spark of ambition that ensures we can train them to a high standard. I can't let them down, " he said. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead and he wiped it away, before rubbing his head in frustration.
"You sound like a good boss,” I said, honestly.
"I try. I'm a taskmaster, I'm sure they'll tell you that , but I'm fair. I reward good work. I let people learn from their mistakes , rather than freaking out and firing them."
"Can you show me around?" I had several pages of notes now, but nothing emerged as the obvious reason for a saboteur to attac k the hotel, or who it could be . We had already established that there were no threats or attempts at blackmail. My best course of action now was to sniff around and get to know the employees. One of them could have seen or heard something, or possibly suspected someone. "Perhaps you can expla in more about my cover role too , so I can make sure to fit in. "
"I don't expect you to do much in your, uh, cover role." Edward rose and walked around the desk. I gathered my things together, sliding the files and notepad into my purse. "It's just lucky that the role was available . My last assistant just stopped coming in."
"Was that odd?"
His face clouded. "Yeah, it was. I was pretty mad."
"Has there been sabotage since?"
"Oh, yes."
The missing employee immediately plummet ed from the top of my suspects list , but I made a note about it anyway. "I'll need those details too."
"I'll make sure we go by HR on our tour."
Edward Killjoy wasn't a talker , who waffled endlessly, but he was friendly and knowledgeable , and he knew every employee by name , even the busboys . H e took me on a tour of the employee areas before leading me around the front of house, showing me all the guest spaces from the lobby to the restaurant and bars. By the time we got to the conference center, I figured I would need to put names and faces on flash cards and practice.
"Wow," I said, as we paused in the gallery overlooking the convention below.
"It's really something else, isn't it?"
"You can say that again."
The conference center was two thousand square feet of chaos. Stall after stall showcased colorful toys, books, posters, art work, vintage items, collectibles and, disturbingly, costumes for the more discerning customer. I lost count of the number of otherwise normal - looking men sporting t-shirts featuring ponies, rainbows and flowers.
"I don't get it myself," said Edward as he passed me a brochure for the event from the stand by the door. I opened it, not entirely sure what to expect. Despite the rainbow background, it was planned like any other convention. Listed were speeches on pony metaphors, ponies and meditation, along with seminars on the resurgence of ponies in the modern world, how to write fan fiction , featuring your favorite Super Pony and workshops on “I llustration for B eginners ” from a master pony animator. The whole
"Sure," I said , remembering back to when my biggest problem was whether to get the turquoise - blue pony with the pink , glitter y hair , or the purple one with the lime - green mane . "It's a rite of passage , midway between building blocks and Barbie."
"Try telling these guys that."
"Neigh to that."
Edward cracked a smile. "I think I've heard every bad horse joke since we got the booking. But let's get serious. Another bad event could truly sink us. My bosses are not happy."
"Are they looking to remove you?"
"Not yet, but they will if revenue drops below predictions."
That piqued my interest. "What happens then?"
"If I get fired for the hotel failing, they either bring in a rescue team, or sell the hotel and cut their losses. Or they could close the place down , if the books aren’t viable for a sale . It's not just I who will suffer. We employ a lot of people and I try to be flexible in my employment practices. Single moms, kids who need to bus tables to make money for college, and staff who come from nothing , but possess the spark of ambition that ensures we can train them to a high standard. I can't let them down, " he said. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead and he wiped it away, before rubbing his head in frustration.
"You sound like a good boss,” I said, honestly.
"I try. I'm a taskmaster, I'm sure they'll tell you that , but I'm fair. I reward good work. I let people learn from their mistakes , rather than freaking out and firing them."
"Can you show me around?" I had several pages of notes now, but nothing emerged as the obvious reason for a saboteur to attac k the hotel, or who it could be . We had already established that there were no threats or attempts at blackmail. My best course of action now was to sniff around and get to know the employees. One of them could have seen or heard something, or possibly suspected someone. "Perhaps you can expla in more about my cover role too , so I can make sure to fit in. "
"I don't expect you to do much in your, uh, cover role." Edward rose and walked around the desk. I gathered my things together, sliding the files and notepad into my purse. "It's just lucky that the role was available . My last assistant just stopped coming in."
"Was that odd?"
His face clouded. "Yeah, it was. I was pretty mad."
"Has there been sabotage since?"
"Oh, yes."
The missing employee immediately plummet ed from the top of my suspects list , but I made a note about it anyway. "I'll need those details too."
"I'll make sure we go by HR on our tour."
Edward Killjoy wasn't a talker , who waffled endlessly, but he was friendly and knowledgeable , and he knew every employee by name , even the busboys . H e took me on a tour of the employee areas before leading me around the front of house, showing me all the guest spaces from the lobby to the restaurant and bars. By the time we got to the conference center, I figured I would need to put names and faces on flash cards and practice.
"Wow," I said, as we paused in the gallery overlooking the convention below.
"It's really something else, isn't it?"
"You can say that again."
The conference center was two thousand square feet of chaos. Stall after stall showcased colorful toys, books, posters, art work, vintage items, collectibles and, disturbingly, costumes for the more discerning customer. I lost count of the number of otherwise normal - looking men sporting t-shirts featuring ponies, rainbows and flowers.
"I don't get it myself," said Edward as he passed me a brochure for the event from the stand by the door. I opened it, not entirely sure what to expect. Despite the rainbow background, it was planned like any other convention. Listed were speeches on pony metaphors, ponies and meditation, along with seminars on the resurgence of ponies in the modern world, how to write fan fiction , featuring your favorite Super Pony and workshops on “I llustration for B eginners ” from a master pony animator. The whole
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