“What’s with that guy in the corner?”
“I don’t know. He’s been working here for years and he’s barely said a word.”
“I’m not sure what to make of him. Word is he’s a bit of a recluse.”
“I hear he has issues…as in, issues that require medication, therapy, and a social worker.”
“I hear he’s just plain fucking weird.”
Hellen Hyland snickered to herself as she heard that all-too-familiar conversation unfold. The company had just had its biweekly meeting. As the young paralegal tasked with handing the boring paperwork, she knew how to fade into the background while the overpaid, overdressed executives discussed the business of the day. However, it was often after the meeting ended that the more interesting conversations emerged.
A frequent subject of those conversations was Terry Rhinehart, the overly quiet man in the neatly-pressed suits who rarely said a word. He rarely had to, for the most part. He was an accountant with the finance department. Much of his day centered around staring at spreadsheets, crunching numbers, and balancing the books. By all accounts, he did that job very well. In fact, Terry might have been the only employee that the director hadn’t yelled at all year.