Who: Zophie Brightstar and Ben Adler What: BACO investigation continues When: Friday, May 10, 2019 Where: Reserve admin offices Warnings: Plot!
Interview Excerpt:
[Z. Brightstar] Interview of Bennet Adler, Brightstar Reserve. Conducted by Zophiel Brightstar and witnessed by Gina Dougherty. Please state for the record your title and job responsibilities at the Reserve.
[B. Adler] Bennet Adler, but most call me Ben. I'm the Greenhouse Manager & Internship Coordinator for Herbology & Grounds.
[Z. Brightstar] And how long have you held this position? Have you held previous roles at the reserve?
[B. Adler] Well, I've been Greenhouse Manager for over two years now, but I was officially made Internship Coordinator when Dominic, our previous Deputy of Herbology, left.
[Z. Brightstar] Greenhouse Managers, in my experience, are responsible for all of employees working in the greenhouses as well as the care and administration of all plants coming in and going out of the greenhouses. Is that accurate in your case? Any other particular responsibilities I've missed?
[B. Adler] My specialty is propocation, so I do a lot of work and study with hybrids plants, hopefully finding and breeding hardier strains that could survive in the Territory's climate.
[Z. Brightstar] Do you have a shipping coordinator reporting to you, or other employee who typically handles incoming orders? Or does that fall under your purview?
[B. Adler] We're not a big operation at Brightstar, as you know, so we all pitch in and lend a hand when we can. If I'm not around, Marcey, our Head Grower, is probably the one who handles the most of the incoming orders.
[Z. Brightstar] Am I to understand, then, that there's no particular pecking order, so to speak, when it comes to those orders? Whoever is around and available would accept, verify, and unload the incoming plants?
[B. Adler] I think… yeah. Certainly with larger orders we would all pitch in and help. With my first crop of interns, I'm trying to introduce them to all aspects of greenhouse operations and management, which includes learning to verify and handle a variety of plants.
[Z. Brightstar] These are a selection of invoices from the last two years. Can you take a look and tell me what you notice that they all have in common?
[B. Adler] Well they're all larger orders. And…. it's clearly my signature on here. But other than that? Not really. I'd have to cross-reference the invoices, dates, and purchase requests. But something tells me you've already done that?
[Z. Brightstar] Are you familiar with Avlax? Moly? Twisted Windroot? Cloversblood? And particularly what they have in common?
[B. Adler] Of course. They all have practical application in Potions. I did extensive work with Cloversblood when I was getting my certificate with the ASHS.
[Z. Brightstar] They also all happened to go missing after you signed off on them. These, and miscellaneous plants from two dozen more orders like them. 100% of which have your name at the bottom. Ring any bells?
[B. Adler] Well shit. I don't know what's worse, that it doesn't ring any bells or that we've lost these many plants. We have purchase requests for the missing plants, right? What do the requestees have to say?
[Z. Brightstar] Requestees are conveniently missing. But the plants are not, because a few folks did some digging and found them—in places where they had no business being planted. In places, in fact, that were harmful to the creatures near where they were planted. Still not ringing any bells?
[B. Adler] No, sorry. But I don't oversee the planting of individual specimens or much of the fieldwork on the grounds. My domain is the greenhouses once they leave there…. Have you talked to Mark, the head groundskeeper?
[Z. Brightstar] Mysteriously, once they entered the greenhouses, all official records of them are gone. No planting orders, no disposals, no returns. Which means as far as I'm concerned, they're still under your domain, Mr. Adler. Ben. So now I'm stuck with the real question: is this ignorance, or intent? Because I'll be honest, both of those are problems.
[B. Adler] I admit that I'm not the best with paperwork, but you said the requestees are missing? I'm not the only one who orders plants. Maybe you should talk to HR about missing employees.
[Z. Brightstar] You know, I did talk to HR, in fact. And while they couldn't explain why your paperwork is incomplete, they did have a few other interesting things for me to review. Including the former Deputy Head Herbologist's recommendation of you as his replacement, and the fact that you interviewed for the position, but were ultimately passed over for an outsider.
[B. Adler] If that's your roundabout way of asking me if I'm upset about being passed over for a promotion, yeah, it peeved me a little, but it looks like Felix is doing a good job. And honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if he moved on from the Reserve within two years. He's fairly well-traveled. I'll have my shot again soon enough.
[...]
From the notes of Z. Brightstar, Deputy Director of Compliance:
Still can't decide if he's clueless or just a really good actor. Dominic Burke, former deputy head, is still unreachable. No forwarding address, no contact with his family that they're admitting to. Gone off the grid? Attempted positioning of Adler to take over the job failed. Is that why the bad orders have stopped? Can't get them past the new deputy?
Note to self: Catch up with Mason and Alberto on their interview of Kyle Hughes.