Free The Oxygen Murder by Camille Minichino Page B

responded.
    “Definitely not.”
    Lori suspected that Amber wouldn’t have lasted too much longer at her job with Pizzano Productions. Eventually she’d have been able to afford her own facilities and would have gone with Tina full-time or found some other sleazy way to make money. Now Lori needed a new cameraperson anyway, a little sooner than she’d thought she would.
    “The narration?” Rachel asked, apparently not for the first time.
    Lori came back to the present, to Rachel’s couch and blue toile tea set. “Right, what I’ll be saying in the voice-over.”
    “So you won’t be showing me saying anything?”
    Lori tried to determine whether the beautiful PR lady did or did not want to be seen in the video. “What are your thoughts, Rachel?” she asked. She could practically hear Professor Moore in his class on interview techniques:
Whenever possible, let the subject feel part of the production process.
    Rachel put her lovely fingers to her mouth, avoiding direct contact with her lipstick. Lori figured it was just as likely she was reviewing her Christmas list as thinking about the documentary. Lori had thefeeling Rachel had already decided not to be seen. She wouldn’t be surprised: People, especially PR personnel, didn’t want to be held to what they said in interviews, and it was easier to deny quotes if there was no visual documentation.
    “Oh, let’s leave me out of this,” Rachel said finally. “It’s not about me. It’s to showcase the company.”
    “Fine, but I’ll tape this conversation if you don’t mind.”
    Rachel raised her eyebrows. “I don’t know . . . ”
    Lori waved her hand and talked quickly. “It’s for my own reference, I promise. Because I don’t have the greatest memory.” Lori touched her head.
Duh,
she implied, showing Rachel where her memory cells were weak. “This way I won’t have to keep bugging you with questions.”
    “Okay, then.”
    For a few minutes Lori asked Rachel for general information about Blake Manufacturing. She’d get to the tough questions once the PR lady was relaxed and trusting. She took diligent notes as Rachel talked about the management of the company (the owner was a certified journeyman tool and die maker and accomplished mechanical designer, blah blah blah), the overall organization (the employees profited from a system where they were allowed to grow professionally and at the same time have a variety of learning experiences, blah blah blah), and other employee-friendly policies (Blake welcomed union welders and had a commendable retirement plan, blah blah blah).
    Rachel had her own messages ready, no matter what Lori asked, and slipped them in wherever possible. “We manage all phases of the customer’s project, from material specifications to welding and machining to the finishing process to the final assembly and inspection. Our goal is to exceed our customer’s expectations, whether they’ve ordered a custom bicycle or a staircase or a—”
    “This is all good stuff,” Lori said.
Is that a direct quote from your Web site?
She wanted to ask.
    Rachel, apparently encouraged, went on. “Everything’s changed so much with computers,” she said. “We do a three-dimensional model to evaluate designs before a costly fabrication process. The customer can see the concept graphically at all stages.”
    “Can you tell me a little about who’s responsible for the oversight of federal regulations for the company?” Lori asked.
    Rachel cleared her throat. “Of course, but I just wanted to add a bit more about this three-D stuff, because it’s fascinating. We now offer three-D animations that can be packaged with a product. You know, more and more vendors are including videotapes or DVDs with the product, showing how to assemble the pieces, or even mass-mailing them to attract new buyers.”
    Lori nodded, mumbled, “Good,” and made it look as if she were taking it all down in her notebook even as the tape recorder ensured she