Free Don't Die Under the Apple Tree by Amy Patricia Meade Page A

did. I’ve wanted to all day.” Riordan motioned to one of two benches that bordered the side of the room.
    Del Vecchio plopped onto a backless bench and stretched his legs out in front of him. Meanwhile, the uniformed officer stood behind Riordan, notebook and pencil at the ready.
    â€œYeah, I know. Sorry about that. I’ve been trying to calm everyone down and get ’em back to work.”
    â€œThat’s all right.” Riordan extracted the newly white package of Lucky Strikes from his pocket and tossed it to Del Vecchio. “How do you like the new job?”
    Del Vecchio took a cigarette and tossed the pack back to Riordan. “Ask me in another week or so. It’s not easy steppin’ into Finch’s shoes at such short notice.”
    â€œVery short notice.” Riordan replaced the pack in his pocket and lit his cigarette, this time using just one match. “I checked the records in Finch’s office. You passed the foreman’s test just two weeks ago.”
    â€œSo?”
    Riordan watched as the heavyset man pulled a stainless steel lighter from the top pocket of his blue canvas work jacket. Not everyone, it seemed, was willing to make sacrifices. “So, it’s almost as though you knew there would be a job opening up.”
    Del Vecchio took a drag on his cigarette. “What are you gettin’ at?”
    â€œNothing. Just saying that the timing’s pretty strange.”
    â€œNothin’ strange about it. I went to Finch a few weeks back and asked for a raise. I have a wife and three kids to feed and the two boys—say, you got kids?”
    Riordan shook his head.
    â€œThen you got no idea how expensive they can be. My two oldest—the boys—are ten and thirteen. Eatin’ me out of house and home. Every day I go home, the icebox is empty. So, I go to Finch and explain that I need more money so the wife can buy more groceries. He tells me that I’m already makin’ as much as a riveter can make. The next step is foreman, but I need to take a test. So, I take the test.” He proudly hiked his jacket collar up with his thumbs.“Passed on the first try, too.”
    â€œCongratulations, but Finch was already foreman. How would taking a test help?”
    â€œFinch was the shift foreman,” Del Vecchio pointed out. “But there’s a shipbuildin’ foreman, a weldin’ foreman, a framin’ foreman ... each one is in charge of different things.”
    â€œHmm, but Finch didn’t promote you even after you passed the test.”
    â€œThere wasn’t a job to promote me to.”
    â€œNo openings, huh?” Riordan picked a flyer from the wall above Del Vecchio’s head and displayed it. “This here says there’s an opening for a day-shift welding foreman.”
    â€œI’m a riveter, not a welder. See, the test I took was for shift or shipbuildin’ foreman. Framin’ and weldin’ have their own tests.”
    â€œShipbuilding foreman?”
    â€œYeah, he inspects all the other departments. Makes sure their work looks good. Kinda the top dog. You need to do a stint as another foreman before you make it to that.”
    â€œAnd the shift foreman?”
    â€œThe shift foreman is in charge of schedulin’, supplies, hirin’, and any employee stuff that can’t be handled by the other foremen.”
    â€œIn other words, the only job you could have taken was Finch’s.”
    â€œNo. There’s a second-shift foreman and there’s been talk of addin’ a third shift, but so far we haven’t needed one.”
    â€œSo your only hope of promotion was if Finch or the second-shift foreman moved up to shipbuilding foreman.”
    Del Vecchio seemed to realize the importance of his words. “Ummm ... well, yeah, I ... I guess you could look at it that way.”
    â€œBut you didn’t? It never dawned on you that there were just two slots—maybe