"You're just a citizen down in Fayetteville. The agency staff are too busy to talk with you. They only talk with the companies and the consultants," she said with a scolding tone of authority.
"But that is not the way it works," Harry protested. "We took calls from everyone and tried to help them. We tried to answer questions and assist, no matter who was calling us."
"You were working in the Fayetteville office a long time ago," she responded with a confidant tone.
"Yes, but I was working in the Raleigh regional office just last year in 2019. I've worked in five different offices - the Archdale building, the Parker-Lincoln building, the Winston-Salem regional office, the Fayetteville office, and the Raleigh regional office. In every single agency office we have tried to provide information and answer questions from anyone and everyone that called us."
Suddenly, her tone changed and she became friendlier. At that moment, it seemed quite likely to Harry that some agency boss in Raleigh may have directed her to make this false and inappropriate response. Harry began to feel some empathy for the person on the phone. She was listed on the website as a member of the agency leadership team, but apparently unaware of basic agency operations. Who would have instructed her to say something of this nature? Was it one of the agency Directors?
cast of characters
