“Yes, that’s right. He had been Corporate Relations Director at Malgam for almost two years.”
“How did your filling his position come about after his murder?”
“When the position for corporate relations director was first advertised, I applied for it and was interviewed. I didn’t get it-Charles did. I met Mr. Calmy-Rey at Charles’s funeral, and we chatted. He invited me here to talk some more.”
“And then?”
“Well, when I told him I had been after Charles’s position, he promised to talk to some members of his team. They invited me back for another interview, and after about a week, they offered me the job.”
Dawson found the description bland-made for mass consumption and therefore unsatisfying. “You must have impressed them in some way.”
Sarbah leaned forward slightly and interlaced his fingers on the desk. “Let’s say that they challenged me at the interview. They asked me to be frank. They gave me some tricky scenarios and asked me how I would handle them.” He lowered his voice very slightly. “I had a feeling that their test cases were not completely fictional, and in fact after I started work, I did find certain types of conduct that I wanted to change.”
This sounded interesting. “For example?”
“You may have heard of Reggie Cardiman.”
“Yes.”
“Mr. Cardiman’s resort is practically legendary in the Western Region. He brings in money.” Sarbah made a tower with his fingertips. “So, in my opinion, you have to give him due respect and handle him with diplomacy. The way Charles treated Mr. Cardiman, telling him that a tentative plan was in effect to move him off the land on which Ezile Bay sits, is not how I would have approached it. There are other ways to perhaps sweeten the conditions, or offer alternatives. Is it any wonder Mr. Cardiman had no love for him?”
“Have you spoken to Mr. Cardiman yourself?”
“Yes, by phone. For now the decision is not to aggressively pursue acquiring any land on Cape Three Points, whether Ezile or Akwidaa. I’m sorry, can I offer you something? A soft drink, water?”
“Water, thank you, sir.”
Sarbah rose and went to the bar.
“Did you know Mr. Cardiman before you started with Malgam?” Dawson asked him.
“By name only,” he said, opening the small refrigerator and taking out a bottle of Voltic. “I’ve never even been to the resort although I intend to at some point.”
He poured the water out in a heavy glass and handed it to Dawson.
“Me too,” Dawson said, pausing to take a few sips. It was very good. Voltic had the market cornered in Ghana.
