Clare decided that the best way to get an accurate read on Ted might be to take him out of the office and put him in a less structured environment.

“I've got an errand to run, and I thought we could do our interview while we're out,” Clare announced.

Ted shrugged. “Sounds fine to me.”

They got into Clare's minivan, with Cheerios dotting the floor, and headed for Target. “I have to get a birthday present for one of my daughters' friends,” Clare explained.

During the drive, they talked about Ted's management philosophy and about the people he managed at NBC. Most of his answers were certainly appropriate, though not specific. According to Ted, he hadn't had any real problems with subordinates.

As for the nontraditional setting of the interview, Ted handled it all just fine.

On the way back to the office, they crossed over one of the new bridges that spanned the Napa River, and Ted announced excitedly, “This was one of my projects.” They talked about the long hours he had worked and the relationships with state and city politicians that he had to maintain.

When they returned to the VB parking lot, Clare dropped Ted off at the front door so he wouldn't be late for his next interview. “Check in with Kim and she'll show you where to go.”

“Which one is Kim?” he asked politely.

Though she was a little surprised, Clare didn't think much of the question at the time. “She's the receptionist who took you to your interviews this morning. She works for me.”

After she dropped Ted off, she went to Jeff's office and shared her thoughts with her boss. She was as convinced as ever that Ted was as smart as any executive she had ever met and that he was hungry. And as for his humility, like Craig, she saw no glaring red flags. “The guy's a diplomat. Unflappable. I can't imagine why we wouldn't hire him.”

Jeff frowned. “What's wrong?”

“What?” she asked.

“The way you said that. ‘I can't imagine why we wouldn't hire him.’ You sound like you're not convinced.”

Clare thought about it, looking out the window. “Well, maybe I'm not. I don't know what it is.”

“How do you feel about him being part of our leadership team? You and me and Bobby and him?”

“That's the thing. I can't tell if it's the idea of adding a new face to the team that bothers me, or if there's something specific about Ted.”

At that moment, Kim knocked on the door and looked in. “Sorry to bother you guys. I just want to make sure that we're clear on the rest of the day.” She looked at Jeff. “After the next interview, you're taking Ted to lunch, right?”

Clare confirmed for Jeff. “Yes. Where do you have them eating?”

“I thought Pacific Blues in Yountville would be good. They have the best mac and cheese in the Valley.”

“Never been there,” Jeff admitted, “but sounds good to me.”

As Kim was backing out of the doorway, Jeff stopped her.

“Hey, can I ask you a question, Kim?”

“Depends on what it is,” she teased him.

“Fair enough. So what do you think of Ted?”

Kim wasn't prepared for the question. “What do you mean?”

Jeff smiled. “I mean, what do you think of him? Would you hire him? Would you want to work with him every day?”

Kim seemed a little uncomfortable. “Wow. That's tricky.”

Clare was curious. “Why is it tricky?”

Kim came into the office and shut the door. “Because if I tell you he hit on me and then you hire him, he's not going to like that.”

“Did he hit on you?!” Clare demanded to know.

Kim laughed. “No. It's just an example. What I mean is that I wouldn't want to say something bad about someone who I might have to work with. Or for.”

Jeff sat up in his chair. “Well, first of all, you're a big part of this place, Kim. I'd trust your opinions as much as anyone else's. Hell, I should have put you on the interview schedule.”

Kim laughed.

Clare went next. “Do you have something bad to say about Ted?”

“I don't know. I mean, I've met people that were a lot worse.”

“In what way?” Jeff asked.

“Well, I can tell you that he wasn't exactly gregarious when he arrived this morning.”

“How so?” Clare seemed surprised.

“Well, he was in the lobby for fifteen minutes, just me and him, and he didn't ask me a single question. Or even notice that I was there. And I've been taking him around for the past few hours, and I don't think he's said a word to me other than ‘where's the bathroom?’ or ‘can you charge my phone?’”

Clare looked at Jeff to see what he was thinking. He was taking notes.

“Did he thank you,” Jeff asked, “for charging his phone?”

Kim had to think about it. “Probably. I don't really remember.”

“Then he definitely wasn't effusive about it.”

Kim shook her head. “No. I got the sense that he thought it was my job.” She frowned. “I'm not saying he's a jerk. Not at all. But if he ran into me on the street tomorrow, I'd be surprised if he'd remember me at all.”

And that's when it hit Clare. “He didn't know your name!”

“What?” Kim was confused.

“When I dropped him off ten minutes ago, I told him to find you, and he asked who Kim was.”

“Are you sure?” Jeff asked.

Clare nodded. “Yeah. I think it was pretty clear.”

Suddenly Kim felt bad. “Listen, I don't want to torpedo this guy. Maybe he was distracted or was having a bad morning.”

Jeff was measured. “You're right, Kim. And you're not torpedoing Ted. We're not going to jump to conclusions here. But we have to be prudent about this, and we also have to be thorough.”

Clare was just about to thank Kim and ask her to leave when something occurred to her. “You know what we should do?” It was a rhetorical question, directed at no one in particular, so she answered it herself. “We should find out if this is just a bad day, an anomaly, or if it's typical for Ted.”

“How do you suggest we do that?” Kim wanted to know.

“Well, when we do a reference check at NBC, let's have a few informal discussions with the administrative staff there.”

Jeff was confused. “Are we just going to call the front desk and ask, ‘excuse me, is Ted Marchbanks a jerk?’”

Kim laughed. “Actually, it wouldn't be that hard. If he is, they'll be glad to tell me. If not, they'll be glad to tell me. I'll have an answer for you in fifteen minutes.”

Suddenly Clare and Jeff were laughing like fifteen-year-olds planning to take their parents' car on a joyride.

“We can't do this, can we?” Jeff looked to Clare for guidance.

She replied, but without much conviction. “Well, not formally. I mean, that would be unprofessional.”

Kim countered, “But it wouldn't be as unprofessional as not finding out.”

“I agree,” Jeff weighed in.

Kim went on. “I mean, if that's how he treats people below him on the food chain, then I wouldn't want him here. That's not VB at all.”

Clare and Jeff looked at each other as if to say she's right.

“So how do we get that information the right way?” Clare wondered.

Kim responded in a serious tone. “My brother can hack into their personnel records and see if he has any complaints filed against him.”

Clare was appalled. “Tell me you're kidding.”

“No, he's really good at stuff like that.”

Jeff squinted at the receptionist in disbelief.

Clare began to scold her employee. “But Kim, that's—”

Kim interrupted her boss. “Come on, you guys. I'm joking. I'm not an idiot.”

Clare and Jeff broke into laughter.

“But I do have a brother, and his girlfriend's sister used to work there. I can see if she'll talk to us. There's certainly nothing wrong with that.”

Jeff brought the conversation to a close. “That would be great. Make sure you do it in an appropriate, respectful way. And I'll see what I can learn this afternoon in my discussion with him.”

“What are you going to do? Ask him if he treats his admin staff poorly?” Clare wondered out loud.

Jeff shrugged. “Maybe.”