Like waving a flag in front of a bull

Several Mondays ago at my old job, it was announced in our daily company wide meeting that the lead person for our contract security company was no longer on site. I found that odd since I'd seen him on Friday, and he hadn't said anything about it. We got along well and shared a common love of pool side life. Being the inquisitive little person that I am, I started asking around as to why he was gone. When my own boss started to give me his answer, I told him to stop because I could tell he knew more than what he was telling me. Now, the game was on. Knowing something and not telling me is like waving a flag in front of a bull. I was now bound and determined to find out. And of course, I did.

I knew it was a doozy when my usual sources all were mum. However, the company thrives on gossip, so I was able to piece enough together in a small amount of time. When I told my boss what I knew, he gave up the rest since I was already almost there, and he knew I wasn't going to give up. He swore our whole group to secrecy (yes, imagine 4 people in a room raising their right hands and promising not to tell. Wonder how that looked as others walked by the meeting room?), and out came the full scoop. I can share it here because A. I'm not naming names and B. Other people gave me the same information when they told me what they knew or suspected while unsuccessfully trying to get me to do the same.

It seems the guard and one of our associates knew each other from way back. They were texting back and forth in ways that were either flirtatious and not that bad (according to someone hadn't seen them) or pretty bad (according to someone who had). Note though, that while maybe not the smartest move (Doing things you shouldn't do Rule #1- leave no written evidence), it's definitely not sexual harassment because both were willing and apparently eager participants. The problem arose when the associate's serious relationship person found out. His actions got the guard removed.

I was really shocked because the guard had never said anything the slightest bit inappropriate to me. When I said that to someone who worked with the guard, the person said "that's because we warned him. We told him if he talked to you like that he'd been gone the same day". True words. Nothing like having your reputation precede you. :)

I have to say I enjoyed my investigation of this episode immensely. I love a challenge, and as I told someone, "the gossip mill may not always be accurate, but it will usually point you in the right direction". Also, always remember that things are never as secret as you think they are. Word does get out, especially if it's a juicy morsel.