Chapter 9
Fixing Things
Durac had toured the third business
and all he could wonder was why the pack wasn’t rich. The lumber
business was making huge profits, the fish industry was doing just
fine, and their resort near Portland was rolling in money. He
suspected the money had been funneled to some of those managing the
businesses and the alpha.
They’d lived high on the hog, to use a
term Ariel liked. The others had lived to varying degrees of middle
class and pure poverty. Some of the shacks he’d seen on pack lands
looked pitiful and wouldn’t be staying. But for now, they couldn’t
take them down. It would be one house at a time. Duroc was
impatient, but he would have to deal with it.
Bindi had sent a message about getting
a permit, but they didn’t need one. This was dealt with as an
Indian reservation since members here had members of a rare tribe.
That blood was somewhat diluted, but present, nevertheless. It
allowed their resort to have a casino which brought in most of the
business and the money.
He immediately gave the boy that
message and sent him on his way. Damon was with him and could
probably give him the best advice.
“Bindi ask about building permits and
said she has an accountant, Nat is coming and so are helpers from
several packs. What do I do about the mess these businesses are
in?”
“Nat can help you plug the money
leaks. New managers are needed once you find out whose fingers are
in the till. I suspect all the upper management will have to go.
They are all pack members, so you’ll have to find new jobs for
them.” Damon grinned. “Maybe they can start at the bottom learning
new jobs.”
“I can’t believe they’d rob their pack
blind. These guys make good money. Look at how some of the other
pack members are treated. How can they live with that?”
“They seem to be living quite
well.”
“This can’t go on much longer.” Duroc
observed.
“It won’t but get Nat in here first.
She’ll probably bring her mate Harvey and after she gets here, she
might need a team.”
“How long do you think before heads
can start rolling?”
“The first one shouldn’t take long.
You’ll want to plugplug up the biggest leak first. She should be
able to get started right away. Sometimes she can reclaim some of
what they’ve taken.” Damon suggested. “You might want to have Bindi
order lumber from your mill for all this building. If she buys it
elsewhere, you’ll be paying a lot more.”
“You’re right. Jameson, I have a list
of needed items. Can you do these?”
“Certainly, Sir.
“My name is Duroc. You can use it if
you wish.”
His answer was a nod as he got on the
list. He pulled out his phone and called Bindi. Or at least tried
to. That worried him but he realized she was probably as busy as he
was. Maybe busier since she’d been thrown in with those that had
suffered the most from the previous alpha.
Duroc had decided he was keeping
Jameson. Not in his current job, but he was going with him. This
guy was amazing in all the tasks he currently did, and he handled
added ones without issue. They were back at the lumber mill where
Jameson seemed to run everything and the so called manager did
nothing but draw his pay and steal from the pack.
“Jameson, I need to talk to you in the
office, alone except for the guys with me.” Duroc said. “I’ll need
you to train someone to replace you. You’re getting a
promotion.”
“I am? What will this change for
me?”
“You’ll have to be working out of the
pack grounds.”
“That shouldn’t be bad.” Jameson
commented.
“Hopefully not. Are you
single?”
“No, I’m mated but she’s human and we
have two pups.”
“We’ll need to get you a house big
enough for your family and nice enough for your station. Our mates
will have to decide on that. I’m sure yours will let you have some
say.” Duroc chuckled.
“You’re not upset that she’s
human?”
“Mine was not long ago, so, no I’m
not. We’ll let you get back. Oh, one more question. What exactly
does the manager do?”
“He makes all the final decisions of
importance based on our recommendations.” Jameson
admitted.
“When was the last time he disagreed
with a recommendation?”
“When someone suggested onsite
childcare.”
“I’m reversing that decision. Begin to
plan that and initiate it. That’s an excellent idea. What
else?”
“A medic onsite.”
“You don’t have one? I thought that
was a requirement. Get one as soon as possible from among current
employees if possible.” Durac instructed.
“Anything else?”
“Yes, an employee retirement
plan.”
“We don’t have one?” Duroc asked
amazed.
“No, we did when we first bought this
mill. But he got rid of it. Said it was no good and that it had
lost all the moneys paid in.”
“Damon that’s a good warden
investigation. Stealing from a retirement program breaks the law.
We need a retirement plan. Contact some specialists. Is there
anyone that can help you get all this accomplished?”
“Yes. Sir?”
“Yes?”
“We have no paid vacation or sick
leave.”
“Add that to the list. This is a
disaster. How did they keep help?”
“Most are pack members.” Jameson
explained. “They can’t quit.”
“Well, that's terrible. They were just
taking advantage of their pack. We need to get this straightened
out right away.”
Jameson looked happy. “I’m on
it.”
“Get whatever help you need to do
it.”
“I will.”
Duroc left hoping Jameson trained his
replacement quickly and was free to work with him soon. He was
concerned with all the issues that he needed to correct. Each
business seemed to be run in a way that was not good for employees.
Only loyalty had kept these people from leaving to find better jobs
elsewhere. That had to change. It seemed there were almost
insurmountable difficulties at each business and at the packhouse.
Hopefully his mate was having better results than he
was.
Although it was past lunchtime, he
still had many things to do. Duroc and those with him would stop
for a bite and then continue their work. He could only hope that
someone in this group knew a little bit about casinos. With Nat
coming, they would wait until she arrived to make any changes
there. That left the fish processing plant and all the other things
that went with it.
“There is a fishing fleet that
provides what the plant needs in two runs a week. This plant runs 5
days a weekweek, usually 10 hours a shift. There are two shifts
that run product and a cleanup crew that works after night shift
leaves until day shift begins.” The supervisor, Harold,
explained.
They toured through the plant
observing the employees do their jobs. It was amazing how fast they
worked. Once processed the product was packaged then boxed and the
boxes were stacked on pallets. The pallets then went out to the
dock where they were loaded on trucks and sent to buyers. No one
here shared any information the way Jameson had. Until he knew more
there was little, he could do here. When he left, they loaded
several samples of productthe product in the back of the SUV for
him to try.
Duroc hoped his mate would know how to
fix this so the pack would be able to eat it. That is where they
were headed now. “What did you think of the factory?” Damon
asked.
“I believe they were hiding many
things.”
“I agree. Once Nat comes you will have
a better idea how to deal with them.”
“That is what I think too.” Duroc
admitted.
They spoke little and he was sure the
others were lost in thought as he was. This was a complicated
riddle to solve. Right now, the key to it all seemed Nat and the
team she would probably end up bringing in. Things were complicated
with many hands in the till and three huge businesses and the
possibility of more.
As they left, someone approached. It
was one of these supervisors. ”My name is Randy. things aren't as
good as they seem. If I wasn't a pack member, I would have a much
better job. I only stay because we were told if we leave, we would
be killed. I'm glad Al was killed, and I can only hope you'll be
better.”
“That sheds the light on a few things.
Those left intend to hang together for better or worse.” Duroc
observed.
“These businesses need investigating.
Maybe Tyne can help with that.” Damon suggested.
“Looks like we'll be calling in
everyone we know.”
“That's what we had to do the last
time we went through this.”
“I can't deny I need all the help I
can get.” Duroc said.
“It's OK to need help and you have
friends who will help.”
“According to Bindi, they'll be coming
starting tomorrow.”
“Where will they all stay?” Damon
asked.
“Beats me, but I'm letting Bindi
handle that.”
“I hope you survive this whole thing.”
Damon chuckled.
They were nearly back to the pack
house. He wondered how things had gone there. Duroc didn't have to
wonder long. Their barn had been taken down and the materials were
piled up neatly. The ground was even leveled and ready for
building. That in itself was a good amount of work for the day. All
of them walked inside where they could smell food
cooking.
He had a feeling they had gotten more
than the barn done. Duroc saw his mate and moved closer to give her
a hug and a kiss. “It’s been quite a day.” Bindi
observed.
“Mine has been hectic as well.
Everything go well?”
“Harry was attacked. They thought the
new alpha bitch was a white wolf and that Harry was
her.”
“What did you do?”
“Harry turned them into toads. We
turned them back one at a time and dealt with them. Then we let
them go.” Bindi said.
“You let them go? Shouldn't you have
kept them?”
“They knew little, so they helped with
some work we were doing, and we let them go.”
“How did you get the barn down so
quickly?” Durok asked.
“That was Harry's job. It's also where
they attacked her.”
“I didn't know a witch could do
something like that. Can she build houses?”
“Not without magic to sustain it.
That's why I had her take something down.”
“Did you say Nat would be here
tomorrow? Who else will be coming?”
“There are people from several packs