Chapter 8
Mrs. Sparks greeted Robert, Michael, and Lucy with her usual bright smile. “Oh my goodness! I was wondering when I would see y’all again,” she said. “It’s been too long.”
“It has indeed,” Michael said, smiling at her and shaking her offered hand. “This is Lucy Rowling, a new addition to the Unity family. Lucy, this is Mrs. Sparks, our very gracious hostess.”
“Well, you do butter a lady up so,” the older woman said, beaming. Then she turned her attention to Lucy. “Welcome. You’ll be wanting one of my nicer rooms on the second floor. I’ll let the men go up one more flight to the third.”
“We’ll be conducting interviews,” Michael commented. “Could we use the library?”
“Of course,” Mrs. Sparks said. “You’re welcome. But first, why not head on into the dining room, say hi to my husband, and let him make you some hot cocoa? It will warm the chill right out of your bones.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Lucy said.
They went through to the dining room and found a man behind the bar. He was smoothing his mustache and regarding his reflection in the back of a spoon.
“Mr. Sparks,” Michael greeted. “Good to see you again.”
“Ah, Mr. Wellan, Mr. Hayes … Welcome back.”
Lucy was introduced, and they were all given mugs of hot cocoa. They retired to a table.
Robert scanned the room. He always did that to see who else was there.
It was a habit that stemmed from his days as a marshal.
There were many who didn’t like the marshals and would love to shoot one.
Knowing that to be the case, Robert had always been cautious.
He was glad to see that Lucy did the same thing.
She even took note of every exit and positioned herself at the table so that she could keep an eye on them. Oh yes. She would do well in Unity.
“Okay, the interviews will start tomorrow,” Michael said. “We can relax today and get a few other things done. I have to go to the bank in a while and then run a few errands. What do you need to do?”
“I thought that Lucy and I could work on the questions we want to ask the men,” Robert said. “Her father runs a security company in Boston, and she worked there for a while. I think, between us, we can find the right men for the job.”
Michael nodded. “Sounds like a good plan.”
Sipping his cocoa, Robert let the warmth fill him. It was delicious stuff. All too soon it was finished. While Michael went out to do the things he needed to do, Robert and Lucy got settled in their rooms and then met in the library.
It was a cozy room, not very big, with five comfy chairs set around a low coffee table. On the walls were shelves of books, and there was a fire roaring in the grate. For the first time since setting off that morning, Robert felt relaxed.
He sat opposite Lucy in a comfy chair and took her in. She was scribbling something in a notebook she’d brought down from her room. Deeply engrossed in what she was doing, Lucy didn’t seem to notice his gaze lingering on her.
With the firelight playing on her skin, turning it golden and making her hair shine, she was lovely. She had such fine, delicate features and yet she was as tough as nails. Every day, something Lucy did or said amazed him or endeared her to him.
He could only hope that she found him as appealing as he found her to be.
Lucy looked up from her writing and Robert hastily looked away, shifting his gaze to the fire.
“All right, these are the kinds of things my father typically asks when he’s interviewing,” she said, handing him her notebook across the table.
Robert reached out, and as his hand closed on the paper, he brushed her fingers. He paused as a little jolt of something electric shot through him. It was such a tiny touch and yet he was so reluctant to allow the moment to pass.
They lingered there, their arms outstretched, their hands on either side of the notebook, eyes staring deep into each other.
He watched as Lucy’s lips parted a little, as though she was also finding it hard to catch her breath. Was she also feeling something similar to the insistent pounding of his heart in his chest?
To his left, the door opened without a knock, and as though suddenly freed from some giant’s arms, Robert was able to move. Lucy withdrew her hand at the same time and he was left with the notebook.
Her dreamy expression was replaced with one of surprise, embarrassment, and something else he couldn’t read. Did she also feel that they had been caught, like children, with their hands in the candy jar?
“What are you two up to?” Michael asked, entering the room. “I would have thought you would have hashed out all of the questions by now.”
Robert looked down at the notebook. “We took a little time to think,” he muttered.
Lucy stared out of the window. “Is it me, or are the clouds thickening?”
“It’s going to rain later or snow,” Michael said.
“You’re done quickly,” Robert commented. Surely it should have taken longer to go to the bank.
“The bank is closed. There are some repairs or something going on inside,” Michael said. “I’ll have to do everything tomorrow.”
“Ah,” Robert said. He handed the notebook to him. “What do you think?”
Michael took a seat and read the questions. “I think they’ll do.”
Lucy smiled, and Robert’s heart melted a little more.
The next day there was a line of men outside the Lucky Bull. Work had to be scarce in these parts because even the sleeting rain didn’t seem to deter the men from waiting their turn to be interviewed.
By midmorning, they had seen so many men that Robert could hardly recall the first few they had talked to.
They were finishing up an interview with one Alistair Jacobian, a stout man with a bristling mustache.
“I worked as a marshal for a few years, then took a sheriff’s position in a town not far from here,” Alistair said.
“And why did you leave that position?” Robert asked.
“Because my wife of fifteen years left me,” Alistair said sadly. “The town sided with her. It’s been difficult.”
“I see,” he said, feeling empathy for the former lawman but wondering why a town would abandon its sheriff so entirely. It could be the man’s wife’s fault. But it could also reflect a lack of character on his part. “How are you with taking orders?”
“Fine,” Alistair said plainly. “I won’t lie.
If I think you’re making a mistake, I will be sure to tell you.
I don’t like working for men who don’t think things through properly.
That’s not something I can condone. Being smart enough to know when things need to be done a certain way is part of effective law enforcement.
I pride myself on being able to read situations clearly and acting accordingly. ”
“That’s a bold boast,” Lucy said, making another careful note as she’d been doing all morning.
“It’s just experience,” Alistair said. “I’ve worked on many cases. I know how to keep people and property safe. Thanks to my years of tracking criminals down, I know what lies sound like.”
Robert thought that was a little presumptuous, but he was willing to let it go. After all, if a man didn’t try to make himself sound better than anyone else, how was he going to get a job?
“Well, thank you for coming,” Robert said, rising and offering his hand. “We will be in touch.”
Alistair rose and shook Robert’s hand politely. Then he left.
Lucy looked over at Robert with an inquiring look. “What do you think?”
“I … have a few questions, but I think I like him,” Robert admitted.
“Good, me too. I think with a law background, he will be a good addition to the team.”
So far they had three candidates that looked promising.
The door opened, and another man came in. He was tall, lithe, and had a receding hairline of sandy hair that was combed over to one side. His eyes were deep brown.
“Hi,” he said. “I’m so glad to meet you both.” He shook hands as introductions were made.
He said his name was Christopher Meeks, and as he took his seat, he kept smiling. This was unnerving for Robert, but he knew that others smiled a lot more than he did normally.
Robert spent a couple of minutes giving Christopher a brief rundown of the job.
There were no specifics in the description.
Robert and Lucy had agreed it would be best to only give the barest of information so that people wouldn’t be able to tailor their answers to the job.
It would stop those who were simply good talkers and didn’t really have the skills they were looking for from getting the position.
After Robert had finished his introduction, Lucy asked the first few questions on their list. Swapping interviewers was something her father liked to do, and Robert had to admit it was a good tactic.
The moment the person was comfortable with the interviewer, it would change, and the job candidate would have to deal with a new person.
“Mr. Meeks,” Lucy said, her tone kind and open. “Thank you for coming here today. Can you tell us a little about why you feel you’re a good fit for this position?”
Christopher sat back in his chair across the coffee table from them and considered the question. That was something Robert liked. He wanted thinking men, men who took their work seriously and didn’t just jump in.
“Well, I have been working for a security firm until recently,” Christopher replied after a moment.
“I was working in Philadelphia, and although I’m sure things out here get more hair-raising than they did there, I’m a good shot with a level head.
I don’t just shoot for nothing. There has to be a good reason, like my fellow men are in danger or the items we are protecting are about to be stolen.
Then I feel that pulling a gun and protecting myself and my comrades is justified. ”
“And how is your aim?” Lucy asked.