Chapter 8 #2
“Not bad,” Christopher said. “Like I said, if there is the possibility of resolving a conflict peacefully, I would rather try that first. However, if I’m ordered to shoot, I will.
I trust that my superiors know more about the situation than I do, and I’m prepared to follow their lead.
And my aim is on target at least eight times out of ten. ”
It was almost a perfect answer. They were looking for men who would follow orders, wouldn’t be afraid to shoot if it came to it, but weren’t trigger-happy madmen.
“This position would require relocating to another town for a while,” Robert said, taking his turn asking his questions. “Would that be a problem?”
Christopher turned his dark brown eyes on him and shrugged. “I have no ties here in San Antonio. If I didn’t find work soon, I was going to move on anyway. Relocating will be no trouble for me at all.”
As he spoke, Robert watched Christopher’s movements. He had looked Robert square in the eye when he answered, but his body was still turned more toward Lucy. He kept letting his gaze linger on her too. It bothered Robert.
He kicked himself mentally. Of course, any red-blooded man would look at Lucy.
She was capable, strong, and beautiful. This man didn’t know that in Robert’s mind, she was his, through and through.
God had brought them together through the mail, and what God had brought together, no man could put asunder.
There was no way for Christopher to know, and so his interest in her wasn’t undue.
“What kind of pay are we talking about?” Christopher asked.
Robert always left the remuneration out of his opening speech.
He wanted to see who had the guts or the interest to ask about it.
Most of the men had. Some hadn’t, but they also hadn’t seemed terribly interested in the position once they found out that they would have to relocate or what the job entailed.
He was happy to tell Christopher what Warren had indicated the remuneration would be. It was a generous package.
“How long will it be for?” Christopher asked.
“A few weeks at least, maybe a few months if this works out,” Robert said.
Christopher nodded. “So, when do I begin?”
“We’ll be in touch,” Lucy said brightly.
Christopher looked at her and then turned his attention to Robert. When Robert stood and offered his hand, Christopher did too.
When he was gone, Lucy turned to Robert.
“We can’t hire him,” she said flatly.
“Why not?” Robert asked. “He was perfect.”
“That’s why,” she said. “He gave the exact kind of answer we were looking for each time. That never happens.”
“What do you mean?” Robert asked.
Lucy sighed. “Look, when my father is hiring for his firm, we always get some candidates who are so desperate for the job, so determined to get it, despite whatever their shortcomings are, that they will find out from others what we’re looking for.
Then they script answers to make themselves more appealing. ”
“Doesn’t that just show initiative?” he asked, a little lost.
“Sometimes,” she said. “But you have to remember that the best way for crooks, robbers, and criminals to get to the goods is through the security company. Someone who is determined to steal something will hide in plain sight, pretending to be part of the security team. We’ve had it happen before.
The man was an excellent employee, right up to the day we moved the valuable items. That’s when his crew hit, and we found out afterward that he had been feeding them information all the time.
We got the items back, but it wasn’t easy. ”
“You think Christopher is doing that?” Robert asked.
She nodded. “I get the feeling that he’s too good to be true.”
“Okay, so let’s get hold of Alistair and the others we approved of,” Robert said.
Despite having a lot of experience in law enforcement, he was certain that Lucy had a lot more experience than he did when it came to hiring people.
Her instincts were excellent. Anyway, Christopher was the only man who had ogled her. Robert was happy not to take him on.
They waited for the next morning to send out the messages to the candidates. They were all staying in town, and it wasn’t difficult to hire a messenger to take all the notes they had written up to the candidates. However, one of them came back with terrible news.
The messenger, a young boy with blond hair that fell constantly in his eyes, brought the dire news.
“I couldn’t deliver this one,” he said, handing it back.
“Why not?” Lucy asked.
“Because he’s not alive anymore,” the boy said. “The sheriff’s office was outside his lodgings. It seems that he owed a very bad man money, and he was shot when he got back. Sorry.”
Lucy and Robert exchanged looks. That was unfortunate. The man in question hadn’t been the best candidate, but he had seemed acceptable.
Consulting the list, Lucy looked unhappy. “Do we really need four gunmen?”
Robert nodded. He had wanted more. “Yes,” he said. “We have to take the copper to town in two carts. That’s two security men per cart. You’ve seen how El Aguila’s bandits are. Two men is the bare minimum.
“Oh … I really think this is a mistake,” Lucy said. “The only other possibility is Christopher Meeks.”
“Then that’s who we’ll have to employ,” Robert said.
“We’ll have to keep an eye on him. There’s something wrong about him.”
Robert didn’t agree with her. He thought that Meeks was most likely just a thorough kind of person who liked to make sure things went his way. He could understand and respect that.
“Send him the message,” Robert said. “We leave in the morning.”