Chapter Sixteen
The next day at Magus Stone and Gravel, Zacharias set the folder containing an employment resumé aside, savoring the moment.
This was his favorite part in the whole tedious job interview process.
The moment when he’d eliminated all the candidates except for a select few.
The one sitting calmly in front of him was the best of the lot.
It was too bad his last secretary, Daffeny Schultz, hadn’t lasted, but stuff happened.
The newest candidate, Ms. Zollinger, was stunning.
But that wasn’t the reason she was in the top tier.
She was a classic example of someone who didn’t know what she wanted but was smart enough to realize she needed money while she figured it out.
Ms. Zollinger had a lot of advanced degrees, and more importantly, a lot of student loans, no family, and no friends.
His investigators said she had moved to Seattle from St. Louis, Missouri a month ago, after a bad breakup, and had run out of what little savings she’d brought with her.
She was perfect. She checked all the boxes. Educated. Alone. Desperate.
He laced his fingers together on top of her file, already guessing the answer but wanting to see her reaction.
“Your resumé and recommendations are impressive, Ms. Zollinger. I’m curious.
Of all the opportunities for someone with your background, why seek the job as my assistant at Magus Stone and Gravel? ”
She hesitated, focusing on where her hands gripped a small leather purse. When she lifted her gaze, it was steady. Even. Confident. “I’ll be honest. I need the money. When I heard the salary range from the employment service, it made sense to apply.”
He liked her honesty. Most of them lied and said something predictable, like, “I’ve always wanted to learn about rocks.
” He nodded and flipped open her file and reread the report.
He also liked that she was single and the only child of parents who’d died in a private plane crash.
His mistake with Daffeny had been that she’d had a family and a persistent boyfriend who’d asked too many questions about the odd hours of operation and the real purpose of the crushed rocks.
In every incidence, nosey families and friends were the cause for eliminating assistants and warehouse workers.
It was time for a new type of candidate. One with no ties.
He closed the file. “This is a demanding job, long hours, and a lot of weekends. My last secretary had a boyfriend who objected to the workload and persuaded her to quit and move with him to Alaska.” He paused and sat back in his chair, letting this information settle in with the candidate.
What he’d said wasn’t a lie. Both bodies were buried in a toxic landfill somewhere outside of Anchorage.
For the briefest moment the muscles around Ms. Zollinger’s lovely mouth tightened.
He was curious. Perhaps he’d misjudged her.
He leaned forward. “I know I sound harsh, but this is a pressure-cooker of a job. And although I’m not discouraging you to have a relationship, it will be difficult, at best, to have outside interests while you’re learning the position. ”
The tension around her eyes and mouth eased when she smiled.
“There’s no one in my life. I’m afraid my last relationship was a total mess.
We were together for three years, and the whole time he was cheating on me with my best friend.
” She paused, then continued in a tight voice.
“This wasn’t my first misjudgment in character.
I seem to attract lowlife scumbags, like the proverbial moth-to-a-flame cliché.
I’m not looking for a relationship, Mr. Phillips.
I’m looking for a job that will help me get out of debt. ”
“Why Seattle? Aside from the rain, which discourages people, it is one of the most expensive cities in the US.”
“My boyfriend hates the Seahawks. He played football for the St. Louis Cardinals and a series of injuries ended his career. I thought it would annoy him that I moved here.”
He chuckled, liking her answer. Her moving to Seattle was a form of revenge, an emotion he understood very well. “You have the job. Can you start tomorrow?”
She nodded, and her tense expression relaxed, replaced with relief. She rose from the chair and almost curtsied as she left his office. She wasn’t as easy to read as Daffeny, but close enough.
Desperation and need were potent motivators he used to control those who worked for him.
He also liked her slip regarding the ex.
A beautiful woman might say she was done with bad boys, but they never were.
They could never stay away from their addiction for long.
For insurance, he’d play the matchmaker.
He picked up the phone and dialed a number by heart.
He had the perfect man to keep a close eye on his newest hire.
John Reynolds should be back from Alaska by now.
He was an ex-NFL football player, soft spoken, with an easy smile and a way with the ladies.
Zacharias chuckled at the irony as the phone started to ring.
A hit man as a boyfriend. If Ms. Zollinger didn’t work out, getting rid of her would be easier than all the others put together.
Reynolds might even cut his normal rate.