Smoking Gun (Adam Cartwright Trilogy Book 1) (6 page)

Deciding that enough was enough I stood up and addressed Detective Inspector Hargreaves. “We have all fully co-operated with your requests. We assume that you have good reasons for your high-handed actions but I insist that you explain just what is going on here.”

My request was reinforced by a chorus of calls for an explanation from the other passengers.

The Detective Inspector put his hands up in a placatory fashion. “Okay. Okay. I agree that you deserve an explanation.” He drew in a breath and seemed to make an effort to maintain a level tone of voice as he said, “Half an hour after your plane took off from the Mount Gibson airstrip a fatal shooting and robbery at the Mount Gibson mine was reported. It was thought possible that the perpetrators were on your plane. My instructions were to apprehend and search the plane and its passengers. In the circumstances we had to take precautions as the perpetrators would almost certainly be armed.”

I sat back in my seat. Shocked momentarily into silence as were the others. Finally I found my voice and asked without thinking. “Was it the Gold Room?”

Suddenly I had Detective Inspector Hargreaves’s full attention. “Why do you ask that?”

Kicking myself mentally for confusing the issue for the police officer I responded, “Sorry. It’s just that we all know that several million dollars of gold bullion is stored there from time to time. It’s hard to imagine a robbery anywhere else on the mine site. The wages are all paid by direct debit. There’s little cash used at the mine.”

The police officer stared at me for a few moments before asking, “And your name is?”

“Adam Cartwright.”

“Okay Mister Cartwright, you are correct. There was a robbery of the Gold Room. The three workers there have been found dead.”

This time the ensuing silence was even more profound. None of us were still concerned by the inconvenience of being delayed at the airport. The delay was trivial in the greater scheme of things.

The police officer silently studied each of our faces, no doubt looking for something that might indicate nervousness or fear. Finally after a minute or so he continued. “We would like each of you to give a statement before you go. Thank you for your co-operation.”

It was another two hours before I was told that I was free to go. I was the last one called to make a statement. I found out later that each of the others had been asked what they knew, or thought, of me. Like the others I had seen nothing untoward at the mine site and had heard no rumours about a robbery being planned.

***

I opened my eyes and glanced at my watch. I must have dozed off for a few minutes as we were almost halfway to Cairns already. I leaned back and closed my eyes again, only this time I was thinking back to my problem. I had come to the decision that it was reasonable to rule John Hall out as a suspect. On the balance of probabilities he was in the clear. Even so I would keep an eye out for any link between him and the Red Rock Project.

The only other significant event at Mount Godwin had been the robbery of the Gold Room on the day that I finished working there. The robbery, and the deaths of the three workers, had not yet been solved. According to the newspapers the three workers had been found dead seated at a table in their lunch room with visible signs of injury. The cause of death has never been announced but no one believes that it was natural causes. What made it even more macabre is that it appeared that the three men had been playing poker and one of the victims, the man in charge of the gold room operations, had been holding a pair of black aces and a pair of black eights. The ‘dead man’s hand’ that legend has it was held by Wild Bill Hickok when he was shot in the back and killed.

The fact that the three men had been somehow killed and then placed at a table playing cards with one of them holding the legendary ‘dead man’s hand’ was difficult to comprehend. Obviously the killer, or killers, were acting out some warped sense of humour. In all likelihood the three men died because they could identify the robbers, so perhaps it had been an inside job. If that possibility had occurred to me then I was sure that the police would have thought of it also. Nevertheless I found myself wondering about the timing of the robbery.
Was it simply a coincidence that the robbery been carried out at the same time as the exodus of construction workers. Or was the timing of the robbery chosen in order to confuse the police. If construction workers had been involved in the crime, then I might know them. They might even be working on the Red Rock Project as there are quite a few of the Mount Godwin construction team employed at Red Rock also.

Anyone who was capable of killing three innocent men in order to steal some gold would not have any qualms about throwing me overboard, forty kilometers from shore. Also, both events were such rare occurrences that it was highly unlikely that they were not connected in some way. But apart from me having been at the Mount Godwin Mine around the time of the murders I could not think of any connection to me.

If I had a choice, I’d rather be targeted by a disgruntled worker rather than by someone who had already killed three men. But a disgruntled worker motivated by anger would not have planned my ‘accidental’ drowning so carefully. I was no criminologist but it seemed clear that the attempt on my life would not have been carried out in a fit of rage. It had been too carefully planned.

***

If it hadn’t been something associated with the Mount Godwin contract that had motivated my assailants, then the source of my problem had to be somehow connected to the Red Rock project.

Thinking back to the animosity exhibited towards me by a couple of the disappointed applicants for the position as Construction Manager, I now recalled that two of them had taken it rather badly that they had been turned down in favour of a much younger candidate. Absurd as it would seem perhaps it was something as trivial as sour grapes by a disappointed rival.

I had been pleasantly surprised when I had been offered the position as Construction Manager at Red Rock five months ago. It had been a plum job and there had been a number of strong candidates for Gibson Construction to make their selection from.

Even though I had not applied for the position I’d been invited to attend a meeting of Gibson’s senior management committee that was interviewing candidates. I supposed that my name had been included in the short-list after the success of the just completed Mount Godwin mine expansion project.

A short list of four applicants, plus me, had been invited to the interview at Gibson Construction’s head office in Brisbane. Sitting in the anteroom waiting to be called in we introduced ourselves and quietly assessed each other. They seemed to be at least ten years older than me and appeared to discount me as a competitor. Listening to them chatting it seemed that they were all well experienced and could do the job in their sleep. So much so that I wondered why I had been invited. On the other hand there must have been a level of dissatisfaction with the initial applicants otherwise I would not have been asked to apply. So the fact that I was there must mean that I had a chance regardless of what the others thought.

We had all been provided with an information package covering the Red Rock Project. It included all that was needed to assess the scope and challenges of the position of Construction Manager; site plans, construction schedule, project milestones, contract completion date and budget.

I was the last one called in to the interview. Gibson Construction’s CEO, Ewan Ryan, stood and greeted me as I entered the Board Room and directed me to a seat at the long table. There were five others there with him seated along the other side of the table. They all smiled and nodded as I sat down opposite them as directed. After a polite exchange of pleasantries Ryan said, “Adam, we have your CV and work history. You have done an excellent job at Mount Godwin. Red Rock would be a step up in responsibility for you but we believe that you could handle it. If we didn’t then we wouldn’t have invited you here today. So, you have seen the information package, now we’d like you to tell us how you’d tackle the project if you were appointed Construction Manager.”

I had been studying the information package since I had received it three days earlier. The internet had been a valuable source of further information regarding rainfall records, long term weather forecasts, local contractors and availability of building materials. I had even used Google Earth to check out the proposed mine site and surrounding countryside. I was ready to answer the CEO’s question. “First, I’d like to say that the project budget and target completion date are achievable. But, having said that, some changes need to be made to the construction schedule. The main issue being that all site works, roads, drains and building foundations must be completed before the end of October. If we fail to do that then we will risk significant delays due to the seasonal heavy rain that could arrive as early as late November and continue until April. I noticed that the building foundations have been scheduled for completion by the end of January. That is far too late.”

The CEO glanced sideways at a fair haired man in his fifties seated on his far left as though waiting for him to say something. When the other man remained silent Ryan looked back at me and said, “But we would need a much larger onsite workforce to expedite the site works and foundations to that extent. If we extend the time to carry out the site works and foundations we will reduce our peak manpower requirement. We would make a considerable saving by requiring fewer accommodation units to be constructed.”

The lack of conviction in his voice implied that he was presenting someone else’s argument. Possibly a point of view that he did not personally subscribe to. I did not know who the person was that he had glanced at but I guessed that he was somehow involved in the flawed construction plan. Perhaps I might ruffle a few feathers but the implied question deserved an honest response so I shrugged and said, “Not necessarily. If the number of mine development contractors on site can be reduced for a couple of months I reckon that we could all squeeze in. Or we could fly in fly out the additional workers from Cairns or Mareeba and house them in tents during the week if we absolutely have to.” I paused and when no one spoke I added. “In any case why would you cling to a plan that is doomed to fail?”

There was silence around the table before the fair haired man asked, “How would you describe your management style?”

I paused for a moment before grinning and replying. “Effective.” My confident response bordering on arrogance had the desired effect. They all sat up and stared attentively at me, challenging me to back up my claim. Looking as earnest as I could I added. “Effective, because I follow the basic management tenets. First an objective needs to be defined. Then responsibility for achieving the objective needs to be allocated to a person. Next, that person needs to be given a target date for achievement of the objective. Then the person needs to be provided with the resources to do whatever is required to achieve the objective. Finally, progress towards achievement of the objective needs to be monitored.”

Another silence descended. A silence that grew more awkward as the committee members glanced at each other before looking back at me. It seemed like it was up to me to continue so I said, “That is how I give instructions. I specify what has to be achieved and ensure that the required resources are provided. I give detailed instructions regarding how something is to be achieved only when they are needed or asked for. I will monitor progress and interact frequently with those involved.” I paused and added. “If I was appointed Construction Manager then I would require the resources necessary to achieve objectives that you set. But I must also be given the freedom to act as I see fit so that I can achieve those objectives.”

“So, you want a free hand to do things your way?” The CEO sounded more curious than antagonistic.

I answered. “Yes and no. I would need a free hand to act but I would still be subject to monitoring and responsible to keep you fully informed. I would expect to be monitored and judged on my performance. You need to have confidence that things are on track. I would report progress regularly and provide explanations whenever requested.”

Another of the committee members had a question. “What construction site personnel would you require?”

I had previously thought through that very point earlier and was able to rattle off a list. When I was finished, one of the others had a question. The question that every job applicant can expect to get asked, “Why do you think that you are the right person for the job?”

Even though I had expected the question I hadn’t actually prepared an answer and ad-libbed, “The best definition of an engineer that I know is; someone that can build something for $1 that any fool can build for $2. I believe an engineer should be judged not just on the quality of his work but also the cost. As construction manager I would aim to complete the Red Rock Project on time and most importantly, for as low a cost as possible.”

The CEO looked around at the others before turning back to face me and asked, “Would you describe yourself as a team player?”

When I heard the term ‘team player’ I almost rolled my eyes. I was tempted to withdraw my application at that moment, but thought that an honest response might save me from having to make that decision. “No. I’m not a team player. I’m not a follower. I do not believe in team bonding exercises. I do not believe that we have to be all jolly good pals to get a job done. I’ll leave all that bunkum to the public service.”

The CEO looked somewhat bemused as he stared at me for a few moments before saying. “Salary. What would be your salary expectations?”

I was a little surprised that he was continuing the conversation and decided that there was nothing to lose. “Since the project is ultimately the responsibility of two people, the Project Manager and the Construction Manager, I believe that the Construction Manager should be paid the same as the Project Manager.”

The fair haired man snorted derisively. “What makes you think that?”

I stared at him for a few moments, quietly assessing him. I guessed that he was the Project Manager and had a different view of the world to me. But, there was no point in me seeking a job by pretending that I was someone that I was not. I would explain my viewpoint and accept the consequences. “The Project Manager would be responsible for dealing with the client and managing the design and selection of equipment and reporting on overall performance to Gibson Construction. He, or she, would also be responsible for calling of the tenders for the major subcontracts and participate with the Construction Manager in the selection of the successful tenderers. The Construction Manager would be responsible for everything else required to get the job done. Everything else! That’s why I believe that they should be paid the same. They make an equal contribution.”

Nobody spoke when I completed my explanation. They just sat there staring at me, probably wondering if I was serious. But since no one said anything I decided to continue speaking. “Think about the film industry. They have a Producer, the Project Manager, and the Director, the Construction Manager. The two management situations are parallel. The success of a movie will be determined by the Director, not the Producer. The same goes for a construction project. The success of a project will ultimately depend on the Construction Manager not the Project Manager.”

The CEO glanced around at the others before saying. “Thanks for coming here this morning. Would you mind returning at three o’clock this afternoon with the others. We want to finalise this matter today and hope that we can advise all applicants of our decision this afternoon.”

***

I was the first applicant to be called in to the afternoon meeting. I thought that being the first one to be called was a good sign, and I was right. As soon as I entered I sensed that they had indeed made a decision. Judging by the smiles and nods directed towards me it seemed likely that they had decided that I was the man for the job. The CEO confirmed my suspicions moments later by pushing several type-written pages across the table towards me and saying. “We have decided to offer you the position of Construction Manager. This is the letter of offer, the employment conditions and job description are attached. Do you want time to consider it?”