Olivia's Mine Page 22

  “You will be a beautiful October bride,” Akiko said.

  “I hope it doesn’t rain,” Sarah sighed. “October can be so chancy. I don’t want anything to spoil my wedding day.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  McMichael stood on his veranda, sipping the last of his coffee before he headed off to work. It was going to be one of those days, he thought to himself; he could just feel it. He had awoken with a headache that despite taking aspirin, was not going away. He could see Olivia making her way over to the office, dressed in blue. He liked her in blue, he thought to himself, knowing by the end of the day such glimpses would be fewer.

  The price of copper had dropped considerably the past six months, dropping from twenty to fourteen cents a pound. Although he delayed this day as long as he could, it had finally arrived. He was going to have to cut his staff by about forty percent. It meant drastically reducing the new concentrator shifts. It meant shutting down the mine’s tramway and the new electrical railway that had been installed. The writing had been on the wall for weeks but the men had been blissfully unaware. That was part of the reason he had recently given a rather generous donation to help complete the new recreation hall. He wanted the townspeople to have some form of inexpensive recreation in case the situation worsened.

  “At least we don’t have to shut the mine down totally,” he thought to himself. The ore at Britannia had silver and gold in it, enough to keep the other sixty percent employed. For now.

  His first appointment of the day was coming up the street.

  “What is it McMichael?” the sergeant asked.

  “We need to do something about Ruby.”

  Ruby’s house of ill repute had been functioning behind blind eyes ever since the officer had first arrived, so Wolanski was confused by McMichael’s sudden interest in it.

  “What exactly are you asking?”

  “It’s time to get her to leave town. She and her girls and that hulk of a man she uses as a bouncer.”

  Wolanski had always thought McMichael had a financial interest in Ruby’s establishment, making him turn a blind eye.

  “Rudy,” McMichael started, using the officer’s Christian name for the first time, “I might as well let you in on it. There may be some trouble over the next little while. I’ve got to lay some men off today. Let’s just say more than one or two. I want the bar to stop serving alcohol for the next month. I mean that. You catch anyone drinking, you throw them in jail.”

  Rudy’s expression turned solemn. He knew what layoffs would mean to the community. The mine was the employer that all the other businesses relied on. There would be a lasting trigger effect if the layoffs were as big as McMichael was letting on.

  “When times were good,” McMichael started to explain, “as much as I abhor Ruby’s line of business, it kept the men for the most part, happy and out of my hair. It helped them deal with their depression and loneliness that the isolation of Britannia Beach often spawns. But they could afford it then. And Ruby and her girls would spend the money for the most part here in Britannia. But the men, they’re not going to be able to afford it now. I’m not going to have families starving because the men are throwing their money away on unchristian opportunities. Ruby’s time to vacate the premises has arrived.”

  He handed Wolanski an envelope.

  Rudy looked at it cautiously. Was McMichael trying to bribe him?

  McMichael had read Wolanski’s mind.

  “The envelope is for Ruby,” he assured him. “It seems the bank has taken this opportunity to foreclose on her mortgage. It’s all laid out there in black and white.”

  “How convenient,” Wolanski said.

  “Funny how that happens. Still, it’s a legal eviction notice. And just to make it clear, I’d like you to escort the occupants of the house to Frenchie’s boat this evening. There will be no room for them at any of our hotels. I think Ruby will get the message.”

  Olivia walked into McMichael’s office.

  “You wanted to see me sir?” she asked.

  McMichael motioned to Wolanski that their conversation was over. Rudy tipped his hat to Olivia as he left the room.

  “No coffee?” Olivia asked, peering into the canister where it was normally kept.

  “Sarah says she’s run out. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with her lately.”

  “The upcoming nuptials, I presume.”

  “Please, have a seat,” McMichael motioned to her.

  She sat in the big oak chair he had pointed to.

  “Olivia, first let me say that this conversation is to go no further than this room.”

  “I understand Mr. McMichael,” Olivia offered.

  “I want to commend you on the job you did with the concentrator. Not just for your Uncle’s interests, but also for the mine and myself. You and Sarah worked marvellously together. And on-site...I would not have believed you would have been able to handle that rag-tag group of men I gave you to install the damn concentrator. God knows they weren’t my best workers, I couldn’t spare the good ones to give you. But you pulled it off, and for that, I take my hat off to you.”

  “Thank you sir,” Olivia said.

  “Now, please, let me finish. Now that it’s installed and working properly, I really can’t afford to keep the men working any longer.”

  “I understand sir. I didn’t think it would last forever.”

  “I said let me finish, Olivia.”

  Olivia became silent.

  “I meant what I said. I really can’t afford to keep the men working any longer. The price of copper has dropped so much I’m afraid I’m going to have to lay off all the men who have been working on the concentrator.”

  Olivia sighed. If only her men were laid off, then they would attribute their downfall to her.

  “And you want me to do that for you?” Olivia said. She supposed that would be part of her job.

  McMichael paused. If it had been one of the men interrupting him, he would have thrown him out of the office. But instead he found his voice becoming gentle.

  “Well, I could do that and then bring you back in here and tell you that you were next out the door. I suppose that would be rather cruel, but it would get the job done.”

  Olivia’s face remained expressionless. She had known her job was ending soon and it appeared now was the time.

  “I have a problem Olivia. With fewer men on shift, I also need to reduce my supervisory positions by one. All the remaining supervisors are going to have to step up to the plate and give one hundred and ten percent. It’s come down to you and Frank. It’s a toss up for me, quite frankly, and I never in the world would have imagined I’d be in this position. You’re better at the job than he is, no doubt about it. The men hate working for you, just like they hate working for me, and there’s something to be said for that, although it’s probably for far different reasons. But Frank, he’s a man.”

  Olivia’s blood flowed nervously in her veins.

  “So here’s the deal Olivia. I’ll fire all the men, if you decide who goes or stays, you or Frank. I can’t let you continue on as a supervisor, but you can be my assistant, with all the same responsibilities. You’ll never be bored.”

  “And do the same work? Manage the men?”

  “Yes. I’ll pay you a fair wage. More than I do Sarah.”

  “Mr. McMichael, you know I’ve enjoyed working here at the mine. You know what I can do for you. Sarah and I managed to save you thousands of dollars by re-scheduling the concentrator shifts. We saved several hundred man-hours. Surely you recognize my contributions were more than ‘assisting’ you.”

  “But you have to understand Olivia, while your Uncle could call your position whatever the hell he bloody well wanted to, I don’t have that same luxury. I can hold open a job for you, and it will be a respectful job for you, but I can’t give you a job title that would belong by rights, to a man.”

  “Did you notice that your injuries were down?”

  “Yes, Olivi
a.”

  “Did you notice that on several occasions on the late shift the men stayed an extra hour without pay so that things would be ready for the morning crew? Not bad loyalty to a boss they hate working for, as you said.”

  “Olivia...”

  “I’m sorry Mr. McMichael,” Olivia said. “I have to refuse your kind offer.”

  “Olivia,” he began, “please reconsider. I promise you I will find Frank a job in town somewhere. Maybe at the general store. On second thought, perhaps that wouldn’t be appropriate. I will find him something...I promise you.”

  “I can’t,” Olivia said.

  “You’re sure?”

  “I’m sure. I’m pregnant, Mr McMichael.”

  The news shocked McMichael. The emotions that ran through his mind were surprising to him. He wasn’t at all sure this was right for Olivia, but it was none of his business. He bent down to her.

  “Well, I suppose congratulations are in order,” he said, not convincingly.

  He stood up and walked over to his desk, pulling out his rye, and pouring himself a stiff shot. He did and not offer Olivia any, not that she would have taken it.

  “Shall I leave?” she asked him. She could sense the news had upset him.

  “Perhaps it’s best,” he admitted.

  Olivia moved quietly towards the door.

  “Olivia,” he paused, “you can rest assured I do not say this with any frequency.”

  Her eyes rose to meet his as he continued.

  “Take some time off. Raise your child, or children as it may be. Go back to your store when you’re ready. But if you ever find you can’t get the ore out of your veins, my door is always open. There will always be a job for you here at the mine as long as I’m in charge.” He would never admit it, but he knew he would miss her.

  “Thank you, Mr. McMichael, that’s quite kind.”

  “Kind nothing. I’d rather have you working for me than against me.”

  That much was true, McMichael thought to himself. She competed against him with the store, and that had been a success. She had tackled the unfathomable job with the concentrator with a finesse he hadn’t seen in many of his men. Not any since John Cruickshank had retired. And through it all she had managed to hold onto her pride, her dignity, and, he thought, her femininity. Even in the overalls, he recalled.

  He escorted her out the door, his hand resting on her shoulder.

  While Sarah noticed this, she made nothing of it, as she was well aware of what McMichael was going to do today. She assumed Olivia had been given her news.

  “Sarah, get me Frank,” he said. His head was still pounding and there was so much yet to do today. He’d make Frank fire the men.

  “Certainly, Mr. McMichael. Mr. William Bower phoned while you were with his daughter. Shall I get him on the line for you?”

  McMichael sighed. Not today, he thought. Not more bad news.

  “Yes, thank you Sarah. Please do call him back for me.”

  McMichael went into his office and waited for Sarah to get William on the line.

  “John,” William began, “I’ve got some news for you.”

  McMichael didn’t like the tone of his voice.

  “It appears the Canadian government has run out of money as far as railway expansion is concerned. They’re having a hard time making their existing financial commitments as it is. Cashing in bonds left and right or so the banks are telling me. The rail line to Squamish has been delayed indefinitely. And without them securing the loan, I’m afraid we’ll have to pull out as well, at least for the foreseeable future.”

  “Delayed? Again? How long?”

  “They’re saying it could be decades. We can’t afford to have our portion of the money tied up that long. I’m sure you understand.”

  McMichael’s hopes and dreams of the coastal railroad collapsed in an instant.

  “John? Are you there?” William asked.

  “Yes William. Damn disappointing, that is.”

  “Indeed. But there’s something else I’d like to talk to you about John. I’ll see you next week. We’re all coming up for Jason’s wedding. Grace, the whole clan, and me including Aaron. We’ll talk then.”

  “Of course.”

  Great. McMichael thought. I can hardly wait. I just went through months of your daughter under my feet, and now this. He could think of a million places he’d rather be than in a room with the Bower clan now that the railroad had fallen through.

  The word “your daughter” lingered in his mind for a moment. Perhaps he was wrong, he thought. Perhaps there was nowhere else he’d rather be.

  “William,” McMichael said, “I understand you’re about to become a grandfather. I just thought that maybe you should know.”

  He wasn’t sure why he said that. Perhaps it was to keep her safe. He had fallen in love with her, he admitted to himself. Slowly, gradually over the seven years he had known her she had taken his heart. But she was a married woman, blissfully unaware, and he was a decent man. At least in that regard.

  As he hung up the phone contemplating this, Sarah’s fists pounded on the door.

  “Mr. McMichael,” she screamed. “Oh my God, come quickly!”

  “Has something happened to Olivia?” he asked, not waiting for an answer.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  “What the hell happened?” McMichael asked.

  “There’s been a cave-in,” Frank said.

  “How? Where?”

  “In the southwest tunnel. We’re not sure how it happened.”

  “Is anyone down there?”

  McMichael started to head off towards the tunnel entrance. The scene was chaotic as the men tried to organize themselves.

  “We’re not sure sir,” Frank said, following him. “The men were just coming off shift. The cave-in happened as they were leaving. The walls fell in behind them.”

  “Then we’ve got to do a head count.”

  Olivia approached McMichael.

  “I heard the news.”

  “Good news travels fast, bad even quicker.”

  “Here’s the roster sir,” she said, handing him a clipboard. I brought it over from the office. We can check the scheduled attendance. Sarah said no one called in sick. I know I don’t really work for you anymore...”

  “It’s quite all right Olivia. I need your help.”

  “Frank,” McMichael called. “Come get this list, do a roll call.”

  “Olivia, go find Harry. I’m going to need a full report on this. Tell Sarah to call Wolanski and the doctors. I need every available man on the scene. Tell your man Hearn I need his expertise. Ask him to work for me until we sort this out. I’ll pay for him.”

  “No problem sir.”

  She left to look for the men.

  A crowd had begun to form at the base of the mine.

  “Is it true?” Akiko asked.

  “Yes,” McMichael said. “There’s been a cave-in. Now you know about as much as I do,” he snapped.

  “Forgive me,” Akiko said, and bowed her head in respect.

  “Forgiveness is up to the Lord, not me,” McMichael said. “Akiko, I need you to be a translator. I promise to keep you informed as soon as I know more. Stay close so I can get you to assure the Japanese workers that we will do everything we can. Pass the message along to the other bilingual people. We need more translators. Can you do that for me?”

  “Yes. I will do what I can to help,” she said humbly.

  Tragedy. It comes in threes, she thought. First the landslide, then the fire, now this. At least they would be safe after this. Her sentiments were shared by most of the community.

  “Can I help?” Jimmy asked, standing alongside his mother.

  “I don’t think we have any magic potions for this one,” McMichael sighed.

  Jimmy stood firm.

  “All right Jimmy,” McMichael said. “You’re an experienced man. I need you to help co-ordinate the rescue efforts. You’ll be my liaison with Dr. Van den Broek. Te
ll me what I need to know about potential medical needs. Are you up to it?”

  “Yes sir,” he said.

  “You’re a fearless lad; I’ll give you that.”

  Akiko looked at her son with pride.

  Frank approached McMichael, his employee list in his hand.

  “Well?”

  “Everyone is accounted for except for two,” Frank said, glancing at the Yadas.

  “Well then, let’s have it,” McMichael said.

  “Yan Li, and Harry.”

  Akiko’s hand clasped her mouth, stifling a scream.

  “Good God,” McMichael sighed, placing his arm around Jimmy.

  Jimmy closed his eyes for just a moment.

  “I am fearless, Mr. McMichael. I must go to work,” Jimmy said, turning to his mother. “Be strong, mom.” He held her hand until she regained her composure.

  Jason Bower came over to McMichael.

  “I gather people won’t feel much like going to the movies tonight. How can I help Mr. McMichael?” he asked.

  “We’re going to need to be working day and night until we get those workers out. If you could just report to Frank, I’m sure he can use all the help he can get.”

  Jason was silent.

  “Jason,” McMichael began, “I know there’s no love lost between you and your brother-in-law but if I could get you to set aside your differences for the time being. He really is the best man to organize the work crews. He knows everyone’s skills. We’ll need to get them out as fast as we can.”

  “So it’s true then. There are people trapped inside?”

  “Yes, it’s true. Two as far as we know.”

  “How long can they last?”

  “I don’t dare make a guess at this point. I don’t know if they’re injured. I hope they got to the safety room, but I just don’t know.”

  “Safety room?” Jason asked.

  “We have safe spots throughout the tunnels that carry a supply of food and water, medical kits, axes, shovels and other things that could be of use in an emergency. The men know where they are.”