“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?”
Suppressing a surge of elation I said in what I hoped was a cool, steady voice. “Thank you. If I could just peruse these documents for a few minutes I should be able to give you my answer then.”
The CEO smiled and replied, “Certainly. Take your time.”
It took me just a few minutes to scan the letter and job description. I was being offered an unbelievable opportunity and the salary was way beyond my expectations. If the Project Manager got paid more than me then he was very well paid indeed. I looked up and smiled. “I accept.”
The CEO then stood up and leaned across the table with an extended right hand. “Congratulations Adam. The job is yours!”
Glancing around the table, and smiling at the others, I acknowledged their confidence in me. They all continued to smile and nod in return except for the fair haired man who was noticeably stony faced. I didn’t have to be told that he had been out voted and was displeased.
***
I had known the other applicants by reputation but had never met them previously. They were all strong type A personalities who certainly got the job done. Two seemed to be basically decent guys who tended to mix socially with their subordinates.
The other two had quite different management styles. They were well known for intimidation of their subordinates and never accepting personal responsibility for their own mistakes. One of their lieutenants had once quipped to me that the only management book ever read by his boss was probably called; ‘Bullying for Dummies’.
Even so it was preposterous to think that the attack on me had been motivated by such petty resentment.
***
After the meeting the CEO had introduced me to the fair haired man. I had guessed correctly, he was the Project Manager and he had been unhappy. His name was Tom Barton. I was to learn later that he had argued strongly against the level of independence given to the Construction Manager and my appointment in particular.
Even though we did not connect on a personal level, and he still espoused the view that I was the wrong man for the job, I did not see any possible connection between him and the attempts on my life.
***
That led my thoughts to whether someone on the project site could be responsible. Perhaps there was someone sufficiently motivated by rivalry or resentment to seek my elimination.
The total workforce on site numbered just under four hundred, about three quarters of whom were under my control. The rest were either permanent employees of the Red Rock Mine, or employees of a contract mining company that had been awarded the contract to carry out the mining operation. They were all under the control of Jack Gilmore, Red Rock’s senior mining engineer. In the next couple of months Red Rock Mine would appoint an Operations Manager and other staff prior to commissioning of the Mill and processing plant.
I had little contact with the contract mining employees who had separate accommodation facilities and dining room. Where space was available, the construction workers shared accommodation and mess facilities with the permanent Red Rock employees. Tent accommodation had been provided for the overflow of construction workers with a surprising number happy to sleep in a four man military-style tent.
On my first visit to Red Rock, Jack Gilmore had shown me around the site. His job was to develop the open pit and provide ore for the testing and commissioning of the processing plant and facilities. He was supported by a couple of junior mining engineers, a geologist and some administration staff. Later they would all take up roles as full time employees at the mi
ne after it was commissioned.
Gilmore had driven me up a roughly graded track, suitable for 4WD access only, to a vantage point on a ridge overlooking the mine site. Alongside the track there was a roughly painted sign proclaiming it to be the way to ‘Lookout Hill’. When we were parked at the top, Gilmore spread a map of the mining lease on the bonnet of the vehicle and then proceeded to point out the proposed location of the various features marked on the map. The lookout point was ideal, giving a panoramic view of the entire mine site.
Like all mining operations, pre-planning of a mine site was crucial. Jack Gilmore’s mining contractors needed to remove a substantial quantity of waste rock before reaching ore grade material. The waste rock had to be removed from the pit to a permanent storage location several kilometres distant. The layout of the mine site was designed to provide for efficient operation for the life-of-mine. An area of three kilometres by two kilometres had been reserved to suit the eventual perimeter of the open pit. Similar areas had been set aside for the permanent storage of waste rock and a tailings dam. These areas utilized several gullies leading from the main valley to the west of the mine site. The nearest point being about a kilometre from the open pit. An area of about a kilometre square had been set aside for the ore processing facilities. A slightly smaller area, to the north of the processing plant area, had been set aside for the administration and accommodation facilities.
The plan being used by Jack Gilmore had the ground level contours marked on it. The layout of the mine site had been decided prior to my involvement in the project and had looked okay the first time that I saw the planned layout on paper. However, I had not been very searching in my appraisal as it had been designed by experts and was not my responsibility.
But, later when I saw the layout drawn on a contour plan I had some misgivings. The proposed mine site was tucked against the southern edge of a wide valley as it wound around the ridge leading to Lookout Hill. The land contours indicated that the stormwater runoff from the country to the west of Lookout Hill would flow across the mine site. When I had queried that issue I was told that it would be provided for in the site drainage plan which was still to be finalised.
Today was the first time that I had seen the proposed site drainage plan and had the opportunity to assess it on the ground. I did not like what I saw. The entire stormwater flow was diverted away from the open pit mine, as it had to be, but was redirected into a single pipe running through the mine site near the processing plant.
Due to the lay of the land it was impossible to divert the stormwater flow towards the far side of the open pit, away from the processing plant. To me it was clear. The best option would be to excavate a cutting across the ridge leading to Lookout Hill and discharge the stormwater into a gully that led back to the main valley to the east of the mine site.
I had pointed out my misgivings to Jack Gilmore who expressed his support for my intention to have the drainage plan revised. However, his responsibility was to ensure that the open pit operations were at no risk of being flooded. Once that had been achieved, he had no further say in the design of the stormwater drainage plan for other sections of the mine site.
Even so he provided strong vocal and written support for my request to have the drainage plan amended. A request that was later arbitrarily refused by Tom Barton.
I had an excellent working and friendly relationship with Jack. There was no possibility that anyone connected with Jack Gilmore would have been involved in the attack on me.
That ruled out a quarter of the people on site. I now only had three hundred suspects.
As I reached that conclusion, the plane’s engines changed pitch, and the passengers were warned to put their seats in the upright position for the landing in Cairns.
***
Monday October 12
Cairns, Queensland
Last night I had dropped off to sleep as soon as I stretched out in my quarter berth on board ‘Irish Mist’ and had slept as though I did not have a care in the world. I had arrived back at the marina after midnight. As I expected, there was no sign of activity on any of the jetties. It was a Sunday evening and the weekend sailors had all gone home. Those that also lived on board their boats seemed to have all gone to bed. There was certainly nobody to be seen showing interest in my arrival.
Sleeping on board a yacht moored in a marina is a pleasant experience. I never tired of it. Even on the calmest of nights there would be a slow, gentle, sleep-inducing rocking motion due to the smallest of swells. The occasional gentle tug from the mooring lines was a constant reminder that the vessel was secure. After many nights spent on board I was accustomed to sleeping without being consciously wakened by the bump and tug of the mooring lines when another boat moved through the marina.
On the other hand if anyone stepped on board, no matter how softly their tread, the motion of the yacht changed and I would instantly be awake and alert. Perhaps it was the subtle ting of a shackle against the mast, or against another shackle, that was also detected by my subconscious. The sound of a foot step or movement on the adjacent jetty would not disturb me, but a subtle change in the movement of the boat would. It was as though ‘Irish Mist’ would be warning me to be alert because someone had come on board.
In the morning, immediately I awoke I looked around the cabin. It was the first time since clambering onboard some thirty kilometers off shore, forty eight hours earlier, that I had taken the time to fully check if anything was missing. Clearly my assailants had gone to some trouble to ensure that it looked like I had been lost at sea as the result of an accident. My wallet, laptop computer and cell phone had all been placed on board ‘Irish Mist’. They were probably the key items that would be expected to be found on board. Even my provisions had been stowed in lockers and the shopping dockets left on the chart table in clear sight.
At first I decided that nothing had been taken until I recalled having had my camera with me when I had been about to board ‘Irish Mist’ on Friday evening. After searching everywhere I had to conclude that it had been taken by my assailants. The question then was whether it was just an opportunistic petty crime or a planned act. If it had been planned then I was puzzled as to the purpose of the theft.
It was annoying to have to replace the camera. It was a robust SLR digital camera that I had owned for several years. But it was easily replaced. Luckily I had lost nothing apart from the camera as I had uploaded all the photographs to the cloud on Friday afternoon. Almost exclusively the photos related to work. I shook my head in frustration. The attack on me was becoming more and more of a mystery.
Just before seven o’clock I rang the charter flight company to cancel my seat on the Monday morning fly-in fly-out workers plane to the Red Rock Project site. Instead I would catch the ‘mail run’ flight at ten.
I then rang Brian to let him know that I was back in Cairns. We talked for a while about my missing camera. Both of us suspected that it might be significant but he was as mystified as I was regarding a possible motive for the theft. We could not disregard the possibility that it had been a spur-of-the-moment act of pilfering.
Prior to driving out to the airport I called in at a downtown photographic shop to buy a replacement camera. The previous one had been satisfactory but I was now able to upgrade to a later model of the same brand. This time I selected one with a wider angle lens and better telephoto capabilities. It was my practice to take frequent photos of work in hand and it was often helpful when writing reports. On a number of occasions, photographs had also helped me to resolve site disputes. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, especially one that is date-stamped.
The thought had occurred to me that the attack was connected to a site dispute. That being so I wanted to talk to my staff as soon as I got to the project site and check if there were any problems that I was not aware of.
I had an excellent team. If a problem cropped up they would usually attempt to resolve it themselves and involve me only if they though
t it to be necessary. It was a work practice that I encouraged and they knew that I’d back them up if something didn’t work out as planned.
***
Red Rock Project Site
My strategy of seeing if anyone did a double-take when they saw me arrive at work safe and sound did not turn out to be the clever ploy that I had hoped. And it was my own fault. I had figured, wrongly as it turned out, that if I did not fly in to the site as was usual on the early flight it might put the miscreants at their ease. Then, thinking that I was definitely history, when I did arrive it would take them by surprise and they might give themselves away somehow.
What did happen when I turned up late for work on a Monday morning for the first time ever was that I was constantly being greeted with jocular questions about what I had been up to during the weekend. Everyone seemed to be determined to ask me about my weekend and imply that I had been misbehaving. The fact that I did not have a reputation for such behavior added to the humour of the situation as far as the others were concerned. Many of the construction workers on site also got into the joke. Wherever I went for the rest of the morning I was constantly bombarded with friendly but respectful greetings such as; “Hey Boss. How did your weekend go?”
As a strategy to gain some insight into the identity of my attackers, my game plan had been a flop. It was frustrating to think that the bad guys might even have been asking me about my weekend just to watch my reaction. The reverse of my plan. Somehow, the boot was on the other foot.
Smoking Gun (Adam Cartwright Trilogy Book 1) Page 6
