Page 25 of Oleander

“Just so you know, ma’am, I used to work for them. They’re seriously understaffed. To the point that it’s not safe any longer. That’s why I’m trying to get away from them. I can’t afford to just quit. I have a wife and new baby at home, I need the paycheck.”

“You don’t need to die for a paycheck,” said Grace. She turned to Remy, handing him the tablet and the man’s resume. “Remy, speak with this young man. If you think he’ll fit, let’s get the background done immediately and put him to work.”

“I can make it happen today, Grace,” said Remy. “Come with me.”

“Seriously?” said the young man. “I can’t thank y’all enough.” He was nearly in tears as he moved to the table behind the women where they could speak in private. The entire time, Burton stared at them as if they were an evil entity.

It was non-stop, all day long men and women came to their table, applied, and begged for jobs. Some were more than qualified, others had never worked on a rig before or anywhere near an oil field. Those were interviewed more carefully for potential roles inside warehouses or in administrative jobs. But they turned no one away.

As the day began to wind down, Burton Drilling had a special visitor. Hollis Burton stood at the table, his head high, straightening his Italian silk tie. Grace, Zoe, and Jessica just smiled at the numerous people standing in front of their table.

Burton’s face became a mask of anger. Red, wrinkled with his frown.

“Gentlemen. Gentlemen, no need to wait over there,” he said waving them over. “Come and sign on with Burton. We can put you to work tomorrow. No nasty background checks.”

“No offense, sir. But that’s exactly why I won’t work for you. Safety isn’t just about the equipment, but about the people working on your rigs as well. Besides, these folks are offering more pay and a sign-on bonus. You can’t touch that.”

Burton looked as if he might explode. He slammed a hand on the ROG table and Remy and Robbie both stood, Monster growling at the man. Burton’s security man, Voss, touched his arm gently. Burton was smart enough to step back, staring down at them.

“You think you’re smart? You think you can beat me at a game I invented?” he growled.

“You didn’t invent shit,” said Remy. “Matthew Robicheaux was the first man in this area to create a safe, healthy, profitable oil and gas business. He did it the right way. Ethically. Concerned with the environment and the people living here. What you created was a cash cow to fuel your interests and your desires. Something that could give you the lifestyle you believed you deserved.”

Burton stared at Remy, then at Robbie. He knew they were Robicheauxs. Every last one of them looked the same. Same eyes. Same hair. Same build. They all looked as though they could lift a rig by themselves. He hated that. He hated them.

“Get that dog out of here. He’s dangerous,” said Burton.

“He’s my emotional support animal,” smiled Grace. “Legally, I’m allowed to have him here and he only growls when he doesn’t like someone or senses that I might be in danger. Because I’m a good woman, I’ll give you one warning. Step back or lose that arm.”

Burton lifted his hand from the table and took a step back. The announcer came over the loud speaker that the job fair would conclude in ten minutes. Burton turned to his table.

“How many applicants did you get?” he asked. The recruiter looked down at her lap, the personnel manager knowing she was about to lose her job.

“Seven, sir.”

“Seven.”

“How many did we get, Grace?” asked Robbie. Grace asked Zoe and Jessica how many they had and then used the calculator to come up with the number.

“We had quite a day,” she smiled. “One-hundred-twenty-seven.”

Burton’s face exploded in anger, spittle at the corner of his mouth. He kicked his table, the two employees jumping back to avoid being hit.

“You’re both fired!”

“You need to settle down, Mr. Burton,” smirked Remy. “You hurt those young ladies, and we’ll vouch for the fact that your temper got out of control and you nearly harmed them in the process.”

“Do you have any idea how much I despise you all?” he muttered.

“Oh, we got a good idea,” laughed Remy. “But it doesn’t compare to Dororthy, does it?”

Burton froze, staring at Remy, then Robbie, then the three women. He started to say something but knew that if he opened his mouth, he’d be risking the upcoming court proceedings.

He’d tried before to push the blame to Dorothy for what happened on Platform Nine. She was a high school teacher to the world. To him, she was an interfering shareholder who also had a keen eye for contracts, reports, and all the misinterpretations that he’d planted inside them. She was also the woman that abandoned him. His wife had known him all too well.

“Don’t you dare speak of my dearly departed wife,” he smirked. “She was the love of my life. If she’d only taken better care of herself. Diabetes is nothing to take lightly.”

“No, it’s not,” said Grace. “Funny though, she didn’t just die from the diabetes.”