Chapter 10
Angelo barely slept that night.
His mother's words kept replaying in his mind.
You will resume production.
He had never been good at taking orders from his mother. She had spent most of his life making decisions for him, and now that he had finally been given responsibility, she expected him to obey her from thousands of miles away.
But this was different.
People were dying.
He was not going to send them back underground simply to protect the company's profits.
At four in the morning, Angelo finally gave up trying to sleep.
He got dressed and walked downstairs.
The boarding house was silent.
He stepped outside and looked toward the mine.
A faint glow from the compound was visible in the distance.
Then he heard footsteps behind him.
He turned.
Daniel Cole stood a few yards away.
"You're up early."
"I could say the same about you."
"Part of the job."
Angelo folded his arms.
"Do you always follow people around?"
"Only when I'm responsible for keeping them alive."
Angelo almost smiled.
"Nobody asked you to."
"Your mother did."
There it was again.
His mother.
Angelo turned away.
"Tell her I'm not resuming production."
Daniel didn't respond.
Angelo walked back inside.
By seven, he was in his office.
A stack of old mine records sat on his desk.
Russell had delivered them before dawn.
Angelo spent the morning going through them.
There were production reports.
Accident reports.
Medical records.
Worker complaints.
Several reports had been marked confidential.
The more he read, the more disturbing the pattern became.
The mine had experienced unusual health problems for years.
Respiratory illnesses.
Skin conditions.
Stomach problems.
Sudden deaths.
And every few years, there were unexplained clusters of the same symptoms now being associated with the Blue Stomach sickness.
Angelo picked up one report dated eight years earlier.
Three workers had died within the same week.
The official cause had been listed as food poisoning.
He opened another.
Five deaths.
Again, food poisoning.
Another report.
Seven workers.
Food poisoning.
Angelo frowned.
"How convenient."
He continued reading.
Then he found something that stopped him cold.
A handwritten note had been attached to one of the reports.
Investigate contamination near eastern extraction zone.
Angelo looked at the mine map.
The eastern extraction zone.
The same general direction as the sickbay.
He immediately picked up the telephone.
"Russell."
"Yes, Mr. Black?"
"I need access to the eastern extraction zone."
There was a pause.
"That area is currently closed."
"Why?"
"Safety concerns."
"Since when?"
"Some time."
"Then we'll go today."
Another pause.
"Mr. Black, I strongly advise against that."
Angelo leaned back.
"Why?"
Russell didn't answer.
Angelo's patience disappeared.
"Russell, I'm beginning to get tired of people telling me what I can't see."
"I understand."
"Do you?"
"Yes."
"Then get the necessary equipment ready."
"Yes, sir."
The line went dead.
Angelo stood and walked toward the window.
Daniel and Marcus were standing outside.
His mother's babysitters.
He opened the door.
"You two."
They turned.
"Yes, sir?"
"I'm going to the eastern extraction zone."
Daniel walked toward him.
"We'll accompany you."
"I don't need an escort."
"That's not negotiable."
Angelo stared at him.
"You really are my mother's men."
Daniel smiled slightly.
"She pays us well."
For the first time, Angelo laughed.
"At least you're honest."
They headed toward the mine.
But before they reached the main gate, the telephone in the administration building began ringing.
Russell answered it.
His face changed.
He slowly looked toward Angelo.
"What?"
Angelo walked over.
"What happened?"
Russell covered the receiver.
"It's Phoenix."
Angelo took the telephone.
"Hello?"
His mother's voice came through immediately.
"Angelo, what are you doing?"
"Working."
"I've just received your latest production figures."
"Then you know we're still shut down."
"I know. And that ends today."
Angelo's jaw tightened.
"No."
"You don't understand the consequences of what you're doing."
"I understand perfectly."
"The company is losing millions."
"People are losing their lives."
"This is a mining town. There are risks."
"Not like this."
His mother sighed.
"You've always been dramatic."
"And you've always been willing to sacrifice anything for money."
Silence.
Angelo immediately regretted the words.
But he didn't apologize.
His mother's voice became colder.
"You are my son, but you are also acting manager of that operation."
"I know."
"And you will resume production."
"No."
"You are refusing a direct instruction from the owner of the company."
"I'm refusing to send sick people underground."
His mother paused.
Then she said something that made Angelo's blood run cold.
"You don't know what you're dealing with."
Angelo straightened.
"What does that mean?"
"I mean that there are forces involved in South River that you are not equipped to handle."
"Then tell me what they are."
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Because you're better off not knowing."
Angelo stared at the telephone.
"Mom..."
She had already ended the call.
He slowly lowered the receiver.
Russell was watching him.
"What did she say?"
Angelo looked at him.
"She knows more than she's telling us."
Russell's expression remained unreadable.
Angelo noticed.
"You knew."
"I suspected."
"That's not good enough."
Angelo grabbed his jacket.
"Where are you going?"
"The eastern extraction zone."
Russell looked alarmed.
"Mr. Black—"
"I'm done sitting behind this desk."
He walked toward the door.
Daniel and Marcus followed.
As they stepped outside, Angelo looked toward the distant hills.
Somewhere beyond the mine was the source of the sickness.
Somewhere in the shadows was the person who had been watching him.
And somewhere in Phoenix, his mother knew far more than she was willing to admit.
Angelo had come to South River because he had failed at university.
He had thought the mine was supposed to teach him responsibility.
Now he was beginning to suspect that his mother had sent him there for an entirely different reason.