Final Turn: A story of adventure, intrigue and suspense. by maurice engler Page A
Book: Final Turn: A story of adventure, intrigue and suspense. by maurice engler
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Authors: maurice engler
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out?" Kevin looked directly at him expecting an answer.
"What truck?" It was difficult to tell if that was further impudence or just the response from a mind that couldn't deal with such a demanding question.
"Craig. A truck. Truck number 7345." Kevin consulted the screen to get the number. "One of those big units with the ramp and the winch inside. Did anyone take that truck? For maintenance, for whatever?"
"Is that thing telling you a truck went out Friday? Don't surprise me. Computers. Is that thing taking over from us already?" Kevin gave Roger an apologetic look, a look that begged a tolerance which Kevin himself must have acquired out of necessity.
"This thing," Kevin said carefully, "is telling me that truck number 7345 left the compound at 5:15 on Friday morning and was driven about 160 kilometers before it was brought back just before nine. All I want from you is, 'Do you know who took the truck out?'" Kevin made an almost imperceptible motion as if to get up, an action that quickly put an end to the sparing by Craig.
"No. Nobody took a truck. I wasn't here but nobody took a truck. We got no record of nothing."
"Someone did take a truck. That much we know. What I want to know is who?'" Roger admired Kevin's acquired patience.
"That truck didn't go out of here. There was no maintenance done on anything Friday. Anything that went out for rental we got logged. That truck never went out. I'll bring my log." Now there seemed to be eager cooperation where only seconds ago there had been blatant resistance.
"I don't need to see the log book. A computer doesn't just make up information." Kevin said that with a bit less conviction than he could have. This was Roger's chance to help out.
"I'll review those records with our people back in the office. We'll make sure there wasn't some other problem. It does seem certain that the data is good because the information from the truck; the time and date, corresponded exactly with the data that came from the card reader at the main gate. I'm sure that......" Roger was cut off.
"That's a lot of crap!" Came a rude reaction from Craig. "No one has proved that damned thing works at all. I don't know why they bother with it. All that money spent and now no one knows what in hell is going on. There was nothing wrong with the way we were doing things."
This time Kevin did come to his feet. "Alright Craig. You can get back to the guard house." Craig did know when he had used up all his rope. He left, but not without coming within a breath of knocking into Roger with his shoulder as he turned. He closed the door with defiant clap and could be heard trudging over the graveled surface towards the guardhouse.
"That’s the only kind we can get to sit in a guard house all day and do next to nothing. If you know you're going to hire someone for a job that will drive them nuts, you may as well start off with someone who has a head start." Kevin said by way of explanation. "He's not great to work with but I can probably only replace him with another one like him." That seemed like a seasoned point of view to Roger.
"Are there going to be any staff reductions because of this system?" If that were at the root of the problem with Craig, it would be best out in the open.
"Not that I've heard for sure." Kevin said with a little surprise at the directness of the question. "They've don't tell us much out here about what's really going on. I think there must have been some justification to cut costs when they got this system. You know about that?"
"No. Not a thing. I've never heard anyone at eStorage mention that." And that was the truth. "If it does effect staff it would likely be in the accounting office." And that might have been the truth as well, although Roger wasn't sure what they were doing in the accounting office.
"Accounting office. This company has twice as many bean counters as when I started five years ago. I don't think they have twice as many beans to count though." Kevin
"What truck?" It was difficult to tell if that was further impudence or just the response from a mind that couldn't deal with such a demanding question.
"Craig. A truck. Truck number 7345." Kevin consulted the screen to get the number. "One of those big units with the ramp and the winch inside. Did anyone take that truck? For maintenance, for whatever?"
"Is that thing telling you a truck went out Friday? Don't surprise me. Computers. Is that thing taking over from us already?" Kevin gave Roger an apologetic look, a look that begged a tolerance which Kevin himself must have acquired out of necessity.
"This thing," Kevin said carefully, "is telling me that truck number 7345 left the compound at 5:15 on Friday morning and was driven about 160 kilometers before it was brought back just before nine. All I want from you is, 'Do you know who took the truck out?'" Kevin made an almost imperceptible motion as if to get up, an action that quickly put an end to the sparing by Craig.
"No. Nobody took a truck. I wasn't here but nobody took a truck. We got no record of nothing."
"Someone did take a truck. That much we know. What I want to know is who?'" Roger admired Kevin's acquired patience.
"That truck didn't go out of here. There was no maintenance done on anything Friday. Anything that went out for rental we got logged. That truck never went out. I'll bring my log." Now there seemed to be eager cooperation where only seconds ago there had been blatant resistance.
"I don't need to see the log book. A computer doesn't just make up information." Kevin said that with a bit less conviction than he could have. This was Roger's chance to help out.
"I'll review those records with our people back in the office. We'll make sure there wasn't some other problem. It does seem certain that the data is good because the information from the truck; the time and date, corresponded exactly with the data that came from the card reader at the main gate. I'm sure that......" Roger was cut off.
"That's a lot of crap!" Came a rude reaction from Craig. "No one has proved that damned thing works at all. I don't know why they bother with it. All that money spent and now no one knows what in hell is going on. There was nothing wrong with the way we were doing things."
This time Kevin did come to his feet. "Alright Craig. You can get back to the guard house." Craig did know when he had used up all his rope. He left, but not without coming within a breath of knocking into Roger with his shoulder as he turned. He closed the door with defiant clap and could be heard trudging over the graveled surface towards the guardhouse.
"That’s the only kind we can get to sit in a guard house all day and do next to nothing. If you know you're going to hire someone for a job that will drive them nuts, you may as well start off with someone who has a head start." Kevin said by way of explanation. "He's not great to work with but I can probably only replace him with another one like him." That seemed like a seasoned point of view to Roger.
"Are there going to be any staff reductions because of this system?" If that were at the root of the problem with Craig, it would be best out in the open.
"Not that I've heard for sure." Kevin said with a little surprise at the directness of the question. "They've don't tell us much out here about what's really going on. I think there must have been some justification to cut costs when they got this system. You know about that?"
"No. Not a thing. I've never heard anyone at eStorage mention that." And that was the truth. "If it does effect staff it would likely be in the accounting office." And that might have been the truth as well, although Roger wasn't sure what they were doing in the accounting office.
"Accounting office. This company has twice as many bean counters as when I started five years ago. I don't think they have twice as many beans to count though." Kevin
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