CHAPTER
39
PULLER AND COLE left about thirty minutes later. Puller sat in the passenger seat of the truck and gazed out the window. He was full of questions about the evening, but he wasn’t going to ask any of them. It was none of his business.
Cole finally said, “Well, that was a lot of fun.”
“Families usually are.”
“I’m sure you have questions.”
“I don’t like people prying into my stuff, and I’m going to show you the same courtesy.”
They drove on in silence for five more minutes.
Cole began, “Our parents were killed when a boulder dislodged by a mine blast from one of Roger’s operations crushed the car they were in.”
Puller turned to look at her. “About five years ago?”
“About, yes.”
“And Randy took it hard?”
“We all took it hard,” she said fiercely. Then her look and tone softened. “But Randy took it the hardest of all. He and our parents were always close. Especially he and Daddy.”
Cole drove for a few more miles in silence. Puller looked around the truck’s interior and noted the new vinyl seats and the rebuilt dashboard with what looked to be original equipment. Even the floorboards looked new, with not a trace of rust.
“Did your dad redo this truck?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Reminds me of the cottage. Did you buy it along with the house?”
“Yes. Paid the money into the estate.”
“Is that what Randy lives off? Jean obviously doesn’t need the cash.”
“Yes. That’s how we set it up. Randy needed it more than me.”
“I can see that.”
“It’s funny. No one thought Roger Trent would amount to anything.”
“So how did he end up where he is today?”
“I have to admit, he worked hard. And had some vision. And some luck. He worked his way up in the coal business. He’s ruthless, arrogant, but he’s got a sixth sense for making money. And my daddy and brother did find a lot of coal for him. Even if it’s destroying the land.”
“But I guess it provides jobs.”
“Not nearly as many as it used to.”
“Why? Is the coal running out?”
“The coal is always running out. From the first scoop you take. But all mining operations in Drake and a lot in West Virginia are now surface mining.”
“Where they basically blow up the mountains to get to the seams?”
“Coal companies will tell you the decision to do surface versus deep mining is based on geology, topography, and pure economics. The lay of the land, depth and configuration of the coal seams, the cost of extraction versus the available profit, stuff like that. The reality is you need fewer workers to do surface mining. Which means more profits to the coal companies. Now, Trent will argue that a lot of the surface mining is covering ground that was already deep-mined. They’re just coming back to get what the deep mining couldn’t. So it’s a second shot and at least some economic activity and jobs are created. And he may be right about that. But it’s not a compelling argument when there’s no food on the table or a roof over your head.”
She stared over at him. “I have no idea if it will turn out to be relevant to the investigation, but it might make sense for you to learn some things about coal country.”
Part of Puller wanted to say no. He had little interest in the intricacies of coal mining and he felt the focus on the investigation slipping some. But he could sense that Cole wanted to talk about it. And the Army had drilled into him the value of knowing the field on which the battle will be fought. He found the same to be true for the investigative side.
“Okay.”