“I’ll stay out of it,” she whispered, knowing that if Will asked her to sprout wings and fly to the moon, she’d give it her best try. She had fallen in love with this man.
22
“Will, this is Gus Snyder,” Evans introduced in the dimly lit warehouse.
Will couldn’t make out much of the man’s facial features. It was too dark, and he wore a wide-brimmed hat low to further shadow his face.
“Pleased to meet you,” Will said, extending his hand. Gus didn’t reach out, and so Will gave a shrug and pretended to be caught up in the warehouse. “Is this where you keep things for the store?”
“Yes, along with other pieces I come to own,” Evans replied. “I wanted to bring you here so you could become familiar with the business from the ground up. If you’re to be a part of this family, then you’ll need to know it all.”
Will was surprised at how casually Evans had included him. He was even more surprised at how easily Snyder could disappear into the background.
“Gus handles a lot of things for me. Most importantly, he manages the men who work here. I want you to spend time with him and get to know the warehouse and the more physical side of my investments.”
“All right.”
Evans turned to Gus and motioned him forward. “Take him with you to oversee off-loading at the train yard. Show him how things are done, but he doesn’t need to actually do anything. Will is going to be working in more of an office job given his education, but as I said, I want him to understand how things are done.”
“Yes, sir,” Gus replied.
Will wondered if he harbored any jealousy over a new man showing up and laying claim to an important role that might overlap some of Gus’s own work.
“I’m going back to the store, Will. When Gus finishes with you, come and find me there.”
“Sounds good, Mr. Evans.” Will watched him leave through the same door they’d entered before turning to face Snyder. “So what now?”
“Now we go to the depot.” Gus moved across the warehouse to an entirely different set of doors. These were large double doors big enough to allow a wagon entry. Several men were working just outside. Will didn’t know if they were employed by Evans, so he asked. After all, finding someone willing to speak against the man was why he was there.
“Are these fellas working for Mr. Evans?”
Gus pulled down on the brim of his hat. “They’re nobody so don’t concern yourself with them. If you need to know who someone is, I’ll introduce you.”
He kept walking down the long alleyway toward the depot. Will wasn’t surprised to find Snyder a man of few words. He also wasn’t surprised that the man kept to the shadows, avoiding wide-open spaces—hugging the walls whenever possible. Synder reminded him of a wild cat stalking its prey.He blended in so neatly with the various wagons, equipment, and shipping crates that Will found himself forced to keep his gaze fixed on him at all times.
They were soon on the back side of the train depot. There, Will found a lot more activity, what with the railroad workers, the freight drivers with their teams, and laborers to load the dozen or more wagons.
“Stay here,” Gus instructed, leaving Will near a wooden platform.
Gus wove his way around to where two men were straining to lift a wooden box into the back of an already heavily loaded freight wagon. He waited until they’d finished before motioning the larger of the two men over to the side. Will watched as Gus and the big man talked. He couldn’t hear any of the conversation, but the big man glanced over at Will. A deep frown etched his features.
Will did his best to memorize how the men looked. The larger man had massive shoulders, a bearded face, and a large nose. Will turned his attention to the smaller man as Gus concluded his discussion and came back to where he’d left Will. The smaller man was nothing notable. Medium build and height, no distinguishing marks.
“Come with me,” Gus instructed.
“Where are we going now?”
“We’re going to drive that wagon to where Mr. Evans wants it.”
“Why aren’t the men who loaded it going to drive it?”
Will saw Gus clench his hand into a fist, then release it. The man did not like being asked questions. It was something to use to his advantage, and when Gus wasn’t forthright with the answer, Will pressed the matter.
“I just want to understand the process and how Mr. Evanswants things run. He told me I could ask you any questions I had.”
Gus grunted. “They have another wagon to load.”
When they reached the wagon, the men had already finished securing the load and had walked off to tend to something else. Will climbed up beside Gus on the wagon seat.
