How to Get Ahead Without Murdering Your Boss

by Helen Burton

  "So you're glad you made the sea-change?" Lou handed her a crate of water.

  Clara shouldered it and placed it on the shelf above her head. "No need to ask Lou. Here I can step outside and see the trees. I can breathe. Money's not everything."

  Lou stood with her hands on her hips in mock anger. "Was that a crack about the salary?"

  "No but if you ever do hit the big time remember the little people who helped you get there!"

  Lou grinned. "Absolutely!" She paused and surveyed the storeroom. "So you think we have enough here to feed these people if we get stuck here?"

  "For a month if we need to, but I'd hate to think that we have this bunch here for that long." Clara rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Of course if we have to resort to eating each other, as the only qualified chef I get to choose who goes first."

  "Yeah who would your choice be?"

  Clara nodded towards the corridor behind Lou. "Well here's someone who would be near the top of the list."

  "Lou? I'm sorry to interrupt you." Kylie tapped on the kitchen door.

  "Don't worry Ms Humann, we're just getting supplies together in case the cyclone does hit us." Lou wiped her hands on a towel and smiled. "How can I help you?"

  "Well I was just checking to see if there was any way to use a phone? The phone in my cabin doesn't seem to be working."

  "Yes of course, let's try the one in the office. It might be just your phone as the main line was working earlier this evening."

  "Clara can you finish here while I look after Ms Humann?" asked Lou.

  Clara nodded. "No problem. This won't take long and then I'm off to bed."

  Lou led Kylie down the corridor and turned into the office.

  "Just through here Ms Humann."

  "Kylie please."

  "Kylie." Lou picked up the phone. "We're in luck. There's still a dial tone," she handed over the receiver. "I'll leave you to your call."

  As she left Lou wondered who she was calling at 11pm on a Friday night. She was tempted to stay and put her ear to the door but that would hardly be ethical. Tearing herself away she headed towards the bar to see what the rest of her guests were up to.

  The glow of the fireplace failed to lighten the mood of the current occupants in the lounge. Ed Senior was propped up at the bar, drooping into his scotch and Nathan Clearview was sitting near the fire looking very depressed and holding tight to a bottle. The CEO and his PA were noticeably absent.

  Lou took another look at the morose Nathan and decided he was beyond her powers of hospitality.

  "Mr Senior, I'm probably going to have to close the bar soon." Lou went behind the bar and started to wipe down the counter.

  "Ed please."

  "Ed." Lou stopped her cleaning and looked at him with some sympathy. "How about a nightcap before turning in?"

  "Oh of course of course, we need to get our beauty sleep, don't we? This is a lovely place, reminds me of a resort I visited with my wife in Jakarta many years ago."

  Ed rambled on. Lou tuned out, nodding and smiling while she watched Nathan Clearview in the corner. Kylie suddenly appeared at the door, looked about, saw Nathan, and joined him at the fireplace. She was very animated about whatever news she was sharing and he listened intently, nodding. Kylie looked up and saw Lou watching them and smiled briefly, whispered to Nathan and then stood up and came to the bar.

  "Can I get you something Kylie?" asked Lou.

  "No thanks, I'd rather stay fresh for tomorrow. We have a lot to get through." She looked pointedly at Ed, who was suddenly engrossed in his drink.

  "Well good night then."

  "Good night."

  "And I'll need to say good night to you too Ed as I have a lot to tend to with the weather." Lou started to put the bottles away in the drinks cabinet.

  "Yes of course dear. Good night." Ed didn't move.

  Nathan stood up and swayed a little. He clutched at the mantle piece.

  "Are you okay Mr Clearview?"

  He grunted and nodded. He said a curt good night and staggered out of the door.

  Lou turned to leave.

  "You must think us a strange bunch do you Miss…" Ed was focusing on her now, rather than the contents of his glass.

  "Lou please."

  "We aren't all as we appear."

  "How so Ed?" Lou leaned back towards the bar, trying to work out an escape route.

  "Well I wasn't always like this — washed up." He paused and looked back down at his drink. "I'm getting the flick soon you know."

  "Really? How do you know?"

  "I overheard Arnold on the phone before we left. I don't know why he bothered to bring me on this retreat. Some perverse pleasure. That man's mind is so twisted you could spend an eternity trying to decipher his motives.

  "But I don't fit anymore you see. Twenty, even ten years ago, I could still charge into new markets and sign up more customers than they could supply, but not now. Everything seems to have changed. The way you do business. There doesn't seem to be time for an old man like me." He lowered his voice as if in confession. "I don't feel comfortable using a mobile phone you know. Fifteen years ago no one did but now you are considered strange if you say you don't want to be contacted after hours and if you don't spend all of your time checking emails."

  "You don't…?"

  "No I don't own a laptop either. There's one for me at the office of course but I've always preferred actually speaking to people, getting to know them, you know?"

  "Yes. That's not a talent many people have. It's a gift."

  "You are kind to say so but no, it's a skill that they don't seem to care about these days. I helped them build up this company through my own sweat and blood. Spent months away from my family. My wife died last year, my children don't speak to me and what have I got to show for twenty-five years dedicated service? A bunch of ungrateful teenagers taking over the company and sacking me."

  Ed shook his head and his shoulders started to heave. Lou was afraid he was going to cry. She could hear the bitterness in his voice. He reminded her of her own father who spent most of his life tied to the office and then suddenly dropped dead only two years into retirement. She suddenly felt sorry for Ed. "Would you like another before I put the bottle away?"

  "Why not? Strong's paying for it." He tried to smile but failed. Lou could see how deeply unhappy he was.

  Lou poured him a generous measure and then quietly put away the bottle and locked the drinks cabinet.

  "Well I need to turn in. Good night Ed."

  "Eh? Yes goodnight."

  As Lou left the room, she crashed into Paul as he came around the corner.

  "Whoa, that was good timing. You off to bed now?" He hadn't taken off his jacket and she could feel that he was soaked through.

  Lou disentangled herself from his arms. "Yes I am. Is everything all right outside?"

  "Yes all ship shape and honkey dorey."

  "Thank you."

  "You're welcome."

  They stood staring at each other for a few seconds. Lou broke first. "You should really get changed out of those wet things."

  Paul leaned towards her. "Is that a proposition Ms Able?"

  She took a step back. "I am concerned about the health of all of my guests Mr Handy."

  "Damn. And here I thought I was special." Paul pretended to be hurt. He sighed. "I guess I'll get over it."

  Lou smiled, "I have no doubt you will. Goodnight."

  "Goodnight."

  Paul watched her walk down the hall and then stood trying to decide whether to have a drink or turn in. He went to the door of the lounge, saw Ed sitting at the bar with his head in his hands and decided against a drink. Clipping his coat he turned once more into the rain and to bed.

  10

  "So your charm didn't work so well on Ms Able." David couldn't resist interrupting.

  "I was simply biding my time," Paul smiled.

  "Yeah, right."

  "Well anyway, good thing you chose to insult m
e there because we are up to the third letter. E for ENVIRONMENT."

  David frowned and shook his head. "Nope, sorry, you've got me there. Tell me more, Obi Won."

  Paul chuckled. "Okay, well, if you were listening to Ed pouring out his heart over a few drinks you'll see that he is a classic case of someone who hasn't kept up with the changing environment around him. He knows that he is out of step, but doesn't know how to do things differently — and he isn't really motivated to try. As an employee, or even in your own business, you need to keep in touch with what is happening for your clients, your colleagues, and about the world in general. You need to be able to speak the same language, to feel confident about where you're headed, and not fall behind."

  "And I guess if you know what is happening out in the world you are better positioned to see opportunities and then build some strategies to make use of them."

  Paul nodded sagely. "You are on the right path, Luke."

  David laughed. "This is getting interesting. I can't wait to see who gets murdered."

  "I'm happy to continue, but all this talking is making me a bit thirsty." Paul looked pointedly at the empty bottle on the table in front of them.

  David sighed. "Take your point, wise one. My round I think."

  Paul ran a hand through his curls and rubbed his head. "Righto, now where were we?"

  Summary

  Environment

  To ensure you are aware of current and future trends in your working environment, think about the realities of your marketplace:

  What local market place issues do you need to take into account in your career plan?

  What will your occupation and industry look like in five, ten, twenty years?

  What skills, qualifications and knowledge will be in demand in the future? For example, what impact will globalisation, technology and social change have on your career?

  Saturdays always started early for Clara. An early morning power walk around the grounds just as the sun was rising was the most enjoyable part of her day. She could almost believe that she was the only person on earth. Even though it was still raining, it had lightened and the wind had died down a little. She could not see the sun but a light was spreading through the rainforest and she could just make out the cabins spread out on the hill.

  She turned to the cliff — her favourite part of the morning's walk. She could hear the sound of the crashing waves against the rain and breathed in the spray which flew up onto her face. The edge was slippery and she was careful where she placed her hiker's boots. She thought she heard a strange cry from the rainforest and turned, but the lodge and cabins spread out silently behind her. Lou was sometimes up this early, but Clara usually had the morning to herself. Must have been a catbird. She moved closer to the edge, reaching her arms over her head and breathing deeply into the wind. Releasing her arms she flopped forward and shook herself like a rag doll. Her yoga teacher had encouraged her to try this move for relaxation. She still suffered from anxiety attacks as a result of her stressful previous job and religiously followed her yoga and tai chi daily.

  Breathing in the misty horizon her eyes followed the huge waves as they crashed into the cliff below. On the shoreline she saw something move on the edges of the water.

  Another piece of refuse that ended up here from the shipping channel out to sea? It was hard to tell in the rain, and she shielded her eyes and moved a little closer. Suddenly the ground started to give and Clara panicked and quickly scrambled back to more solid footing.

  From what she could make out, it was a body and it wasn't moving. It was hard to tell who it was but it was a male and there was a good chance it was one of the guests.

  As she started to run back to the lodge Clara thought about Lou. This was turning into a rotten weekend for her boss.

  11

  Lou peered down to the bottom of the cliff, trying to shield her eyes from the horizontal rain. "Can you tell who it is?"

  "No, too hard to tell from here."

  "Jeepers, this is all we need." Lou suddenly looked ashamed at what she had said. "Sorry, it's just that with the Edge just getting off the ground, the death of a guest isn't exactly going to help things."

  "It's okay," said Clara, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

  "I just can't understand how someone could have fallen down there. There are signs and a railing," Lou said.

  They both looked again to the bottom of the cliff.

  "Well no matter how he got there, he's not going to explain to us now," said Clara with a wry grin.

  "Okay," said Lou, "Can you get breakfast ready while I call the police? Well, I'll try to call the police. I doubt if they are going to want to rush out here with a cyclone offshore."

  As they turned and hurried back to the lodge the rain returned with its full fury and the wind blew them indoors.

  Lou strode towards the office and went straight to the phone. There was silence as she placed the receiver to her ear.

  "Damn."

  "Hey, you okay?" Paul suddenly appeared in the doorway.

  Lou pulled him through the door and shut it behind him.

  "Hey don't rush this baby, there's enough of me to go around," Paul smiled and reached for Lou.

  "Don't joke around."

  "Who's joking?"

  Lou held him off with a hand on his chest and said, "Hold on there sunshine." She took a deep breath. "There's a body at the bottom of the cliff. I'm trying to phone the police and the line is dead."

  "Well that's a mood breaker if ever I heard one." Paul stood back and crossed his arms.

  "This is not a time for joking." Lou scooted back to the other side of the desk. "I'll use the two-way."

  "Who is it? At the bottom of the cliff?"

  "What? Oh I don't know, I guess I should check and see who is missing."

  Lou clutched the two-way handset in one hand biting her lips.

  Paul sighed. "You ring the cops, I'll do a head count. Okay?"

  "Thank you."

  "No worries. It's just what I feel like — a brisk morning walk in the middle of a cyclone." Paul disappeared out the door before she had the chance to reply.

  "So who is it?" asked Lou in a low voice as she met Paul at the lodge entrance.

  Paul waited until they were back to the office before replying. "Well from what I can tell it looks like Strong. I recognized the jacket he was wearing last night. His cabin is unlocked and empty. And as I was walking back I spotted the other four heading in for breakfast." Paul collapsed on the top of her desk.

  Lou stood at the window and peered out into the gloom. "What will it take to get him up?"

  "More good will than I have towards him that's for sure."

  Lou turned around. "That's not funny… Sorry," Lou said. "I just got off the blower from Cairns Police and they said that there isn't anything they can do for the next 24 hours or so until the cyclone blows over. Too dangerous for them to try and attempt to get through the road and they're all needed in town."

  "They said not to move the body."

  "Did you…" Paul started.

  "Yes I told them it's at the bottom of a cliff and if we didn't move it it would be washed away in the storm.

  "So…"

  "So they said, in that case, we had their permission to bring it up to the lodge and try not to 'interfere' with it too much."

  "They think we're a bunch of weirdos?"

  "You know what I mean."

  "Yeah. Well I'd better round up a couple of people to help us."

  Lou was grateful for the "us". Paul had assumed she needed him and for the moment she was grateful for his help. He started to get up from the table.

  "There's just one thing," Lou placed a hand on his arm. "The police said it was okay to move him because it was an accident."

  Paul sat back down and looked at her carefully. "And you don't think it was?"

  Lou lowered her voice and leaned closer in. "I don't know. It just seems like too much of a coincidence. All his
staff hated him, it was a clearly marked path and it seems strange for him to have gone for a walk in the middle of the night when a cyclone is coming. What if it wasn't an accident?"

  A knock at the half-open door startled them both. It opened slowly to reveal the distraught face of Yasmin Perfect. She looked from Lou to Paul and back. Her voice was barely a whisper. "Is Arnold dead?"

  "How did you…"Lou began, walking over to the door.

  Yasmin's voice cracked. "I overheard you talking. Is it true?"

  Lou tried to be as gentle as she could. "Yes, it looks that way."

  The perfectly composed Ms Perfect suddenly seemed to collapse from within. Lou helped her to a seat and Paul got her a glass of water from the jug on the desk.

  "Thank you," said Yasmin, taking the glass. "I just don't believe it. How did it happen?"

  "It seems that Mr Strong may have wandered too close to the edge and fallen over the cliff."

  "Oh he wouldn't have done that."

  "What makes you so sure?"

  "Well he's scared of heights."

  "How do you know that?" Paul was intrigued.

  Yasmin began to study her nails and kept her face low. "I just know."

  Paul looked as if he was going to persist but Lou cut him off.

  "I'm sorry Yasmin but we really need to get going. We'll round up the others and let them know what's happening."

  Lou led her towards the door and spotted Clara down the corridor.

  "Clara can you get Ms Perfect a hot drink please and show her to the lounge?"

  Lou shut the door behind her and leaned against it.

  "So what do you think of that lot?" Paul nodded to the door.

  "Are you asking me if I think she's hiding something?"

  "Yes Miss Marple," he smiled. "You were rather good by the way — tea and sympathy and all that."