Chapter 39 Chapter Thirty-Nine

Thirty minutes later, Pooler and Cole left too.Puller sat in the passenger seat of the convertible truck, staring out the window.There were many questions he wanted to ask about tonight's events, but he wasn't going to open his mouth to ask them.These things are not his business. Kerr later said: "Oh, so many interesting things." "Family gatherings usually do." "I'm sure you want to ask some questions." "I don't like people prying into my private affairs, and I think I should follow the same courtesy with you." They drove in silence for five or six minutes.

Cole began: "Our parents were killed in the car by a falling boulder. Roger's company fired a cannon while mining." Puller turned to look at her. "About five years ago?" "yes." "Randy got a big kick out of it?" "We're all very excited." Her tone was fierce.Then her expression and voice softened again. "But Randy's reaction was the strongest. He and our mom and dad have always been close to each other, and he is especially close to our dad." Cole drove a few more kilometers in silence.Puller looked around the interior of the car and noticed the updated foam seat cushions and reconfigured dashboard. Even the metal floor underfoot looked new, with no rust at all.Also, there are some inherent parts in the car that don't seem to have been replaced.

"You restored the car?" "Yes what's the matter?" "Reminds me of your house. This car you bought with the house?" "Yes, one is included in the property price." "Is Randy living on the money you paid for the house? Jane obviously doesn't need the money." "Yeah, that's how we set it up. Randy needs the money more than I do." "I understand that." "It's funny how no one believed Roger Trent could achieve anything in the past." "So how did he get into this situation?" "He worked hard, I have to admit. He had some business vision, and some luck, working his way up the coal mining business. He was ruthless, arrogant, but had an instinct for making money. And my father and brother found a lot of places to store coal for him, even though it ended up ruining the landscape."

"But I think it still provides jobs." "It's still a lot worse than it was back then." "Why? Is the coal here almost exhausted?" “Coal is of course less and less mined, from the time you dig your first shovel. Right now, Drake and a lot of West Virginia is mining coal by surface mining.” "Blow up the mountain to get close to the coal seam?" "Mining companies will tell you that whether to mine in the open pit or underground depends on the geological structure, topography and economic benefits, that is to say, factors such as geographical form, depth and layout of coal seams, comparison of mining costs and achievable profits, etc. The fact is that surface mining requires fewer workers than underground mining, which means that coal mine owners can make more money. Trent Mining also currently emphasizes that many of the places where they operate open pit mining have already been drilled deep underground. Coal has been mined by roadway operation. What they are doing is the mining work that cannot be realized by traditional mines. This is the second development, which can at least bring new economic vitality and jobs here. Perhaps their statement has a certain Reasonable. Anyway, when people are worried that there will be no food on the table and no roof over their heads, they will not be in the mood to argue with the coal mine boss.”

Cole continued, staring at Puller, "I don't see how any of this has anything to do with the investigation, but it probably won't hurt you to know a little about the coal mines." In part, Puller wanted to dismiss her perception.He had little interest in these mysteries of coal mining, and felt that various external factors had distracted him from the case.However, he realized that Cole was willing to talk about these things at this moment.Moreover, the army had already taught him the importance of a broad understanding of the battlefield environment.He discovered that solving cases was the same as being a soldier and fighting a war.

"You're right," he said.