On the whole, the day had been easier than she had expected. The actual work gave her no cause for worry. Her only fear was that McKinnon would find some reason to justify not giving her the job. So far, so good, and tomorrow was another day.

Charly walked back to where she had left McKinnon, only to find that he had gone outside. Joining him by the car, she put her files together neatly and prepared to leave. With the car once more out on the highway, she had time to look at her watch and feel pleased that it was just after five, in spite of her coffee break in the morning and her two afternoon chats.

Arriving back at the office at five-thirty, Charly went into the now-empty building with McKinnon to return the completed files to the boardroom and pick up three more for the next day. Still he maintained his silence, speaking only when absolutely necessary.

"We're staying on the Isle tomorrow, so we should finish early." Handing her the files he had chosen, he turned to the door and waited with his hand on the light switch, until she left the room.

Charly couldn't wait to get away from him. The `Isle' was Quinte's Isle, Prince Edward County, bordered by Lake Ontario and the Bay of Quinte. She had grown up on the Isle and knew many farmers who were neighbours of her parents while they had been farming, so it was quite conceivable she would know some of the farms he had chosen.

Leaving the building, she tossed a "See you tomorrow" over her shoulder, as she headed for her car. He didn't reply, just unlocked his Cadillac and got in.

With another forty-five minute drive ahead of her, Charly took a minute to read the file names. What luck! Uncle Henry! Well, she knew for sure which farm she would visit first. And maybe she'd just give McKinnon something to think about while she was at it. Her mind was busy formulating plans all the way home, so the time passed quickly.

The weather had been unseasonably warm for May and Charly knew the farmers were expecting a cold spell soon. Although she now lived near the city, she still kept an ear to the weather from habit. The forecast also called for rain and winds by mid-week from a storm front moving up from the Eastern States. Ah well, the weather was one thing farmers had to accept and learn to work around.

Studying the files that evening, she found them to be quite unremarkable. Just farms. Perhaps McKinnon knew now that she couldn't be thrown. Or perhaps he knew something about them that she didn't. Asking her Dad for a quick rundown on the two other files, she was assured that they were both quite respectable and responsible.




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