A Firm Foundation

by Anne Marie Rodgers

  There were expandable steel barricades of yellow and black creating a barrier around the library. Signs attached to the barricades read: WARNING! Restricted Area. Authorized Personnel Only. No one could get closer than the middle of Main Street. A crew from Crawford Demolitions had already maneuvered several machines into position in front of the library. Paul recognized a backhoe, a small Bobcat, a larger bulldozer, and a wrecking ball, and there were several more machines of varying sizes and shapes. Two large trucks waited, presumably to carry away debris. The crew and machine operators stood around, some smoking in a desultory fashion, never making eye contact with the crowd.

  The crowd was oddly silent. Depression hovered like fog. But at ten till one, young Jeremy Pellman sped down the street on his bike, slid right under the barricade without stopping, and screeched to a halt in front of the library.

  “Hey, kid, you can’t be over here,” called one of the crew members.

  “I have to check on the squirrels.” Jeremy darted past the men and knelt by a hole in the corner of the library foundation. “You’re going to kill them all,” he accused the men.

  “Huh? What squirrels?” said one of the workers.

  “There’s a whole family of squirrels in here,” Jeremy said to him, pointing toward the exterior wall of the library.

  One of the other men, looking sympathetic, said, “They’ll run, kid, when they hear all the noise.”

  “No, they won’t.” Normally a sweet, mellow kid, Jeremy looked rebellious, a determined expression Paul had never seen before on his young face.

  “Jeremy,” Paul called, putting authority into his voice. “Come over here.”

  The boy hesitated and then leaned his bike against the ground and came slowly toward Paul. He ducked under the barrier to stand at Paul’s side.

  “I’m sorry, son,” Paul said, placing an arm around his shoulders. “I wish there was something I could do.” Where was Kate? He couldn’t believe she would miss this. Livvy, who stood at the front center of the crowd with Danny on one side and her sons on the other, looked terribly vulnerable and alone, despite her family’s presence, and the library employees ranged around them.

  Five minutes before the hour, a tall man in coveralls and a yellow hard hat walked around from the side of the building, followed by two other men with clipboards and small tools.

  “Fire ’em up, fellas,” he called.

  The demolition crew stretched and put out their cigarettes. One climbed into the cab of the bulldozer.

  Just then, Jeremy broke away from Paul’s side. “No!” the boy cried. “You can’t tear down our library.”

  Before Paul could stop him, Jeremy ducked beneath the barrier and ran through the equipment to the door of the library. He turned around and faced the crowd defiantly, then slowly and deliberately sat down on the ground. Paul could see his lower lip trembling, and his heart ached for the boy.

  The worker in the bulldozer swung out of his seat and hung in the doorway of the cab. Paul appreciated the action; it ensured that there was no chance of a machine starting while the child was in harm’s way.

  “Hey, son,” called the man in the coveralls, clearly the head of the operation. “I’m really sorry, but you can’t stay there. This is a demolition site. I don’t like it any better than you do, but I have a job to do.”

  The man leaned down to lift Jeremy to his feet but froze when a raspy voice that sounded strained to its limits called, “Don’t you lay a hand on that boy or I’ll have you arrested for assault!”

  The crowd gasped. A moment later, Paul saw a bleached-blonde in a sea of pink clothing and high heels tottering toward the library. He was stunned to recognize Renee Lambert, who was carrying an oversized tote bag with Kisses’ tiny head poking out of it.

  She glanced around, held out the tote, and ordered, “Morty, come and take my precious baby. I don’t want him to get hurt.”

  Morty Robertson ducked beneath the barricade and silently took the large tote Renee carried, then walked back to the barricade, cradling the tote with Renee’s Chihuahua inside.

  Renee said, “I cannot believe I’m about to do this,” then she slowly lowered herself to the ground beside Jeremy.

  The boy grinned at her and gave her a thumbs-up. Paul choked back an inappropriate burst of laughter at the expression on Renee’s face. He wasn’t sure whether she had meant she couldn’t believe she was about to protest, or if she’d simply meant she couldn’t believe she was going to sit down on the ground.

  A third person ducked the barricade and ran up to sit on the other side of Renee. It was a young woman in black with a mop of purple hair and a lot of silver jewelry.

  The crew chief in the coveralls stared at her for a minute and said, “Melissa!”

  “Relax, Dad,” the young woman said. “It’s the right thing to do.”

  Livvy eased under the barricade next. She ran forward, knelt and kissed Jeremy on the cheek, and sat down beside him.

  Father Lucas stepped up next. He caught Paul’s eye, grinned, and shrugged as he seated himself. “Peaceful, nonviolent solutions,” he said. “What better way than to lead by example?”

  More people followed Father Lucas: Dot Bagley, who needed help from the priest to lower her plump body to the ground; Fish, the mail carrier; Jeff Turner; the oldest Rowland brother, Mike; and Ronda from the beauty salon. Paul recognized Eva Mountjoy and Carey Carver from the town council as well.

  And many more! People Paul never would have expected to see rally in defense of the library came forward to position themselves in front of the building. When he saw his own secretary walk forward, Paul shook his head in disbelief.

  Millie waved at him and yelled, “Get up here.” Paul promptly ducked beneath the barrier and joined her, and the other four men who had come to town with him followed. Soon it began to look like there were more people in the group of seated protesters than there were standing behind the barricade.

  Morty Robertson tapped the crew chief on the arm. When the man turned to him, Morty said, “Would you mind holding this for me?” and before the man could protest, Morty shifted the tote containing Kisses into the fellow’s arms, ducked beneath the barricades, and joined the protesters. The construction workers began to laugh.

  After a moment of stunned silence, the crew chief began to chuckle too. He called to his men, “Knock off, guys. Go get some coffee. We can’t do anything until these people are cleared.”

  He looked back at Jeremy Pellman and winked before he leaned against one of the silent machines, carefully holding Kisses. Slowly the demolition team dispersed, and Paul saw a few of them still grinning and giving the protesters a thumbs-up. It warmed his heart to realize that even this rough-and-tough group of construction workers regretted the destruction of a valuable community institution.

  Everyone cheered as the crew walked away. But as it grew quiet again, a strident voice could be heard. Paul turned to see who it was. He recognized the fellow instantly; after all, Paul had worked with him.

  Gerald Foxfield was doing the shouting. Beside him, Tosten Glass, the council president, stood with his hands on his hips. A younger blond fellow stood slightly behind Foxfield with his arms folded. He looked as if he’d rather be anywhere else. Paul suspected it was the lawyer Kate had spoken to earlier in the week. Straw? No, hay. Hayer.

  Paul’s heart sank. What trick did Foxfield have up his sleeve that he’d needed to bring his lawyer?

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  It was five after one. Kate’s heart was in her throat. Please, Lord, don’t let us be too late, she prayed as she ran toward the library with Louisa and her two conservationist friends who had met her when she parked. They’d been forced to park a distance away. Kate hadn’t expected the size of the crowd that apparently had turned out.

  As the women, Gordie, and Troy hurried toward the library, Kate realized she didn’t hear anything that sounded like demolition going on. Surely they would be able to hear a machine tearing down wall
s, wouldn’t they?

  Sheriff Roberts passed them, the flashing lights on his official SUV clearing a path through the people clogging the street as he inched closer to the scene. As she drew near the barricade, Kate saw Gerald Foxfield, the lawyer Ellis Hayer, and town-council president Tosten Glass huddled together. Foxfield was shouting and gesticulating at the library, where Kate could see a bunch of demolition equipment and—

  Protesters?

  She looked closer, and her mouth fell open. She stopped running to stare, her chest heaving as she caught her breath.

  “What’s wrong?” The two men behind her nearly ran her down.

  She pointed. “Th-that’s my husband!” And my friend and—and half the town, she realized. They were all calmly seated in front of the library.

  Gordie began to laugh. “Wow. This town is amazing.”

  Jeremy yelled, “Mom! Come join us,” and Louisa, after scrubbing the tears from her face, ducked beneath the barricade and headed toward her son.

  Troy was smiling too. “Is that Foxfield?” he murmured to Kate, indicating the ranting and raving man. When she nodded, he said, “Showtime.” He moved ahead of Kate and Gordie, heading for Gerald.

  Livvy scrambled up from the ground and ran to meet them. Paul also got up and came toward the group.

  “What’s going on?” Livvy asked Kate. For the first time since Kate had come home from her trip, there was hope and animation in Livvy’s face.

  “Just watch,” Kate said, grinning as she took Livvy by the elbow and drew her along with them.

  Paul followed, and when Kate came to a halt in front of Gerald Foxfield, Paul rested his hands on her shoulders in a supportive, protective gesture. Thankful for his presence, she briefly leaned back against him.

  Sheriff Roberts joined them. He hadn’t been able to get as close to the scene as he might have liked, and he was still breathing hard after the rush from his SUV.

  As the group stood in front of Foxfield, Kate took a moment to whisper to the sheriff what Louisa had told her about the threats Gerald had made.

  Then Troy extended a hand, forcing Gerald to do the same. “Mr. Foxfield. I’m Troy Silhouse, from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. This is my colleague, Gordon Connaly, who’s with the Center for Biological Diversity.” Troy reached into the breast pocket of his snappy suit. “This is an injunction from Harrington County Judge, the Honorable Emmett Barger, who has issued a temporary restraining order against any persons or agencies attempting to commence the demolition of the Copper Mill Public Library in Copper Mill, Tennessee.” He slipped it into Foxfield’s hand while the man stood looking at him in disbelief.

  Tosten Glass said, “Why, that’s preposterous!”

  Ellis Hayer, Gerald’s lawyer, had been standing a pace behind him. He stepped forward and took the injunction from Foxfield’s frozen hand, opening it and scanning its contents.

  “This is in order,” he said to Gerald. “You can’t do anything with the library until the status of...a population of squirrels is determined?” His voice rose in disbelief, and he looked at Silhouse for confirmation.

  Troy nodded. “If you wish to contest it,” he said, “there’s a number you can call to set up a meeting with Judge Barger and my office.”

  “You can’t do this!” Gerald said. His face contorted with fury.

  “I assure you I can,” Silhouse told him. “The USFW is a bureau of the Department of the Interior, which I’m sure you are aware is a branch of the federal government and, as such, has the power to delay projects undertaken in unseemly haste until their impact on the environment can be measured.”

  Kate had to stifle a grin at the stilted official language she was sure Tony had used on purpose.

  Gerald angled his body and took a step toward Kate. His fists were clenched and his head lowered as if he was about to charge. “This is all your fault,” he bellowed. “You meddling—”

  Sheriff Roberts stepped in front of Kate as Paul’s hands began to draw her backward. “Mr. Foxfield,” he said, “you are under arrest for forging a document pertaining to the ownership of the Copper Mill Public Library and for attempting to perpetrate blackmail.”

  “What?” Gerald’s face turned deep purple. “I didn’t do any such—”

  “We have copies of the original deed, stating that Charles Foxfield donated the property to the town of Copper Mill for the establishment of a public library,” Kate said. She watched with interest as Tosten Glass began to sidle away from Foxfield. “In addition, Louisa Pellman has told us about your scheme to claim ownership of the library and demolish it in order to search for gold and ultimately turn it into an apartment complex. She also told us that you forced her to plant blackmail notes in Mrs. Jenner’s office. You also had her plant a note in my purse attempting to cast aspersions on Malcolm Dekker and Eli Weston. Louisa has agreed to testify to all of that.”

  Gerald looked at Louisa with loathing. “You stupid girl. I knew you were going to be a problem.”

  “What?” Ellis Hayer looked ill. The attorney’s color had drained away beneath his tan, and he regarded his client with disbelief. “You forged the deed to the library that you showed me?” His voice rose. “The one I took to the council? You don’t own this property?”

  “That’s correct,” Kate said.

  Gerald started to bellow something, but Sheriff Roberts spun him around and expertly cuffed his wrists behind his back before Foxfield could move. Efficiently, Roberts began to frog-march the resisting man to his SUV, where Deputy Skip Spencer waited to help load the prisoner.

  “He forged the deed,” Ellis Hayer said again in disbelief. “Why would he do that?”

  “Personal gain,” Kate told the lawyer and the others assembled. “His family was quite wealthy, but it appears that Gerald Foxfield squandered the fortune after his father passed away. He lost nearly everything.”

  Paul gave a low whistle behind her and several sets of eyebrows shot up.

  “But why our library?” Livvy asked.

  “The library was donated to the town by Gerald Foxfield’s grandfather in the 1930s,” Kate told them all. “I think Gerald cooked up the fake deed plot to claim he owned it for two reasons. First, if he demolished the library, he could build multiunit apartments in its place. Second, there was once a vein of gold discovered in a streambed that ran through here. Foxfield had some crazy idea that he was going to find gold, I believe.”

  “But what about zoning requirements and building codes?” Livvy said. “He couldn’t just excavate or build there willy-nilly without the proper permits.”

  “Oh, I believe he thought he wouldn’t have any trouble getting the permits he needed,” Kate said. She turned to the council president, who had stepped back even farther in an attempt to distance himself from the trouble. “Isn’t that right, Tosten?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Glass bluffed. “When that man came to the council with a copy of the deed and Foxfield’s demands, we had no way of knowing it was a false document. We only did what we had to do, legally speaking.”

  “And Gerald Foxfield will testify that you had nothing to do with it?” Kate countered. “That he didn’t bribe you to push his requests through with the promise of sharing his future wealth?”

  Glass wilted visibly, the pugnacious expression on his face fading. “Everyone knows that man’s a liar,” he said.

  “Then why did Foxfield hire the demolition company on June 30, before the council had even learned about the supposed deed problem? A person might think that Foxfield knew someone on the council who was going to smooth the way.”

  Glass hesitated. It was only a fraction of a second, but everyone watching him caught the flare of panic in his eyes. “You’re crazy. You’ll never prove it.” He sneered at Kate.

  Suddenly she realized who had made the threatening phone call on Thursday. Tosten sounded hoarse and desperate—much as he had on the phone.

  “When your telephone records are subpoenae
d, and we can prove you made a phone call to my home threatening me if I didn’t stop investigating the library demolition,” Kate told him, “we will.”

  Sheriff Roberts had returned from his SUV, where Deputy Spencer was keeping watch over Gerald Foxfield.

  “All right,” he said, “then let’s get started. Mr. Glass, I suggest you call your attorney, because if you aren’t telling the truth, you are going to face some conspiracy and attempted blackmail charges, at the very least.”

  “You’re wrong,” Glass said desperately. “All of you.” He turned and forced a path through the curious onlookers who had gathered. Sheriff Roberts followed close behind him, pulling out a second set of handcuffs.

  There was a brief silence in the wake of Glass’ departure, broken by loud, angry protests as Sheriff Roberts began to read him his rights. For the first time, Kate noticed council member Ben Dean standing near the back of the crowd. Dean looked as stunned and betrayed as many others in the crowd. She had suspected him at one point, but it appeared that he was truly just a fiscal conservative who didn’t appreciate the value of the library.

  Ellis Hayer cleared his throat. “Please give my apologies to the citizens of this community,” he said to Kate. “I thought the deed was legal.”

  “So did the town-council members the first time they saw a copy of it,” Kate said. “Apology accepted.”

  Hayer turned and walked away. The crowd was dispersing now that the drama was over, and as word spread, the protesters were climbing to their feet. People could be heard asking it if was safe to leave their places.

  Troy and Gordie smiled at each other and shook hands, and then each offered a hand to Kate.

  “Your efforts were both heroic and astonishing,” Gordie said to Kate.

  “Oh, it wasn’t me.” Kate blushed and smiled as she pointed heavenward. “I’m just one of several instruments. Jeremy, come here,” she called, spotting the youngster approaching with Louisa at his side. “I want to introduce you to the boy who discovered these squirrels,” she told the men.