Abby looked forlornly out of the window. She hadn’t enjoyed the confrontation with Francine and was a bit surprised by it. The woman had been almost poisonous toward her. She hadn’t expected such a strong reaction. “What do they do, again?”
“Gini runs an art studio. She does some decorated gourds, wall art, and paints animal sculptures. It’s fun stuff, though not quite my speed except for some of the wall art. John runs an antique shop.
“Let’s try Gini. I think I need something pretty to look at.”
“You don’t think dusty old furniture and bottles are pretty?” Gabe quipped but nodded at Abby’s look. “Gini’s it is.”
Chapter 21
The sign that graced the building read Dog Daze Gallery and featured several brightly colored animals cavorting in the background. At first, Abby wondered if it might only have artwork modeled after pets, but when they walked up to the front door, she could see through the windows that it was, in fact, a diverse collection of paintings, objects, and even some jewelry.
All of it looked well-designed, and the price tags seemed to reinforce it was higher end art nouveau by a variety of artists. Cheerio had followed her and Gabe to the front door, but Abby was just about to take him back to the truck when a woman walked toward them, waving for them to come in. Her hair was stylistically short and blond, giving the older woman an air of youthful energy.
“What’s this? Cookies? Please! Please, it’s okay to bring your dog in,” the woman said, smiling at them. “As long as he is friendly? Or is it a she?”
“He is very friendly, and his name is Cheerio,” Abby said, watching as the woman bent down and held her hand out for Cheerio to sniff. Once he had relaxed, she ruffled both of his ears and grinned. A moment later, two small fluffy dogs, one black and one white, came bounding in from the other room and started an age-old greeting with Cheerio that all dog owners knew well.
“This is Putter, and this is Driver,” the woman said as she spun in place, watching the dogs as they circled her while getting to know each other. “I know you,” she said, looking at Gabe before turning to Abby and holding her hand out. “But you I don’t. My name is Gini, and I’m the owner of this little hole-in-the-wall. Did you come for anything in particular or are you just looking? I didn’t expect anyone on the day after Christmas.”
“Abby,” Abby said and smiled, shaking the woman’s hand.
Gini shook it warmly but pulled it away quickly as one of the smaller dogs barked at Cheerio. She reached out and took his snout, shaking it. “No! No Putter.” The small black dog froze but didn’t seem overly fazed, though he did stop barking when Gini let him go. Gini gave him an exasperated look which quickly evaporated.
“So it looks like you have many different artists here?” Abby asked, looking around. She didn’t see any signs of work being done, but the interior was already a well-maintained, brightly decorated interior. Lights were everywhere and made all of the artwork sparkle. If any work had been done, it was impossible to see.
“Oh, yes,” Gini said, taking the paper plate of cookies and putting it on one of the brightly lit glass counters. “I rotate different artists through every month or so, though that’s just a rule of thumb. I know a few artists from all over that I let them stay longer if they wish. Some are even out of state if that’s okay to say.” The woman suddenly looked to the side and raised a finger to her lips. “Shhh, don’t tell anyone.”
Abby made a zipper motion with her fingers around her mouth and mimed throwing away a key. “I won’t say anything. I’m from out of state, myself.”
“Oh, yes! I should say you are,” Gini said. “Who hasn’t heard of Hurricane Abby? Sweeping in from the wilds of Arizona riding a wild, uh-” she trailed off, glancing at Gabe and then blushing before waving her hands in the air. “Well, never mind that, but yes, you are from out of town and creating quite a stir!”
Abby felt her stomach drop. Was this another person that was going to rail against her?
Gini must have seen the look on her face because she laughed and shook her head. “Don’t worry, Abby. Personally, I think this town needs a bit of shaking up as all small towns tend to need. You, my dear, are a breath of fresh air!”
“It’s nice of you to say so. I didn’t get so warm a welcome from our last stop,” Abby said, grimacing.
“Who wouldn’t like cookies?” Gini asked, tilting her head. “You know, this brings back a lot of memories. My husband was in the military, and every year on Christmas we’d take cookies and pie around to the soldiers having to stand gate guard duty. They always enjoyed it immensely, and it gave us a warm feeling of satisfaction.”
“Your husband was in the military?” Abby asked. “Which branch?”
“Army,” Gini said, smiling wistfully. “Terry retired a Colonel. We had our ups and downs, but it treated us well.
“My husband-” Abby began, but then froze as she looked at Gabe. Suddenly she didn’t know what to say. The painful memories of Danny’s passing were mostly gone, but she felt awkward talking about him with Gabe standing right here, until he reached out and took her hand, nodding for her to continue. His warm heart shone through his eyes, and suddenly Abby felt okay, again. She took a breath and continued. “My husband, Danny, was a Captain in the Army. He died in Afghanistan a few years ago.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Gini said, patting Abby’s arm. “Terry retired before all of that happened, and I’m grateful for it. He had his fair share of close calls in Vietnam. I support our troops, but it’s always difficult to hear about death. What branch?”
“Infantry,” Abby said, grateful for the woman’s understanding.
“Terry was in Field Artillery,” Gini said. “Well, maybe we can get together and talk about life as Army wives over tea sometime? I would like that. But you were going to tell me who gave you a not so warm reception for your cookies. I wouldn’t pry when I was younger, but now I’m not above being nosy.”
“Oh, yes,” Abby said, smiling through the whirlwind of emotion that was gripping her. The subject of Danny had caught her by surprise. “We were dropping off cookies at the Carthridge Feed and Grain store. Mr. Carthridge seemed nice enough, but his wife wasn’t very welcoming.”
“Oh, you probably ran into Francine on a good day, then,” Gini said, grinning. “She’s a piece of work. What was she on your tail about?”
“She seems to think I’ve convinced people not to join their Urban Renewal Association,” Abby answered.
Gini rolled her eyes. “Not surprising. Don and Ruby have been trying to convince me of the merits of their Association for weeks now. I’m not stupid enough to fall for it, though. I’m all for making sure people don’t paint their house to look like a flamingo, but there are limits.”
“So you're not in support of it?” Abby asked.
“Not on your life,” Gini said, spreading her hands out to the store around her. “I make my living from making things look odd and beautiful. How could I possibly support something that tries to fit everything into the same gray box? No, thank you.”
“Well, that’s a relief,” Abby said.
Gini smiled knowingly at her. “Something tells me your visit was more than just delivering cookies, but don’t worry. As I said; you are a breath of fresh air. You keep doing what you’re doing.”
Chapter 22
After taking a quick tour of Gini’s gallery, Abby and Gabe bid goodbye to Gini and her dogs, Putter and Driver. They were headed back to the truck to get more plates of cookies when Abby noticed a crowd had gathered just down the street in front of Calamities bookstore. The small group of people was carrying signs with slogans like “Clean Up Our Town” and “Association Members for Red Pine Falls.”
“What’s going on over there?” Abby said, pointing. Gabe pulled himself out from the backseat where he had reached in to get more cookies and followed Abby’s finger.
Gabe squinted and then shook his head in disbelief. “Are they protesting? The day after Christm
as? We better get over there, I think I see the Double D’s outside and they don’t look pleased.”
Abby and Gabe ran over to the crowd who were chanting as they marched in a tight oval in front of the book store. To make matters worse, Diane and Doreen were outside, and it looked like the two old women were spoiling for a fight. One had a shovel, and the other had a broom, both held as spears pointed to the sky.
“Get out of here!” Diane yelled, brandishing her broom as she stepped forward. She hadn’t taken a swing yet, but Abby could tell it was only a matter of time.
“Join the Association!” one man yelled and waved his sign back. “We’re fixing our places, you need to do the same, or you’ll bring everyone down!”
“Yeah! We don’t want no rat’s nest in our town!” another woman yelled as she continued to march.
You take that back!” Doreen said, walking right up to the woman who had screamed the insult. “Calamities is no rat’s nest! It looks fine just as it is! What do you want us to look like? Some fancy big city mall?”
Abby and Gabe pushed through the small group of people and turned to face the people while Cheerio wormed up to Diane, wagging his tail and looking for treats. “What’s going on here?” Gabe said loudly.
With the arrival of Gabe and Abby, the crowd had stopped marching and formed a semi-circle. “They won’t join the Association,” the first man said. “Don said anyone who doesn’t will jeopardize the money from the Foundation. He’s already spoken to the organizers, and they aren’t happy with the holdouts. They said they might pull out of Red Pine Falls if we don’t get our act together.”
“So, you're going to force them to join the Association?” Gabe said, incredulously. He pointed at the man. “Al, you’ve been here as long as they have and you’ve never had a problem with it before now. They paint their store every five or six years and make sure it matches well enough with the neighboring businesses. Most of the businesses do that same thing, just like your hardware store. Why do you all of a sudden need an Association to tell you to do this?”
“That’s not the point,” Al said angrily. “The point is we’re trying to organize the improvement of our town. If we don’t all work together, then we’ll lose everything.”
“Did you confirm that, or just take Don’s word for it?” Abby interjected.
“Don says so, but the people from the Foundation say it too,” Al said. “They told us they’re already making plans to move to another town. If they do, they’ll have to back out of some of the grants. I’ve already got money tied up in the remodeling of my shop. If they go, I’ll have to stop it and probably be out a few thousand for the work that's already done.”
“Wait a second,” Abby said, stepping up to Al. “Do you mean to say that you’ve already got work being done, but the grant money hasn’t come through yet?”
Al paused but then nodded. “They said it’s normal if we use their approved people for the work. They’re used to dealing with a delay. Some folks have already gotten their grant money, but some haven’t.”
“How many of the rest of you are in the same boat?” Abby asked, looking around. There were ten people, and six of them raised their hand. After a moment, she continued. “And how many of you have gotten the grant money? I mean in your hand, or bank account, or whatever.”
Two of the people raised their hands, and suddenly the crowd of people looked more nervous than angry. “That doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen,” Al said, trying to rally the people around him.
Abby shook her head. “You’re right, Al. It could happen, but you just told me that this Foundation group was putting pressure on you to threaten your own friends and neighbors. If they do pull out, you’re going to be out of some money which I am betting isn’t going to be easy on you. So now you’re marching around in front of two of your own, threatening them if they don’t get in line. All because some outsiders are threatening to take money away you never had in the first place.”
The people looked around. Many of them looked ashamed, and even as she watched, several of them turned and began to leave. Al wasn’t done yet though, and he pointed at Abby. “You’re an outsider!”
Abby nodded. “Well, I know it’s going to take a long time before I’m not considered an outsider, but I live here. Do any of these Foundation people live here? Or how about these workers that the Foundation approves? I’m willing to bet they don’t live here either. So all that money is going to go out of town. Even worse, if they back out, some of your money is going to go outside of town, too, rather than stay here.”
Al began to say something, but Diane stepped up to him and poked him in the chest with her broom. “You’re an idiot, Al. Face it; you’ve been had. You need to go back to Don and ask some hard questions!”
Al stared at Diane for a long moment as the rest of the crowd left behind him. Finally, he frowned and looked down at the ground before turning and following the rest of the people away. He dropped his sign into a trash can on his way back to his store.
“Boy, are we glad you two showed up!” Doreen said, cackling happily and petting Cheerio. “I was sure I was going to have to go to jail for putting a few people in the hospital.”
Gabe laughed. “For their sake, I’m glad we showed up too. I can’t believe I would see the day where Red Pine Fall’s folks would be out protesting each other. Is it true what they said about the workers being from out of town?”
Diane and Doreen shrugged, but Abby perked up. “I bet I know who to ask,” Abby said, pursing her lips in thought. “Mr. Capshaw. He’ll know who’s who doing work around the town, I bet! That’s who we’ll talk to next.”
Chapter 23
Abby and Becky found Mr. Capshaw at McGradys a few days later. He was busy finishing up the new bar counters and light fixtures for the grand opening on New Year’s Eve. Reggie greeted them at the door, his massive frame dwarfing them even as his brilliant smile made them feel welcome.
“Well, if it isn’t the trouble twins!” he said, grinning as he held the door open for them. “Can I interest you ladies in a little taste testing? I’ve got a few different batches of Mike’s cider ready for the party. One is even a pear cider, so not sure if everyone will like it.”
“Oh, taste testing? We can do that, right, Abby?” Becky said, smiling at the large man. “Not too much, though. I have to get back to the café in an hour, and I don’t want to make a spectacle of myself.”
“No worries, Becky,” Reggie said. I’ll make the glasses small. Now, I’m sure you didn’t come by just to steal sips of my drinks. What else brought you to the doors of my fine establishment?”
“We were hoping to talk to Mr. Capshaw,” Abby said. “We saw his work van outside.”
“Sure thing,” Reggie said, pointing toward where Mr. Capshaw was supervising work on the new bar counter top. “I’ll be right back with those drinks.”
Abby and Becky moved over to the blond man, watching as he worked with his men who were applying a finish to the bar top. He ignored them for a minute while he finished with what he was doing, then looked up and smiled, squinting at them intently with his gray eyes. “Hello! How may I help you?”
“We wanted to ask you some questions, Mr. Capshaw,” Abby said. “Someone said something the other day about some of the workers helping out around town, and we figured you might know the answer.”
Mr. Capshaw raised an eyebrow and stepped over to them. “Oh, really?” he said and gestured away from where his men were working. “Is there a problem?”
Well,” Abby began, glancing at Becky before continuing. “We were told that the Foundation is recommending people to use for their grant-money work. That they're doing the work before the grant money even comes in.”
“Ah,” Mr. Capshaw said as his lips formed a thin line on his face. It was clear he wasn’t happy about something but was debating if he should say anything.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Capshaw,” Abby said. “I’m not trying to get anyone in troubl
e, but there’s a reason I’m asking. Apparently, the Foundation has threatened to pull out of Red Pine Falls, but people are already having improvements done. If they leave, then those people will have to pay for the work out of their own pocket. There’s something a little frightening about that.”
Mr. Capshaw continued to stare at her for a moment longer before sighing and nodded. “Okay then,” he said. “Yes, I am a bit leery of disparaging other workers. Sometimes it’s hard enough to get work, especially in winter, so I don’t like to jinx myself. But in this case, it worries me too.”
“What in particular worries you?” Becky asked.
“I don’t know them,” Mr. Capshaw said. “Which is strange. Generally, you get to know the players in any particular region in my line of work. There are always people going into and out of construction, but the people that do the hiring don’t fluctuate too often. The companies that came in to help Red Pine Falls with the Foundation grants are new to me. And now you’re telling me that they're doing work before the money is even in their hands.” He trailed off and frowned. “That’s fishy. There should be money up front, at least a partial payment. That keeps everyone with skin in the game.”
“What would happen if the Foundation did leave?” Abby asked. “What could these companies do, besides sue?”
“Well,” Mr. Capshaw said. “Depending on how the contract is worded, I’m betting they have a clause that says if the grant money does fall through, the people they're doing work for will still owe them money. If it’s not paid, they could put a lien on any property that owed them money. That keeps people from using the property for lending, or selling, or pretty much anything until the lien is settled.” He paused and scratched his head. “Remodeling and construction aren't cheap, Mrs. Morgan. There’s a reason these people didn’t do this before the Foundation. It's expensive work.”
Dead Reckoning and Murderous Intent, A Red Pine Falls Cozy Mystery (Red Pine Falls Cozy Mysteries Book 4) Page 9
