by Tim Myers
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Boy, when you bail out on somebody, you do it all the way, don’t you?”
“That’s not fair,” she said, and I could hear a tremor in her voice.
“You’re telling me. Kelly, did I do something to make you hate me?”
“What?” she asked, obviously startled. “No. Of course not.”
“Then don’t treat me this way. You’ve explained your decision, and while I don’t like it for a second, I respect it and I promise I won’t pursue you romantically. But I don’t think Harry McCallister is up for this. I’m hoping it doesn’t come to it, but if I need an attorney, I want to be able to count on you.” McCallister handled our corporate stuff, but he hadn’t been inside a courtroom in donkey years. “So what do you say?”
She sighed, then said, “You’re right. My decision to reconcile with Wade wasn’t because of anything you did. If you need me, at least as your attorney, I’ll do my best to help.” There was a long pause, and I wondered if she was still there when she added, “Ben, I handled this badly. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s your life,” I said, this time unable to keep the hurt out of my voice. “I’ll call you if Molly decides to arrest me. Good-bye.”
“Bye,” she said softly as I hung up.
And that was that. I’d had high hopes for my budding relationship with Kelly, but they were ashes in my mouth now. We’d only shared a few dates stolen from the time she spent with her daughter, Annie, but I’d grown fond of her and would miss having her in my life. It was time to move on.
I worked at the stack of papers on my desk, going through order forms and invoices, trying to catch up on some of the paperwork I’d let slide lately. All in all it was pretty mindless stuff, but it helped to keep busy, and I didn’t exactly have anywhere else I needed to be. By the time Cindy knocked on my door several hours later, I’d managed to clear my desktop, something I hadn’t been able to do in ages.
She walked in, glanced down at the pristine surface, then said, “Wow, so there’s real wood under there after all.”
I shrugged. “To be honest with you; I’d forgotten that myself. What can I do for you?”
“We’re closed,” she said as she gestured to my window overlooking the store below. Nearly all of the lights were off and the aisles were deserted.
“I lost all track of time.”
Cindy said, “So get up and let’s get out of here. What would you like to do tonight? I’m up for anything.”
“Don’t you have a date?” I asked her. Cindy had a very active social life, rarely dating the same young man two nights in a row. I didn’t believe for one second she didn’t have plans for a Saturday night.
“It’s nothing I can’t put off,” she said. “I’m ready if you are.”
I shook my head. “I’m not about to let you break some guy’s heart for my sake. I appreciate the offer, but go out and have fun.”
“Reggie won’t mind, I promise. I’m here for you, Ben.”
I laughed. “Reggie will probably be up on the roof if you cancel on him, ready to throw himself off. I mean it. Go on.”
She frowned. “Are you sure?”
“I’m positive. I’m going to grab a hamburger on the way home and watch an old movie. That’s the best thing in the world for me right now.”
“I like hamburgers,” Cindy said, “and if you let me pick the movie, I’ll hang out with you.”
“No thanks,” I said. “Honestly, I need some time alone.”
She reluctantly agreed. “Okay, but if you change your mind, call me on my cell phone and I’ll be right there.”
“Have fun,” I said.
She nodded, then left my office. At the door, she paused and said, “Bob’s already gone, so it’s just you. Don’t forget the alarm.”
“I’m leaving in ten or fifteen minutes,” I said, “And I’ve been setting that alarm since you were in diapers.”
After she was gone, it was remarkable how a place that was normally so active could be so quiet. I was rarely there after our regular business hours, and the entire building had an eerie silence to it that caught me by surprise. It was no place for me to be alone tonight. I locked up my office, then hesitated in the hallway upstairs by the window that looked down on the back parking lot.
Dusk was nearing, but Andrew Joy was out there with a shovel, attacking the last bit of free ground on his property. What an odd bird.
I locked the place up, happy to be free of it for the night. Once I was back in my apartment, snug with a hamburger and Twelve Angry Men in the VCR, my life felt more normal than it had all day. For the rest of the evening I tried to forget about Kelly, about Earnest Joy, and about the unwanted fence, and thanks to Henry Fonda and company, I almost managed to do it.
Chapter 6
I was shaving the next morning when the phone rang. Who in the world could be calling me so early?
“Hello,” I said, getting some shaving cream on the receiver by accident.
“Ben, this is Bob. You need to get down here right now.”
I couldn’t remember my calm and tranquil brother ever sounding so agitated in my life. “Where are you, and what’s going on?”
“I’m at the shop. Andrew Joy’s been busy. Part of our back parking lot’s been destroyed.”
“I’ll be right there,” I said. I hurriedly finished shaving and got dressed. Had Earnest’s murder driven Andrew over the edge?
He knew perfectly well we were disputing his family’s claim on our land. Why would he escalate what was already an acrimonious situation? By the time I got to the soap shop, I was ready for a fight. If I had to stand in front of him with a shovel of my own to stop him, I’d do it.
I parked in the side lot and hurried toward the back. There were a couple of industrial-sized trucks parked on Joy land, and it only took a second to realize they were from the same company that had installed the fence. I wondered what he was doing now. Had Andrew decided to electrify the installation after all?
Instead, to my great surprise, they were actually starting to take it down.
“What’s going on?” I asked the two-man crew as they worked.
“We got orders to remove it,” one of the workers said. “It was some kind of emergency, from what we were told.”
“Who did you speak to?” I asked.
One of the men looked at the other and asked, “Did you catch her name, Billy? She was pretty strong with her demands. Even offered to pay us double-time if we did it this morning. We weren’t about to pass that up, were we, Billy?” He lowered his voice as he added, “Listen, buddy, I’m sorry if you’re unhappy about this thing coming down, but we do what we’re told.”
“Her last name didn’t happen to be Perkins, did it?” Had one of my sisters—or worse yet, my mother—ordered the fence’s removal? What if the Joy claim was legitimate? Did that make us criminally liable in some way? I wished I could call Kelly, and I would if things got any worse.
The fence man shook his head. “Like I said, I didn’t catch her name. You might want to move out of the way,” he told me. “We’re about ready to take it down.”
As they started removing the fencing, I looked around for my brother. Bob’s truck was in the lot beside my Miata, but he was nowhere to be seen. I was about to go inside Where There’s Soap to look for him when I saw the back door open. Bob walked down the steps, and to my surprise, Terri was right on his heels.
I walked toward them, past where one of the buried posts used to be. “What’s going on here?”
Bob said, “Terri’s dropping the whole thing after what Andrew did last night.”
“What did he do?” I asked as my gaze caught sight of one area of our parking lot. A spot had been dug up in the old asphalt and the dirt from the hole was spread around it. A compact car would have fit inside it—though it was only six inches deep—and I saw tread tracks in the dirt. He’d actually used a bulldozer, and from the look of things, it appeared that Andrew had p
lanned to expand his garden on our land.
“Has he lost his mind?” I asked as I walked over to the hole. “Sorry,” I added when I looked back at Terri.
“Believe me, I’ve been asking myself the same thing. I was out jogging this morning and I found him digging in the dirt with a piece of heavy equipment. We had it out, and I told him enough was enough.”
“And he agreed with you?” I asked. I couldn’t imagine Andrew backing down after the squabble we’d had.
“He didn’t have any choice,” Terri said. “We just found out that I’m the executor of Dad’s estate, to my brother’s great distress. I told him if he didn’t drop this right here and now, he wouldn’t see a dime of Joy money until he was too old to enjoy it.” She had something in her hand and gave it to me. “This is for you.”
I took the faded piece of paper from her and saw my grandfather’s shaky signature on the hand-printed IOU. “Are you sure about this?” I asked.
“I’m positive,” she said. “I want the chance to make this right again between us. It doesn’t matter what happened in the past. All that counts now is how we go on from here.”
The fence installers—actually, the uninstallers would be more appropriate—removed the last post, and all that was left to show what had happened was a series of holes in our lot. Granted one was big enough to park the Miata in, but it was our land again, undisputed.
“Why did he start digging there?” I asked, curious about his choice. The spot where he’d dug was a good seven feet from the edge of the asphalt, and it looked like a random place to start to me.
“Who knows what he was thinking,” Terri said. “I’d make him come over and apologize in person, but I’m afraid that’s where he’d draw the line. My apology will have to be enough.”
I offered her my hand. “That’s good enough for me. As for me, I’m sorry about the way I’ve been acting, too.”
A pair of big trucks came rumbling up the road, and I was surprised when they pulled into the back lot. They were from Hitch Paving and Asphalt, and as soon as they stopped, six men hopped out of the cabs.
Terri said, “I almost forgot. I’m having the back lot paved at my expense for all your trouble. I hope that’s all right.”
Bob smiled. “Are you kidding? That’s great. Isn’t it, Ben?”
“It’s awfully generous,” I said. “You didn’t have to do that. Having them work on Sunday must be costing you a fortune.”
“It’s not costing me a dime,” she said, smiling. “It’s taken care of.”
Bob slapped my shoulder. “Don’t ask questions, Ben, just say thank you.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“You’re most welcome. Now if you two will excuse me, I’m not finished with my brother just yet.” She gestured to his rambling garden and added, “I’m getting tired of dodging gopher holes, so I’ve called a landscaper to come in and plow this mess under and turn it back into a lawn.”
I grinned. “Can I be with you when you tell Andrew about it?” The man’s head would absolutely explode when he found out his horticultural days were over.
“I don’t think so,” she said. Terri started back toward the jewelry shop when she hesitated and turned back to me. “Are we okay now, Ben?”
“This should take care of it,” I said. “Thanks again.”
“It never should have gotten this far,” she said.
After she was gone, Bob smacked my arm. “Can you believe this? You’re going to look like a hero to everybody in our family.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked as I watched the men fill in the holes prior to paving the lot.
“Terri told me inside that the only reason she did this was because of you. Do you mind explaining what you said to her?”
“I can’t imagine,” I said. “I honestly don’t have a clue what she’s talking about.”
He slapped my arm again. “Now’s not the time to be modest, Ben. You need to call Mom and tell her right now. She’ll be thrilled.”
“You can call her if you’d like,” I said. “I want to watch this.”
“Okay,” he said, “But I’m giving you all the credit.”
After Bob went back into the shop, I watched as the crew began to pave the lot. Terri had acted quickly enough once she’d learned she had the power to give orders. I was sure Andrew had put up more of a fight than she’d admitted, but at least we had our lot back. I looked at the IOU in my hand, thought about shredding it, then decided to give Paulus the honor of destroying himself. There was no doubt in my mind that it was authentic; it was his signature, no matter how shaky the lettering was. Was he drunk when he’d signed it? No doubt he had been, given his vague recollection of the event. But that didn’t matter now. My grandfather had stopped drinking right after the incident, and if it had saved his life, it had been worth it even if the Joys had taken the whole building.
By the time I left the shop that evening, shining black asphalt covered the back parking lot, and the customer lot, too. I’d tried to protest that it was too much, but the foreman had informed me that he had the materials on his truck, and it would be too big a headache to find a place to dump them. All we needed was a fresh set of lines, and we’d be set with both our parking lots. The parking lots were in stark contrast with what they’d been that morning. Terri had made more than a good faith effort, and I was going to make sure every Perkins knew about it, and accepted the gesture for what it was: a chance to make things right between us again.
As a nice change of pace, the next day I managed to prepare the classroom well before my students showed up for their second session learning how to hand-mill their own soaps. Though it was great having the back parking area again, there was still something a lot more serious hanging over my head at the moment than where to stow the Miata. Molly honestly considered me one of her chief suspects in
Earnest Joy’s murder, and I was going to have to do something about that, and soon.
I was just coming out of the classroom when I bumped into Diana from the bookstore again. “Good morning,” I said. “Did you do something different with your hair?”
“I’m trying out a new style,” she said as she tilted her head to the side. “What do you think?”
I nodded. “Well, if my vote counts, I like it.”
I saw dimples I’d missed before as she smiled. “It counts a lot. Thanks. Ben, I’m really looking forward to today’s class.”
“It appears that the soapmaking bug has bitten you.”
She smiled. “I’ve always loved crafting, and it’s a real added bonus when I can use what I make. I can’t wait to see how my efforts on Friday turned out.”
I looked around, but no one else was there yet. “Why don’t we check now?”
“Really? That would be great.”
I led her back into the classroom, then shut the door so none of my other students saw that I was already there. I had no interest in holding court before the session, as I’d done a few times in the past.
I found Diana’s name on a mold, then tried to slide her soap out of the cylinder. It wouldn’t budge.
“Did I do something wrong?” she asked, concern thick in her voice.
“Not necessarily. Sometimes the soap’s a little finicky about coming out. Let’s try something.” I popped the mold in a mini freezer tucked under one of the cabinets and said, “Let’s give it a few minutes and then we’ll try again.”
“I figured you’d run hot water over it,” she said.
“We don’t want to dilute your pretty soap. So how’s the book business?”
She smiled. “It’s good, but sometimes it’s nice to get away. I imagine you feel the same way working here all the time, don’t you?”
“Absolutely,” I agreed. “Sometimes I wonder if we own the business or the business owns us.”
“Exactly. It’s nice to have a conversation about running a business with someone who knows what I’m talking about.”
I glanced at the clo
ck on the wall and said, “Let’s check that mold.”
I retrieved it from the freezer, and this time the soap slid right out onto my hand.
She took the oatmeal-toned soap log and admired it for a second. “That’s really neat. Can I use it right away?”
“We’ll go over this in class, but you need to cut it into disks, then cure it on a drying rack. Three weeks is ideal, but you can bump it up a little if you’re in a rush.”
“Wow, I didn’t have any idea it took that long,” she said as the classroom door opened and Cindy walked in.
My youngest sister said, “Ben, there’s ... oops, sorry, I should have knocked.”
Before she could close the door again, I said, “Cindy, this is Diana. I’m sure you saw her in class on Friday. She’s one of our students, and she owns that cool bookstore I was telling you about the other day.”
Cindy smiled at her, then said, “It’s nice to meet you. Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You weren’t,” I protested. “What’s going on?”
“There’s a phone call for you, Ben.”
I turned to Diana. “I’d better take this.”
“Go right ahead. Do you mind if I stay in here until class gets started?”
“Be my guest,” I said. “I shouldn’t be long.”
When Cindy and I were out in the boutique, I said, “Don’t say a word. I was just letting her see her soap.”
“Benjamin Perkins, I wasn’t going to say a thing.” I didn’t believe her for a second, so I wasn’t surprised when she added, “Is she doing something different with her hair? I could swear I smelled perfume, too. Obsession, I think it’s called.”
I shook my head. “If she’s wearing something, I missed it. As for her hair, she wanted to try something new. Now who’s on the phone?”
Cindy smiled. “I don’t have a clue. They asked for you, and I’m not the nosy type.”
“Of course not,” I said, shaking my head. I picked up the phone and introduced myself.
A woman’s voice said, “Mr. Perkins, this is Trudy Lowery, and I’ve got some delightful news for you. I’m happy to inform you that you’ve won a prize at the raffle held at the Fair on the Square this past weekend.”
