by Nathan Grant
“A saint huh, now there’s a stretch,” Zain said, barely finishing his comment before Claudia soundly slapped his arm, and the rest, even Olive couldn’t help but laugh.
“Seriously though, I’m going to alert the security team and let them have his information and to keep an eye out for him. I seriously doubt he’d want to tackle us after that little scene but you never know what drives some people to do odd things.
“I hate to say this about Gerald’s family but he never trusted them, nor did he want any dealings with them after the theft. I have a feeling they were somehow involved with what happened here, and I’m glad the storage unit is empty now. I’ll be truly unhappy if I never see those paintings again but I’m still alive, Zain is going to be fine, and we are all here and safe in spite of all that has happened.”
Zain turned to Olive; puzzled that she would make a statement like that about her family and wondered why she would think that, since it was his father not John that was guilty of the theft.
“Tell us why you would think John was involved in this Olive and it is important, for if you are correct in this assumption, we need to talk to the police and let them know what you suspect,” he said, seeing the others nod in agreement.
“I have no concrete proof as I’m sure you know but it is just a feeling I have coupled with the long term knowledge of their family, nothing more. I was useless to them until they thought I might have some money. Couple that with the horrible things he said about your family like I said, makes me so ashamed to be related to them.”
“You aren’t your family Olive, and they were only family by marriage. We certainly don’t hold you accountable for their sordid actions and words, not now not ever,” Franny told her.
“When Gerald was alive he kept them away from us and made it clear to them we each had our own lives. After he passed, I knew about the storage place of course, but that was his domain and when I finally went to see what it was, I was shocked to find what was inside. I kept it to myself until I was able to find a home for myself, the reason I was so adamant about the terms of the sale,” she told them.
Zain glanced over at his sister and aunt now that the truth was finally out in the open about the restrictions for the sale of the property.
“Good call on that one, so I’m assuming it was when you were moving that they found out about it?” Claudia asked.
“Yes and of course they wanted to help me move all the things in there but that was why I had a private moving company come in late in the afternoon, the day before I was expected to empty the storage place and secure everything. I had several angry calls the next day from John demanding to know where the things were and what was it exactly that I had in there, and why was I so secretive,” she explained.
“So it seems when there might be something of value to be had, it peaked their interest in their aunt. I’m so sorry to hear that Olive, no one should ever treat family like that,” Zain told her.
“It really came as no surprise as during the time my husband was alive, we didn’t deal with them as I’ve mentioned. And there is something else I must tell you,” she said, suddenly looking sheepish, and staring down at her tightly folded hands.
Franny went over to her and put her arm around her waist, thinking that Olive telling them would upset her more.
“What is it Olive you can tell us anything, there is no reason to be shy around any of us,” she told her.
“We’ll see,” she remarked, looking around at them.
“When the negotiations were going on for this place and since I had my late husband’s interest in the property, I was the one that insisted on the cottage renovation for my own selfish reasons. I also made that part of the agreement, as I just said, with their confidentiality agreed upon, and they signed a witnessed document to that effect.”
“Well I’ll be damned,” Franny, breathed.
“No need for that, I just wanted to ensure my freedom from that bunch and be out of harm’s way for good. I wanted nothing more from them and in addition to gaining a tidy sum with the sale of the property; I had a place to at last call a home of my own. I made their signing my document a stipulation of me giving my consent to the terms of the sale. They have been seriously in debt for a very long time and were teetering on the edge of losing everything, so this happening now was a godsend to them and to me as well,” she explained.
Claudia walked over to her, and put her arm around Olive as well, giving her a brief warm hug.
“I have to say Olive that I like your style and this little story has made my day. So back to the subject at hand, do you think John may have seriously been involved in what happened here? In spite of being a rude obnoxious bastard, I wouldn’t trust him for a second, anywhere near me or my family, period.”
“I’m afraid I have to agree with my dear, you certainly are a good judge of character,” Olive said, watching a sarcastic smirk grow on Zain’s face that Claudia spotted as well.
“Watch it Zain, I know what you are thinking and you’d better keep all that crap to yourself, and any other smart ass remarks as well,” Claudia warned, shooting a warning glance at Luc as well.
“Who me,” he asked, trying to appear innocent.
“Yes you, of course you. I know you all too well and that was the perfect in for you. Like I’ve said many times before we both have a few skeletons lying around the closet. If you decide to pursue this train of thought, I can bring a few of those skeletons out into the light for a good examination by everyone,” she promised.
“Uh Claudia, what are you doing for lunch tomorrow,” Luc asked with in impish grin, and then was rewarded for his trouble with a playful punch on his arm by Zain.
As Zain was about to say something to Luc, they heard a small knock on the door and then Rudy walked into the room.
“Hi Franny and the rest of you, I was wondering what was keeping Olive since it’s getting later in the day and I hadn’t heard from her in a while, and especially after what happened to her,” he said, winking at Olive, who smiled like a schoolgirl.
“Oh we’ve all been having a good time with some wine and conversation; would you like a glass,” Franny offered, while checking out the handsome man.
“Sure but just one; I’m on duty you know, twenty-four by seven,” he laughed.
“And I want to make sure he earns every cent of the money you are paying him Franny,” Olive added, pleased by the surprised look on the other’s faces.
“Well it looks like our Olive isn’t quite so much the hermit after all,” Franny drawled, watching Rudy’s cheeks turn a few shades darker.
“Oh you’d be surprised,” she answered with pleased smile.
“It sounds like it,” Claudia said, turning to give Rudy a knowing stare.
“And here I just came to check up on Olive and now look what I’ve gotten myself into,” he said sounding frustrated as they all laughed at his awkward predicament.
A short while later, Olive wiped her eyes and tried unsuccessfully to suppress a deep yawn, and then looked up at Rudy.
“Rudy, you can take me home now, I’ve bothered these people enough and I’d like to lie down,” Olive announced, giving the others a stare and daring them to comment, but only after a quick happy wink at Franny and Claudia.
Chapter Six
For several days, things were quiet at the resort with work on the final cabins rapidly taking shape. Franny and Claudia were occupied helping with the final arrangements for the wedding while Luc and Zain were trying to oversee everything and still try to stay calm as the marvelous day approached.
Olive had made a few appearances always with Rudy close by, and it was clear their working relationship was beginning to evolve into something much more.
“I’m not completely surprised and to be honest with all of you, this is the reason that I sent him to watch over her,” Franny told them.
“I sure didn’t see that one coming, especially since when we first met her she was so withdrawn and se
emed so much older than she actually is; what a change,” Claudia remarked as she stuffed yet another wedding invitation.
“Personally I’m very happy for both of them if this thing works out for them. I’ve known Rudy for several years and he has always been a loner of sorts and kept to himself. Olive on the other hand has been dealing with that oppressive family of hers since her husband Gerald died and now for almost the first time in her adult life she has her freedom.”
“When I went over to her place yesterday the transformation is amazing. She’s so cool and now very happy to boot. She told me she’s even thinking of writing a book on the history of the area since her family has been here almost since the beginning. She also hinted that she knows where all the bodies are buried, so to speak,” Claudia laughed.
“Hmmm a Sedona tell all book, I bet that would get some of the snob’s motors running, especially the righteous ones,” Franny giggled.
“Maybe we can help her edit the book and suggest a few interesting tidbits of our own,” Claudia suggested.
“But then again, I think I’ve caused enough notoriety for a while.”
“Oh Claudia where is your spirit of adventure? We all know our early family here were no angels either so it could be kind of fun I would think,” Franny said.
“If you two say so but who the hell knows what could come to light with something like this? And I’m sure her family would have a fit if she published the dirt at their expense,” Zain added.
“That could be very true but frankly I don’t think they have the brains or resources to deal with it if they decided to hound her and besides she has us to back her up,” Franny reminded them.
As Franny finished speaking, Luc rushed in the door looking upset and then turned to face them.
“Okay guys, as we know time is running short for all that we have to finish for the wedding and the resort. You aren’t going to like this Zain, but Jake stopped me on the way over here and handed in his notice. He gave me some recommendations for a replacement, but just said that seeing Claudia all the time was getting him down and was too humiliating to deal with any longer, “Luc told them.
“That’s just great, so our schedule now goes all to hell,” Zain remarked.
“Not necessarily, as soon as Jake told me this and handed me his letter, he walked over to his truck and left. I wasn’t sure if it was for lunch or he was walking out on us right then and there so I sat down on a nearby rock and decided to read his letter.”
“Keep going Luc, I don’t like being strung out,” Zain said impatiently.
“It turns out that yes; he just walked out like that. He said Claudia had been very childish and unkind to him and he couldn’t stand working around a bitch like her. He stated that as of him giving us the letter he was through and would not be back and would expect a direct deposit of his final check. He also mentioned that some of the other guys working here were pretty upset by the police questioning them and treating them like criminals, and were thinking about leaving as well,” Luc related.
“I’m going down there right away and talk to them myself,” Zain said, heading for the door.
“I’m coming too,” Claudia said, starting to follow them.
“I think you’d better stay here for the time being dear; Zain and I will go down there and see if we can defuse this situation. There’s no telling what Jake may have said to the others regarding you and I think the best plan is for you to remain here with Luc while we try to sort this out,” Franny told her.
“If that bastard said something about me I want to know about it Aunt Franny, I don’t want to just sit here and take it,” she whined.
“For now we’ll do it my way and if anyone has the nerve to make a comment about you I’ll deal with them,” she finished, motioning for Zain to follow her out the door.
“I can’t believe all this is happening it’s like a zoo around here considering how normal and uneventful things were when we first moved in,” Zain mentioned as they walked up the hill to where the other construction men were having some lunch.
“All things considered I find his comments and reasons for leaving very odd. As we both know, since Claudia had her little tiff with him, she’s avoided him like the plague and hasn’t been around all that much. We all know your sister is a different sort, but casual cruelty isn’t one of her traits.”
“I agree with that and you’re right she has avoided him. One late afternoon Claudia was about to leave and saw Jake heading down this way and ducked into one of the other rooms to avoid talking to him. We both know she’s not afraid of a confrontation so that couldn’t be the reason she took off before he arrived,” Zain told her.
“Yes, Claudia does like a good fight I have to say. To be honest with you Zain, I think she was embarrassed by her behavior. Confidentially she told me she was really attracted to him and would not have been put off by his obvious assumptions, but she only started to laugh because he was making such a big deal about his prowess, and then she was shocked by the true reality when she found out otherwise,” she snickered.
“So Claudia does have a tender side, who would have guessed; live and learn,” he laughed, as they walked up to the now quiet group standing in an open semi-circle waiting for them.
“As I’m sure you know Jake just turned in his resignation,” Zain began, knowing he probably sounded lame, but he really didn’t know where to start.
“Soon to be followed by ours as well, one of the bearded men spoke up, trying to stare him down.
“Care to tell us why you want to leave? I think your pay scale and benefits while here have been more than fair,” Zain said.
“It’s not our working conditions that we’re bothered by; Jake was a good guy and didn’t deserve the treatment your sister gave him.”
“And just what exactly might be the treatment that you are referring to,” Franny asked taking a step forward.
“We’re not playing that game here Ms. Simon. We have no problem with you or with Zain here, but considering the problems Claudia had recently, you’d think she’d learn that being a bitch to people and cutting them down for no reason isn’t the way to go,” he told her, his eyes fixed on hers.
“If you are referring to her husband, he got what he deserved. Most people don’t run around trying to shoot people because your relationship failed. Furthermore, the bitch as you refer to her had preexisting problems with her abusive husband that is really none of your affair. Now what exactly do you perceive it is, that she did to Jake,” she asked, not hiding the fact that she was controlling her anger.
“Jake let us know how he was good to her and she led him along. He told us about having a great dinner with her, and how she flirted and made him believe she was interested in him. When they got back to her place he tried to make up to her and she let him know he wasn’t good enough for her,” the man said bitterly.
“That’s not the version of the story we heard at all,” Franny said, glancing over at Zain who was standing there with clenched fists.
“Oh yea, what exactly did your niece tell you Ms. Simon, since we are getting all this out in the open,” he stated.
“We don’t have to go there Aunt Franny, let’s just go back,” Zain said.
He was barely able to control his temper.
“Hold on Zain, we have to see this through for us and for Claudia. Of course, she told us about the dinner, and said it was a very nice evening. She thought Jake was a nice guy and they were having fun,” she said.
The bearded man turned to the others and nodded.
“See, what did I tell you, please go on Ms. Simon,” he asked, thinking he was holding all the cards evidenced by the leer on his face.
“As I was saying they did have a good early evening and things seemed to be going well. He apparently liked to joke around, about his job, about his muscles, and about the size of his enormous penis,” she finished with a smirk.
Several of the men stared at her slack-jawed by her final comment and
were dumbfounded, as the bravado melted off the first man’s face.
“Jake was a kidder and like you said, he talked about those things to us as well,” he said with uncertainty lacing his voice.
It took everything she had not to look at Zain.
“So continuing with this, they were at her place and having a drink and decided to put the moves to Claudia, and believe me I’m under no false impression about my niece and her enjoyment of a handsome man’s company,” she said, watching the incredulous look spread across all their faces.
By now, the other man was feeling very awkward and completely taken back by Franny’s direct approach.
“Ms. Simon we don’t have to go here,” he started to say but she held up her hand to stop him.
“Oh most certainly we do, we want to clear the air about all this sordid business, and then after you hear our side of it you must decide if you want to follow Jake. This of course will be your choice, but in addition to having the correct facts, if you decide to go you will also leave the promised bonus behind as well that was for finishing the work on time. So back to my story; without getting graphic, let’s just say that Jake is a kidder for sure as he seriously misrepresents his enormity. So much so, I might add, that Claudia couldn’t contain her shock as what she saw was no way enormous, much less average,” she said with a straight face that is, until one of the men in the back broke out laughing.
“That jackass used to pull the same crap on us as well, but the other afternoon; he spilled some caustic cleaning fluid and had to yank off his clothes to keep from being burned. Let’s just say what you said is more than validated, and no joke about that,” he told them, as the other began to laugh as well.
“And let me say just say that she takes after her great-aunt and expects people to tell her the full and completely accurate truth, and not run around spreading little tiny white lies,” she smirked.
The man standing before her looked mortified and for a few seconds and seemed at a loss for words.
“Amen to that Ms. Simon and I’m sorry for the upset we’ve caused here,” the bearded man apologized.
