Harlan made himself comfortable in one of the overstuffed fireside chairs, while Marcus cleared the drink glasses. Taking advantage of Marcus’s cleaning up, Sarah released RahRah from his term of imprisonment.
She brought the cat back into the living room just as Marcus plopped into the chair Mr. Rogers had sat in earlier. “All done except for putting up your soda and bar. Other than my trays, the vultures didn’t leave much.”
“I can’t thank you enough. Be assured, empty trays wouldn’t have been the case if I cooked or baked. Speaking of drinks, can I get either of you something else?” When both declined her offer, Sarah sat cross-legged on the floor in front of them. RahRah rubbed his head against her. She picked him up and cuddled him. “I guess he’s forgiven me for locking him up. I still can’t believe someone tried to kill Mr. Rogers tonight.”
“We don’t know that for sure,” Marcus said.
She lay RahRah in her lap. “Yes, we do. Harlan and I saw the driver turn his lights on after he sped past Mr. Rogers. Normal drivers don’t do that. What do you think, Harlan?”
“This time, I’m inclined to agree with you. Most drivers, and we don’t know if it was a man or a woman, who forgot to turn their lights on and saw an older person fall, would have stopped instead of gunning the motor.”
“Maybe the person got scared?”
Harlan leaned back in his chair. “Maybe, but I’m skeptical because there’s been so much going on between him and his nephews and with the different economic development factions.”
“And don’t forget, his fence and mine were vandalized. It might have been a warning, instead of a prank.”
“But you’re on opposite sides of the street and opposite sides of the redistricting question,” Marcus said.
“Never mind. I didn’t look at it from that perspective. At least he’s okay and the best thing is, after all he’s done to get that dog to come to him, Fluffy came through for him when she thought Mr. Rogers might be hurt.”
Harlan laughed. “I think Fluffy is going to be your neighbor for quite some time. Hope RahRah and she get along.”
Sarah glanced at the cat in her lap. “As long as Fluffy understands her place, RahRah and she will do fine together. RahRah can get along with anyone except Jane. Speaking of Anne and Jane, Harlan, what happened tonight?”
“You got played.”
“That I know. Once I realized Jane and Anne were on the same side, I knew I’d lost control, but Pastor Dobbins?”
“He was the only honest one.”
Sarah put her hand on RahRah’s back. “What makes you characterize him as honest?”
“He admitted up front his wife is the new assistant director of the Wheaton Convention Bureau and he’s trying to help her out by holding the event the next day.”
“I don’t see how her work with the Chamber fits into what happened here tonight.”
“You just made the classic mistake. The Wheaton Chamber of Commerce and the Wheaton Convention Bureau are two different entities. The Chamber works to bring recognition to the event itself, while the Convention Bureau supports the event in ways that bring outside people and money into the city. If people book rooms for an overnight stay for a reunion, meeting, or event like YipYeow Days, the Convention Bureau hopes good word of mouth will result in more conventions and events coming to Wheaton. By having YipYeow take place over two days, there’s a good chance some people will stay overnight, which translates to rooms booked and a positive early outcome for Yvonne Dobbins, the minister’s wife.”
“Great, my little shelter fund-raiser has become a win for the minister, his wife, and Anne Hightower, but how does Jane fit into this?”
Marcus drummed his fingers on his chair’s arm. “I can answer that. The word on the street is now that Emily and I bought out Jane’s interest in Southwind, she hasn’t been able to find another job, so she wants to open her own restaurant.”
“I’ve seen all the hoops Emily and you are going through. Can Jane do that?”
“With help from behind the scenes. Her bigger problem is she needs a location, more capital, and city concessions before she can open her doors.”
Sarah took her hand away from RahRah’s back and crossed her arms in front of her. “So, Jane’s going about it the way she does everything—kissing up and trickery rather than leadership and hard work. Can’t other people see it?”
Harlan leaned back and let out a low whistle. “Did you really ask that question?”
“I know I shouldn’t get so mad, but it’s not like Jane playing up to whoever might be her benefactor is new.”
“Don’t we all know it,” Marcus said. “But this time she may have lucked into the mother lode.”
“The Hightowers?” Harlan’s words hung in the air.
“On the money.”
RahRah jumped out from under Sarah’s petting hand. In response to his rejection, Sarah straightened out her legs. “I hear what you two are saying, but there’s a link missing for me. I’m convinced, even though Jane can be devious, tonight’s takeover had Anne’s fingerprints all over it.”
Harlan agreed with her. “So, what are you going to do about it?”
“Nothing I can do about what’s been planned, but I can make sure I do my best controlling the actual YipYeow Day. I’ll need your help, Marcus, to make sure nothing more goes awry with your food sponsorship.”
“The only thing that could go wrong is if we can’t get the pub open in the next week. Harlan, do you think Anne can or will stop us?”
“No. You heard her tonight. She plugged you as a sponsor and even mentioned you should be open in the next week. Her beef isn’t with your restaurant reopening in the strip center. In fact, she wants those jobs back in Wheaton so she can claim them when she runs for mayor. Her issue is with turning Main Street into a food and entertainment district. The big house is where she’ll focus on throwing up roadblocks.”
“How does Thomas Howell come into this? After Emily and I had lunch with him the other day, I saw him at a table with Jacob and Anne. They all looked quite chummy.”
Marcus shook his head. “I don’t like the sound of that any more than I like your sister taking over his food operations. Emily sees the best in people, but there isn’t a good bone in Howling Hotel Tom. If he’s in cahoots with Anne, it can’t bode well for us.”
Sarah nodded. She only hoped he was talking about the restaurant operations, but she had a feeling his words included his relationship with Emily.
“Now you see why Emily and I want to recruit someone impartial to be considered for the empty council seat.”
Harlan chuckled. “Impartial or who represents your views?”
“Harlan, you know better than anyone what havoc will occur if the Hightowers can operate without any checks and balances. If they control that seat, there won’t be a chance for economic development in downtown Wheaton for years. They’ll let the town dry up and rot unless there’s a way for them to trim their own corner off any deal.”
“That’s a little strong, don’t you think, Marcus?”
“No, I don’t. Without Lance, the council is split four to four. Not only do we need someone who supports economic development, but we also need someone who makes decisions for the good of Wheaton. Harlan, why don’t you throw your name in? We might not agree with all your decisions or votes, but we know you’d be fair and impartial.”
“And I’d probably have a heart attack within six months. I’m a lawyer, not a politician. Tried it once and quickly learned I’m much better dealing with people like the Hightowers from behind the scenes.”
“It just isn’t fair. You know, they say money talks and something else walks. Well, we sure saw that tonight.” Sarah kicked her foot against the floor.
A startled RahRah ran across the room and hid under the couch.
“Sorry, RahRah. I should have opened my mouth and objected more.”
Harlan laughed again. “You really didn’t have a choice. This was a room of
animal lovers. Who in the group wasn’t going to want their pet blessed? Be honest, if you hadn’t been afraid of the extra responsibility of planning the Blessing of the Beasts, wouldn’t the idea of having RahRah blessed have sounded good to you?”
Shooting a quick look at RahRah, whose head peeked out from under the couch, Sarah couldn’t help but smile. “You got me on that one, but I still hate being played.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
At seven A.M., thirty minutes before her normal wake-up time, Sarah’s doorbell rang. Still groggy, she grabbed her robe and cinched it closed on her way to the door. “I’m coming!”
Through the windowpane, she saw Cliff turn to leave.
“Wait!”
He kept walking until she opened the door and called his name.
He came back up the steps. “Good morning. Hope I didn’t wake you.”
“I’d be lying if I said no.”
Cliff laughed but covered his mouth with his right hand, changing it into a cough.
Sarah ignored his obvious attempt at politeness. She was more interested in his bruised knuckles. “My manners must still be asleep. Won’t you come in?”
“Thank you. I’m sorry for waking you. I forget normal people don’t start their days as early as those of us in construction who start working before the sun is at its hottest.”
“I hadn’t thought about construction workers keeping a similar schedule to farmers, but I guess it’s the same premise—up and out when it’s light but before the heat of the day. But you didn’t ring my bell at this hour to educate me on the hours construction workers work.”
“No. I came by to fix my uncle’s fence. He told me what happened after I left last night. As you can guess, he never called my brother or me, so I’m glad you were there for him.”
“I’m not the one to thank. Dr. Smith, from the police department, patched him up. How is your uncle this morning?”
“Back to his normal spitfire self and completely taken by his new puppy. He’s bathed, brushed, and cut away whatever was matted or tangled and plans to have her at the vet when the office opens. Although he said he will put her up for adoption through the shelter, I’m sort of hoping he decides to keep her. I haven’t seen him this engaged since my aunt died.”
“I’m glad to hear he’s okay, but as much as I care about your uncle, I know you didn’t wake me simply to report on his physical and emotional well-being.” Or, she thought, to tell me how desperate your brother might be to send him to a retirement home. “Let’s sit down and you can tell me what I can do for you.”
She backed up in the entryway to let him pass to the living room. As she did, Sarah caught sight of herself in the hallway mirror. Her robe was opening near the neck. She grasped it, forcing the two ends closer together.
Cliff cleared his throat and ran his bruised fingers through his surfer’s hair. “Before I go to the store and match the materials I need to repair his fence, my uncle pointed out where you’ve got sharp jagged rods sticking up. He thought, because you hadn’t gotten it repaired yet, you might like me to fix yours at the same time. If some kid playing on it hurts themselves, his parents could sue you, saying it was an attractive nuisance.”
He was right. Talking about one of his cases, Harlan had once explained the concept of attractive nuisance. He’d said it was something dangerous that could lure someone in, like a pool without a fence. She remembered the owner could be held liable if someone was injured. With the weekend coming up, it would be a good idea to get her fence fixed.
“Um, my mother was going to have someone fix it, but, with the confusion of this week, I think it slipped her mind. How much would you charge to do the job?”
“Only the cost of materials.”
“I couldn’t. I know there’s labor involved.”
“Consider my labor a swap for the way you helped my uncle out and how, as he tells me, you keep an eye out for him.”
“It’s more the reverse.”
“Is this the famous RahRah?” He reached down and patted RahRah, who was rubbing himself against Cliff’s leg.
“It is. Did your uncle tell you about him?”
“No, Jane did. She told me what a terror he was when I repaired the mess he made here the day she moved him in. He doesn’t seem so bad to me.”
Sarah raised her chin and tightened her arms, holding her robe closer to her. “Jane tends to exaggerate and have a problem with animals.”
Cliff glanced at Sarah, while he continued petting RahRah.
She thought about refusing his offer, but that would only be spiting herself. Besides, Jane wasn’t his only customer. Her sister and Marcus obviously also respected his workmanship. “I’d be appreciative if you fixed my fence, too, but are you going to be able to do it today?”
Sarah pointed to his hand. “Your hand looks badly bruised. Is it broken?”
Cliff flexed his hand and slipped it into his pocket. “Nothing broken. It’s sore, but I can work with it.”
“Was it a work-related accident?”
“No.” Instead of meeting her gaze, he stared at his feet. When he finally looked up, he had the look of a little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “I feel like a fool admitting this, but I hurt it when I punched Lance after we had words.”
“When did you punch Lance?”
“When he still wouldn’t talk to me about why the bank called my mortgage.”
Sarah wrinkled her brow in confusion. Unless he threw the punch before he came out of Lance’s office with Jacob, she wasn’t sure when he’d hit him. Cliff was upset but not physical in her presence. “Because of Emily and Marcus having their loan rejected, I can commiserate with you having your loan called. I’m sure it messed up whatever job it was related to. Speaking of finances, do you need some money in advance to buy the finials and whatever else you’ll need to do my job?”
“No. I’ll lay it out and you can pay me when I finish. And by the way, the bank refusing my loan didn’t interfere with any of my jobs. This was for a personal project.”
Remembering what Jacob had said about the loan being for a cabin he was building for himself, Sarah pressed him for more information. “Were you building something for yourself?”
She held her hands up. “You don’t have to answer that. Sometimes I get a bit nosy.”
“No, it’s okay. I’m building a small cabin on the bluff, just outside the city limits.”
“The bluff overlooking the water?”
“Yeah.”
“I knew it was bought because of the ‘No Trespassing’ signs. Before they went up, on bad days, I used to ride my bike out there, just to sit and think. It’s such a peaceful place.”
“You’re so right about that. Feel free to come back anytime you need that kind of peace. Ignore the signs. I know the owner intimately.”
Both laughed.
“I might just take you up on that. It always was one of my favorite places.”
“Well,” Cliff hesitated. He slipped his hands into his pockets and glanced at her sideways without moving his head. “If you’d like to see my work in progress, I’d be glad to show you. Maybe tomorrow? Or, do you work on Saturday?”
“I don’t work on Saturdays, but with YipYeow Day only eight days away, I think I better hold off visiting until after it’s over. Did you have to stop working on the cabin when the bank called your loan?”
Cliff shook his head. “I juggled enough things to finish the exterior, but there still are a lot of interior finishing touches needed. It still doesn’t make any sense to me why Lance called the loan. All I was trying to do was refinance to take advantage of the lower interest rates.”
He took his hands out of his pockets, bent his bruised hand a few times, and then supported it with his opposite hand. “Maybe I didn’t handle myself well, but there wasn’t any reason for Lance to pull the rug out from under me. My cash flow and savings are good. Why, I even recently bought a new boat with no problem whatsoever.”
&nbs
p; “It sounds like instead of calling your loan, they rejected your request for a new loan. I think refinancing is always handled as a new loan, so instead of Lance, it probably was Bailey who denied your loan.” Sarah parroted Lance’s words to her mother about credit issues, types of loans, and other things that might have resulted in Bailey’s denial.
“Neither Lance nor Bailey ever said anything about problems with any of those things. If they had, it might have made more sense, or at least I could have explained or clarified whatever mix-up occurred. All Lance told me when I went back to see him was he was busy getting ready for the council meeting and there was nothing more to discuss for now. He basically dismissed me like I was five. That’s when I acted like I was and punched him.”
Sarah stared at Cliff, a light dawning for her as she realized Cliff must have visited Lance for a third time. Watching him rub his hand, just like he did on the way into the city council meeting, she felt uneasy. “Cliff, did you go back to see Lance after you were in his office with my mother and me?”
“Yeah, one of my more brilliant moves.”
Thinking over this bit of information, it dawned on her that Eloise hadn’t mentioned seeing him a third time. Sarah tried to reconcile what Cliff was saying with what Eloise told her. Maybe he’d come when Eloise was getting the paper or perhaps he was one of the mystery voices. She made sure she could see his eyes clearly before she posed her next question. “Cliff, how did you get into his office the third time?”
“From the alley. I figured if I went through the lobby, I’d never get to see him.”
“Was the door open?”
“No, I knocked, smiled, waved at the security camera, and waited until he let me in.”
“Did anyone see you in his office?”
Cliff raised a brow in confusion. “How could they? I don’t know if anyone other than Lance saw the camera feed into his office.”
“Why did you go through the alley? In fact, why did Lance let anyone in from the alley?”
He shrugged. “It was no big deal. That was the way Uncle George always went to see him. I guess it was convenient if you were coming from this part of town or the renovated square, but I never thought about why we went that way.”
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