Carolina Booty

by T. Lynn Ocean

  Since the handwriting was the same as that listing the birth of the baby, I knew the woman lived long enough to deliver the daughter she named Mary A. Barstow. But I didn’t know how soon after she died. Had Mary grown up without a mother? Then gotten pregnant, and given birth to a baby boy when she was barely sixteen? Thinking of the woman who settled in South Carolina so long ago, I wondered how her daughter felt when she’d read the same message I’d just seen. I stood to stretch and imagine what my life would have been like had I been born in the 1700s.

  Engrossed in reflection, I jumped at the noise when Pop came through door with Bandit perched on his shoulder. “Oh! Hi, Pop.”

  “Morning, Lass.” Bandit rappelled down his body to the floor. “Find anything to help you in there?”

  “I’m not sure, but it’s fascinating. And sad. The woman who had the baby named Mary, but knew she wouldn’t be around to raise the child?”

  He slowly nodded. He’d read it, too. “Aye.”

  “So then, the father raised the girl? The original owner of this house? The plantation owner?”

  “It’s more likely that the house servants raised her. Far as I can tell, she was the only child. When the mother passed on, one of the slaves would have been put in charge of the girl.”

  I’d read a lot of information on plantation owners in the Carolinas. Some worked with sharecroppers, but many utilized slaves to work their fields, whether growing rice in the lowcountry, or cotton, tobacco and indigo elsewhere.

  “So the slaves were not only field workers and house servants, but they were nannies, too?”

  “Aye.”

  Bandit tugged on my pajama pants leg, wanting attention, or food. I gave her the last bit of blueberry muffin. “So Mary grew up without a mother, raised by slaves. Then she gave birth to a little boy. But who was the father? And what happened to Mary?”

  “I’ve oft’ wondered that myself, Lass.”

  He poured two glasses of iced sweet tea and sat at the table with me. “I’ve ne’er added anything to the births and deaths recordings. If you want to, write in my grandpappy. And me, and my sister.” He gave me the life dates of his grandfather, and the birth dates of him and his sister.

  “But the pages are disintegrating. Maybe I should record your information separately? In a new book? Or, better yet, I could put the family tree that’s here, at least what I can read of it, on the computer. And burn it to a CD for you.”

  He sighed through a frown. “I reckon people are getting to where they want to look at a computer instead of reading a book.”

  The expression on his face made me realize the bible was more special to him than he let on. “Why don’t I do both? See, with the disk, you don’t have to worry about the information getting lost. It will be like a backup. But I’ll record your information in the bible, too. In fact, I’m honored to write in your family bible. Really. It would be a privilege.”

  He smiled. “You have a good heart, Lass. Twill take you far.”

  Knowing he was the one with a good heart, I gave him a hug. “Thanks for everything you’re doing for me, Pop. Letting me live in your house. Cooking for me. Convincing Avery to help out. Everything.”

  He patted my back. “Everybody needs a little help now and then.”

  Even though I’d eaten most of the muffin and Pop admitted he ate two jelly-filled donuts at the movie house, we both had appetites and decided to walk to Chat ‘N Chew as soon as I took a shower.

  Chapter 11

  Chat ‘N Chew buzzed with twelve or fifteen people and Bull tended to everyone with her usual good cheer. It was the biggest crowd I’d ever seen at the restaurant. Pop raised his eyebrows as we found a table and settled in. Seeing us, Bull carried over a pitcher of lemonade and two empty glasses.

  “Howdy, Pop.” She expertly poured, adding just the right amount of ice without spilling the liquid. “You’re looking good, Hon. Life in our little piece of paradise must agree with ya!”

  “Thanks,” I said and scanned the diner. A man I didn’t recognize stood at the center of the crowd. Nodding and smiling, he looked like a politician. And standing beside him, Riley seemed to be playing the role of mayor, a first since I’d been around.

  “Who’s that?” Pop asked.

  Bull waved a hand in the direction of her customers. “Some investor. Spouting off a load of crap, if you ask me. Name’s Lester Smoak. He had a meeting with Riley and some of the council members. Guess their chat drew a crowd.”

  My ears perked up. “Investor?”

  Bull nodded and yelled across the buzz of voices. “Hey, Lester! This here’s Pop and the girl we was tellin’ you ‘bout. Jaxie from Atlanta!”

  He instantly appeared to pump our hands and slid in the chair next to me, beaming a smile at us. “Pleased to meet you both. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  Pop studied him. “From who?”

  “Oh, everyone knows you, Pop.” The man chuckled and looked my way. “And you, young lady, are popular in your own right. I understand you’re doing some good work around here to revitalize this town.”

  He beamed another smile, and it made me squirm. All once-bright white caps, slightly stained from smoke, his teeth were too big for his mouth. And something about him reminded me of a pay-by-the-week used car salesman.

  “I’m here on behalf of Shine Advertising and Public Relations in Atlanta. Doing pro bono work,” I said.

  “Sure, sure. I heard about your little project. Which is why you’ll be thrilled to hear what I have to say!”

  I searched Pop’s face for direction, but he only shrugged and leaned back to study Lester with narrowed eyes.

  “And what would that be?” I asked.

  Riley pulled up a chair. “Lester here is gonna invest some money in Rumton. Yer revitalization plan is done!”

  People stopped their conversations to listen to ours. All eyes were on Lester the investor. He projected a smile in the general direction of everyone before talking.

  “Your mayor is right! I most certainly am. I heard about Rumton’s financial plight and decided there’s no better time than now to jump in and help out!” He patted my arm and I almost cringed. “See, Miss Parker, I am putting together a high-tech think tank, if you will. A team of creative programming geniuses, who will be designing some state-of-the-art security systems for computer networks across the country. I’ve got to put them all in one place. A place with plenty of fresh air, but a place without distractions.”

  “Uh huh,” I muttered. “A place without wireless internet service?”

  “Oh, we’ll take care of that with a Wi-Fi system.” His eyes swept the place to make sure everyone still listened. “Goes up pretty quick, and makes internet service available to everyone.”

  “Perfect, perfect!” Billy said.

  Lester’s arms stretched out to his sides, emphasizing a rounded gut. “I’m going to buy a few parcels of land. Build a small, cozy townhouse community. After all, my team will need someplace to live, and we’ll have a steady stream of consultants visiting, too. Heck, maybe I’ll even build a quaint little bed and breakfast.”

  I guzzled my lemonade and put down an empty glass. “You’re going to build a townhouse project so your programmers have a place to live? Wouldn’t it be much easier to select a site that already has housing in place?”

  “Of course it would be easier, Miss Parker, but easy is not always best.”

  I wondered why he called me by my last name, when I’d only been introduced as Jaxie. “So, you’ll rent these town homes?”

  “Sure. Rent. Sell. Whatever is best for the people. Heck, I’d be willing to bet some folks around these parts will want to sell their house and move into one of my townhouses.” His eyes grazed the small audience. “Think of it! No yard to mow, or house to paint. A nice little outdoor courtyard, to grow your tomatoes and flowers. A swimming pool. Barbecue grill in the common area for cookouts.”

  “I might buy me one of them,” a woman said. “I’m getting
too old to keep up a yard.”

  Lester nodded. “Exactly! And I’m going to make sure we have a real medical building with a practicing doctor and dentist. We’ll get a couple of sharp young fellows, or gals, who have completed their internship and want to open their own practice. I’ll subsidize them.”

  “We’ve been needin’ something like that for a long time,” Gertrude said, sitting down stiffly, rubbing her arthritic knees. “We need us a young doctor.”

  Riley slapped a hand on the table. “So, whadda ya think, Jaxie? Ain’t this perfect timin’?”

  “Well, it’s certainly coincidental. That’s for sure.” It was all too coincidental.

  At the next table, Riley nodded. “Well, me an’ the town council members think it’s perfect timin’. Lester’s plan will perk up Rumton!”

  I scanned the eager, nodding faces of the town council members and felt slighted. Overnight, they’d given up on me and Shine Advertising.

  “He’s a godsend,” one said.

  “A godsend!” another echoed.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Bull shaking her head. She didn’t agree. But then, she didn’t speak up either. Probably because Lester was a paying customer. For all I knew, he’d bought everyone lunch.

  I asked the stranger how he heard the town was in trouble.

  “Why, he’s one of our own,” Gertrude answered for him.

  “Right, right,” Billy said. “We asked the same question. But see, Lester was in the Army with Cappy’s grandson. The two boys were best friends. Everybody remembers Jonathan coming to visit and just raving about his friend, the first sergeant.”

  “Cappy was our mayor,” Riley explained. “I got elected when he kicked the bucket.”

  Lester the investor nodded solemnly. “I didn’t think I was going to make it when Jonathan got killed in the line of duty. Messed me up good, losing him like that. And then, when Cappy passed away, it was another shock. Like losing my own daddy.”

  “We all miss Cappy,” Bull said, topping off coffee cups and lemonade glasses. “But I wasn’t aware he knew you. Fact, I don’t recall ever seeing you around here.”

  Lester shrugged. “Could be because I haven’t spent much time here. But it’s time to change that. The last time I spoke with Cappy, he told me how Rumton’s economy had all but dried up. As mayor, he was quite concerned. That was just before he died. And now, since I’ve decided to get out of the city, I got to thinking, why not move to Rumton and help turn things around?”

  “What city would that be?” Pop asked. “The one you got out of.”

  Lester waved a hand. “Oh, I have business ventures in different cities. But I’ve been spending most of my time lately in Raleigh-Durham. The Research Triangle. In fact, I planned to set up my think tank there, but it’s too noisy. My team needs solitude.”

  “I might want to buy me one of them town homes, too,” Riley said.

  Lester laughed, and his too-big teeth looked even bigger. “I’d better start a waiting list.”

  “We’re right grateful you’re here to revitalize the town,” Gertrude said. “Jaxie wasn’t making much progress, bless her heart. Were you, Sugar?”

  “Well, actually,” I said, my cheeks burning from the criticism, “these things take some time. We’ve already done grant research. An environmental survey and feasibility study is underway. There is a lot going on.”

  “Well nothing gets results like money on the table, does it sweetheart?” Lester said. I wanted to tell him not to call me ‘sweetheart,’ but he kept talking. “After all, I’ve worked hard and invested well. The stock market has been good to me. So why not put some of that money to good use, in Cappy’s memory?”

  Defensive, I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms. “Out of the blue, you want to buy up Rumton?”

  He chuckled. “Oh, I’m not buying anything up, Miss Parker. Just purchasing a few parcels of land. And it’s not out of the blue. I’ve needed a change of pace for some time now. Cappy’s death reminded me that sometimes you have to just go for it…; or you might not get around to it. And, really, Rumton is the perfect setting for my think tank. I’ll employ fifteen to twenty programmers, and with the results I expect, my team will certainly generate good exposure for the area. But of course, I want to make things better. Not change everything. Rumton’s gentle pace and charm is what makes it so great.”

  He showed the smile again, with just the right amount of modesty on his face. I repressed a scream. Why were these people so gullible? The man just happens to show up, and wants to buy a bunch of land? And both of his supposed ties to Rumton – Cappy and Cappy’s son, Jonathan – were conveniently dead?

  I uncrossed my arms and forced a smile. “It all sounds interesting, but I’d say everyone should carefully think things through. Do you all really want to sell your land?”

  “Yer the one who started this whole revitalization push,” Riley pointed out. “And now that something’s happenin’, you go and get skittish.”

  “Yup,” a man said. I think he was a council member. “We didn’t even know we needed revitalizing until you came ‘round and told us.”

  A murmur of voices hit my ears as people agreed with the councilman. Pop leaned forward to speak, and the restaurant quieted in an instant. “Jaxie might be young, but she knows her business. She works for a top firm in Atlanta, and I think she makes a good point. You all should think about things, before you make a quick decision.” He leaned back in his chair. “No need to be hasty.”

  The murmur rose up again. Lester did a palms-down motion to quiet the restaurant. “I’m sure Miss Parker has everyone’s best interest in mind. And she’s right. It is important to think very carefully about financial decisions before you commit to something. If I hadn’t made wise decisions in the past, I’d be broke right now, instead of a multi-millionaire.”

  Silence ensued while everyone pondered Lester’s net worth.

  Billy cleared his throat. “I’ve already thought long and hard about what you want to do for Rumton, and I’m signing my option papers right now. Signing ‘em right now.”

  “Option papers?” I said.

  “Lester is buying options,” Riley said. “You get upfront money, that’s yers to keep. Whether or not he actually buys yer land. An’ if Lester does buy it, the price is already set. The selling price on my option is more’n fair. How kin anybody go wrong?”

  Lester had already bought options? Hadn’t he just gotten to town?

  “Why, heck, Lester,” Riley continued. “With your grand ideas, you ought to run for mayor when my term is up. I ain’t gonna run for a second term.”

  Lester modestly nodded his head in thought, as if he would entertain the idea of getting in on the upcoming mayoral race. Shaking his head, Pop dropped a few bills on the table for our drinks. We excused ourselves and left without eating.

  “Think you can whip up a few of your famous deli sandwiches?” He said, when we were walking home.

  “Of course.”

  “With your signature slice of pickle?”

  “Sure.”

  “Good. I’m still hungry.”

  We walked some more, quietly, mulling over what just transpired at the Chat ‘N Chew. We both frowned.

  “I suppose he mailed the option to buy contracts out to landowners,” I mused. “Did you ever get an offer to buy your land, Pop?”

  He shook his head. “If I ‘ad, it would’ve gone straight to the trash. I’ll ne’er sell.”

  “What’s your take on Lester?”

  “I have the feeling that everybody is being snowed.”

  “Me, too. A stranger shows up out of the blue, to save the town?”

  Pop shrugged. “Sort of what you did, Lass.”

  “Oh, c’mon. That was different. My intentions were pure.”

  His left eyebrow shot up and arched wide over the green eye.

  “Okay, I didn’t want to be here. So my intentions were forced. But they were still pure.”

>   The eyebrow went down.

  “Anyway, this guy gives me the creeps,” I said.

  “Let’s get some food in our bellies before we talk ‘bout it,” Pop said. “I can’t think on an empty stomach.”

  * * *

  “Not only did this guy appear out of nowhere with plans to buy land and build condos,” I explained to Avery, “but now Riley is telling everybody that, when his term is up, they should elect Lester mayor!”

  Avery shared a bite of his sandwich with Bandit. “And this guy Lester says he was best friends with Jonathan?”

  “Yeah,” I said, munching a pickle. “Lester Smoak. He said they were like his family.”

  “Then how come I never heard of him?” Avery said. “He’d be about the same age as me and Justin. We spent a lot of time here as kids. And played with Jonathan.”

  Pop saluted my cooking effort by holding up the last bite of his sandwich before popping it into his mouth. “Lester says he was Jonathan’s first sergeant in the military. They didn’t know each other as kids.”

  “But people remember Jonathan talking about Lester when he came home on leave?” Avery asked.

  Pop shrugged. “Jonathan used to talk ‘bout lots of people he met in the military.”

  “But when did Lester have time to buy options?” I said. “You have to do research to find out who owns what and determine fair market value of the properties. So he planned this a while ago. He hooked everyone and reeled them in.”

  “Why?” Avery said. “What are his motives?”

  We finished our sandwiches and tried to guess all the reasons why a wealthy man might want to get his hands on a small, economically depressed town. After we’d brainstormed and eaten peanut butter cookies for dessert, we were no closer to having a hypothesis. As an investor, he’d face all the same roadblocks that the town had faced for years. A weak infrastructure. Lack of young people, a labor pool, and amenities. Plus the fact that it was sandwiched by inaccessible water. What did he know that we didn’t?

  “Back to square one,” I muttered. “But here’s another question. Why would Riley suggest that Lester run for mayor, unless the two of them had already discussed it? And if that’s true, why on earth would Lester want to be the mayor of Rumton?”