With Baited Breath (9 page)

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It seemed like Tori wasn’t the only one who had ideas about reopening the Lotus Lodge. When she and Kathy started going through the contents of the packed guest room, they found a gross each of white towels in two sizes, matching washcloths, sixteen new bedspreads, and an assortment of Egyptian cotton linens. Most had been purchased on eBay. The fact that her grandparents had never even owned a computer made it a bit of a mystery until Tori grilled Herb.

“Your grandma’s friend, Irene, has a computer. That damn woman thought it was a mistake for us to close the Lodge and she never let us forget it. Sure, but it wasn’t
her
who was going to do all the work.”

“What would it take for you to reopen?” Kathy asked.

“Hell freezing over,” Herb said and laughed.

Tori didn’t join in. But after seeing what her grandmother had accumulated—and it was all quality goods—she had a better understanding of what Kathy must have been feeling about that wreck of a house across the road.

Tori got little sleep that night, and it wasn’t just the uncomfortable bed. Could she really reopen the Lodge and make a go of it?

Once she decided to broach the subject with her grandfather, she fell into a deep sleep. Still, she was up in time to catch Herb making breakfast for himself.

“Want some scrambled eggs?” he asked, whisking a couple he’d already cracked into a bowl. “They’re my specialty.”

“No, thanks, Gramps. I’ll just pour myself a cup of coffee once it finishes brewing.”

“Pour me one, too, will you?”

Tori set out mugs, got out the milk, and poured the coffee. She sat down at the table and waited until the toast popped up and Herb joined her before she spoke. “Gramps,” she began.

Herb shoveled a forkful of eggs into his mouth. “Hmm?” he grunted.

“I was thinking.…”

Herb swallowed and took a sip of his coffee. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking these past few days, too. Maybe your Aunt Janet and Uncle Dave are right. Maybe it is time for me to sell the business.”

“What?” Tori asked, horrified.

“I can’t believe what a difference sprucing up the shop and the yard has done for business. I’ve had more customers in the last two days than I’ve had all month.”

“Doesn’t that prove that the business can turn around?” Tori asked.

“It sure does. I know it won’t sell right away—maybe it’ll take a year to find a buyer—but now’s the time for me to start thinking about what I want to do for the rest of my life, and it sure as hell ain’t selling bait.”

Tori’s cheeks felt hot, and she fought the urge to cry.

“Don’t worry, girl, you can stay here until I sell the place. I’d be glad of your company until you get back on your feet.”

“Thanks, Gramps,” Tori found herself saying.

“And don’t think I haven’t noticed how hard you and your friend, Kathy, have been working on clearing out the house. It’s beginning to feel more like a home than a warehouse. I never understood why your grandma needed to have so much junk piled around her.”

Tori stared at the Lotus Lodge mug in her hand.

“That Dumpster is already half full. By the time you clear out the Lodge it’ll
be
full, eh?” Herb asked.

“Yeah,” Tori said quietly.

Herb finished his eggs and sipped his coffee before speaking once more. “Your friend did a nice job repainting the sign for the Lodge, but I wish she hadn’t.”

Tori said nothing.

“I asked her if she’d do the sign over the shop before she goes. That ought to bring in even more customers, eh?”

“Yeah.”

He frowned. “Is that all you can say, girl?”

Tori shrugged.

Daisy wandered into the kitchen. She stopped in front of Tori, then jumped onto her lap. She stood there, rubbed her head against Tori’s chin and purred loudly. Tori wrapped her arms around the cat and kissed the top of her head, grateful for her company at a moment when she felt bereft.

Herb got up and took his dishes to the sink. He didn’t rinse them or put them in the dishwasher. “Are you going to put stuff outside the shop for sale today?”

“I can,” Tori said. She set Daisy down on the floor and got up to take care of the dishes.

Her grandpa nodded and headed for the door. “I’ll be in the shop.”

The door closed behind him as silent tears flowed from Tori’s eyes. It had been a stupid idea to even consider reopening the Lodge. If Herb left Lotus Bay, there’d be nothing left for her to do but try to find another full-time teaching job. She might have to find a roommate—not what she wanted at this stage of life but, with her finances in shambles, she wouldn’t have much choice.

Tori wiped her eyes and closed the dishwasher, wondering what she should do first. She needed to wait for Kathy to show up before she could assemble the tent. One problem was a lack of stickers for marking prices on the items, and she wished she’d brought her printer with her two days before. Still, she could group items of like value on separate tables and just put a sign up with the price—if she could find some paper. She might have to take a trip into town.

Odds were she’d make enough money from the sale to pay for the Dumpster, which was rented by the week, and nothing more. She’d need to clear out the Lotus Lodge during the next five days, and without help, too.

Tori had been looking forward to finding more treasures among her grandmother’s trash, but now the idea of all that work for no gain made her feel depressed. It looked like all too soon she’d be alone and destitute.

Her heart ached with sorrow—mostly for herself—and she wished for just one more loving hug from her grandmother, who’d always had the power to make her feel safe and secure. Worse was the knowledge it would never happen again.

CHAPTER 8

Kathy had been awake long before sunup but didn’t want to disturb Tori if she was sleeping in. She’d packed her bags in anticipation of leaving by noon, but by seven, she couldn’t stand another minute of the bad reception on the little TV in her tiny rental room and sent Tori a text.

I’ve been up for hours
, was the reply.
Coffee’s hot. Come on over.

Kathy locked up and was knocking on the door to the small house across the way, just a minute later. As soon as she saw her friend, she knew something was wrong. “Spill it,” she said as Tori handed her a mug.

“Gramps is so happy with the work we’ve done and that we’ve added so much value to the property that he’s going to put it up for sale!”

“Oh, no!”

“Oh, yes,” Tori said, close to tears.

“Now don’t panic. Do you think there’s a chance you could talk him out of it?”

“Probably not. He figures he’s got a few good years left and doesn’t want to spend them tied to a dying business. And at his age, who could blame him?”

“What if you could manage it? It would be income for him,” Kathy suggested.

“I’m not sure I could support both of us on it—especially during the winter, even if I do manage to get hired for substitute teaching.”

“Oh, Tor, I’m so sorry.” Kathy set her mug on the counter and gave her friend a hug. She pulled back. “But you’re not done yet.”

“How can you say that?”

“Because I’m sure that not only can you turn this place around, but you can make it profitable.
We
will figure out a way. But first, we’ve got to finish our curb appeal project. As soon as I finish this coffee, I’m going out there. I will paint the sign over the shop while you set up for your yard sale. You guys need money coming in.”

“That’s for sure.”

“And I’ll see what I can do to make your Gramps see things a different way.”

“But don’t you have to go see the house across the way this morning?”

“Yes, but not until eleven. Anissa is going to join me there, then I’ll have to hop in my car and head for home. I have things I need to do before I go into work. I’ll be cutting it pretty close as it is.”

Tori nodded. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all that you’ve done for us.”

“You can thank me after we figure out how to keep the Cannon compound in the family’s hands—and not be put on sale to the public.”

Kathy picked up her mug and chugged the contents, then set it back on the counter. “I’m outta here.” She retrieved the paint brushes still wrapped in plastic from the fridge, and headed outside.

The sky to the south was pale blue and cloudless as she walked from the house to the bait shop. The paint cans were where they’d left them the night before. The door to the bait shop was open, and Herb sat on a stool behind the counter, tying flies. “Hey, Mr. Cannon,” she called brightly.

“Hi, Kathy. Come to paint the sign?”

“Yes. I thought I might add a hook on the upper right corner. Would that be all right?”

“Honey, whatever you do to spruce up that sign is fine with me.”

Tori showed up carrying a stepladder. “Thought you might need this.”

“Thanks.” Kathy opened the ladder and the paint cans, setting them on the shelf before she climbed. She was already at work painting the white background when a tubby middle-aged man in jeans and a faded Buffalo Bills sweatshirt came up from the dock. He said nothing to her, and entered the shop.

“Hey, Herb, how’s it going?”

“Pretty good.”

“I’ll say. The shop looks great. I see you’ve got a couple of pretty girls working their tails off for you.”

“Watch what you say,” Herb warned. “One of them’s my granddaughter. What can I do for you, Larry?”

“Glad to see you’re fixing up the place. When’re the lights on the dock gonna be turned on again?”

“Any day now. I just need a few more customers like you to actually drop some cash so I can pay the electrician.”

“I’m done fishing for the day, but I’ll buy a bag of chips off of you.” Kathy bent down to see the guy grab a package of barbeque potato chips. Herb rang up the sale, and Kathy went back to work, idly listening to their conversation.

“Any word on who killed Jackson?” Larry asked.

“Nope. You got any ideas?”

“Me?”

“You brought it up,” Herb pointed out.

“Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do.”

Kathy’s ears pricked up.

“Who?”

“Don Newton.”

Herb laughed. “Why Don?”

“He’s your competition, isn’t he? Wouldn’t he like to see you go out of business and have it all for himself?”

“He’s been watching my business die a slow death for years,” Herb said acidly.

“Yeah, but now you’re sprucing the place up.”

“That started
after
Jackson was dead,” Herb pointed out.

“Oh.”

“Got any other bright ideas?”

“What about Biggie Taylor? Everybody knows he and Jackson didn’t get along.”

“Biggie don’t get along with anyone,” Herb said.

“I heard ’em going at it last week out on the bridge. Jackson accused Biggie of stealing his bait.”

“He probably did. But how would that get Jackson killed?”

Larry said nothing.

Kathy wondered if she should wait half an hour before she started working on the sign’s red lettering. Maybe they should have bought some blue paint instead; or maybe that wouldn’t stand out against the shop’s new coat of turquoise.

“Have you shared what you saw with the cops?” Herb asked.

“Hell, no. I don’t want to get involved.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t talk about it at all,” Herb advised.

Kathy winced. Mr. Cannon didn’t seem have a clue about giving good customer service. Tori had said Mrs. Cannon had been the force behind the business. Could it have been Herb who’d run it into the ground?

Larry said nothing more. He nearly ran into the ladder as he exited the shop and then marched toward the few cars parked in the lot. He was one unhappy customer. Kathy made a mental note to speak to Tori about that.

Tori approached, laden with a large cardboard box. “The first of many,” she said wearily. “Can you give me a hand to set up the tent?”

“Of course.” Kathy stepped down from the ladder.

Herb poked his head around the door. “Tori, I’m heading into Worton to get some groceries. Can you watch the shop for a while?”

“Sure, Gramps.”

“Good girl,” he said and headed for his truck.

“Good girl?” Kathy asked.

“Yeah. I’m afraid Gramps still thinks of me as a ten year old.”

They watched the truck pull out onto the highway. “What do you think he’ll buy?” Kathy asked.

“Eggs, bread, and junk food. When I get a chance, I’ll go into town and get some decent food.”

Kathy retrieved the canopy and its poles and they began to set it up. During the exercise, she told Tori about Herb’s conversation with Larry.

“Oh, dear,” Tori said.

“Of course, maybe he had some beef against the guy. Maybe he doesn’t treat all his customers that way.”

“Maybe,” Tori said half-heartedly. “But why would Gramps want to discourage a potential witness to keep quiet?”

“I guess I hadn’t thought about it. I’m more focused on how to improve the shop’s bottom line. Do you know Biggie Taylor?”

Tori shook her head. “People come and go around here. You might have a great customer who visits every week all season, and then never see them again. Sounds like this guy is well known, so I could probably find out something about him.”

“Do you think we should mention it to Anissa?”

Tori shrugged. “Maybe.”

Kathy unfolded the canvas cover and it took them several minutes to attach it to the frame. Next, they entered the web-filled boathouse, where Herb had said they would find a folding table. It weighed a ton, and they struggled to haul it over to the bait shop. It was filthy, and Tori hosed it down before they set it up under the canopy.

“It should dry off fast in this stiff breeze,” Kathy said. “I’ll bet the sign I was working on is ready for the next paint color. I’d better get to it.”

Tori nodded, and then set off for the house, no doubt to get more boxes of yard-sale treasures.

Kathy opened the can of black paint and began working on the drop shadow around the red lettering. After that, she added the hook in the corner that she’d mentioned to Herb. By the time she finished with that, Tori had covered the folding table with a white sheet and had distributed the contents of the boxes of junk from the house.

“The cable company won’t come out until Monday to hook us up to the Internet. Do you think Noreen over at the bar would let me log on?” Tori asked Kathy. “I want to list our sale on Craigslist.”

“Buy a drink—or a burger—and I’m sure she’d have no problem.”

“Meanwhile, I’d better make some signs to put up along the road using some of the cardboard cartons we collapsed in the Lotus Lodge.”

“Good idea.” Kathy looked at her watch. The morning had flown by. “I’d better get cleaned up, check out of my room, and pack my car. Jerry from Lotus Realty will be by in less than half an hour.”

“I’m surprised Gramps hasn’t returned. Sorry, but I can’t go over with you until he comes back.”

“Don’t worry about it. Do what you have to do here, that’s your first priority. I’ll either call or text you later to let you know how things went.”

“Okay,” Tori said. Together, they stood back to take in the sign Kathy had finished repainting. “It looks fabulous,” Tori said.

Kathy grinned. “Not bad. Now to hope the customers come streaming in.”

“I’ll let you know—whether they do or not.”

A car pulled into the parking lot. They watched as a middle-aged man and a woman got out of the car and then unloaded tackle boxes, fishing rods, and a small cooler from the trunk. They were smiling as they approached the bait shop.

“Hi. Welcome to Cannon’s,” Tori called.

“Can we get some night crawlers?” the man asked.

“Sure thing. Come into the shop.”

“Oh, Terry, you go ahead. I want to look at all the great stuff here on this table,” the woman said.

Kathy set the cans of paint under the table, noting that the woman was already setting aside some mismatched plates and glasses. At this rate, Tori might have to restock her table a couple of times during the day.

“Do I pay you?” she asked.

“Tori, in the shop, can help you. I’m just here to do some painting.”

The woman nodded.

Kathy headed back to the bar and her tiny room. Once packed, she paid the bill and moved her car to the messy yard next door and waited for Jerry and Anissa to arrive. She got out and stared at the sad state of what once must have been a lovely home. “If it’s at all feasible, I’m going to bring you back to life,” she promised.

Anissa was the first to arrive. She parked her truck next to Kathy’s car and got out. “Good morning.”

“I hope it continues to be good, but that all depends on what we find in the basement.”

“What’s your budget?”

“I’m not sure what my inheritance will be.” She told Anissa what her brother received.

“Wow. Well, you could bank half of it and then borrow against it.”

“The way interest rates are these days, I’m not sure it’s worth it.”

Anissa shrugged.

Jerry arrived and parked next to the truck. He cut the engine and got out. His smile seemed forced. “Good morning.”

“Hi,” Kathy said. Anissa merely nodded. “Thanks for coming back today. I’m sorry about what happened yester—”

But Jerry held up a hand to save off her apology. “Let’s get to it.”

They followed him up the stairs to the house and waited while he retrieved the key from the lock box. He ushered them in. “I have another appointment in half an hour, so I’d appreciate it if you could hurry your inspection.”

“Of course,” Kathy said.

Anissa had thoughtfully brought a powerful flashlight, and Kathy showed her to the door to the basement. Anissa went first, lighting the way. “That was kinda rude of that guy to ask you to hurry up,” she groused.

“He probably thinks showing the house is a waste of time.”

Reaching the bottom of the steps, they paused. A couple of small windows had been set into the foundation at some point in time, but the light they let in was mostly blocked by the tall grass and weeds around the outside of the house. Anissa ran the light around the rubble foundation. “Looks in pretty good shape.”

Kathy was surprised to find that, unlike the upstairs, the basement hadn’t been used as another dumping ground by the former tenants. It was a surprise to find that the ceiling height was almost eight feet, which was unusual for a house of this age. A rusty washer and dryer sat defiantly against the back wall next to a long, bulky sink.