Chapter 2: Setting The Bait

When I got home I knew I would have to work fast to make this all happen. The first thing was to contact a realtor in ******ville. I was already forming a mental checklist of requirements, foremost of which was remote. Second was cable lines. Those two things never seem to work well together. And as I waited for a return call, I began searching house listings in the area.

I was in luck when I did receive a call, I had found four listings that I thought stood a chance. When I explained what I wanted, and that I wanted it to happen fast, I could almost here the dollar sign ring up in their eyes. Seriously, the guy I was talking to just sounded slimy. But maybe it was just me. Time would tell. Unfortunately, one of the four houses was already in closing, but I arranged to drive down and view the other three houses on Monday.

So it looked like fate was shining kindly on me this day. Seriously, I should grab a lottery ticket. Then again, I really didn’t need it and I saw no reason to test the fates.

Early the next morning I made a point of heading into town to go past the bank. Parking in the bank’s back lot, I walked the street pretending to be window shopping, but was in reality rewarded to see my target moved to an alleyway four blocks down from the bank. I stepped up to an outdoor cafe across the street and ordered a coffee. Meanwhile I pulled out my laptop and opened the first document I had printed out. And mused over how inspiration had hit me so easily, and if such an extravagant plan could work. The letter stated just a few simple things.

She and her children would receive $20 every week for a temporary amount of time

During this time she and her children were to move down the street next to the abandoned complex as to make others a little less uncomfortable

She was to use this temporary patronage to feed herself and her children and to be frugal with the money

She was to attempt to find a job to get back off the street

Should the benefactor wish to make themselves known, she should demand proof of their credibility

I, the anonymous donor, would be making occasional checks on them to see that instructions were being followed, and that the stipend would be terminated otherwise

As I mused, I also watched their routines to get a feel for them. Still fairly early, I was pleased to see the mother and daughter awake, and the son offered little argument when mom woke him as well. I was further impressed to see that Mom handed Daughter and Son two slices of bread each out of a plain canvas bag I had not seen before. Although it’s possible Son was carrying it yesterday. (Mental Note I really need to find out their names) Mom then took out a single slice for herself before storing the bread back in the bag.

Good, so they know how to be frugal, let alone the meaning of the word itself. That’s two check marks down, I needed them to not be so spoiled that they couldn’t scrape the minimum, and I needed them to have at least a rudimentary intelligence, no point targeting a bunch of unstimulating airheads.

Finally, I was elated to see Son look painfully down at his second slice of bread and then at Mom’s one. He ripped it in two and held half out to Mom and better yet, the other half was held out to Sister! Both patently refused, and a small, I wouldn’t call it an argument, but maybe a heated debate broke out, mostly with Son pointing at Mom and the bag. Mom’s shoulders slumped as she took out another slice of bread and started chewing on it. Only then did Son start eating his second slice. Still he actually took one of the halves ripped it again into quarters and dropped a piece on sister’s lap before finishing the rest.