Chapter 55

“You’ll have a cleanup crew in the morning,” David said.

Mr McGaha suggested I have a ‘look see’ at the pile.

Cat came in and went to work.

Now ... I have to admit ... there exists a regular highway from the ‘door’ to the stairs ... and I do admit that ‘things’ have been known to spring unassisted from the ceiling tall pile to the middle of said highway.

Sorta like the ‘fallen rock’ signs along some southern Appalachian mountain roads ... sometimes ‘fallen rock’ means ‘falling rock’ so keep moving.

Perhaps it would behove me to explain about the basement. the 2400 square foot area makes no mention of the Cubic feet of airspace.

Gustafson was a little generous with the shovel when it came to foundation work. Once it’s a hole it’a a hole. The basement ceiling is 14 feet away from the concrete floor.

And ... since everyone knows cubic feet is LxWxH (Length times Width times Height) I have rented Sixteen thousand Eight hundred cubic feet of space.

One can cram a whole hell of a lot of stuff in 16,800 cuft. Especially if ‘it didn’t sell this year but it might next.’

Over the years, assorted budding Entrepreneurs have vacationed in Pentwater and THEY have decided that the bustling tourist trap is the next money maker ... and there is this vacant five story building that is the KEY to financial success.

First: A US Highway ... US31 runs past the front door.

Second: The road to the Beach is at the building.

Third: All these people. Millionaires wives live here.

In The Summer.

In the winter, the town is 900 die-hard stubborn people too hard headed to move.

Pentwater is the bane of entrepreneurship.

I wonder how long before I’m a pauper?

All those ‘Next Year’ things were in my way.

Cat was destroying the rodent population. I was sitting in the rubble bemoaning my fate.

My first employee appeared out of nowhere. His wife did.

She spoke, I understood. “Señorita, You have a terrible job ahead. My husband needs work...”

That’s as far as she got. I stood, hugged her and said, “Please...”

A normal person would start at the door ... nope ... Edgar started at the top of the stairs.

“Your workers will need a place to stay.”

I took the hint and myself to Jim McGaha.

“How much for the rest of the building?”

“You rented the whole damn thing,” said he ... and, “Deal, Frank and no bottom dealing!”

“Have at it,” I said to Maria and rolled up my sleeves.

She was shocked when I pitched in.

“Señorita, never say you’ll work in here.”

At o’dark thirty, I hollered, “Let’s go home, tomorrow we’ll have a crew.”

Outside, on the concrete apron, was a decrepit old SUV parked in the shade. Edgar and Maria headed for it. So I got in too. They were s trifle surprised when Cat loaded up.

“Drive,” I said.

“Left ... one block ... right ... one block ... left ... driveway left. Pull in ... Shut it off,” I said. “Get out. Come on.”

I unlocked and shoved them inside. I reset the security system and followed.

“Shower,” I pointed, “ ... hall ... third door right. Go.”

When I heard giggling and running water, I went out the back door ... Just in time to catch the neighbor kids crossing my yard. They had been at the beach.

“Hey!”

“What?”

“You’re trespassing ... go around.”

“Why?”

“Your parents cussed me out for crossing your yard ... go around.” I stood and watched.

“But ... we’ve always gone this way.”

“How did you get here?”

“Off the pier.”

“That grass is mine too. I own right up to Bridge Street. Go back and go around.”

They didn’t like it very much ... but they did it. And pretty soon came a knock at my door ... a police type knock BANGBANGBANG “Open up, bitch. I know you’re in there.”

I opened up ... with my Model 19.357 Magnum behind my back.

“Who da fuck do you think you are! My kids have been walking home that way since they could go to the beach ... and they ain’t gonna stop, “ And he pushed me.

I shot him. Maybe I should say ... on the way down, I shot him.

BLAM

Lights came on all over my neighborhood.

Since I was falling I didn’t hit where I was planing. No ... I gut shot him. I was planing on a headshot ... but I fell.

A .22 makes a hell of a racket shot inside a hall ... a three fifty seven magnum is a real treat ... I couldn’t hear for a week. But I was good enough to switch out the recording DVD for last weeks DVD. And then the cop came.