Chapter 6

It was March 7 and I was on the ground at Orrin's road construction. Things were running smoothly. The state inspector had approved the progress at the site and the check was in the mail. Pat and Steve had whipped the crew into line and everyone was happy. Bob said to discontinue working overtime as we were getting one storm right after another and we spent as much time clearing snow as we did on construction. Everyone was ready and anxious to hit it again as soon as the weather broke.

I was now familiar with everyone on the crew and knew most of their names. Pete was clearing off a parked truck and as I walked by he spoke, "Rich got a minute?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"You know before you guys took over, it was rumored that Sissy Chamberlin cleaned the old man out and Randal went with her. I talked to Randal last night. He is in room seven at the Nightlite Motel just across the river from here. He wants to come back to work. He asked me to speak to someone that wouldn't sic the cops on him. He said he was trying to make something right, but didn't give me any details."

"I'll go see what he has to say. Thanks." I went directly to my van and drove the five miles to the motel. I knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

"I'm from O'Donnell Construction. Pete said you wanted to talk."

The door opened as far as the chain would allow. "Who are you?"

"My name is Rich Rumford. I'm Bob Bastion's son-in-law. We took over Orrin's contract when he was going belly up."

"Oh Jesus, you mean he lost the business?"

"Not entirely. He sold most of it to Bob Bastion. He is out of it though. He stays home and looks after his wife."

"Well, come in. I've got a story to tell. I've got most of Orrin's money with me." He let the chain off the door and pointed to the one chair in the small room for me to sit. He sat on the bed. He was nervous and was rubbing his hands together. He started, "Pete picked you out to talk to me. How come?"

"I'm Bob Bastion's son-in-law. He depends on me to help coordinate equipment and put workers to the most efficient use. The men working here like me."

"Who has my job?

"Pat Brennen is supervisor for both Orrin's contract and our own. Steve Bastion is foreman."

"I know Steve." He paused and then asked, "Are the police looking for me?"

"I have no idea. Orrin has never said whether he even reported the embezzlement. I do know he was shocked when he discovered the missing funds. How come you took them anyway?"

"I guess it is because I was weak. Look at me. I'm fifty-two years old and homely as the devil. I've never married because no woman would have me. I was around the office, of course, because my job took me there. Sissy began flirting with me. She started talking about taking a vacation with me. Then she said we should dream a little and what it would be like to live in Mexico for the rest of our lives. I didn't really believe her, but it was a nice dream.

"We were drinking one night and she said let's go right now. Hey, no woman had ever offered herself to me like that. I went to my bank the next morning and drained my ready money. I took quite a bit. I met Sissy at noon and we were on our way. We went to Branson, Missouri and I was having a great time. At the end of the week I said it was time to head back.

"Sissy said she didn't think that was a good idea as the police were looking for us for embezzlement. She said it was time to head for Mexico. I was shocked and accused her of stealing. I was shown where she had put my name on the transfer of funds along with her own name. The account was in Branson. We argued for three days before leaving. I finally agreed.

"She made one mistake and put my name on the fund transfer, but didn't remove it from the account in the bank where she opened the new one. I limited my drinking the night before we were to leave. She didn't, and got drunk. In the morning I went down to the bank and was waiting when it opened. I removed Sissy's name from the account."

Petrie stopped speaking, not looking at me, just staring at the floor. "So what happened?"

"Sissy excused herself after breakfast. She was going to do the same thing that I had already done at the bank. It wasn't twenty-five minutes after I got back to our room when she came into our room screaming. Then she tried tears and then she got naked and tried that. I almost gave in, but I told her we were just two crooks now who didn't trust each other.

"Finally we sat down and talked. I had eighteen thousand dollars left of the nearly twenty-five thousand I had taken with me. It was all in traveler's checks. I signed them and left them sitting on the nightstand. I packed my case and walked out leaving her totaling up the checks. Let me tell you, I probably paid more to sleep with a woman than anyone ever did."

"Don't beat yourself up over it. Where have you been the last two-three months?"

"I got me a job grooming a golf course until I earned enough money to get back here. I don't want to go to jail, but I will if I must. I really screwed up Orrin's life didn't I?"

"It looks that way. Where is the money now?"

"I have the account number with me and I have the tracking number of the bank in Branson. I want to give it back to Orrin. Would you or Bastion talk to him? He may not want to talk to me and I wouldn't blame him but I do need to apologize."

"I can do that. Is the phone working here in the room?"

"No, it was an added cost. I'm here with limited funds."

"I'll call headquarters on the radio from the van and have Bob get in touch with Orrin. It is lunch time. We'll go eat. Bob will tell us where we are to meet. It probably will be at Orrin's headquarters."

"Maybe it would be better if you talked to Orrin before I met him. You can repeat what I told you. I'd feel better if he knew what happened."

"Okay, I'll call Bob on the radio and when I get to a phone, I'll tell Orrin."

"Thanks."

"Hi Bob, something has come up. I have Randal Petrie here with me. He wants to return the money that was missing from Orrin's business. He wants me to tell Orrin his story before he meets him. Can you arrange it? He came back by bus. I'm driving him as he doesn't have a vehicle."

"Wow, I didn't expect this. I thought he would be in Mexico or Canada by this time."

"That was the bookkeeper's plan. What a person will or won't do for a piece of ass. I think this Sissy was going to tag Ronald with the theft and I think he was taken for a ride. Then he had a bit of remorse and took steps to get out of the situation."

"I'll get in touch with Orrin and see what he says. I'll call you back."

We sat in the van after getting some sandwiches and coffee from a fast food place. Randal gobbled up his food. I guessed he had been missing a few meals. Ten minutes later Bob called me back. "Take him up to Orrin's office. No excuses, Orrin will be waiting. You stay with them. I want to know what is happening. I'll be there in an hour."

I explained to Ronald and he just nodded he understood. I was glad I wasn't in his shoes. What a thing to have to do, facing your employer after stealing from him. Orrin shook Randal's hand when we came in. There was a bookkeeper or office girl at one of the desks. She was one Bob had supplied. "Cindy, hold all calls. When Bob gets here, have him come right into my office." She barely looked up.

Orrin's office had several chairs scattered around. I took one in the corner. Orrin looked at Randal. "Randy, tell me all about it. I'm damned disappointed in you. You knew Mary was sick and I had to take care of her."

Randy interrupted, "How is she?"

"She's better than she has been for two years. You know I had to sell most of the business don't you?"

"Pete said Bastion was running it now. I'm sorry."

"You should be, I was depending on you and you let me down. Was Sissy that good?"

"Orrin, I thought so at the time. I've already told Rich here what I did and I'll tell you the same. I was so gullible. I never had a woman that treated me as nice as she did and I was blind to what her plans were. I do have the money she took where it can be transferred back here."

"Give me details." Randy was just finishing up his story when Bob arrived. He had Sam with him.

Randy got right to it. "Who gets the money?"

Orrin answered, "It goes back into the same account it came from." Bob objected and argued with Orrin.

Sam spoke up. "It's getting late to have it banked. You can settle it later. Somebody start making calls." Sam had been through this transfer of funds all his life. He led Randal and Bob through it. Randal had been coached by the bank in Branson how to proceed and had a pin number to use. Before the banks closed the money had been transferred. When Sam received the confirmation, he declared. "Well that's making the company prospects look pretty good."

I picked up on that. "True, but what do we do about Randal now? Oh, I know he ran out on Orrin and left him in an intolerable position and sank his company, but the dynamics have changed for Orrin. As far as I am aware, no one except the principals in this knows about the money that disappeared for awhile. Randal told me it cost him $18,000 to get rid of the bitch that stole it. Just something to think about."

Randal spoke up. "I just want a job. I want a machine to operate. I never should have taken the foreman's slot. I don't know as I want to work with the crew I was in charge of either. Orrin, can you write me up a good letter of recommendation? You know I'm a good shovel operator."

Bob spoke up, "No need, I'll put you on a shovel on the first of April. Before then I can use a laborer if you want to do that, or you can wait three weeks."

Randal grinned at Bob. "Probably that would be a shovel too, wouldn't it?"

"Could be."

"I'll take it."

"Where are you bunking?"

"Sam is it? I've got to find a room."

"I've got an extra room until you get on your feet. Rich stayed with me until he married the daughter of his boss. Do you cook?"

"I do."

"Randy, you've got a bunk then." Sam turned to me. "I guess we are done. Rich you might as well take me and Randy back to my office. I imagine Orrin and Bob want to discuss this money that has been returned." We went by the motel and picked up Randy's's bag and he checked out.

While he was doing that I questioned Sam, "So who does the money belong to, the company or Orrin?"

"When Bob bought out Orrin, he purchased the receivables as well as the debts so technically he does. I doubt he looks at it that way. The simple solution would be to split it. Orrin is happy with the deal he made and he has enough money to continue living the way he always has. He looks back on his life with his reputation intact and successful. That is because of Bob coming in when he did. I think he will reject this found money even though he could claim it."

Randal showed up and shoved his bag into the van. His only comment was, "I'm getting treated better than I ever expected to. I'm never going to look at another woman the rest of my life."

"Randy, just because you hooked up with a bad one, believe me they all aren't like that."

"You married, Sam?"

"Was and going to be again if I have my way. Working on it anyway." I didn't say anything, but this was news to me. I did like Bobbi Jo and I knew Sam was dating her frequently. She was many cuts above Louise, that was for sure.

Helen was getting bigger and she joked about it. She always was lean and hard before the pregnancy. Her body didn't change that much except for the baby bump. She was just a little broader in the butt, just enough to kid about. She was fairly young at twenty-seven, had two children, and there was no trouble anticipated. She was happy and sang songs as she did her housework. Scotty and Brad loved having her home and often would give her a hug telling how much they missed her after their father died.

John, their father, was very seldom mentioned. I guess I had replaced him in their hearts. I know I loved both boys. Brad came to us one evening after Scotty had gone upstairs. "Mom and Dad, can I have anything I want for my seventh birthday?"

I answered, "Of course you can within reason. What would you like?"

"Dad, I want to get my name changed to yours. There are a whole bunch of kids named Clark in school. I want to be different. I want to be a Rumford and I'll be the only one."

"What about Scotty? Does he want his name changed too?"

"No, he wants to still be a Clark."

I looked at Helen. She was smiling. "Of course you can take the name. It will take some time to make it official, but as of right now, your name is Bradley Rumford. Why don't you run down and tell Grammy what your new name is?"

Bradley stood there a minute looking concerned and then he asked, "Am I still going to get some other presents on my birthday too?"

I answered, "Many more and you can count on it." Bradley took off running, slamming the door behind him. I was holding Helen and tears were running down my face. She was happy and she certainly could see how this affected me.

We had a big snowstorm the third week of March. Other than opening up the sites, we were basically shut down until some of the snow went away. Four days later though, there was a warm fog and all vestiges of snow disappeared. Little did we know then that the winter was over and we were in for a month-long warm dry spell?

Two weeks into April, I put crews onto the land that we were making into agriculture land for Ken Knowles. I had extra men available as the cut through the mountain was still holding us up from going forward with any great speed. There was nothing we could do with the land on the high side of the road as it was still wet, but where we had put the earth from the roadbed on the low side, it now could be leveled. When this dried out even more, Ken anticipated he could use a wheeled tractor, pick the stone, of what there was little, and plow the land in preparation for planting.

The road up to the well site that I had built was stable enough to travel on. Knowing I couldn't get a cement truck up to that level, I had cradles poured down on the level and transported by bucket loader and put in place. The loader would be used to lift the pipe onto the cradles anyway. I went up only as often as necessary. The broken tree that had smashed into my upper leg was still lying off to the side and the tree I had been slammed into was still standing.