Chapter 24

There was a quite a bit of groaning ... a couple of minutes checking to see if everything worked and ... well ... laughter. They say that Comedy is the release of laughter when you've done something particularly stupid and lived through it. Lifting the beams of that ridiculous bed qualified as particularly stupid.

I am now past six feet tall and Grace is still five. There was no way that we could carry that eight foot long oak beam level and we should have known ... we both have engineering degrees ... even if it was MATH.

"Are you OK?" we asked like the twins we are.

"I'm fine ... I think," that too, came out together.

Grace said, "Where did all this colored glass come from?"

"I don't ... no ... wait ... the beam is hollow. Look at this end..." it slid in perfectly " ... there's not even an edge to catch a fingernail." While I was admiring the workmanship that constructed the beam, Grace was looking at the colored glass.

"David, it's not glass."

"Look how this fits in the end ... the grain of the wood is perf ... Huh?"

"It's not glass."

I gave it a closer look, "Nope ... those are not glass. Damn ... now what?"

"I think we need to talk to the heir ... I'm going to have nightmares if we don't."

"Pick out a couple and I'll see if I can put the rest back."

It wasn't easy ... we kept finding more ... finally, Grace said, "Enough ... just leave it. Let's go call."

We left the boat ... climbing up one ladder and climbing down another. An 85 foot long sailboat hull is really tall. Well over 25 feet from the top of the transom to the ground. Big boat.

Since we had assumed the yard rent for the boat, we were 'customers' ... slightly crazy customers but still...

The head office let us use a phone. A simple dialing ... a couple of ringy-dingies and the secretary answered.

"Mr. Howland, please." I let Grace call. 'Let' is not exactly the correct word but she reads this journal.

"Yes, I do ... the 'let' part was holding out the phone and taping it to my fingers so I couldn't give it back. He is such a coward."

"The Austin twins."

"He gave us the boat."

"We found something."

"It would be better if we told him ourselves."

"No..."

"I don't trust you."

There was a confused period ... he said, he said ... he said ... but then Grace said, "Mr. Howland?"

"We found something on the boat that might interest you."

"Well, no ... they're not really really big ... in fact, they're pretty small ... but still good sized for what they are."

"Can we come see you?"

"Now would be best."

"Thank you, sir."

Grace hung up.

I said. "You haven't lied ... what was the deal with the secretary?"

"He wanted to know what was going on. I probably wouldn't have been able to speak to Mr.

Howland if he hadn't happened to walk out of his office and asked who was on the line."

"It's hard to believe that vast fortune is nearly gone."

"I know ... Rags to Riches and back again in three generations." Although, in this case, there were quite a few generations in a very short timespan.

Neither one of us was old enough to drive ... we had to take a taxi.

Mr. Howland lived in an unpretentious house on Linden Avenue ... it backed the impressive property on Euclid Ave. The east side of Linden was rapidly falling into urban decay and there was talk of a sports complex across the way.

Mr. Howland's home was left to him by his actor father ... who was one of the numerous offspring of M. Howland ... who was in some way ... a Vanderbilt ... possibly twice ... a Torrance and a Torrance. Brothers who married the same woman consecutively. Facts interesting to David, but not to Grace.

The knocker ... no bell for this house ... fell and the door swung open. It was Mr. Howland himself.

"Come in, come in. Coffee?"

The secretary came bustling in, "Mr. Howland, I am supposed to answer the door ... to keep the riffraff out."