Текст книги "Crowned and Moldering"

Автор книги: Kate Carlisle

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Текущая страница: 12 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

Chapter Eleven

Early the next morning, I spent some time on the phone with Carla and Wade, reconfiguring our crew once again in order to work around my new obsession. Namely, Callie. For the next five days, I would be working with Wade, Sean, and Douglas on the parking-lot project. Carla would be swinging from site to site, mainly supervising the lighthouse-mansion crew and two of our other big rehab jobs. We had several smaller jobs, as well, and Carla would make sure they were completed by one of the other guys within the next week or so.

“I was thinking,” I said. “I might work on the parking lot in the mornings and shoot over to Mac’s or Emily’s place in the middle of the day to help out for a few hours. I just need to be back at the high school by four-ish.”

“Sounds good, boss,” Wade said.

Was he placating me? Was I turning into an eccentric diva? I hoped not. I was just a little obsessed with Callie’s safety, but it would pass. As soon as she was back home with her bodyguards.

“The thing is,” I said, “I hate to shuffle the guys around at random. So if you think someone is happier doing one job rather than another, we can take that into consideration.”

“Don’t worry about it, Shannon,” Carla said. “The guys are happy to do whatever needs doing. I think it’s important that both you and Wade are at the school during the first few days of the project. SolarLight should know how concerned you are about getting it done right.”

I smiled. “Thanks, Carla. You give the best pep talks.”

“That’s because they come from the heart.”

“You can’t see me,” Wade said, “but I’m rolling my eyes right now.”

“No, I can’t see you,” Carla said. “But I can hear them rolling in their sockets.”

“That counts,” I said.

“You bet,” Carla said. “Okay, I’ve got my tablet ready. Let’s go over priorities at Mac’s place.”

I checked my own list. “Normally we’d start with the basement, but I’m a little concerned about doing anything down there yet. We never inspected it the day of the walkthrough, so let’s leave it alone for now.”

“I’m more than happy to wait,” Carla said, her tone somber.

The image of those bones scattered on the basement floor flashed through my mind. I shuddered and tried to shake off the memory so I could concentrate on the notes I’d made on my tablet. “Okay, since the kitchen is a complete remodel, let’s start in there. You can tear out all the cabinets, take the walls down to the studs, and get rid of the linoleum, but leave the dumbwaiter alone for now. I want to maintain the integrity of the shaft and the inner workings until we know if Mac wants to replace it or not.”

“Don’t touch the dumbwaiter,” she murmured as she wrote down instructions. “Sounds good. Kitchen’ll take us a day or two, at least.”

“And we talked about widening the kitchen door and putting in French doors, but don’t do anything yet. I’ll ask Mac if that’s still what he wants. Since the house turned into a crime scene, we haven’t gone back and firmed up all the work he wants done.”

“I understand. Should we do anything with the exterior?”

“Sure.” I scanned down the list and also checked the photos I’d taken. “One of the guys can remove all the shutters. We’ve got a couple of broken ones on the back windows, but they’ll all have to come off eventually. We’ll want to scrape and sand them all before we paint.”

“Shutters,” Carla murmured, and wrote it down on her list.

“The chimney on the north side of the house is missing some bricks. I’m not sure why, so could you inspect it for possible earthquake damage? I’m afraid we might have to take down the whole thing and rebuild it according to the new regulations.”

“Might as well plan on that, boss,” Wade said.

“Yeah.” I made another note. “Oh, and, Carla, if you get a chance, can you check the windowpanes on the solarium for any cracks or other damage?”

“Got it.”

“And we’ll want to get rid of that tacky latticework covering the underbelly at some point. And a number of planks on the porch are rotted. But you guys won’t get to that this week.”

“We might not pull them up, but I can do an inventory of the ones that’ll need replacement. I’ll also check the balusters and handrails.”

“Can you measure the balusters while you’re there? They looked a little too far apart to me.”

“I’ll check them.”

Some states had laws that required balusters to be less than four inches apart, and I abided by that. Four inches was the approximate size of an infant’s head, and I didn’t want any babies getting their heads stuck inside the porch railings. Not on my watch.

I scrolled down my list. “There’s a root cellar around the side of the kitchen. No idea what’s down there, but if you can convince one of the guys to explore it, let me know what he finds.”

Please, no more bones, I thought, but didn’t say aloud.

“You got it,” Carla said. “I think all of this will keep us busy until you can get back out there.”

“I really appreciate it, Carla,” I said. “Hey, Wade, I’ll see you in a little while.”

I ended the call a few seconds later, in time to see Callie standing outside my kitchen door, ready for school. Mac waved from the balcony as we took off in the truck. He had been willing to have me drive Callie back and forth only because I was going to be working at the school anyway. But he didn’t want me to feel obligated. For now, his plan was to write in the mornings and be available after school for Callie.

I figured after a few days the poor girl would start complaining about all the attention I was giving her, but until that happened, she seemed to be enjoying my company. We chitchatted and laughed all the way to campus.

I smiled as I parked the truck. This arrangement was going to work out just fine. At least I thought so, until we split up at the senior parking lot. I was crossing the blacktop to meet Wade when I happened to turn to watch Callie heading toward the main school building. From out of nowhere, two boys approached her.

“Oh my God. No,” I said, and waved my hands in the air, as if I were shooing away flies. “No. Get away from her.”

Wade had joined me by then and started laughing. “What is wrong with you?”

“Me? Nothing’s wrong with me.” I pointed toward Callie. “It’s those boys.”

“They look perfectly normal,” he said, staring after the animated threesome.

“They always look normal from afar,” I grumbled, then forced myself to focus. “Let’s get to work.”

*   *   *

The next day I left the job site early to meet my girlfriends for lunch at the Scottish Rose, Emily’s tea shop on the town square. Jane Hennessey, Lizzie Logan, and Marigold Starling were already seated at a table in the charming back room when I arrived at the restaurant.

“Sorry I’m late,” I said as I gave each woman a hug.

“You had to come the farthest,” Jane said. Her B and B was only three short blocks from Emily’s shop.

“Besides, you’re not really late,” Lizzie said, patting my shoulder. She and her husband, Hal, owned Paper Moon, a book and paper shop that faced the town square, a few doors down from the tea shop. “It’s only five minutes past noon.”

“I hope you can take time to relax and chat,” Marigold said in her usual gentle way. She and her aunt Daisy owned the beautiful Crafts and Quilts shop, also on the town square. Many of the handcrafted toys and quilts she sold were made to order by her Amish family and friends and shipped out to her from the Pennsylvania countryside.

“It’s our busiest time,” Emily explained, after setting a teapot down in the center of the table. “So please just enjoy yourselves and I’ll try to swing by to catch up on things as I can.”

Lizzie grabbed her hand. “We need to meet at someone’s house next time so Emily doesn’t always have to miss the latest scoop.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Emily said lightly. “Just take note of all the juiciest gossip and fill me in when I come back around.”

“I think Shannon’s got the latest news,” Jane said, reaching for the teapot to pour for everyone. “Why don’t you start with the lighthouse mansion and go from there?”

“Oh my God, Shannon,” Lizzie whispered. “We heard it was Lily Brogan.”

“Did you know her in school?” I asked. Lizzie was five years older than me and had been my babysitter when I was little.

“Barely,” she said. “She was younger, so our paths didn’t cross much. But I knew the family.”

Jane frowned. “Yes, the family wasn’t a happy one.”

“Tell me about them,” Marigold said. She had been raised back east in the Amish world and had moved to Lighthouse Cove years ago to live with her aunt. So even though she hadn’t grown up locally, she’d been here long enough to know many of the people we were talking about.

I gave her a brief history of Lily, Sean, and Amy and what they’d gone through as the children of a violent father and an alcoholic mother.

“That’s just tragic,” Marigold said. “Sean is such a nice man. He comes into the store sometimes to buy toys and gifts for his niece and nephew.”

“Amy’s kids,” I said, nodding.

“Yes. The kids are adorable. They’ve all been in the store once or twice, as well. I’m sorry for their loss.”

“I’m really concerned about Sean,” I said. “He spent so many years holding on to the hope that Lily would return one day, and now to find out that she won’t? Well, he’s been through the wringer. I don’t want him to become disheartened and give up on life. I wish there was something I could do.”

“I could set him up on a date with a nice girl,” Lizzie said.

We groaned as a group. Lizzie was at it again, wanting everyone to be as blissfully happy and married as she was. And while all of us could admit to wanting that someday, going on countless blind dates was not the way we chose to get there.

“Lizzie, a date isn’t the answer to everything,” Jane said.

“But it’ll get him out of the house,” she said. “It’ll expand his horizons. He’ll take a shower. Wear nice clothes. Get a haircut. Okay, go ahead and laugh, but simple activities like these are good for people. They civilize us. And if you’re worried about him getting depressed, the first thing you’ve got to do is get him out of the house.”

“You’re probably right about that,” I conceded. “But you need to be careful who you set him up with. I mean, to all of us Sean is adorable and big and strong and smart and charming, but let’s face it: right now, he’s not at his best. So you’ve got to wonder how desperate a girl would have to be to date a miserably unhappy construction worker.”

Lizzie’s forehead furrowed at that. “Okay, let me think about this.”

“So, Shannon,” Marigold said. “I haven’t heard yet how you found the body.”

“It wasn’t really a body,” I said, and winced. I quickly checked the nearby tables to make sure nobody was listening in. “It was just bones. Mac and the guys and I were doing our walk-through of the lighthouse mansion to see what work needed to be done.” I held up my hand. “Everybody swallow their tea before I go on.” I waited for a moment. “Okay, I opened up the dumbwaiter door, and the sudden updraft caused the rotted pulley mechanism to snap. The bones fell three floors to the basement.”

“What are you saying?” Marigold whispered.

I gritted my teeth. “Her body had been inside the dumbwaiter all this time.”

Jane had already heard the story, but she still looked pale.

Marigold blinked repeatedly. “Oh, my goodness.”

“I don’t trust dumbwaiters,” Lizzie whispered, shaking her head.

“I beg your pardon?” Emily said. “Are you calling one of my staff a dumb waiter?”

We couldn’t help but laugh. Lizzie hastened to explain herself as Emily placed two three-tiered trays of tea sandwiches, scones, and pastries on the table.

“This looks beautiful, Emily,” Jane said. “Can you sit for a half second?”

“I’ve actually heard all about Shannon’s dreadful discovery,” she said, giving my shoulder a light squeeze. “So I’ll let you enjoy your lunch and be back around shortly.”

She started to walk away, but stopped abruptly. I heard her gasp, and I turned to see what had caught her attention. That’s when I noticed that Gus Peratti, my auto mechanic and Emily’s ghost whisperer, had just walked into the shop. I smiled and waved at him, but he didn’t acknowledge me.

Every other women in the place saw him, too, and half of them were waving to no avail.

He wore a tight black T-shirt that showed off his tanned, muscular arms, along with faded jeans and scuffed boots. He was all male and rugged, and looked completely out of place surrounded by the feminine, mint-green walls of the tea shop.

I watched him approach Emily and heard him ask, “Can I see the kitchen now?”

“Of course.” Frowning, Emily led the way, and the two disappeared behind the swinging door.

“I wonder what that’s all about,” Jane said. She’d grown up with Gus, just as I had.

“Maybe something mechanical is wrong with one of her appliances,” Lizzie suggested.

We all reached for another round of sandwiches and chatted some more as we ate. I told them about Mac’s adorable niece, Callie, and they all wanted to meet her, so I promised to arrange a barbecue one of these days. Then the conversation drifted to the problem of Cliff Hogarth moving back in town.

“Cliff Hogarth is a bad apple, Shannon,” Lizzie said between bites. “Try to avoid him.”

“I’d love to, but he keeps bad-mouthing me to people I care about. I don’t know how to handle it.”

“He’s such a blowhard,” Jane muttered.

“I wonder if there’s some way to get him to leave me alone.” I turned to Lizzie. “Was Hal a friend of his?”

“No, Hal can’t stand him.”

I sighed. “Hal has good taste.”

“I know Cliff is a jerk, but he was always nice to me,” Jane admitted.

I frowned at her. “I can’t remember. Did he ever ask you out?”

“No, never. I guess I was always too wrapped up in books for him to notice me.”

“You’re lucky, but I’ll bet he did notice you.”

“He was probably intimidated by you,” Lizzie said. “You’re tall and blond and beautiful. You probably scared him to death.”

Jane waved away Lizzie’s explanation, but I thought it was spot-on.

“You know,” Jane said, “I have my weekly hotel-association lunches at the Inn on Main Street. I’ve noticed him in the dining room a few times. If I see him again, I’ll strike up a conversation and find out what he’s up to.”

“I’d appreciate anything you can find out,” I said.

The kitchen door swung open and Emily stumbled out, giggling. She fiddled with her skirt, and her face was so uncharacteristically flushed, it was obvious to all of us that Gus must’ve just kissed her silly.

Gus sauntered out of the kitchen and went directly to the front door, not making eye contact with anyone. As he left, Emily busied herself at the front counter, clearly trying to pull herself back together.

“Oh, how romantic,” Jane sighed.

“He is so handsome,” Marigold whispered.

Emily deliberately avoided our table while she bustled from one guest to the next and back and forth from the kitchen, carrying dishes or bringing out new teapots.

“Her face is still red,” Lizzie whispered.

Jane smiled. “She looks so happy.”

Yes, Emily was practically glowing, and my girlfriends seemed to be thrilled for her. I didn’t say anything, but I was worried. If she fell for Gus, he could break her heart. He was gorgeous and sexy and had always had a reputation with the ladies. He was also ten years younger than Emily was. I didn’t want him to hurt her.

Jane whispered, “I wonder how long this has been going on.”

“I think it just started a minute ago,” I guessed, and told them what Emily had said about Gus coming by to visit the ghost of Mrs. Rawley. Emily had refused to believe that he might be stopping by the house to see her. But now I wondered, Did Mrs. Rawley’s spirit somehow bring Gus and Emily together?

It was a ridiculous notion, but I liked the thought of it, anyway.

A few minutes later, another waitress approached to clear our dishes and take our money.

“What happened to Emily?” Lizzie asked.

“She’s not feeling well,” the waitress said, and quickly changed the subject. “I hope everything was to your liking today.”

“Wonderful as always,” Marigold said, and popped the last mini cheese Danish into her mouth.

We waited for the server to leave and then we stared at one another.

“Do you think she’s too embarrassed to talk to us?” Lizzie wondered.

“That won’t fly,” I said, taking a last sip of tea. “She’s got to know that the longer she puts off telling us, the more we’ll hound her.”

Lizzie laughed. “As she would do for any of us.”

Jane leaned closer. “If she’s smart, she’s on her way home to jump in the sack with Gus.”

Marigold fanned herself. “And I know for a fact that Emily Rose is a very smart woman.”

*   *   *

When I got back to the high school parking lot, the guys had already begun to break the old asphalt apart. The SolarLight technician handed me a powerful set of headphones, because the noise of the equipment was incredibly loud. My guys were operating jackhammers, while the SolarLight team had brought in a really cool hydraulic hammer attached to a backhoe loader. Tomorrow, SolarLight would bring even more heavy equipment to the site and begin loading and hauling away the old asphalt.

Once the old area was completely cleared, we would excavate a hole deep and wide enough to contain the large underground water tank that would store the runoff from the canopies. Then, with guidance from the engineers, we would dig six-foot holes in which the thick steel canopy posts would stand. The posts would be encased in a three-foot-thick concrete base. At every step, the company’s engineers and experts would be configuring the electrical grids and solar panels to provide both battery-charging stations and outdoor lighting.

Once the posts were erected, we would begin leveling the soil and layering the aggregate materials that would make up the base beneath the outer asphalt surface. In anticipation of our subcontractor’s laying down the asphalt, SolarLight had brought in an asphalt paver—a massive piece of machinery—to press the hot asphalt mix down into the base layer until the surface of the lot was smooth and even.

Sadly, the company had also brought its own drivers to operate the heavy machinery, so my crew and I had to assist on the ground. Even so, it was always fun to work around these monstrous machines and watch how they could tear the earth apart and put it back together again.

“Hey, boss,” Sean said when the hydraulic-hammer operator took a break and we could all hear ourselves think again. “You ought to buy one of those monsters for the company.”

“Oh, sure. And I suppose you’re offering to operate it?”

“Absolutely.” He flexed his muscular arms for me. “I could rock that thing.”

“I’m sure you could,” I said with a grin.

“Think about it, boss. It’s an awesome machine.”

“It’s noisy, anyway.” I was thrilled to see Sean’s good mood returning more and more with each day. Good, hard work helped, although he’d had some setbacks and I expected him to have many more. Every so often I would catch him staring off, and I wondered if he was thinking of Lily. I was still worried that he wasn’t getting out much. I hated to think of him sitting home alone every night, berating himself and wondering what he could’ve done to save his sister’s life. “So, what’s up, Sean? How’re you doing?”

He kicked a pebble away with his steel-toed work boot. “You might as well know, I talked to Chief Jensen a little while ago.”

“Eric was here?”

“No, he called me. Said he was checking my dad’s arrest file and was disappointed to find no DNA on record.”

I had to think for a minute. Hugh Brogan had been in and out of jail for years and he’d died only a few years ago, so why didn’t they have his DNA on record?

“Did he say why he wanted it?” I couldn’t imagine Eric confiding in Sean that his sister had been pregnant when she died, but who knew? Would Eric actually ask Sean if he thought his father was capable of raping his own daughter and then killing her when he found out she was pregnant?

It was a horrible possibility, and I hated even the remote chance that Sean might have to deal with it.

“You remember I told him that I thought my dad was capable of killing Lily?”

“Yes.”

“So Eric said he would look into every possible scenario and let me know what he found out. But now without my dad’s DNA . . . it’s like he’s hit a wall.” Sean shrugged helplessly.

“Do you have anything that might contain his DNA?” I asked.

“That’s what Eric wanted to know. I’ve tried to think of anything of his I might’ve held on to, but I don’t have a thing.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I got rid of everything in his house before I sold it. Believe me, nothing he owned had any value, sentimental or otherwise.”

“I understand.” I squeezed his arm in sympathy and tried to see all of this from Eric’s perspective. “You’ve already submitted to DNA testing, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, at least you’ll be cleared of any wrongdoing. That’s all I care about right now.”

He smiled. “You just don’t want to lose an able-bodied worker to do your bidding.”

I grinned, pleased that he was able to find something to joke about amid all the unhappy stuff. “That’s right, so get back to work.”

“Yes, Your Boss-ship.” He backed away, bowing.

I walked away happy.

*   *   *

All afternoon, as the guys and I worked together to break up the asphalt, I marveled that Sean’s sense of humor was still intact. But according to Wade and Douglas, Sean had turned down several of their offers to meet for drinks or dinner after work. That worried me. If he was avoiding friends and spending evenings alone, was he growing more depressed? It was hard to tell his real feelings from just seeing him at work, because it would be natural for him to put up a good front around his boss. I wondered what I could do to help him out, but couldn’t come up with anything. And the earsplitting noise of the hydraulic hammer wasn’t helping me think.

Later that afternoon, I saw Callie waiting at our usual meeting spot. “Ready to go?”

“Would you mind if I stayed at school a while longer?” she asked. “I met a girl in one of my classes who’s starring in the spring play. She said I could come by to see the rehearsals, and she’ll take me home later. If it’s okay with you, I mean.”

“That sounds like fun. Mind if I tag along?” I quickly added, “I won’t hang out with you, but I’d love to see what they’re doing.”

“Sure,” she said, surprising me. “And we can hang together if you want. I don’t care. Let’s go.”

I tried to convince myself that I wasn’t tagging along solely because I was worried about Callie. I really did want to see how the rehearsals were going. I especially wanted to see if the carpentry crew was as good as they were when I was in charge.

That was my story and I was sticking to it.

On the way to the theater building, I texted Mac to let him know we’d be home a little later than expected. We reached the stairs leading to the auditorium just as the door opened and Whitney walked out.

“Oh, great,” she said. “Way to ruin my day.”

“Callie, you go on inside. I’ll be just a minute.” There was no way I was going to put up with Whitney’s insults in front of Callie.

“Are you sure?” Callie asked. She was frowning at Whitney, and I wanted to hug her for sensing danger. Not that I was in any real danger, but Whitney was definitely not a friend. I was impressed that Callie had recognized it instantly.

“Sure,” I said easily. “I’ll see you inside.”

“Okay.” She jogged up the stairs to the door. Swinging it open, she disappeared into the building.

“Who’s that?” Whitney asked, her voice free of disdain for once.

“A friend. Why?”

“She’s cute. Is she a student?”

“Yes,” I said with caution, wondering why she wanted to know.

“Does she want to try out for the cheerleading squad?”

I decided to cut Whitney a tiny bit of slack, only because she’d said something nice about Callie. “She’d probably enjoy it, but she’s a temporary student visiting from out of town, so she wouldn’t be a good choice for the squad.”

“Oh. Too bad.” Whitney started to walk away, then stopped. “Oh, and just as I suspected, you had to go and snitch to Tommy about me hiring Cliff.”

“I didn’t snitch,” I said calmly. “I was just dropping off the blueprints you asked for, and Tommy didn’t know what I was talking about. So it’s your own fault for not getting your story straight with him.”

“Well, it’s really unfair and selfish of you to keep Cliff from doing one teensy job in my home.”

“You’re remodeling a bathroom,” I said. “That’s not a teensy job. But that’s not even the point. Tommy and my father had a business arrangement.”

“Whatever. I just wanted to do something nice for Cliff, and it figures you’d get in the way.” She sighed. “Do you even remember him from high school? I was sooooo in love with him, it was crazy.”

“Funny, I thought you were in love with Tommy.”

“Of course I was,” she snapped. “But Cliff kept asking me out. I actually think he was in love with me.”

“Gosh, I’m really sorry to get in the way of all that love.” I wanted to hurl. Better yet, I wanted to tell her that Cliff had asked out almost everyone, including me, numerous times. Even better, I wanted Whitney and Cliff to go jump off a real cliff.

I said a hurried good-bye and dashed up the steps and into the auditorium. I found Callie sitting on the aisle halfway down from the stage and slipped into the seat next to her.

The teenage girl on stage was singing “Do-Re-Mi” from The Sound of Music. She was really good, very theatrical and very pretty, although she appeared to be wearing a short blond wig to look more like Julie Andrews in the movie. It looked unnatural, but she probably didn’t want to cut off her hair just to play the role.

Callie leaned over and whispered, “Isn’t she great?”

“She is.”

The kids playing the Von Trapp children were good, too. I would have to inform the festival committee that we had a hit on our hands. The spring play coincided with the town’s spring festival, so it always drew a good crowd.

A minute later, the song ended and the director clapped her hands. “Good job, everyone. Much better, Sarah. That was beautiful.” She consulted the tablet she held. “We’ll break for five minutes, then rehearse scene seventeen next.”

“Come meet Sarah,” Callie said to me, and I followed her up the aisle to the stage. Her actress friend waved and came over to the edge.

“You made it,” she said.

“I’m so glad I did,” Callie said. “Oh, my gosh, Sarah, you’re so good. I’m so impressed. This is my friend Shannon. She’s a contractor. She’s the one who’s building the new parking structure. Don’t you love her hair?”

“Hi.” We shook hands and the three of us chatted for a quick minute, until the director came over to say something to Sarah.

“This is Ms. Matthews,” Sarah said. “She’s the best drama teacher ever.”

“Hello, Ms. Matthews,” I said.

Ms. Matthews smiled indulgently as I introduced myself and Callie. Sarah beckoned Callie to join her a few yards away so they could have a private conversation, leaving me to talk to the drama teacher. I liked her. I guessed she was in her early thirties, close to my age. She was pretty, with dark hair and eyes, and she wore neatly pressed jeans and a long striped sweater.

“I give you permission to call me Lara, by the way,” she said, her eyes sparkling with humor. “I’m one of those mean teachers who insists on being called by their surname.”

“I think that’s so much better.”

“Me, too. It helps tap into that innate fear of grown-ups every teenager has.”

I laughed out loud; you had to have a sense of humor to teach high school. “Have you been working here long?”

“It’s been three years now. How about you?”

“I’m a building contractor. I’m putting in the new parking structure out by the tennis courts.”

“Oh yes. Everyone’s excited about that.”

“It’s really innovative, all solar-powered, and it’ll collect water, too, and save lots of money. But don’t get me started.”

She laughed. “So, have you seen The Sound of Music before?”

“Only a few dozen times. I love it.”

“I’m glad. I played Maria in high school and again in college. I’ve always loved the music.”

I studied her a little more closely. “You have the look of Maria.”

“You mean nunlike?” she asked, laughing.

I laughed, too. “Not at all. But you do look like you can handle a bunch of wild children.”

“Definitely,” she said with a smile. “Even though I have none of my own, I do an excellent job of wrangling other people’s teenagers. And pets. I have several of those. No husband, luckily. Not yet, anyway.”

I chuckled. “You’ll be thrilled to know that I was the head carpenter when I was going to school here.” I pointed toward the back of the stage. “That looks like one of the flats I built the year we did Grease.”

“You did good work,” she said. “Do you want another job? We just lost our head carpenter to the varsity baseball team.”

“Oh no. Can one of the other kids step up?”

She looked around to make sure we weren’t being overheard, then whispered, “They’re not the most talented group I’ve ever worked with.”

I winced, because really stage decoration had as much as acting to do with the success of a play. “Sorry about that.”

We chatted for another minute, until it was time for her to call the kids back to the stage. “Nice talking to you, Shannon.”

“You, too, Lara. I’ll see you at the play.” As I walked out of the theater, a brilliant idea began to form in my mind.