Chapter 10
Audon watched the building go up. It had taken them an extra week to get it taken down because he’d wanted to keep the shelving that he’d had put in as well.
But then there was the added footage of concrete that had to be laid too that would extend his workplace by twice.
He was about as excited about that as he was about anything going on today.
He looked up when Trinity said his name.
“Did they say how long it was going to take to go up? I mean, they’ve only been working on it for the last several days, and it looks like it might well be about finished.
” He said that the inside would take a bit longer because the walls were already built.
“I can see that. I guess you’re having a little office put in as well as a shipping area. ”
“I’ve always wanted that. It’ll make it easier for getting ready for shows if I have a special place where I can get things packed up.
Not only for artwork but anything else I might have going on as well.
” She told him that she’d been seeing the deliveries that had been coming in as well.
“That’s all extras for the shipping area.
A scale was something that I didn’t have before so that I could ship things to the venue.
But just being able to wrap things up to go will save me a great deal of time and energy. ”
“I heard from Axel. He’s going to have a contract written up for the Harshs about their house being paid off and my name put on the deed.
That way I’ll know they have a place to live and I’ll get it in the end.
Did you know that both of them had a gambling problem?
I thought it was just him, but it’s his wife as well.
” She sat down next to him on the bench he’d been on.
“Also, they’ll get a payment each month for their food and other expenses.
Nothing to do with gambling, but they’ll have extra money to go out if they wish.
I doubt that they use it for that, but the money is there for them until they get deeper in debt.
If they try and mortgage the house with my name on it, all of it goes away. ”
“I wondered if you’d have some kind of clause in it.
Do you think they’ll sign it?” She shrugged, and he looked at the building again.
“I would if I were in their position, but then I never gambled in my life. I don’t know what I’d do if something like not having a home with a roof over my head were to happen to me. ”
“It’s why I’m doing it this way. They can also come here to see Lizzy when they wish. But they’ll not take her home with them. I don’t trust them that much.” He said he didn’t either. “Desperate people do stupid things, and I’m not taking the chance with our daughter.”
“Axel said that he was surprised that they’d not tried anything before now.
He said they’d been broke for about a month now and it finally caught up with them.
” She said that they were counting on her just turning over the money from the estate because they thought she was a sap.
“You’re anything but a sap.” She thanked him.
“I will put up with them only so far. Then I’m done with them.
I have a feeling that they’re going to push me to the limits and that will be the end of me helping.
The house will be nice as a rental someday, and if they give me any shit, I’ll take it away from them too.
I’m hoping that they’ll turn their lives around and get their life situated.
I doubt it, but stranger things have happened. ”
They talked about the Harshs for several hours.
The building was a nice distraction for a while, but Audon thought that Trinity needed to vent and he was willing to listen.
She seemed to be second-doubting herself about the money, and he didn’t blame her.
It was a great deal of money to be handing over to a gambling couple, but she’d win out in the end.
Having the house in her name would keep them from being homeless.
At least he hoped so. They decided to go into the house and have dinner around six, and were just getting up to go in when Axel called him.
“Several things to tell you about. Peter is dead. I didn’t think he’d last long in prison, but he only had six months, so I thought he’d do all right.
It was smart of the judge to send him to prison rather than keeping him long term in the jail.
” He asked what he’d died of. “Murdered, as you can well guess because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
He was going on about how he’d gotten away with not having a wife and child.
Then he went on about how he had plans to sell off Lizzy so that she’d not be around, and someone took exception to that.
He was strangled to death just this morning. ”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I really am. He wasn’t a bad guy but not too smart either. I wonder how Pete is taking it. Has anyone told April?” He said that April knew, but she didn’t seem to be taking it all that hard. “I think she had enough of him when he was living at home.”
“No doubt.” He asked what else was going on.
“Oh. April sold the house yesterday to a couple with four kids. She hopes they can make the walls happy again. I wasn’t entirely sure what that meant, but she feels better about not having it around her shoulders.
She did well on it as she owned it outright. ”
“Good for her. I’m happy for her.” Axel said that he was as well and hoped that she’d have a good life from now on. “I do as well. She deserves it more than anyone else.”
“The last thing. I’m headed over to the Harsh home now.
Debra is going with me so that I have a witness to what’s going to be said.
I’m going to tell them too that I’m recording it in the event something comes up later.
I don’t doubt that it will, but I’m hoping not.
” Audon said that he understood. “I knew you would. Once I’m finished there, I’m going to file everything in the event they might want to change their mind later.
I want this deal sealed up and ready to go by Monday.
I’m hoping that they cooperate with me.”
“I wouldn’t count on it. They seemed to be pretty stubborn people.
” Axel agreed with him, and they decided that they’d be better off just taking the house now rather than later, as they were going to mess things up as soon as they could get away with it.
“I’m hoping they at least get used to having someone footing the bills for them.
But they didn’t with their son; there is no reason to believe they will with Trinity. ”
After hanging up with his brother, he told Trinity about Peter.
She didn’t seem all that surprised about it.
It was sad; his parents had raised him to be like he was, and when he started acting like he was privileged as an adult, they couldn’t understand why he was acting out.
They had decided that there was no way they were going to give in to Lizzy when she was a child.
They wanted an adult who would be a good person when she grew up.
After dinner, they played with Lizzy. She was smiling a lot more now, and she was making sounds. Sometimes when she made a loud sound, it would startle her to nearly tears, but they would make her laugh again. Having a baby in the house certainly made things entertaining.
When they went up to bed that night, like every night, they made love.
It wasn’t like the first time, when they’d nearly killed one another, but it was still satisfying.
Audon had been sleeping better since the Jacobsons had been put away, and now that Peter wasn’t going to be getting out, he knew that he’d feel better during the day as well.
They’d wanted to harm them, and there was no reason for it.
Pete had got something in his head and had convinced Peter that it was all right to knock someone around that didn’t do what you wanted.
There was no reason to knock anyone around, and he didn’t understand people that thought that it was all right.
Pete had apparently been knocking April around since they got married and hadn’t stopped. Poor woman.
The next morning when they got up, having slept the entire night through, they went down to breakfast after sharing a shower together, then getting dressed.
He was wearing shorts today as he had things that needed to be done in the studio, and Trinity was in a cute sundress as she was going to be working in the yard today when the fence was being put up.
Just because the Jacobsons were out of their hair, it didn’t mean that they were going to let their security measures go now that they might not need them.
“What do you think that the Harshs are going to do?” She said that she didn’t care at this point. “I don’t blame you.”
“Axel will try to convince them this is the only way, but I doubt very much they’ll take the deal. They seem to be greedy and want more than their fair share. Not that any of it is theirs, but it didn’t stop them from trying.” She smiled at him. “What? Do you know something that I don’t?”
“Just that I’m thinking they’ll take the deal, then in a month they’ll say that they’re not getting enough.
I don’t care. Once they sign the paperwork or not, it’s out of their hands.
I’m not going to be giving them anything more than what’s listed in the contract.
” He asked if she thought it was enough.
“More than Robert was giving them. I know that for sure. The trouble with him is that he was forever giving them extra. I’m not going to do that.
I also doubt that they’ll want to see Lizzy after the first couple of times. ”