Chapter 43
Avehicle rumbled as it pulled to the curb outside. Doors opened and shut, and a cargo door slid open.
A relieved breath escaped my lungs. I didn't think we were going to see them again.
They entered through the back door, carried the sacks into the living room, and threw them down onto the tile with a slap.
"Where have you guys been?"
"We had to go to three different tile places to find something that matched," Juan said.
They went to work, dumping in the backfill, then tamped it down and leveled it. Then they drilled into the old slab and set in short lengths of rebar. Jesus mixed up the quikrete, and they poured it in and troweled it. They did a damn good job. The guys were pros. That much was certain.
“How long is that going to take to set?” I asked.
Juan shrugged. “Probably ought to wait at least 24 hours.”
“We’re a little pressed for time,” I said.
“We can rush it. Might be dry enough in 4 or 5 hours, but I can’t guarantee how it will hold up.”
“We need to get this done.”
Jesus ran back to the van and grabbed the tiles. He brought them into the living room and set them on the floor by the drying concrete.
We all huddled around and looked at the tile.
“That doesn’t match,” I said.
Juan shrugged again to say, close enough.
“It doesn’t match.”
“Ok. You find some tile that does. We looked everywhere. This is what you’ve got.”
I shared a concerned look with Jack.
“Well. The coffee table is going over it. Maybe nobody will notice.”
We didn’t have much choice.
"Fine. Just get it all put back together as fast as possible," I said.
"I don't want to be here any longer than you do. If we get caught, I don't think even you can get us out of this.”
He was right about that.
I told him we’d be back in a few hours to check on things.
A neighbor accosted us as we walked down the driveway. She was a rather plump woman with short auburn hair and teal eyes. "What's going on?"
Her expression was part curiosity, part concern.
I stopped and talked to her while JD and Henrik continued toward the public works van. "We’re having trouble with a line. Have you noticed a loss in pressure or muddy water?”
She shook her head. "No."
"That's good. We should be out of here in no time.”
"Well, I got curious. I was about to call James and let him know something was going on. He told me to look after the place while he was gone. I saw the truck out front. You can never be too careful these days. I thought I should look into it.”
"Yes, ma'am. Good instincts. Like I said, we shouldn’t be too much longer.”
She seemed satisfied, but still looked at me with suspicion. “So, James knows that you’re doing all that work?”
“I believe someone should have left a notice on his door prior.”
“They just had that new pool put in. I hope you didn’t have to tear up that gorgeous patio.”
“The city line runs right up to the cleanout. The house has expanded quite a bit from the original structure.”
“We just moved in last year, so I never saw the original home.”
“Don’t worry, my crew is cleaning up now. We’ll have everything back the way we found it.” With the dust mask on, she couldn’t see my face, but I smiled with my eyes.
That seemed to satisfy her to some degree. Then she asked, “What is your name, just in case there are any issues?”
“Tim Dalton.”
She made a mental note of it. “Do you have a card or anything?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t.”
Still bothered, she asked. “That older gentleman… isn’t he a little past his prime for this kind of work?”
“That’s actually my grandfather. He wanted to spend the day at work with me to see what I do. Kind of like a ride-along, I guess.” Then I said aside, “He used to work for the city. It makes him feel good to get back out in the field. It’s important to stay active and connected at his age.”
She finally softened. “That’s so sweet. He’s lucky to have you.”
“I’m lucky to have him.”
She smiled. “Well, thank you. Do you boys need anything to drink? You’ve been working all day.”
“No, thank you. We’re fine.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Well, I’ll just call James and tell him you’re finishing up.”