Chapter Fourteen The Plan Is Afoot #3
“Hello, Arlo. I don’t believe we’ve ever been formally introduced. I’m Madison Wainwright.”
Arlo nodded. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
Before he could set foot in the door, Madison stopped him.
“Please—I hope you don’t mind, but I have to ask you to remove your boots.”
“Do what?” Arlo had never heard of someone asking visitors to take off their footwear. Construction workers, for sure, but a guest? Then he remembered she was from the city. All of those city slickers had some kind of quirk or issue.
Madison quickly noted his hesitation. “Sorry. We’re renting, and I don’t want anything to mar the floors or drag dirt into the house.” She gestured to shoes sitting outside the door. “I hope you can understand. We do want to get all of our deposit back.”
Arlo hoped he had put on a pair of socks that didn’t have holes in them.
Madison could sense the man was feeling very uncomfortable and immediately handed him a pair of slippers.
She could get into a long conversation about the many cultures where removing shoes is common, such as most Asian countries, parts of Europe, and Hawaii.
But she was certain her justification would suffice, especially the deposit thing.
Arlo took the slippers and quickly shoved his feet into them. He added his shoes to the others before Madison moved aside so he could step into the house.
Lincoln got up from the table and greeted Arlo.
“Lincoln Wainwright. I’m Madison’s brother, and that’s my wife, Olivia.” Olivia waved from the kitchen. The plan was for Olivia to bring the tray of tea to Madison and Arlo as soon as the forensic tech arrived.
Lincoln continued, “I hear my sister has engaged you to assess a compass.”
“Yes, sir.” Arlo nodded nervously and then glanced around the room.
“It’s downstairs,” Madison declared. “Follow me, please.” The two descended the stairs to the seating area underneath the overhang. “Please take a seat,” Madison instructed.
“Thank you.” Arlo spotted a navy-blue box on the table.
Madison knew she had to kill some time and began a little small talk.
“So, tell me, how long have you been in the salvaging business?”
Arlo was unusually circumspect. “It’s been in the family for three generations.”
“It must be interesting work. Tell me, what has been the most exciting find?”
Arlo began to relax, and then his mouth went into overdrive. He only stopped talking when Olivia brought the tea and cookies to them.
Olivia nodded to Madison. The game was afoot.
Arlo grabbed one of the biscuits and wolfed it down. Madison waited for him to swallow and prodded him further. Arlo didn’t disappoint.
Several minutes later, Madison’s phone beeped. It was a text from Olivia:
C.I.C.
It was part of the secret code they had established years ago when Madison’s father wasn’t around. Coast Is Clear.
Madison reached for the blue box. “I am curious to know what you think this would fetch. Someone gave it to me when they heard I was spending time at the shore. It was a kind gesture. I have no idea what it’s worth, but I am also interested in selling it. I understand you do that, as well?”
“Yes. Yes, we do.” Arlo looked at the gleaming compass. He would lowball it to her. “Maybe four hundred dollars.”
“Oh? I would have thought it was more.” Madison was aware of its value, but she had to make this exchange seem legitimate.
“Possibly.” Arlo scrutinized the piece. He knew it was worth close to a thousand dollars.
“Since this was a gift to both me and my brother, I will have to discuss it with him and get back to you. Is that alright?” Madison stood, indicating the meeting was over.
Arlo followed suit. “Yes. That’s fine.” It would give Arlo a few days to scrape up four hundred dollars.
He reached down and grabbed another cookie and put it in his pocket. Madison pretended not to notice.
She walked Arlo back to the front entrance. “Thank you very much for your time, Arlo. I’ll be in touch.”
He stood awkwardly for a moment and looked down at his slippered feet. “You may keep them if you’d like,” Madison offered.
Arlo thought they were rather comfy and accepted the offer. “Thanks. Much appreciated.” He shuffled out the front door, removed the slippers, and put his boots back on. He was completely clueless that they had just gone through a forensic examination.
Once he was gone, Madison joined Lincoln and Olivia on the patio.
“How did it go?” Olivia asked.
“He tried to undercut me by six hundred dollars,” Madison said. “I didn’t let on that I knew the going price for it. Let him think he snookered me.”
“How did you leave it?” Lincoln asked.
“I told him I would discuss it with you and get back to him. He’s probably counting how much money he thinks he’s going to make.”
“I almost feel sorry for him,” Olivia said. “Almost.”
Madison sent a text to Chief Burton.
Mission accomplished on our end.
He replied:
Thanks. Now let us handle the rest.
Madison was more than happy to sit back and let the authorities do their job. She had a few other things on her mind, such as what she would do if she left her job, and deciding her wardrobe for dinner with Viggo.