“What I envision is Dawson Realty next door to the restaurant. We could put a big-screen TV in the window to advertise our listings,” she said as she led us into the restaurant.
It had seen better days, and there was only one customer in the place. It did have a full kitchen, and there was an upstairs which was currently used for storage. Mom thought that would make a good banquet room, or could be used as overflow seating if the restaurant got busy.
She then showed me the space she wanted for the real estate office.
“Why isn’t this place rented out?” I asked.
“It’s easier to just show him,” Caryn said.
We climbed the stairs to the office over the unit my mom wanted to use and opened the door. It smelled terrible, and black mold showed along the ceiling and down the back wall.
“The roof has leaked. When the mold started, the county shut down this part of the mall. The owner can’t afford to make the repairs. He can’t get a loan, because he can’t show a decent rental history. He’s in a serious catch-22, and is now at the point where he needs to get out,” Mom explained.
I looked at Caryn.
“What all needs to be done?” I asked.
She pulled out a folder which listed everything with estimates. It was a gut job. The building had been built in the mid-’70s. It had to be rewired to meet the current code and to be able to get the place insured. New roof, mold remediation, insulation, pest control, flooring, paint, and the list seemed endless. The good news was that with us redoing everything, we could offer potential renters an empty shell with the understanding we would configure it to their needs.
Caryn showed me what price we had to buy it at to make it work, in her estimation.
“How quickly could you close this?” I asked Mom.
“By Friday, if there’s clear title.”
“Offer them half and a cash deal to close Friday,” I said.
Mom looked at Caryn and smiled.
“I’ll see if I can make it happen. The owner might counter,” Mom warned.
“Is anyone else even talking to him?” I asked.
“No,” Mom admitted.
“I liked the Victorian on Main Street,” I teased.
Mom and Caryn left to write up the offer. Kendal came up and gave me a hug.
“Thank you for hiring us. Things were looking bad at the law firm,” Kendal admitted.
“Thank Caryn. She hired you.”
“Can I talk to you privately for a moment?” Megan asked.
“Sure, why don’t we get in my car and turn the heat on?” I suggested.
Megan was a tiny girl with big brown eyes and glasses, and her nickname of ‘Mouse’ fit her perfectly. She suddenly became nervous, which made me a little worried something was seriously wrong.
“People tend to ignore me,” she started in a quiet voice. “It’s been that way all my life. Kendal was one of the few people who treated me well at the law firm. She would at least talk to me during breaks.”
“I agree, Kendal’s a nice person. I think you’ll find that Caryn is too.”
“Yes, she will be,” she said with a smile.
Megan seemed to change when she smiled. I wanted to see more of the happy girl than the timid one.
“I’m afraid you’ll be mad at me,” she said.
“Why would I be mad?” I asked.
She seemed to think about it and then sighed.
“I have to tell someone about Brandon,” she said, which made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
“Brandon Rigby?”
“Yes. He and one of the younger lawyers would talk in the break room. They went to school together. I found out Brandon didn’t leave school voluntarily. They gave him a choice to leave quietly or to face what he did. He decided to take off to Europe,” she almost whispered.
“How would you know that?” I asked, perplexed.
That’s not something anyone would bring up about himself in a break room. Megan looked a bit defensive.
“Something else Brandon said led me to do some research. That’s one of the things I did for them, you know. It’s something I can do for you, too.”
I just filed the last comment away for future reference. We’d hired Megan to take care of our technology and bookkeeping. It sounded like she had more skills that might come in handy.
“What did he do to get kicked out of school?” I asked.
“Brandon and his fraternity brothers used date-rape drugs on some girls, one of whom was the daughter of a pretty powerful federal judge. And there was another who was engaged to be married into a prominent family,” she said in a rush.
I felt my stomach tighten, and my mind went into overdrive as I jumped to a conclusion that made me freeze. My brain began to overload as my thoughts raced in circles of could he … did he … why would he … he’d never …
I felt Megan touch my arm.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
Was I okay? No! My mouth was parched like I was hungover, and my head began to pound.
“Tell me,” I croaked out.
“Brandon did it to your friends. I heard him bragging to one of his friends at the firm. He talked about sleeping with your girlfriend while she was completely out of it and pinning it on your other friend. David, he’s evil,” Megan said.
