“You’re looking at five-thousand dollars per acre to get it stocked. It’s a five-acre pond all the way around.” He used his hand to make a circle.
“Gosh. That much?” I questioned. He nodded. “Maybe we can just have the fundraiser with music from some of the campers and food. So maybe we can just clean the lake and fix up the tiki bar.”
“You’re lookin’ at about one-thousand dollars if you use Alvin Deters down at the Seed-N-Feed.” He gave a little more reasonable number which I figured I could just use some of that sock money.
“Alvin Deters.” I wrote down his name in my file. “Good to know.”
“I can get some things together to help fix up the tiki bar. It won’t be perfect, but it’ll be sturdy enough for a one-night fundraiser,” Henry said.
“Henry,” I scooted up on the edge of the seat. “Can I ask you why you gave Paul your savings to invest?”
“You know about that?” He asked.
“My lawyer gave me a list of people Paul scammed and you were on there.” I wondered if he was going to tell me.
Two police cars pulled into the campground.
“Scammed? He swindled me out of the money,” he responded sharply, abandoning all pretenses and watched as the police cars pulled up to the crime scene. They’d not taken down the crime scene tape and we were careful to not go near it last night during the campfire supper.
“He told me that if I gave him the money, he’d see to it that part of this campground was mine one day. We’d be partners, he’d said. Since I lived here, and he didn’t, I could be the silent partner and he’d funnel me the money.” There was a look of disgust that drew across this face as his nostrils flared when he turned back to look at me. “It disgusts me. Do you know how hard it is to save two-thousand dollars?”
I was finding out real fast just how hard it was.
“I’m not young and I’ve got nothing. The past few months, I was so happy thinking that I was going to retire with something. Part of this park. Then the FBI showed up here and told me the news. I hate that SOB.” He spit on the ground. “I’m sorry, Mae. I shouldn’t’ve spit that way. Not good to do in front of a lady.”
“You’re fine.” I shook my head. “Henry, did you see Paul when he showed up here the other day?”
“Hank asked me the same thing. I remember when he was knee-high to a grasshopper running around here with his grandfather. We were friends you know, me and his grandfather.” He looked out over the lake.
“You didn’t answer my question,” I pushed him.
“Like I told him, his grandfather is rolling over in his grave at the way Hank is actin’. We are all one and we look out for each other around here. Now, I’ve got to get to work on that tiki bar.” He got up and walked away, leaving me standing there without a clear answer to my question.
Beep, beep!
The sound of the horn and the gravel spitting up underneath tires took my attention away from Henry.
Betts Hager was wildly waving at me with a big grin on her face. I gestured her to go to my camper. I needed to get my purse and a few things to take with me. I nearly fell over my own feet as I rubber-necked across the lake looking at the crime scene to see what the police were doing. A couple of them just stared at me while the other two seemed to be scouring the scene for more evidence.
“I can’t believe it’s already ten,” I said to her when I met her down at my RV. “Let me put this in the camper and grab something. I’ll be right out.”
I hurried in and put the file on the table but took the piece of paper that I’d stuck in my purse where I’d been making my notes and lifted the mattress off the bed. I grabbed Paul’s sock with the money in it and took out a few thousand, putting that into my bag too.
“Sorry about that. I had to put my file up and you won’t believe the people who owe money who live here,” I said as I hoisted myself up into her mini-van.
“Yes, I would.” She agreed. “Dottie is a sucker for a sad story and I’d heard that Paul was going to give her the boot as the manager.”
“How did you know that?” I asked.
“Mae, Normal is a very small town. Gossip spreads around here like wildfire. Sometimes I get cleaning jobs with the rich ladies in town, I never know what I’m going to hear.” She pulled the shift in gear and took off towards town.
“Cleaning jobs?” I asked.
“I clean houses on the side. Especially the elderly from the church. It’s a hot commodity around here.” She looked over her shoulder. “Look back there.”
I did.
“I don’t have children. I have this mini-van to carry all my cleaning supplies.” She had a lead foot and before she even finished her story about how she had to help supplement her and her husband’s income because being a preacher didn’t pay much. “Well, not much in Normal.” She wagged her finger. “You know all them people you were saying didn’t pay their lot fee, they don’t tithe either. But they’re the first ones asking for a handout from the church and God love Lester. He’d give the clothes off his back for these people.”
“Lester?” I questioned.
“Lester, my husband. Your preacher.” She gripped the wheel and turned on to Main Street.
“I don’t go to church.” I wanted to establish that right off.
“You will,” she said with the up most of confidence. “We are here at the second-hand store. There’s some really good deals in here. You said something about a beach party themed fundraiser and there were some things I saw in here a few days ago that’d be perfect.”
“After we leave here and before you take me to the library, do you think we can stop by the Seed-N-Feed?” I asked.
“I sure can.” She nodded and jerked the wheel, parking the van in front of a store called the Tough Nickel. “It’s right there next to the shop we are going into and,” she pointed out the windshield ahead of us. “The library is over there and there’s a diner over there, plus The Laundry Club is just around the corner.” She turned to look at me. “Didn’t you see all this stuff when you were doing laundry?”
“You know, I hate to say it, but I was just trying to get some clean clothes and used my GPS to take me there. I didn’t pay much attention to anything other than parking the RV.” I looked out the window.
“It’s a great little town. We do what we can to keep it clean and desirable just in case we get new residents, like yourself.” She clapped her hands in her lap. “Listen, I’m sure we are about the same age or at least in the same age range. When Lester told me that he was thinking on taking a pastoring position in Normal, Kentucky, I was so upset. Of course, Normal wasn’t the ideal church we wanted, but I opened my heart and I can’t imagine anywhere I’d rather be.” She smiled. “When or if we do have children, I think Normal will be the perfect place to raise them.”
“I just never imagined even a week ago that I’d be here. Not that I’m better than anyone, it’s just that there’s not even a place to work out.” Like I’d ever worked out. I truly wanted to say a makeup counter, but I’m sure the local drug store had something.
“Yes. Queenie teaches Jazzercise in the church’s undercroft. It’s a lot of fun. You’re going to love it.” She pulled the keys from the ignition. “I’m sure you’re wanting to fix up the campground just enough for you to sell it, but I’m just asking that you keep your heart open. I think you’re going to be surprised.”
Betts didn’t give me a chance to deny her claim, though it was true. It’s not that I didn’t like Normal, it just wasn’t my normal and I wasn’t even sure what my normal was. But I was going to fix the place up and let the residents live in a place they can call home and make sure they didn’t skimp out on the rent. I would sell the place and leave the campground in much better shape then I’d found it. That much I knew for sure.