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“Evicted? What do you mean?”
I reach into my purse and pull out the letter, thrusting it in Mindy’s direction.
After reading it, I couldn’t wait around for Louise to come back. I scribbled a note explaining my disappearance and hightailed it out of the building. Panic kept me walking all the way to Min’s, and even now, with a cup of sweetened black tea and my best friend on hand, I’m not feeling much better.
“They can’t do this, can they?” Mindy asks as she reads over the letter before passing it back to me. “They have to give notice. Who is your landlord?”
I look at her, and the sharpness of my gaze is enough to make her realize my landlord is no longer with us. Edward Patterson owned half the town, and now that he’s gone, that property has passed onto...whoever he bequeathed it to.
“Ah.” She pauses. And when she speaks again, her voice is ringing with false cheer. “Well, the notice, then. Whoever they are, they can’t just evict you without any warning.”
I smooth out the letter and trace a few words with one fingertip, reading aloud.
“Further to our previous letters...” I wince. “I need to get a bit better at opening my mail.”
It’s not like that, really. I just have a knack for knowing at a glance whether an envelope is going to be worth opening or not. Correspondence from friends, which is a rarity in the Internet age, I always open immediately. Then there are birthday cards, Christmas cards, postcards, and anything that looks like a coupon that might save me money. Bills and official notices are far less interesting. I shift uncomfortably in my seat. There’s more than one bill I’ve been actively avoiding lately, and I probably need to start dealing with them as well, unless I want to end up destitute as well as homeless.
“So what are you going to do?”
“There’s not a lot I can do.” I take a sip of my drink, relishing the sweetness. “If Ed were still here, I might have tried to reason with him.”
Mindy’s eyes flash with irritation.
“I know he was a terrible husband, and a terrible human a lot of the time, but I won more than one argument with that man, and I would try my hardest to win this one.” I sigh. “But now he’s gone.”
“Do you even know who inherited his property portfolio?” Mendy laughed, bitterly. “I can tell you none of it came my way! I expect the bulk of it went to that woman.”
Our eyes meet. Jessica Patterson, Ed’s second wife, his present window, made no secret of the abundant life she lived while married to the richest man in town. Oddly enough, since her husband’s death two months ago, she hasn’t been seen swanning around Patterson quite so much. And her money has stayed happily in the bank, accruing interest instead of being splashed around town with abandon.
“Well that isn’t going to help me,” I remark with a glum smile. “I don’t think I’ve spoken more than five words to her in the last five years!”
“You aren’t missing much.” Mindy rolls her eyes. She has always had a very dismissive opinion of her replacement and she doesn’t care who knows it.
I look over the letter once more, even though its contents are pretty much committed to memory by now. The legalese gives me two weeks to get my things together and vacate the place that’s been my home, my pride and joy, for the last ten years. Two weeks! Even if I walked into a new rental today, that wouldn’t be enough time to make arrangements. And then there’s the fact that I don’t exactly have an income at the moment. I glance around Mindy’s bustling coffee shop, momentarily envious that my friend has her own business with a cute little apartment upstairs and I have nothing. Not nothing. I snatch up my letter, determined not to just accept my fate without a fight.
“Well, maybe she’ll listen to reason. Losing her husband like that might have given her a dose of empathy.” I swallow the last of my tea and stand up, drawing a big breath in and squaring my shoulders. “There’s only one way to find out.”
*
THE PATTERSON SKYLINE is dotted with shabby-ish cottages, run-down community buildings, and slightly neglected green space. But there’s one building that dominates. Edward Patterson’s grand house is one of the oldest buildings in town, with all the old features and new additions that make it striking and unique. It’s known locally as the mansion, and honestly, if ever a building deserved such a name, it’s this one. In a town where nothing is quite as neat and cared for as it ought to be, the mansion shines. I’ve always loved it, and when Mindy lived here, was a frequent visitor. Even now, two months after the death of its owner, the mansion still stands out. Its manicured lawns and elegant façades are kept spotless by a team of staff, and I see several people busily working away as I stride up the driveway, my eviction notice clasped tightly in my hand. The front door is open, so I don’t have to knock, and I slip in, surprised that chaos seems to be the theme of the day. I can’t help but compare the Serenity Suites building site with the crowd of staff bustling around the inside of the mansion, and I’m about to stop someone and ask what’s going on when a shriek halts me in my tracks.
“What are you doing?” The shrill voice demands. “That can’t stay there! Tonight is supposed to be a party! The last thing we’ll want is some dreary old statue staring down at us in judgment!”
Jessica. I remember that this is the woman I’ve come all this way to talk to and draw a breath, skirting around the staff who are meekly cleaning and reorganizing and arranging things to suit their capricious boss.
“Jessica! Good morning, dear!”
A pair of low-lidded, gray eyes fix on me.
“It’s Cassie,” I lay a light hand on my chest, making an introduction that ought to be unnecessary. We’ve met before. “Cassie Clifton.”
“I know who you are,” Jessica looks bored. I suppose it’s a change from infuriated. “What are you doing here? Can’t you see I’m busy?”
“Then I’ll only take up a minute of your time.” I hold up the letter, praying that Jessica can’t see my hand shake. “I need to speak to you about this.”
“If it’s a complaint, then I don’t have time to hear it!” Jessica says. “I can direct you to my lawyer, or... No! Not there!”
I turn my head and see a stone statue that looks like it ought to be in a museum, not a person’s home. Three people are trying to move it, and I can tell from the strain on their faces that is not an easy task.
“It’s about my house,” I say, deciding I’d better just be upfront. “I had an eviction notice this morning, quite out of the blue. I’m sure it’s just a simple mistake,”
“I can’t help you!” Jessica shakes her head. “If you have a query about business or money or property, it’s nothing to do with me!”
I sigh, feeling very deflated, but when I glance her way, I see a shadow flicker across Jessica’s face that I don’t think has anything to do with me.
“Very well, then. Who’s your business manager? Or your lawyer? Is there somebody I can speak to about this? What should I do?”
Jessica lets out an exaggerated sigh and turns towards me, folding her toned arms and glaring at me.
“I told you. It’s nothing to do with me! I have no say over anything at all. I’m only the widow!”
I’m confused. I open my mouth to ask what on earth she’s talking about, but a door slams somewhere in the building, and we both turn toward the sound. Heavy footsteps strike the parquet floor, echoing over the low rumble of chaos, and I see a tall, dark-haired figure striding confidently down the stairs.
“Excuse me,” Jessica shoves past me, eager to intercept the stranger on his way to the door. I hesitate for all of a minute before following her. Whoever this man is, he has Jessica’s attention, and that has my attention. Maybe this is some kind of business manager who can help me out of my current predicament.
“You can’t be here! I told you that already.” Jessica takes a breath but her quarry has barely slowed his pace. She plants herself right in his path, wobbling in heels that are far too high to be comfortable. “Well?” Her voice rings with challenge, and it’s enough to make the man stop and look at her. He is pretty handsome. A good twenty years too young for me, but certainly easy on the eyes. Or he would be if he wasn’t scowling.
“Well?” There’s something vaguely mocking in his voice and his expression as he parrots her word back to her, but I don’t think that Jessica notices. She stamps her foot.
“Are you finished? In case you haven’t noticed, I’m trying to get ready for a party. Is there anything else you need, or can I access my own rooms in my own house at last?”
“It isn’t your house, Jessica,” the man says, with a smile. “Staying here is a courtesy until you can get something else figured out. Which is fine. Throw as many parties as you want. But do be aware that I have compiled a detailed inventory of all the pieces that belong here. If anything was to go missing...”
“Excuse me?” Jessica’s voice is so shrill it makes me wince. “Are you accusing me of theft?”
“Not accusing.” Is it my imagination or is this stranger now fighting an urge to laugh? “Just reminding you of your responsibilities while you remain here.”
“What about you?” Jessica asks, although I can tell she doesn’t want to know the answer. “Are you staying in town? In case I need to reach you.”
“I’ll be around.” The man says, glancing at a very expensive watch. “I have a meeting to get to right now, but the rest of my day is free.” He smiles, and again I get the feeling he’s mocking Jessica, although she doesn’t seem to notice. “Of course I wouldn’t miss your party. I assume I’m invited?”
There’s a long, awkward pause before Jessica answers in a voice that is too high and too loud to be entirely genuine.
“Of course!” She seems to remember all at once I’m standing there. She turns to me, all sweetness in contrast to the greeting I received a few moments earlier. “Cassie will be there as well, won’t you Cassie? Everybody will. Half the town is invited!”
“Great.” The stranger says, giving me a brief nod. “Then I wouldn’t miss it. But now I have to go.” He turns on his heel and stalks out of the building, leaving Jessica and me to stare after him. I’m desperate to know what that was all about, and who this man is. I don’t recognize him, but there is something vaguely familiar about his attitude. I take a breath, realizing this is probably the last chance I’m going to have to speak to Jessica before she gets subsumed by party preparations again.
“So, about this eviction notice...”
“You heard the man,” Jessica says, with a toss of her blonde curls. “Everyone will be at the party tonight. I’m sure you’ll be able to sort it out then. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a lot of things to get ready.” She claps her hands and out of nowhere, a short, squat woman with straw-colored hair appears at Jessica’s side, ready to take instructions with an eager, submissive little curtsey. “Cassie is just leaving. Show her out, won’t you? Then we can go make a start on the linens...”