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Kate poured herself a mugful of fresh coffee and sat across from her father at the kitchen table. “Are you going to tease me without mercy?” she asked.
“Why would I do that? You don’t tease me when I linger at Margie’s.”
“You haven’t lingered for a day and a half. Not yet anyway.”
“I did have in mind to say I told you so. And I’ll add I’m happy for you.”
“It might last this time, Dad. He took me bowling Friday night.”
“A sure sign of commitment.”
“It feels like when we were teenagers and fell in love. Please don’t tell me this buzz will fade. I’m not interested in hearing anything negative.”
“I was not going to say anything about the buzz. I was going to say life has its ups and downs and in-betweens. Your job is to stay buckled in and ride that ride.”
“That sounds really wise, Dad.” She reached for the front section of the paper. “Wow, Helen put me on the first page, below the fold, but who cares.”
“It was a good piece, Katie. Jack Brighton never seemed that community-minded to me, but maybe I overlooked those characteristics.”
“The series is about Branson’s history and Jack played a big part. Even today he holds a lot of power and influence. But the article was not meant to be a biography of him or his family.”
“Perhaps an exposé would be appropriate someday.”
“Not a bad idea, but I’d rather do one on Larry Allen.”
“You’re right, he is smarmier than his grand-father.”
“Speaking of smarmy, I’m expecting a phone call from a Kyle Henderson. He’s the one I used mother’s maiden name to contact about selling the motel property.”
“Called yesterday evening. I told him you’d be out of town for a day or so. He left a direct number for you to call back.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“Hey, I’m happy to be one of your investigative team members, but I’m not a very good secretary. The note’s by the phone next to your key project.”
Kate ran to the living room. Her father had shoved the note under the pile of rejected keys. The gift box from Etta and the metal container with the remaining keys were close by. The note said call anytime, so she dialed the number and hoped for an answer.
“I’m returning a call from Kyle Henderson,” Kate said, when the woman answered.
Sitting on hold, Kate stirred the keys in the metal box, then selected one and inserted it in the lock. Like other rejects, it didn’t budge. She tried another. No movement. Maybe Tom would get a chance to show his lock-picking skills after all. She tried several more keys and had chosen the next when Henderson came to the phone. She gave her mother’s name as she inserted the key in the cedar box.
He paused. She detected a faint sound of paper shuffling before he said, “Ah, yes. Miss Carson. I researched the motel and spoke to the owner. Frankly, this location is not what we’re interested in at this time.”
“May I ask why?”
“We’re looking for something closer to downtown Branson.”
“The action in Branson is along the Strip, Mr. Henderson. Downtown Branson is not much of an attraction.”
“Perhaps not at this time, Miss Carson. But we have an eye on the future.”
“Really? What’s in old downtown Branson’s future?”
“One never knows. Perhaps a facelift of sorts. In any case, we are not interested in buying the land you proposed.”
Kate was still sitting on the sofa staring at Etta’s box and pondering Henderson’s words—specifically his use of the plural pronoun and the facelift in Branson’s future—when someone knocked on the front door. A reflexive twist of her wrist initiated the key’s smooth rotation in the lock. “Whoa,” she whispered as she raised the lid slightly.
A second knock reminded Kate of the visitor. She locked the box and slipped the successful key in her jeans on her way to the door.
“Katie, I was hoping you were home,” Marge said.
Kate furrowed her brow and stepped back to let the woman enter. “Dad already mentioned I lingered more than usual.”
Marge chuckled. “I’m glad you called him. He seemed worried for a moment or two. But what I mean is, I have some information for you.”
Kate led the way to the kitchen and was taken aback when Marge leaned down to peck Roger on the cheek with her greeting.
The realtor poured herself a cup of coffee and removed a hefty stack of papers from a large manila envelope. “As it turns out the Chamber already has a preliminary report prepared by the survey company. The return on the mail-out was seventy-two percent, which is truly incredible, and most companies responded immediately even though they were given a six-month window to reply.”
“That’s impressive,” Kate said, adding “By the way, Dad has joined our little team.”
“Oh, I thought he was already a part of it. Can I spread this stuff out here?”
“You bet,” Roger said with a gleam in his eye.
It took the woman several minutes to get the piles of paper in an acceptable order. All the pages were facing so Roger and Kate could read them. Marge sat behind the array, her fingers clasped in front of her on the table.
Kate said, “Wainright indicated the responses weren’t expected for months.”
Marge clarified, “Only the committee members have it. They’re still compiling data to be discussed in a general meeting, or so I was told.”
“Why wouldn’t they simply turn over the report to all chamber members, including the city government?” Kate asked.
“Very good question,” Roger commented.
“Before we discuss that, let me give you a quick summary.”
Marge explained that, the four stacks represented the four parts of the questionnaire—company demographics, facility requirements, services and features, and desired activities. Surveyed companies ranged from small, with less than fifty employees, to medium with up to three-hundred employees, to large with between three-hundred to a thousand employees, indicative of the sample selected. Most of the responding companies had between three-hundred to six-hundred employees, with a few in the upper end of the large category or greater. Respondents were based nationwide, although most of the surveys were sent to and received from companies headquartered in the Midwest.
Overwhelmingly, the preferences involved centralized facilities, with sleeping and meeting accommodations for up to two-hundred individuals in the same hotel or hotel campus. A few respondents specified higher capacities. Required amenities included access to three meals per day, with some meals—as well as beverage services—provided in the meeting areas. Extra-curricular activities, such as visiting area attractions, should be close or easily reached and prepared for large groups. Most of the activities or attractions were in-line with what the Branson area could provide, with some notable exceptions. Meeting rooms should accommodate various numbers of attendees, ranging from twenty-five to two-hundred, and should be equipped with a comprehensive audio-video system, including recording features. Full-service copying, faxing, and phone services should be available close to meeting areas.
Marge paused as Roger and Kate scanned the draft report sections. She poured each of them a cup of coffee and started another pot.
Roger was the first to comment. “You know, in my conversations with former and current planning and zoning members, nothing like this has been proposed.”
Marge offered, “But chamber members have been promoting a convention center for a couple of years now. We’ve been competing with Springfield for large meetings for a while.”
“The convention center that folks around town are picturing is not the sophisticated facility described by the survey responses,” Roger said.
Kate added, “I agree. These companies want something John Q. Hammons can build, like the large hotel complex on Table Rock Lake he’s supposedly planning. Certainly, that would help Branson compete with Springfield, but it won’t be within city limits.”
“And the size of the hotel is only part of it,” Roger said.
“Right,” Marge agreed. “Although Silver Dollar City is a popular attraction, the companies expressed the need for a menu of activities for their members.”
“What about the lakes themselves? Those are big attractions with both boating and fishing,” Kate said. “And we have the new Tanger Outlet and other shopping areas.”
Marge said, “Remember a big issue is proximity to the hotel or easy transport for large groups. We do not have a transportation system in Branson. Commercial busses are okay for small tourist groups, but not practical ... or even available ... for these large corporate clients we want to attract. Don’t forget, wives will come too. And although outlet shopping is popular, not everyone wants factory-overflow or irregular items, name brand or not. Boutiques and small specialty or novelty shops were specifically noted in the responses.”
“Okay, so we need a facelift,” Kate said, using Henderson’s term.
“I’d call it more like major reconstructive surgery,” Roger said with a snicker.
Marge said, “You asked before, Katie, why the chamber hasn’t released this report and the detailed responses to the members. I don’t have an official answer and, since I acquired this draft prematurely, I couldn’t ask the question of the board or the committee. But I will say fulfilling the requirements summarized in the report would be monumental and way beyond the loose structure of the chamber.”
“Like Katie said it will take a major developer to address these needs,” Roger agreed.
“No developer in town comes close to Hammons’ caliber,” Marge said.
“True, but there may be one who aspires to that standard,” Kate said, drumming her index finger on the stack in front of her.
When her dad and Marge left for a seniors’ miniature golf tournament, Kate gathered up the papers and went to her room. She sifted through the summaries, her head spinning with excitement. She fell asleep speculating about what Allen and Wainright had in mind and if Henderson was involved with them or someone else or no one.