Free Catharine Bramkamp - Real Estate Diva 05 - A 380 Degree View by Catharine Bramkamp Page B

only nod when we see each other on the street and don’t say anything more.
    But here he was. “Hi Allison, here to take care of your grandmother?”
    “Yes I am.”
    “When did you come in to town?”
    “Thursday night.”
    He nodded.  He didn’t take any notes, but I knew him, he had an excellent memory, which was good and bad news for me. I probably should keep he and Ben apart.  If that was possible.
    “Why do you ask?”
    He pulled his light jacket around him against the cold.
    “Sorry, come in.  We’re all in the kitchen. I don’t want Prue to move more than she needs to.”
    He nodded. “That’s right, she broke her foot. Tripped in the greenhouse.”
    “Er, yes.”  He probably knew about the greenhouse, but since it was county property and not city property, it was not his concern.
    He strode down the hall.  “Hey, Prue.”
    “Well hello Tommy, here for a social visit?  How is your mother, is she back from that cruise?”
    He shook his head.  Another hazard of small town life is the ever-circulating information system. Everyone knows everything there is to know about everybody. My grandmother thinks Facebook is superfluous.
    “No, business.  Summer filed a missing persons report on Lucky Masters.”  He gestured helplessly.  “I’m here to ask if you’ve seen him in the last 48 hours.”
      “Why would I have seen Lucky Masters?” Prue inquired mildly.
    “I don’t know, but you threatened him at the council meeting last week. So it was strongly suggested that I pay you a visit.”
    “Oh, for God’s sake Tom, that was about re-building up the road and the EPA and land rights! It wasn’t a fight.”
    “You were pretty mad, there were a lot of witnesses.” 
    “I should hope so,” Prue declared hotly.  “There should be as many witnesses as possible to hear that Lucky Masters is a thief and intent on destroying this community.  He needs to have another EPA report, that’s the law. His claim that since he didn’t need an EPA report when he first built and so doesn’t need one now is bullshit and you know it.”
    “Not destroying,” Tom argued.  “He donates a lot to Claim Jump.”
    “At any rate.” Prue studiously brushed invisible crumbs from the table. “I would be happy if I never see Lucky again.”
    Did I mention my grandmother can be rather improvident?  One does not make threats when one is under investigation.
    “Is Prue under investigation?”  I blurted out, in my own improvident way. Must run in the family.
    “There’s no crime.  Summer is just freaked out. Lucky was suppose to show up at the theater last night, and he missed a meeting this morning.”
    “He lost the bid for the library.” I said.
    Tom gave me a sharp look.  “That’s right, that was the news that pushed Summer over the edge.  Lucky has never missed a bid, courthouse steps auction, or any opportunity to acquire more Claim Jump property.  She’s right, it’s worth checking out.”
    “What about Penny, his daughter?”
    “She’s not picking up. We left messages all day.  We may have to send a car out to her place and check up on her.”
    “Meaning you?”
    He nodded. “And get back in time for tonight’s performance.”
    “Your daughter is a Munchkin.” Prue nodded.
    “I know the Ding Dong the Witch is Dead song backwards and forwards.” He rubbed his head as if the memory brought about a headache.  
    “What about you Allison?  Kids?”  He turned to me with his a very reasonable question.
    I blinked, then composed myself more quickly than I would have even been able to do just last week.  “No, no I don’t think kids are for me.”
    He nodded.  “Lots of work.”  He stood and regarded me for about a second too long. “Thanks you two, if you hear anything about Lucky, give me a call?”
    We nodded and I escorted Tom out the kitchen door.

    His real estate agent dropped him off at the library - his library, his real estate agent.  He felt even more adult