A Firm Foundation Page 5

  “And it said...?”

  “It said I’d be fired if I didn’t cooperate with the council. Heaven knows, we can’t afford to lose my income with two kids starting college soon, and if I should be fired without any severance...” Her expression looked so helpless that it tore at Kate’s heart.

  “But it wasn’t just aimed at me. The note also said that Danny could be removed from his teaching position. Whoever is behind this threatened to make up some story about Danny behaving inappropriately with his students. Kate, Danny would be devastated if something ruined his reputation. Teaching is his life, not just a job to him. And we need his insurance, not to mention his salary.”

  “Those are significant threats. Not like someone saying ‘You’ll be sorry’ or egging your house.” Kate was infuriated by the pure meanness of the anonymous note. “Why do you think it was Tosten Glass?”

  Livvy shuddered. “He’s a horrible, horrible man. He comes in here asking me for details about how quickly we’re getting things packed up. He seems as if he can’t wait to close down the library.” She paused. “In all fairness, I may just want him to be the bad guy because he’s so slimy. He might have had nothing to do with that note.”

  “Yes, but for someone to be able to back up those threats, it would have to be someone with a fair amount of power in this town. You couldn’t be fired easily, nor could your contract be broken and a severance package withheld, and rumors about Danny probably could be debunked quickly unless someone in a position of authority embraced them. Would Tosten have had the opportunity to plant the note?”

  Livvy shook her head. “I don’t see how. On Saturday, when the note showed up, I went to the diner for lunch, and he was there too.”

  Another thought struck Kate. “Livvy, if the library closes, will you even have a job?”

  Livvy nodded. “I asked about that. Mr. Glass told me I’ll stay on salary while they find a new location for the library.” Livvy’s eyes grew moist as she held up a hand in a “stop” gesture. “I’ll be too upset to do my job if I try to talk about this any more.” She clasped her hands tightly together. “Please, Kate, whatever you do, don’t let anyone know I talked to you. There can’t be even a whisper that you know these things.”

  “I promise I’ll be careful.” Kate gave Livvy a hug, patting her friend’s back when Livvy clutched her tightly. “I’ll go on upstairs and get started.”

  Livvy moved aside, and Kate opened the office door. Right on the other side of the door was Louisa Pellman. She held a clipboard against her chest and took a startled step backward, deep color sweeping into her face as she nearly tripped and fell. “H-hello,” she stammered, clutching at the desk.

  Kate hastily grabbed her elbow. “I’ve got you, Louisa.” To take the young woman’s mind off her clumsiness and set her at ease, Kate said, “You’re giving this project a lot of time. That’s nice of you.”

  “Everyone’s doing so much for me that I wanted to do something for the community.” Louisa rushed through the words, confirming Paul’s guess about her motives.

  “You know,” Kate said, “I’m really glad you and your children are staying with your parents right now. Last night would have been a terrifying experience for all of you.”

  Louisa shuddered, and Kate, seeing her distress, changed the subject.

  “Oh, I met your son Jeremy last evening,” Kate recalled, smiling. “He’s quite the budding biologist, isn’t he?”

  Louisa’s tense expression relaxed. “He loves animals,” she said. “He knows more than I do about a lot of them. Right now, he’s convinced himself that there’s something special about those squirrels outside the library.” She shook her head, as if that couldn’t possibly be true.

  But Kate had thought the young man’s observations sounded extremely plausible. “He’s very knowledgeable,” she said diplomatically. “Is he out there again today?”

  Louisa nodded. “He always asks to come with me when he knows I’m coming to the library.” She glanced at her watch. “Although I have to work at noon, so we’re only here for a few hours.”

  “Oh yes. I heard you work at the courthouse,” Kate said. She grinned. “Not many secrets in this town, are there?”

  Instead of smiling, Louisa’s brows drew together. “No,” she said soberly. “There aren’t. I should get back to packing.” And she turned away.

  Kate thought about Livvy as she climbed the stairs to the second floor. Had Tosten Glass really written that nasty note? Why would the president of the town council threaten Livvy and Danny? As Kate entered the room where the historical collection was kept, she decided that although she didn’t know the man, she needed to meet him very soon.

  Chapter Six

  As Kate looked around the room she saw that Morty Robertson had finished covering the window and was working inside. Armed with a dustpan and a broom, he was sweeping shattered glass into small piles and placing the piles into a bucket.

  “Hello again,” she said.

  “Hello, Kate. Isn’t this something?”

  “Something awful,” she agreed. “Livvy sent me to help. Shall I begin laying the books on tables?”

  Morty nodded. “That’ll be fine. I’ll help as soon as I’m done cleaning up this glass.”

  Kate noted that he had already stapled heavy plastic over the window frame from the inside as well.

  Kate began picking up many of the wet books and laid them on tables. They had been on a bookcase beneath the window that must have fallen over after the window broke. Kate got a roll of paper towels and began to wipe them off, one by one, careful to brush off any shards of glass that might still be clinging to them.

  When she had a stack of five or six, she and Morty carried them downstairs and laid them on tables hastily placed against one wall.

  While Kate worked, she considered the implications of what Livvy had told her. Once, as she passed Morty on the stairs, she said, “When Livvy is away from the library, how easy is it for someone to gain access to her office?”

  Morty didn’t even have to think about it. “She doesn’t lock the door. Anybody that needs something can go in.”

  After the fifth trip, Morty declared that they needed to take a break. Since her bad knee was throbbing, Kate thought that sounded like a fine idea. She wondered if her face was as flushed as his as she sank into a chair in the historical room with a bottle of water.

  On the table in front of her lay a copy of the Copper Mill Chronicle. Pulling it toward her, she noted that this was the edition from two weeks ago, the first of the two Thursdays she had been out of town.

  She scanned the headlines. To her amusement, the lead story was about the roofing project at Louisa Pellman’s home. There was a nice shot of Louisa and her children standing in front of the house. Jeremy stood on one side of his mother, and on her other side, she held the hand of a little girl who looked to be about kindergarten age. In her free arm, Louisa held a toddler. Goodness. She really had her hands full, Kate thought. The article went on to mention that Louisa worked part-time in the records office at the courthouse but hoped to find full-time employment. No wonder the poor woman had those circles beneath her eyes.

  Flipping through the thin newspaper, Kate’s eye caught another headline: NO REELECTION BID FOR GLASS. Tosten Glass again! Kate had seen and heard the man’s name more in the past twenty-four hours than she had since she’d moved to town.

  She read the article. It said that three members of the seven-member council were up for reelection. Two were running for a second term. Tosten Glass also was eligible to do so, as Paul had mentioned, but apparently he had decided just two weeks ago not to seek office again, citing personal reasons. Of course. That was the catch-all phrase used when someone didn’t want to share their future plans with the press.

  Still, Kate had to wonder why Tosten decided not to run again. He would have every expectation of being reelected, since all the candidates were running unopposed. And he probably would have been elected presi
dent again. Why wouldn’t he want that? It could be something as simple as family problems, she supposed.

  “Ready to start up again?” Morty interrupted her thoughts. “It’s been about ten minutes.”

  Kate groaned as they rose together. “That went by awfully fast. Are you sure your watch didn’t skip some time?”

  Back to work. Up and down the steps she trudged. Each time she brought down several more books, she gently opened the volumes that were already drying to new sections in order to dry the pages somewhat equally. It was apparent that several of them were going to need expert attention, and she purposely didn’t try to pry apart any pages that appeared stuck. None of the books could be sent away until they were completely dry, she realized, because they would be risking mold, not to mention ink stains, on adjacent pages.

  Not long after she and Morty had resumed their rescue operations, a moving van emblazoned with the logo of a Pine Ridge company pulled up. One man hopped out and walked inside, presumably to talk to Livvy, while three others busied themselves opening a sliding side door on the large van.

  When Kate brought down the next load of books, the men were carrying out the first of the chairs and tables and stowing them in the big van.

  She held the door open for a man with a dolly before she walked up the steps again. Smiling at the gray-haired fellow, she asked, “Where will you be taking these?”

  “They’re going into storage,” the man told her. “Some warehouse in Pine Ridge.”

  The man’s words were confirmation of what Livvy had told her earlier. Kate’s chest felt tight, and a lump rose in her throat. How were the town’s longtime residents going to feel as this news got out? The signs on the doors might have gone relatively unnoticed over the weekend, but with all the downtown businesses open and passersby seeing the moving truck, news would spread now.

  The sheer sneakiness of the whole maneuver felt sinister to Kate. She was more determined than ever to meet Tosten Glass.

  “Hey, Mrs. Hanlon!”

  As Kate came downstairs again, a childish voice hailed her.

  Looking around, she saw Jeremy Pellman waving at her from the back door. “Hi, Jeremy. I need a break. Want to sit down with me for a minute?” She walked outside with the boy and sat down in the grass beside him. “It’s awfully hot out here, isn’t it?”

  The boy nodded. “Yeah, but it’s okay in the shade.”

  “What are you doing today?”

  He grinned. “Guess.”

  “Squirrels,” Kate said in a dry tone.

  He giggled. “Yep. I was inside reading, but I got tired of that, so I came out here,” he said.

  “Where are your sisters?”

  “With Grammy. Hey, how did you know I have two sisters?”

  “I’m a mind reader,” Kate said in a deep dramatic tone that made him giggle again.

  “I get to come along because I’m quiet and I like to read,” the child informed her. “And Mom knows I like to watch the squirrels.”

  “Does she know you’re touching them?”

  He rolled his eyes. “You sound just like her. She said the same thing you did about rabies. But if you want to be exact, I haven’t touched one yet.”

  “By all means, let’s be exact,” Kate said with a grin.

  “Mom says I notice all kinds of details,” Jeremy said.

  “Oh?” Kate was amused.

  “I notice lots of details about the squirrels,” he said, clearly proud of this feat.

  Kate laughed. She reached out to ruffle the boy’s hair before getting to her feet. “I imagine you do.”

  She had just started back inside when two strangers entered the library right behind her.

  Kate grew curious. She knew almost everyone else in the library, but who were these men? The pair had walked right past the movers without any indication that they knew the men carrying out furniture, so she didn’t think they were associated with the move. In addition, the men seemed to be dressed too nicely to be movers. One wore a pair of khaki slacks with a blue dress shirt, while the other had on an expensive-looking pair of shiny leather loafers. Both of them wore no-nonsense expressions that practically shouted, “We have a schedule to keep, so don’t waste our time.” Something told her these men were people that bore watching.

  Quietly, she moved toward them as the men sought out Livvy. Although she strained to hear, Kate couldn’t quite catch their names. Livvy’s voice carried a little more clearly, though.

  “Building and Zoning?” she said. “You need to inspect the building now? We’re going to be out in one week. It might be easier if—”

  “No,” said one of the men. “We need to do it today, Mrs. Jenner. I’m sorry if it causes any inconvenience. We’d like to start in the basement, if you’ll show us the way.”

  “I’ll do it,” Kate said.

  The men swung around. Livvy looked a bit startled, but after a moment’s hesitation, she recovered quickly. “Thank you, Kate.”

  “If you’ll follow me?” Kate beckoned to the men and set off at a brisk pace.

  She led the pair to the basement door, then switched on the lights and headed down the unadorned wooden steps. “They use some of this for storage,” she told them over her shoulder. “Is there something in particular you need to see down here?”

  The shorter of the two men shook his head. “We need to take some general measurements. Thank you. We can find our way back upstairs when we’re done.”

  “All right.” Instead of heeding the man’s unspoken dismissal, Kate headed farther into the basement and switched on light after light. As she had hoped, the men followed. “If you don’t mind, just turn off the lights when you’re finished.”

  “Thank you.” The taller man smiled absently at her. He turned to the other fellow and pulled out a notebook. “All right, let’s get started.”

  Kate turned and left the two men to their measurements. But she didn’t go back upstairs. Instead, she quietly slipped behind a large stack of book boxes near the foot of the stairs. The basement was so quiet that Kate could hear the men’s voices easily, even when they were in the room beyond where she was hiding.

  “We’ve got to look at everything on this checklist,” the first man said.

  “All right, where do you want to start?”

  “How about asbestos abatement? The preliminary survey I have doesn’t show any, but we have to inspect for it. While we’re at it, look for signs of rodent or insect infestation. Somebody told me they have a lot of squirrels here. That will have to be dealt with too.”

  Kate’s attention sharpened. What did that mean? She hoped it meant something perfectly harmless, but from the man’s tone of voice, she suspected that wasn’t the case.

  “Then we’ll make sure we know where all the utilities are so they can be disconnected,” the man was saying. “Once all that is documented and the radon testing is done, we can see about getting the municipal permit.”

  Asbestos abatement, rodent infestation, and radon testing. Kate mouthed the phrases to herself. She could see why the building would need to be inspected for those things if there was going to be any type of construction work done, which was what she inferred might be happening, especially since the utilities were going to be disconnected.

  She wondered what the municipal permit was for. Did zoning laws require permits for renovation? Was someone planning to buy the library property? She hadn’t heard that the town needed money, but perhaps that was the reason. It still didn’t explain the need for the library’s hasty closing, though.

  “Take this to that far corner,” she heard one of the men say to the other. “We need square-footage measurements too.”

  Fearing she’d be caught eavesdropping, Kate left the cover of the boxes. She moved as quietly as possible as she tiptoed to the stairs. The old wooden steps creaked a bit when her weight settled onto them, but the men were moving around in the other room, and she was pretty certain they didn’t hear her.

  Still,
it was a relief to slip through the door into the hallway and carefully close the door behind her without a sound.

  AT LUNCHTIME, Kate was surprised to see Paul’s truck pull into their driveway right behind her. He often visited members of the congregation and joined them for lunch if he wasn’t meeting someone at the Country Diner.

  “Hello,” she called as she unlocked the front door. “What are you doing home?” She laughed. “Not that I don’t enjoy your company.”

  Paul grinned. “You were gone for two weeks. I missed sharing meals with you, so I thought I’d join you today. After all, you are one of my parishioners.”

  “So I am,” Kate agreed. She hung her purse on the coat tree in the entryway and turned to hug her husband. “How was your morning? You went back out to the job site, didn’t you?”

  Paul nodded, and Kate felt the weight of the previous night’s experience depressing the pleasant interlude. He kept his arms around her and rested his chin atop her head. “I can’t tell you how many times this morning I flashed back to lying in that ditch. I shudder every time I think about how differently our evening could have ended.”

  “I know. I kept my brain so busy this morning that I didn’t think about it much unless someone else brought it up. I think it was my subconscious protecting me from post-traumatic stress.”

  “It’ll get better,” Paul said in a firm tone.

  She wasn’t sure whether Paul was reassuring her or himself more.

  With a kiss on the forehead, he released her. “You were right. Part of the roof came off. In fact, one whole corner of it is gone or damaged. It’s going to take even more work to get it repaired now.”

  “I’m so sorry,” she said. Together, they walked into the kitchen. “How much do you estimate it will take?”

  “We won’t know until after we meet with all the volunteers this evening. We have to see if we still have enough people to complete the project.”

  “I’ll say a prayer for you this afternoon,” Kate promised. “I’m sure this setback is temporary.” She paused. “Are turkey-and-swiss sandwiches on whole wheat okay?”