Thick as Thieves(22)

“If you’re talking about the boy I’m thinking of,” Lisa said, “he was riffraff.”

Boy? He was definitely no longer a boy. She also thought Lisa’s terminology was a bit over the top. “He said that he was beneath your notice.”

“I knew who he was, but only because of his reputation,” Lisa said. “His bad reputation. I think he was incarcerated at least once.”

“He must have turned things around at some point. He served in the military for years.”

“So he’s reformed and living in Penton?”

He was living in Penton. Arden wasn’t certain that he’d undergone a reformation. “What was that about a pool hall?”

“You should remember the place. We had to drive past it to get to Mabel’s.”

The family’s Friday night tradition had been having dinner at Mabel’s on the Lake. “All-you-can-eat catfish for twelve ninety-nine,” Arden murmured. “Mabel lost money on Dad. He could pack it away.”

Lisa laughed again. “We had some good times.”

Then their mother had been killed, and all that had changed.

After a short lull, Lisa said, “Anyway, Ledge Burnet. That beer joint that looks like it’s growing up out of the lake? It belongs to Ledge’s uncle. Or at least it did. It may have collapsed by now.”

“Burnet’s Bar and Billiards!” Arden exclaimed with sudden recollection. “He’s that Burnet?”

“He and his uncle lived on the premises.”

“Just the two of them? What about his parents?”

“God knows. I never heard mention of them. Only him and his uncle and that bar. Not exactly a healthy environment for a boy to grow up in, which I guess explains his brushes with the law.”

“He has his own business now.” Arden fingered the white business card with his name and contact information printed in a no-nonsense font in bold black ink. No flourishing logo. Nothing gimmicky. No frills. Very much like the man.

“What kind of business?”

Lisa’s question pulled her from musing over what the right kind of physique could do for a plain white shirt and blue jeans. “Uh, he’s a contractor. Of sorts.”

“Of what sort?”

“Carpentry. Home repairs.” She minimized the scope of the job, needing to work up to suggesting a complete renovation. “He works alone.”

“You interviewed this former jailbird to do repairs on our house?”

“I didn’t know he was a former jailbird when I interviewed him.”

“Well, now that I’ve told you—”

“He told me. He was very straightforward about it.” Less straightforward about how he knew her recent history.

“He sounds like a glorified handyman,” Lisa said, “and he can’t be the only one in Penton.”

“No, but he’s affordable, and he comes highly recommended.”

That was a stretch. She’d obtained only one reference. She didn’t know just how affordable he was because she hadn’t yet seen his estimate. One could wonder then why she was trying to sell Lisa on him when she wasn’t sold herself.

“Arden,” Lisa said in the manner that always preceded a lament. “Please pack up and leave there. Tonight.”

“We’ve been over this. A thousand times.”

“I’ve done as you asked. I backed away and cut you some slack. I’ve tried to be understanding and supportive of your insistence on staying there. If that’s what you thought would make you happy, I wanted it to work out for you.”

“I feel a ‘however’ coming.”

“However, I’m afraid it will be—”

“Another venture doomed to failure.”

“The prospects aren’t looking good. For chrissake, you’re hiring a convict.”

“I haven’t decided on him.”

“What repairs are we talking about? How extensive will they be?”

“Update the plumbing. Replace some light fixtures. He’s going to come back to me with options, so nothing’s been decided yet.”

Lisa hesitated, then said quietly, “I could alleviate your having to decide anything.”

“That sounds like a veiled threat.”

“You could think of it that way, or you could think of it as my providing a safety net to prevent you from making another bad decision.”

“Out with it, Lisa.”

“The house is half mine. Plumbing, rewiring require city inspections. I don’t wish to become ensnared in civic red tape in that crappy town.”

It was as though Ledge had forecast that Lisa might take this position. “For twenty years you’ve ignored this house, but now that I’ve taken an interest in it, you’re up in arms.”

Lisa sighed. “You’re right. Never mind my personal aversion to that place. How costly will these repairs be?”

“I’ve received estimates that were over budget. Burnet hasn’t submitted his yet.”

“What was your budget?”

“That’s my business.”

“Are you dipping into your trust fund from Wallace? Or is your married boyfriend helping you financially?”

Arden saw red. “I’m hanging up now, Lisa, before we say things we’ll regret.”