If you’re new to this story, or missed a chapter, here’s a link to the online tab that has all the chapters so far. (Ebook or paperback also available.)
Franck took his banjo from its hook on his bedroom wall and tentatively plucked a few sour notes.
“I haven’t played this in a little while,” he said. “Not since before Zeke showed up the other day, anyway. Crazy days, huh? Just the way I like ‘em.”
“Play me a tune! What do you know?” said Dawn.
Franck tuned it up, and put on his finger picks. With a flourish, he propped one foot on his bed frame and began to play “Oh Susanna.”
“Not bad!” said Dawn. “Let me get my fiddle. I’ll play something with you.” She pulled her violin case out from under the bed and opened it up, tuned up, and sat at Franck’s desk chair. She played Turkey in the Straw.
“Just in time for Thanksgiving!” Franck said. “Try it again, I think I know that one.” They played it together.
An electronic version of “Oh Susanna” joined in with their “Turkey in the Straw.” It was Franck’s cellphone. He glanced at the caller ID before answering.
“Hello? Zeke?”
“Hey,” said Zeke. “Can I come by?”
“Umm…” Franck whispered to Dawn, “Zeke! He wants to come by…?”
“Now?” Dawn whispered quickly. Franck nodded urgently and pointed to the phone.
“Let’s do it, let’s see what he’s got,” she whispered.
“Well, okay, Zeke,” Franck said aloud on the phone. “When? What's up?”
“Now. I'm at your place now.”
“What, are you outside?”
“Yeah, man, I have something to tell you, and took a chance you’d be home.”
Franck looked sharply at Dawn; she nodded and got up.
“Well come on in,” he said. “Dawn’s already going down to open the door.”
Zeke came up the stairs and walked gingerly into the room, with Dawn behind him.
“Hey, man, what’s going on?” said Franck, putting his banjo on the kitchen table. “Sit down.”
Zeke sat, took a heavy breath, raised his eyebrows, looked around him, and settled his gaze on Dawn.
“You asked me to help. I think I found a way.”
“Really? How?”
“Well,” said Zeke, “I’m working at the bank, and in comes an old lady, well not really old, you know, one of those fit, feisty old ladies, the kind that would whack you over the head with her handbag if you tried to take it, and my manager sends her to my desk. Who do you think she is?”
“No idea,” said Franck.
“She’s the neighbor. Next door to the McIver house. She wants a loan.”
“Okay.”
“Yeah, so get this. She owns her house, she’s got good credit, she wants a big loan using her house for collateral. I go into it a little with her, ask her what she’s planning to use it for. She tells me she wants the money to save her neighbor’s house.”
“Wow, Nancy Caswell. She’s amazing,” said Franck.
“That’s the lady you went to see about the tunnel?” asked Dawn.
“Yeah, she’s quite a character. I liked her. She cares about the McIver house, uses some of the land for her horses. So is it going to work, Zeke?”
“Well there’s more. She wanted to know if the loan money could go toward what McIver owes on his mortgage. I had to explain he doesn’t owe back payments any more. It’s in foreclosure now. It’s in the redemption period.”
“Redemption?” asked Dawn.
“Redemption is when the owner can redeem his property if he can pay the whole mortgage back. Then he can save his house from foreclosure. It’s the last chance before the auction.”
“Redemption,” said Dawn. “That’s what we need. I wish there was a way we could help, too.”
“That probably means more money than I could have in ten years, and that’s if I didn’t have to spend it on anything else,” said Franck. “I don’t see how we could help.”
“Well, she has the property, she has savings, she says her sons will help her with payments. It’s not perfect, but it’s possible, and that’s where I can help. I think I can make it happen.”
“That’s fantastic. Does everyone know about this?”
“Nobody really knows just yet. She’s wondering if the money could go straight to redeeming McIver’s property. You see, good old St. Nick – Fondler – my old boss, started bugging this lady about buying her property too, and she is terrified of seeing it all developed. Well, maybe not terrified. She is one strong-willed lady.”
“What about your boss, Zeke?”
“Not my boss anymore. I got up the nerve to talk to him. He doesn’t scare me as much anymore. Not that it wasn’t terrifying to tell him what happened. He was snarling and furious but you know what? I'm beginning to think he’s not as powerful as he makes out. Oh, he’s definitely connected, and there’s a lot of shady people in this town, but he’s got a lot of bluff too. I found out that he can’t expose me at the bank without exposing himself. He has to be publicly civil to me. Going after me isn’t going to help him.”
“I’m glad you found a way out, Zeke,” said Dawn softly. “Glad you found a way.”
“I was going to get an ulcer or worse if I stuck with that so-called job. I don’t know how I got conned into it but once you get into these things it can be pretty hard or impossible to get out. Or they can make it seem that way.
“Anyway, here’s what’s happening,” Zeke continued. “I’m going to try to make sure Mrs Caswell gets her loan and help her use it to redeem McIver’s mortgage. I talked to our mortgage and foreclosure people about this and I think they’re on board. I kept John out of the loop. He’ll find out but he can’t push too hard or he’ll be exposed as Fondler’s man.”
“Why don’t you expose him yourself?” said Franck. “This guy is stepping all over people.”
“I have to think hard about it. John’s a friend, and stuck in deep like I almost was. I’m not sure yet whether he’s done anything that’s technically illegal. Maybe I can help him get out. I just have to play it cool for now. My sights are set on making this redemption happen.”
“That will be something to really give thanks for at Thanksgiving. Do you think it will be sorted out by then?” asked Franck.
“The T’s won’t be crossed or the I’s dotted but I’ll know by then if it’s a sure thing or if it’s a sketchy deal.”
They sat for a moment, taking in all this new information.
“Have a beer, Zeke,” said Franck. He took three of Bob’s beers out of the fridge and poured a round.
“Here’s a toast to Nancy Caswell!” said Franck.
“Hear, hear!” shouted Dawn and Zeke.
Franck picked up his banjo and started plucking some wandering notes. Dawn got her fiddle from Franck’s room and joined in.
They played “Turkey in the Straw.”
“Hey guys, my guitar is in the trunk of my car, mind if I play a few tunes with you?” said Zeke.