Sadie cautiously approached Lester preparing dinner in the kitchen. She wasn't sure if he'd go along with her plans. Lester noticed Sadie fidgeting. Her fingers twisted together, indicating she was nervous about talking to him. "Hey, Sade. What's up?" Lester cheerfully asked.
"Um. I was wondering if we could take the Huntington and Buxom houses off the market," Sadie replied. Lester raised a brow, wondering if she would explain why she changed her mind. "I had an idea."
Lester scraped the diced chicken from the cutting board into the frypan. He washed his hands and dried them on the dishtowel. "How about we discuss this at the table?" Lester suggested. He grabbed the milk from the refrigerator, two glasses from the cupboard and placed them on the table. Lester watched Sadie run from the room to grab something. He shook his head, smiling at her obvious excitement. Whatever Sadie wanted to share was important to her.
Sadie returned to the kitchen as Lester placed the plate of cookies on the table. "Thanks, Dad," Sadie said, feeling less nervous.
"What do you have in the folder?" Lester asked, grabbing a chocolate chip cookie off the plate and dipping it into his milk. He took a bite of the moist cookie. Nicki made the best chocolate chip cookies.
Smiling, Sadie opened the folder to pass him the drawings. "Mary Alice and I tried to draw these to scale. I'll have to ask Tio Bones to help with the drawings," Sadie explained. She grabbed a cookie from the plate. Sadie moaned as she shoved the whole cookie into her mouth before drinking some milk.
Lester looked at the drawings. Sadie tried to change the layout of the houses, but Bones said the walls she wanted to move were load-bearing. It would cost too much to retrofit the buildings for what she hoped to accomplish. Sadie promised to come up with another idea. Bones convinced Sadie to discuss her plans with Lester. He was appointed trustee to her inheritance.
"These are good," Lester said. He flipped to the floor plans. "Are you asking the engineers and architects to create this?"
Sadie nodded because her mouth was full of the cookie she had to chew and swallow. "The houses are built on prime real estate. So much of the property got wasted by the long winding driveways. Mary Alice suggested that we demolish the Buxom and Huntington houses. We can build a three-floor apartment complex with enough apartments to house thirty veterans," Sadie explained.
"Veterans? Why?" Lester asked. He was proud of his daughter.
"I was talking to Tio Tito. He said there were a lot of veterans living in dilapidated buildings because they couldn't afford anything else. Some of them are disabled. I want to build two apartment complexes where they can live. They have to pay their heating and hydro costs, but I don't want them to worry about paying rent," Sadie explained. "I realize many people would apply to the units. But if I make them two-bedroom suites, maybe some can double up with their friend. Then if the Miami project goes as planned, I want to do the same in Georgia, New York and Trenton. Basically, anywhere you have a Rangeman building to moderate the security."
"How are you planning to determine who gets a unit and who doesn't?" Lester wondered.
"That's where I need your help, Dad. Maybe, Tio Tank and Tio Carlos can help determine who should get an apartment."
"Are you open to suggestions?" Lester asked. Sadie nodded, wanting to hear what her dad thought. "You should build the complex with single and double units. However, have the veterans apply for the apartments as they would for another building. We can hire someone or a group of veterans to manage the building and maintenance."
"Those are great ideas, Dad. Could you help me do this?" Sadie hoped he would say yes.
"Of course, Sade. I'll be honoured to help my generous daughter give back to the veterans," Lester replied. "Several offers came in on the properties now that the probate period ended."
"I know. But I feel selling the houses would be the wrong decision. I want to do this, Dad. It's important to Mary Alice and me."
"I'm proud of you, Sade."
"Dad, would it be wrong to offer the apartments to the disabled veterans first? I want the units to be wheelchair accessible," Sadie asked.
"There's nothing wrong with that, but you don't need a visible disability to qualify as disabled," Lester reminded her.
"And that's where you, Tio Tank and Tio Carlos could help," Sadie said. Sadie wanted to give back to the military men and women who sacrificed limbs and their sanity to protect the country.
"I'll contact Bones and arrange a meeting. I'm sure he'll fly here to look at your drawings," Lester said.
"Thanks, Dad," Sadie said. She shoved the last cookie into her mouth and drank her milk. Sadie was glad he thought the idea was sound. She worried about him saying it wasn't possible or practical.
Lester smiled as Sadie put the dishes into the dishwasher after rinsing them. She grabbed the papers off the table and ran up the stairs to the bedroom. He shook his head, then used his phone to call the real estate agent in Miami.
"Cooper Mulligan."
"Hey, Coop. I'm pulling the properties. Can you pass along the message to Liza?" Lester asked. Cooper Mulligan and his wife, Liza, owned a real estate firm in Miami. Liza managed the residential sales, leaving the corporate properties for Cooper.
"Sure. Are you planning to move to Miami?" Cooper asked.
"No. My daughter got the best idea. She wants to demolish the houses to build an apartment complex for disabled veterans," Lester replied.
"I could get on board with that venture. The land is already zoned for residential. It shouldn't be difficult to get a high-density residential permit. Would you like me to start the process?" Cooper asked. Lester met Cooper Mulligan during Army basic training. He got honourably discharged after losing his left leg to a roadside IED. Cooper knew firsthand how difficult finding a home retrofitted for wheelchairs.
"That would be great. I'll call Bones about the demolition and rebuild. Do you need drawings?"
"If you have some. It would speed up the process."
"I'll have to ask Sadie before I share them with you. She came up with the design."
"Do you have a future architect on your hands?" Cooper teased.
"I believe so, but only time will tell," Lester replied. Lester ended the conversation, then called Bones. He put the call on speakerphone to free up his hands. Lester cut the onion and peppers while talking to Bones.
"Sadie already called," Bones said, laughing. "She wants to work on her drawings. I can fly out next week. Sadie scanned her sketches. I put the engineering firm's stamp on her designs. Your girl has an eye for architecture."
"Her friend, Mary Alice, helped," Lester replied. Bones chuckled and said Sadie had already mentioned it to him.
"The girls have a natural talent for design. I'll be there next Wednesday. Sadie offered me the guest room," Bones said. Lester wasn't surprised. His daughter was generous and kind like her biological mother. Lester ended the call.
Bones resigned from Rangeman when he took over the engineering firm management. He trained in the Army in various types of engineering. It was his dream to open an engineering business. Managing Buxom Engineering was more profitable than opening his own. It was the best of both worlds.
Lester returned to cooking dinner. He sautéed the peppers and onions in the hot cast iron pan. The aroma of the sizzling vegetables and chicken permeated the air. Arms wrapped around Lester at the stove. He turned to face his wife.
"Hey, baby," Lester said, touching Nicki's baby bump. "How's momma today?"
"Starving," Nicki replied. "Work was crazy." Nicki reached around Lester to grab a pepper slice. "Mmm. Fajitas. You always know when I'm craving them."
Chuckling, Lester said, "I believe you asked for them." Nicki texted Lester a few hours earlier. She mentioned fajitas a few times in their message exchange.
"I was going for subtle."
"Nicki, my love, there is nothing subtle in your requests. That word never belonged in your vocabulary before carrying our child. You shouldn't be using it now," Lester teased. "Bones is visiting next Wednesday to Friday. Sadie offered him to stay here."
"That's okay with me," Nicki replied. "I'll ensure the linens are fresh. Why is he visiting?"
"Sadie has a better idea for the houses in Miami," Lester answered. He shared Sadie's plans for building housing for veterans. Nicki wiped a tear from her eye.
"Our daughter is generous." Lester couldn't agree more.
~~~~~
"I'm sorry, sir. The house listing got pulled by the client a few hours ago," Harry Pattinson said.
"Do you mind if I take a look around alone for nostalgia? It's been years since I had seen my uncle and aunt's home," Patrick said.
"Not at all," Harry replied, waiting for Tony to wander the house unaccompanied. Harry contacted Rangeman about the odd request. He didn't want to interfere, but something about the man, Tony Adams, sent up the red flags.
"You have reached Rangeman. Casper speaking. How may I direct your call?"
Smiling, Harry asked, "Do you have access to the Huntington property cameras?"
"Yes, sir," Casper replied. "Should someone monitor the feed?"
"It's probably for the best," Harry replied. Casper notified the control room to watch the cameras until Harry informed them to stop.
Rangeman installed cameras throughout the house. The installation team noticed the ones in the home office and left them, hoping the person who installed them would take them away.
Javier received the message from Casper and went to the bank of monitors. Pulling up a chair, Javier switched the monitor to the house. He watched as the man from the Huntington funeral entered the home office. Javier shook his head as each hidden camera got removed from its location. "Patrol team A, do you copy?" Javier asked after checking who was in the area.
"Yes, sir."
"Swing by the Huntington property. We have someone removing cameras," Javier ordered.
"Ten-four," the man replied, then hung up.
Harry searched the second floor for Tony upon finding the basement and main floor empty. Furrowing a brow, Harry went up the steps to check the bedroom. He found the second-floor hallway window open. "Strange. It wasn't open when I got here," Harry mumbled.
He stepped inside the master bedroom and gasped. All the furniture used for staging got overturned. Hardwood floors got scratched. Curtains billowed in the breeze, chilling the room. Harry cautiously approached the opened window. Pulling the gun from his back waistband, he used it to push the curtains aside. Tony Adams ran across the yard, disappearing into the trees separating the property from the back neighbour.
Sighing, Harry called Rangeman. "You have reached Rangeman. Casper speaking. How may I direct your call?"
"It's Harry Pattinson. I called earlier to request video surveillance on the Huntington property. Did you catch the man on camera?" Harry asked.
"One moment. I'll transfer you to Javier Manoso," Casper replied.
A few seconds later, Javier picked up the call. "Harry, we caught the man on camera. However, when the team arrived at the house, he had already escaped through a second-floor window," Javier said.
"The client, Tony Adams, left a mess in the master bedroom," Harry replied. "I know the house got taken off the market, but there's extensive damage to the walls and floor."
"That's fine. The owner plans to demolish the house. Is there enough materials to salvage for a habitat restoration shop?" Javier asked.
"Only a few planks got gouged. I'm sure there's enough to donate," Harry replied. "I hope the owner doesn't hold me responsible."
"Don't worry about it, Tony. I'm sure she wouldn't. By the way, Tony Adams isn't the client's name. It's Patrick Huntington. You're currently inside his childhood home. Thank you for informing Rangeman when Huntington wanted to explore the house. His disguise had us fooled. When he donned the gloves, I knew it was him. Lock up the house. I'll dispatch a team to clear the house." Javier ended the call with the agent. He had to inform Lester.
"Santos," Lester answered.
"You were right," Javier said without any preamble. "Huntington took the bait. The man you saw at the funeral was Patrick. I have a clean photograph of his appearance. He's wearing a latex mask - like what you'd see in the theatre."
"I thought it was him," Lester replied, shaking his head. "We're impatiently waiting for the FBI to bring Rangeman onto the task force."
"What's the holdup?"
"Special agents Macintyre and Jansen closed the file," Lester answered. "Agent Corey Morrison is working to reopen the investigation. He needs solid proof before the director approves the case. Unfortunately, Huntington crawled into the woodwork after his father died."
"Keep us in the loop," Javier said, ending the call.