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Too late. Don’t have a choice now. Have to face the music.
I lean around the endcap and try to put on my best Rory McEvoy smile, which feels wrong and strained. “Mr. Frederickson… good to see you.”
Fred smiles. “Oh, well this is a pleasant surprise, Dr. Chaplin.”
I take a few steps forward, letting my basket hanging in front of me like some sort of shield. “Is it?”
“Yes, I haven’t gotten a chance yet to thank you for your help when it came to…” He drifts off and grits his teeth, eyes rolling up. “You know…”
“The skeleton found on your property?” I ask.
Fred’s eyebrows snap up and he laughs loudly, but it sounds forced. “Well, yes, I guess it is best to just put it out there, isn’t it?”
I’ve never understood why people tiptoe around things. Interactions would move so much faster if we just said what we mean.
“I understand that you were there to help identify some of the remains. I know it doesn’t negate the severity of the situation, but I’m comforted for some reason that some of the bones weren’t human. Gives me hope maybe this is all some big misunderstanding…”
I stare at him. Take a few breaths.Say something, Constance.
“Ahem. Well. I was just here to pick up some cereal for my daughter. She was throwing a fit we were out of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but it appears Shelly is out of it too so?—”
“What you’re doing to the Wilhelm House is disgraceful.”
Oh no. Did that just come out of my mouth?
“I mean…”
Fred narrows his eyes at me. “I’m sorry?”
“Disgraceful might have been a harsh word for it. I just mean…” I’ve already said about the worst thing I can. Everything else after it should be easy. Right? “I know that you’re looking to demolish the house and rebuild on the property. And I… I think you’d be making a mistake, Mr. Frederickson.”
He hesitates long enough to make me think all is lost. Until he says, “Please, call me Fred.”
I nod. “Fred.”
“And I’ll call you Constance. Now we’re friends.”
I grit my teeth hard. I want nothing more than to correct him, but I’ve already stepped in it. Best keep things civil. “Sure. Anyway, you know as well as I do how special Horace is. And how important our history is to us. The Wilhelm House is a perfect example of that.”
“Is it?”
I blink. “Yes. It is. I mean, the fact it hasn’t been preserved as a historical landmark by this point is a shameful error.” Cindy Suleman, who ran the museum before me, was not as inclined as I am to protect and preserve Horace. She volunteered for the job, after all. It was more of a hobby than her life’s work. Consequently, we missed out on many years of trying to get the building protected. Now, the hoops to jump through are many.
And I thought I had more time.
“While I appreciate your chutzpah, Constance, I’m afraid that my wife and I have already made many plans for the property. You can at the very least be assured that, for the time being, plans are halted due to this ridiculous mess with the skeleton.”
“Then this is a perfect opportunity for me to show you just how special the Wilhelm House is!”
He lifts an eyebrow. “How so?”
“If you would just let me give you a tour to really show what kind of beauty you would be destroying by tearing it down, I think you would change your mind. You’ll even have time to enjoy the beauty and maybe…”
He’s just staring at me, waiting for me to step in it, I know it.
“Maybe change your mind?” I offer.
It is rare that I’m thrown off balance by anyone. The most recent offender of this being Rory McEvoy. But dare I say that Rory throwing me off-balance is almost fun?
