The Family Plot Read Online Free

thesis a little slower. Now it’s settled,” Chuck declared. That didn’t make it so—but a man could pretend. “You’ll head out tomorrow, and take the two twenty-six-footers; that’ll get you started. I’ll drive down on Friday with the forklift, and then we can take down the exteriors.”
    â€œYou think the trucks will hold it all?”
    â€œI hope not. I hope and pray we fill ’em both up to the brim, and when I show up with the one-ton trailer, I hope it barely holds the rest—and then we have to rent another one. Or steal one. This score’s on a shoestring, honey.”
    He shouldn’t have emphasized that part. He knew it by the pair of vertical lines that appeared between her eyebrows.
    â€œDaddy, how much money did you pay out for this? Tell me the truth.”
    â€œForty.” It came out hoarse. He cleared his throat, and said it stronger. “Forty grand, that’s all. Drop in the bucket, on a project like this. A nickel for every penny, just like James said.”
    â€œForty…,” she echoed the figure. “Do we even have that much money right now?”
    â€œWell…”
    â€œChrist, Daddy. This’ll be the death of us, won’t it?”
    â€œThink positive, baby.”
    â€œAll right, I’m positive this’ll be the death of us.”
    â€œNo, no it won’t. You have faith in me, and I’ll have faith in you. I’ll make the money work, and you’ll bring home the golden goose.”
    She sighed hard. “So you’ll do the math, if I’ll do the heavy lifting. Got it.”
    â€œAtta girl.” An idea sprang into his head, and he let it fly before he could talk himself out of it—and before Dahlia could second-guess him. “Speaking of heavy lifting, I’ve got an idea. Since we’re hanging by a thread until the Withrow loot starts selling … why don’t the four of you go camping.”
    â€œBeg pardon?”
    â€œYou saw the pictures of the big house; it’s furnished, sort of. The contract says the power stays on through the fourteenth, so we can run the equipment, no problem. There’s no central heat or air, but that’s all right. It’s cool enough now that you won’t need the AC. If it gets too cold at night, there are seven fireplaces in that old behemoth. One of ’em must work.”
    â€œDad…”
    â€œ Otherwise, we’re talking four or five nights in a hotel. Three rooms, and that’s because I’m willing to bunk with you when I arrive. It adds up, darlin’. It’s an unnecessary expense, when you’ve all got sleeping bags and we’re running short.” He talked faster as he warmed to the thought. “You can wake up in the morning, make yourself some coffee, and get started. Head on down to Saint Elmo for meals, and charge it all to Barry’s AmEx. Minimal interruption, minimal downtime. Just start in the rooms you aren’t sleeping in—work from top to bottom, maybe. Better yet, start with the outbuildings, and work your way in.”
    â€œDad,” she said more firmly, cutting off his sales pitch. “It’s okay. I’ve done it before, remember?”
    â€œThat’s right—you stayed at the Bristol joint last year. But that was only an overnight.”
    â€œSo? Everything was fine. It’s no big deal. We can start early, work late, and get the job done fast. We’ll turn off the power and bust out the generators when you arrive, then take the windows and fixtures last. It’s totally doable.”
    She gave the photos in her lap another pass, shuffling them around until her eyes caught on this detail, or that fixture. “What a beautiful place,” she said softly. “The bones look great, but maybe that’s just the pictures. Did that woman even try to sell it?”
    â€œI don’t know. Maybe it needs too much work. Maybe