Page 28 of Sunset Tides
They kept running into the same problem: private roads and driveways that were not welcoming to trespassers.
“Driving up this road any further seems like a good way to get shot,” he commented, staring down a large DO NOT ENTER sign.
Lucy laughed. “Nah, I know everyone around here. They won’t shoot me. You, maybe, but not me.”
“That’s comforting.”
“It doesn’t matter,” she continued. “I don’t think there any old businesses around here.”
“No? They can’t all be private homes.”
Lucy shrugged. “They are. People like their privacy.”
“So there’s nothing?”
“Just the hotel, but it doesn’t need to be rescued.” She paused. “Actually, there are a few old farms around here, but they’re small. They’ve been out of commission for years. One was a beekeeper’s property. He used to sell honey. There was a shop there, but he’s mostly given it up.”
That didn’t sound promising, but it was something. “Can we go and look?”
“Sure.”
Lucy directed him down a series of private roads until they reached a large, overgrown lot. “This looks terrible,” he said as he got out of the car.
Lucy followed, slamming her door shut. “Yeah, I know. The farm next door isn’t much better. The roof of the old barn collapsed and a few years ago, the main house burned down.”
“They didn’t rebuild?”
She shook her head. “No. I think they will eventually. We know the owners, and – ”
“We?” he asked.
“My mom, Claire, and her boyfriend, Chip. He knows everyone. He’s lived here for years.”
“I thought you were the one who knew everyone.”
She flashed a smile. “I’ve only been here a few months, but yeah, I make friends wherever I go.”
He was pretty sure she was being sarcastic, but he wasn’t going to challenge her on it. He watched as she walked out into the tall grass, almost disappearing.
Rob followed. She had her cell phone out, showing a map of the area.
“See this? That’s how big the farm used to be. Right next door is the old beekeeper’s property.”
“How big is that?”
“Eh…” She zoomed in, then out again. “I don’t know, five acres? Not enough for you.”
He shook his head. “No. That’s a small operation.”
She pointed to some trees on the map due south of The Grand Madrona Hotel. “This area here is just an old house no one has lived in for over a decade. It used to be this grand estate, but it’sabandoned now. I think the owner died and his kids fought over it, so it just fell apart.”
“That’s a shame,” Rob said, but he was hardly listening.
The wheels in his head were turning. He’d been unable to find any flaw with the hotel itself, but it seemed that nearly every property around it was falling apart and in disrepair.
This was the solution he’d been looking for. Abandoned homes, shackled businesses, and near total deterioration.
Or, to put more simply, blight. Something he could work with. Something the hotel wouldn’t be able to fight. If he played his cards right, they’d get an even bigger piece of land than they’d initially hoped for.
