Read Old Chaos (9781564747136) for Free Online Page A
Authors: Sheila Simonson
killed a lot more people than it did. Still, there’s such a thing as crying wolf.”
“Sure. Which is why I want Robert to check the records—find out what happened to the warning notice—before I start talking about the danger in public.”
“If the hill goes, those houses will be wiped out.”
“That’s only part of the problem. A big slide would dam the creek, at least temporarily. When the water broke through, it would flood everything in its path. Bye-bye River Road campground.”
“And Kayla’s nursing home. And all those fishing cabins built on Beaver Creek.” Many of them were cabins in name only—lodges with three-car garages.
“It could take out the east side of town, too.” Charlie shoved himself to his feet. “I’d better go back to bed. Thanks for the soup.”
Meg returned to her view of the ice storm. She was thinking about Beth McCormick, and Peggy and little Sophy. They should be warned.
Beth was surprised by the thank-you notes she received after her dinner party. Guests usually took care of that courtesy with a phone call, and Maddie Thomas did call. She was polite, as usual, but she startled Beth by offering to conduct a purifying rite for the new house. Though Maddie was a thoroughly modern woman, she had been raised by traditional grandmothers.
Purification of a new house? When Beth asked why—choosing her words carefully—Maddie just mumbled something vague. “It’s what we do.” Beth thanked her and didn’t dispute the need, but she was baffled.
From the commissioner she received a formal note on correct, recycled paper. “Lars and I are grateful for your generous hospitality,” the note said. Beth wondered how poor Lars was faring. Kayla sent a chirpy e-mail and Meg a warm one, praising Sophy’s beauty and the quality of the cooking, two sure ways to Beth’s heart. Even Fred, who always talked over or around her, sent an e-mail with his company’s logo and an attached brochure in three colors.
She also received an attachment from Rob that showed Nancy Reagan gazing adoringly at the late president. Keep up the good work indeed.
Beth enjoyed a cheerful, mostly maternal relationship with Rob. After Hazel Guthrie’s death, she’d helped him sort through his grandmother’s things. She’d also been able to help him with his daughter. Like a lot of noncustodial parents, he worried about Willow more than he needed to.
When the child first came north in the summer, his impulse was to drop everything and plan a lot of activities. Since Willow suffered from an overanxious mother, Beth advised him to relax and let the girl decompress. He’d done that, and Beth was happy to see they’d worked through to a comfortable relationship.
Rob’s almost total lack of ambition was a puzzle to Beth, but she was grateful for his quiet loyalty to Mack. She hoped his relationship with the new librarian would work out. She thought it might.
As for the crack in the Great Room, new houses had to settle, didn’t they? When Mack called Drinkwater, Fred made a joke about the crack but sent a crew the next day. They plastered over it and left her with another mess.
After the dinner party, Skip returned to his apartment near the University of Portland where he was a graduate student, but Peggy, who was still on maternity leave, stayed on. Beth enjoyed her company, but she also rejoiced that the house was so large she couldn’t hear the baby crying during the night. She let Peggy deal with her daughter’s colic, which Peggy did with competence and only a few tears.
At the courthouse, Mack was busy bringing his new under-sheriff Earl Minetti up to speed. As for herself, Beth went back to teaching the remedial English classes she’d been coping with for twenty years. When the ice storm forced the high school to close early, she wasn’t heartbroken. She forgot how isolated the new house was.
It was Monday before Rob got around to checking what had happened to Charlie’s LHA notice,
“Sure. Which is why I want Robert to check the records—find out what happened to the warning notice—before I start talking about the danger in public.”
“If the hill goes, those houses will be wiped out.”
“That’s only part of the problem. A big slide would dam the creek, at least temporarily. When the water broke through, it would flood everything in its path. Bye-bye River Road campground.”
“And Kayla’s nursing home. And all those fishing cabins built on Beaver Creek.” Many of them were cabins in name only—lodges with three-car garages.
“It could take out the east side of town, too.” Charlie shoved himself to his feet. “I’d better go back to bed. Thanks for the soup.”
Meg returned to her view of the ice storm. She was thinking about Beth McCormick, and Peggy and little Sophy. They should be warned.
Beth was surprised by the thank-you notes she received after her dinner party. Guests usually took care of that courtesy with a phone call, and Maddie Thomas did call. She was polite, as usual, but she startled Beth by offering to conduct a purifying rite for the new house. Though Maddie was a thoroughly modern woman, she had been raised by traditional grandmothers.
Purification of a new house? When Beth asked why—choosing her words carefully—Maddie just mumbled something vague. “It’s what we do.” Beth thanked her and didn’t dispute the need, but she was baffled.
From the commissioner she received a formal note on correct, recycled paper. “Lars and I are grateful for your generous hospitality,” the note said. Beth wondered how poor Lars was faring. Kayla sent a chirpy e-mail and Meg a warm one, praising Sophy’s beauty and the quality of the cooking, two sure ways to Beth’s heart. Even Fred, who always talked over or around her, sent an e-mail with his company’s logo and an attached brochure in three colors.
She also received an attachment from Rob that showed Nancy Reagan gazing adoringly at the late president. Keep up the good work indeed.
Beth enjoyed a cheerful, mostly maternal relationship with Rob. After Hazel Guthrie’s death, she’d helped him sort through his grandmother’s things. She’d also been able to help him with his daughter. Like a lot of noncustodial parents, he worried about Willow more than he needed to.
When the child first came north in the summer, his impulse was to drop everything and plan a lot of activities. Since Willow suffered from an overanxious mother, Beth advised him to relax and let the girl decompress. He’d done that, and Beth was happy to see they’d worked through to a comfortable relationship.
Rob’s almost total lack of ambition was a puzzle to Beth, but she was grateful for his quiet loyalty to Mack. She hoped his relationship with the new librarian would work out. She thought it might.
As for the crack in the Great Room, new houses had to settle, didn’t they? When Mack called Drinkwater, Fred made a joke about the crack but sent a crew the next day. They plastered over it and left her with another mess.
After the dinner party, Skip returned to his apartment near the University of Portland where he was a graduate student, but Peggy, who was still on maternity leave, stayed on. Beth enjoyed her company, but she also rejoiced that the house was so large she couldn’t hear the baby crying during the night. She let Peggy deal with her daughter’s colic, which Peggy did with competence and only a few tears.
At the courthouse, Mack was busy bringing his new under-sheriff Earl Minetti up to speed. As for herself, Beth went back to teaching the remedial English classes she’d been coping with for twenty years. When the ice storm forced the high school to close early, she wasn’t heartbroken. She forgot how isolated the new house was.
It was Monday before Rob got around to checking what had happened to Charlie’s LHA notice,