A Paw-sible Theory

“In a cat’s eye all things belong to cats.”

––English Proverb

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: A Business Deal

Although the outside of the building looked like Antiques & Designs, the inside of Ocean Street Café was different. The restaurant took up half of the downstairs, the rest was divided into retail stores––a candle shop, a jewelry store, and a candy store. In square footage, it was roughly twice the size.

Novie Moresby was behind the mahogany checkout counter––I was in the vicinity.

“Mrs. Moresby, I represent Ethan Hille and I have a couple of questions to ask you. I can see you’re busy, I’ll try to be brief.”

“I hope I can help you, but I don’t see how. Of course, I know Alyx and Ethan; they used to come in often when they first opened their store and Ethan still lived at home. I see Alyx all the time, but Ethan only occasionally.”

“When was the last time you saw them in here?”

“Let’s see now. I think they were in here for breakfast about a week ago.”

“What kind of relationship did they appear to have?”

“The kind every parent hopes for when they first think about having children. It was obvious they had love and respect for each other.”

“Did you ever hear them argue?”

“Not any of the times I saw them together.”

“Would you be willing to testify to that?”

“Yes, I certainly would.”

“Earlier I spoke to your husband about the real estate proposition he presented to Maggie Broeck. What do you know about it?”

“Just that the Dunne Development Company wants to buy our two buildings,” she said, with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Did your husband mention any stipulation about the developer buying both buildings?”

“No, he didn’t mention anything like that.”

“Did he mention whose idea it was?”

She looked puzzled for a second. “I don’t recall discussing it with him specifically, but I got the impression that Dunne Development approached him.”

“I understand you own this building. How do you feel about selling it?”

One of her employees walked in the door, interrupting before she could answer.

“Excuse me, Novie, there seems to be a problem with the soda order. What’s being delivered isn’t what was ordered, and Mike wants you to talk to the delivery guy.” Novie shook her head in resignation, “They never get that order right; tell Mike I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Hunter. What did you ask me?”

“I asked how you felt about selling this building.”

“I inherited this building from my parents and when my husband first mentioned it, I was against it. A few years ago, no one was interested in opening a business here. All the department stores moved to the Mall while others went out of business. In some cases, the owners died and family members weren’t interested in keeping the businesses going. There were just a few die-hard businesses that hung on: the lamp store down the street, the fruit-shipping store, and a few others. After my parents passed away, I decided this was my opportunity to fulfill my dream and theirs. It was a slow start but business has really boomed during the last three years. Anyway, my husband Rupert explained that I could still rent the space and keep the Ocean Street Café since the developer was not going to make any changes to the first floor; I told him I’d consider it. I know he wants me to sell, but I’m still thinking about it. Can you wait a few minutes while I take care of this soda problem?”

He looked at his watch for confirmation. “Actually, I have what I need for the time being, and I do have another appointment.” He reached out to shake her hand. “Thank you for taking the time to talk to me.” He gave her his business card and told her he’d be in touch.