The weekend was over and John had to give up his temporary home in the school bus. Mister Dobbs, in spite of his casual air about the arrangement, couldn't hide his relief when John moved out. Not only would Charlotte Huddie be in trouble, he could quite easily get fired for misuse of board property. They stood in the parking lot chatting, Dobbs asking what John would do and John asking if Dobbs had any ideas, when the carloads of parents began arriving with their children.

"There's John," Heddy called excitedly, jumping from the car.

"Who's John," her mother asked, taking in the young man with the bus driver. "Is that the young man you mentioned that had the altercation with his mother?"

"Uh yeah, we met him at the farm last week," Penny said, following her sister.

"Why is he here?"

"I dunno, mom. See you later." The girls rushed off with Penny scolding Heddy for blurting his name.

"Doesn't matter."

"Does too."

"Doesn't."

"Does."

"Hi there." John's pleasant greeting broke up their argument and they waved meekly, tipping their heads back toward their mother and scrambling onto the bus. John slipped a peek at the mother and pretended to continue talking to Dobbs.

Curious, Karen started toward the men when Charlotte ran across the lot calling a breathless good morning to the parents and waving directions to Mister Dobbs.

"Time, Mister Dobbs. I may be a bit late but the rest of us don't have to be." She grinned at Karen and hurried past to the bus.

Cars peeled off the lot followed by the school bus leaving Karen and one or two other parents waving goodbye. John tried to slide away unnoticed but was stopped by a musical, "Excuse me." He stopped and faced the woman walking slowly toward him.

"Excuse me. My daughter told me that the students saw you out at the farm last week."

John nodded and smiled. "Yes."

"They uh, also mentioned an . . . incident. May I ask what you are doing here?"

John considered playing dumb but realized that right now he needed all the friends and sympathy he could muster, and he certainly didn't want to get the girls in hot water. "That was unfortunate, Mrs. -"

"Foster. Karen Foster. My daughters are Penny and Heddy, the girls you waved to."

"I'm John Cassay, spelled C-A-S-E. Pleased to meet you." Karen just stared him down. "Uh, well- my mom- I- look, Mrs. Foster, can we sit down and talk?"

Karen hesitated. She hadn't planned on being dragged into anything but she wanted to make certain that nothing was going on that shouldn't be. They walked together to a small bench at the side of the lot.

"I don't know how to begin so I'll just tell it right out."

Karen tensed inside.

John told her everything from the beginning, leaving out his use of the school bus as a sleeping place and keeping Charlotte's part to a minimum. When he was finished, Karen sat back and heaved an internal sigh that it was nothing like she might have imagined.

"I'm sorry, John. I really had no intention of prying into your personal business."

"I know. But it actually felt good getting it out for an airing. I kind of realize now that it's not the end of the world."

"That's right, it isn't."

"Might be tough getting my mom to see that picture though."

"John, are you doing anything tonight?" As soon as she asked, Karen realized her error. "Oh I'm sorry. Of course you aren't. Listen, my husband is a pretty well known businessman in town. Come to our house for dinner and let's talk to him. We'll see if he can't speak to the bank or somebody and maybe make some kind of arrangement."

"That's awfully generous, Mrs. Foster. I see where your daughter gets her character from." He explained about the coffee and doughnuts. "But I don't think I could impose . . ."

"John, if either of my daughters find out you turned down an invitation to their home you'll definitely find out what kind of characters they have." She gave him a 'better be careful' look and slapped him on the arm. "It's settled then." Karen gave him the address and made him promise to be there at seven.

*****

Dinner at the Foster's turned out to be a big surprise for everyone. Karen forgot she had invited her brother and his family for dinner. The children were more than surprised when John turned up at the door, and Ken Foster was sandbagged with the position in which Karen had placed him.

The evening began awkwardly but by the end of the meal everyone had relaxed and was actually enjoying the change from its usual family oriented subjects. The children were thrilled that John might be able to get some financial aid with the Fosters help. And John turned out to be a well-mannered, intelligent young man who seemed to be their big hero.

The next morning at the pick-up lot, Charlotte stood with her mouth agape as the Foster car emptied out four children and John. The children all ran over babbling at once about sleeping in the tent, having John eat dinner and stay over and how the girl's dad was going to go to the bank with him and arrange for some money.

"Pretty lucky break, eh." John smiled, coming up behind the kids.

"How did all this happen?" Charlotte saw Mrs. Foster smiling at them. John explained and urged Charlotte to come over and speak with Karen.

"Everything is fine Miss Huddie," Karen smiled. "No need to worry about the board or the farm trip or our young friend here. Mister Foster is going to see if he can't get John some help. By the way, John tells us you saw the property. Would you mind giving your opinion to my husband."

The young couple both sensed that in spite of the generous display and the promised assistance, it was serious business and not just blind charity. Mister Dobbs gave a short toot of the bus horn and Charlotte signaled she'd be but a minute. The children said their daily goodbyes and climbed aboard the bus, excitedly telling Mister Dobbs all that had happened.

"Well all's well that ends well, eh?" Dobbs said as he wheeled the big vehicle out onto the highway.

"I just can't believe it," Charlotte said.

"Hey, good deeds don't always turn around and bite you."

"I guess not. I hope you're right anyway. I'm going to be nervous all day wondering how things turn out."

Dobbs turned and gave her a teasing grin, widening it as her cheeks flushed pink.

*****

Without being seen Haggard had followed Garth as he trailed the van to the property and watched the family examine the outside of the house then all pile back in the van and leave. Garth pushed his motorcycle into the trees and covered it with some dead branches and bush then went back to the house, ready to take care of the latest treasure hunters when they returned.

This time Garth would be the one taken care of, he thought. He had hidden his rented car deeper in the woods and as the evening light faded, he went back to the house and deliberately banged on the shed door. Garth froze inside the shed and held his breath listening. Had they come back already? He knew they didn't have a key for the shed so why bang on the door - frustration? He could believe that.

He waited and finally satisfied whoever it was gone, he cautiously opened the door and stepped outside. Haggard surprised him with a wicked blow to the back of the head and with difficulty, he dragged the unconscious Garth down into the cellar and then with more difficulty, to the underground pump room beneath the metal shed propping him against the wall while he tied his hands and feet.

When Garth regained consciousness he knew immediately that his captor was Haggard and what was likely to be his fate. In a cruel act of teasing, Haggard opened an electrical service door behind the pump platform and dragged out a large suitcase, opening it in front of Garth. There, in crisp packets, all wrapped in plastic, was the money from the armoured car robbery.

Garth cursed and jerked at his bonds angrily; how many times had he looked down into this pit and dismissed it as a hiding place because of the dampness. Stupid, he shouted at himself and it was the last sound he would hear or make. Haggard drove the business end of a spade right into his throat and left it hanging there.

With a bit of a struggle, he managed to haul the heavy case up to the ground level inside the shed and decided to wait the remaining few hours until morning before repacking all the money into the motorcycle saddle bags. He would leave the car and be gone, gone to his long awaited new life.

He settled down as comfortably as he could and closed his eyes.

**********

The van pulled up in front of the house and rocked to a stop. Nobody moved, they all just looked through the windows at the house.

"What are we waiting for?" Justin asked.

"It's a special moment, Justin," John said. "You have to make sure you approach it just right."

"How will you know?" Dillard inquired.

"I can see patience for ritual is out of the question." Charlotte opened her door and stepped out, followed immediately by the four children.

"Can I unlock the door?" Heddy asked.

"No! It's John's house." Penny poked her sister in the back.

"Just let me stand here a minute, guys. It's a lot for me to take in." John ran his eyes over the old house imagining the changes that necessary repairs would make and how he could return it to its former glory. Some extensive carpentry would be required for the porch and the supporting columns to the second floor balcony but the brick and mortar looked sound, and paint. It would need lots of paint.

Taking a deep breath, he readied himself for the inside, hoping there would be no nasty surprises. "Okay guys. Let's do it."

"Yea!" Dillard dashed up onto the porch and pulled open the old screen door.

"Careful there, some of that wood looks kind of rotten." Charlotte stepped carefully after the girls and stood awaiting John and the ceremonial turning of the key.

With Ken's introductions and his sponsorship, John had been able to secure a small loan using the property as collateral. He had paid all the fines and back taxes and received receipted forms and finally the key to Peeble's Place. Charlotte, the children and Dobbs had been invited to attend the initial opening the following weekend.

The parents agreed, happy to see the kids involved in some of life's tribulations even if they weren't their own and it also meant that they were in the hands of responsible sitters, giving the grateful parents the day to themselves. John was eager to discover the full extent of the property, cost out the necessary repairs and then surprise his mother with how his folly had turned out.

The door squealed and felt stiff as he pushed it open. In the front hall dust motes rose in swirls from the intrusion, filling their nostrils with a stuffy dryness. The house was furnished which was the first exciting discovery. An oak hallstand with a large oval mirror sulked against the wall; a dusty coat hung stiffly from one hook and on the worn hardwood floor under the seat sat a pair of perished shoe rubbers.

A thin light made of amber glass dangled from the ceiling of the two-storey entry. The group stood silently taking everything in, amazed at the sight; it looked as though whoever had lived there just up and left one day, leaving everything just where it was.

"Ever neat!" Heddy sang, peering into the sitting room off the hall. "Look at this stuff!"

©lyttlejoe 2002