Page 6 of A Light in the Dark
SIX
The wise sheltered at the first sign of trouble.
The real estate agent, a younger man who couldn’t have been in the business for long, waited for us outside of the home my boss intended to purchase on behalf of the company to house Madeline. The client, upon hearing we actually wanted the woman, had been more than happy to trade her employment contract for a month of free labor. That had astonished me.
Me, have value? Me, have value enough the company was willing to drop a month of profit so I could have an assistant I liked? Then to acquire a home for my new assistant?
Nothing added up, especially not with a hundred thousand on the line for the property.
While my boss greeted the real estate agent, I inspected the sigil, pressing my hand to the stone nearby, which warmed at my touch, a sign that legitimatized the mark.
The foundation alone was worth a hundred thousand, and if the real estate agent was unaware of that, I would not enlighten him.
“Robbie, this is Valerie. She’s our incoming documents specialist at our firm, and she needs an assistant. This is where we’re intending on housing her assistant after we do the mandatory repairs.”
My boss’s announcement warned me I needed to be present rather than inspecting the foundation, and armed with my best smile, I went over to greet the agent. “It’s nice to meet you, Robbie.”
“You’re the woman who bought the property up on Wayward Street, middle of the row. The foundation was about done, so you got it on the cheap and turned it into one of the best properties on that street.”
No matter what I did, Joel’s home would forever outclass mine, which I didn’t mind in the slightest.
Well, at least on the outside. On the inside, I was of the opinion I had the best home, perfect for me in all ways.
Joel had a great deal more work to do after each flood restoring his place to his usual standards. I’d have to mention the real estate agent’s knowledge of our street to him, though. Maybe my neighbor would be able to illuminate me. “Yes. I shored the foundation, and I had planned my budget to shore it.” As the cat was out of the bag thus far, I decided to do some calling out of my own. I pointed at the sigil. “This property has been shored. The shoring work is worth more than you’re charging. Why is it so cheap?”
“The owners foreclosed, and they owe the bank fifty. The bank wants profit, but because it’s a public foreclosure, the mortgage amount is readily accessible. They’ll already be accused of gouging at a hundred thousand, especially this time of year. There were at least fifty properties that washed out, so the market is about to get hot.”
I turned to my boss and said, “Pitch them one twenty with a cash close, and you’ll get far more than it’s worth. It doesn’t matter what the inside looks like. The foundation work is going to last, and in this city, foundations make or break houses. We can elbow grease everything inside that’s broken—and hiring a construction company would be cheaper than buying a ready home.”
Robbie raised a brow. “That tactic would work with the bank, no questions asked, and I could get a signed acceptance by the end of the day with that. But don’t you want to see the inside first?”
“Yes, but all I’d be doing is making a list of renovations needed before it’s habitable.” I eyed the entry, which still lacked stairs and had a rope ladder to gain access to the threshold. The entry platform hadn’t survived the flood, and it would take work—and money—to get a proper step installed and shored. As I’d come armed with a pad of paper and a pen, I jotted a note for the requirement for the step. Then, aware I wore kitten heels and was about to scare a few years of life from my boss, I scrambled up the rope ladder, perched on the threshold on my toes, and held out my hand. “Keys, please.”
Robbie chuckled and tossed up a key ring with a small animal key chain on it. “It’s the bronze key next to the tag labeled 1754.”
I found the silver tag with the number, located the key, and let myself in.
In good news for me, like my house, the door swung into the building rather than outwards. The listing photos had showed worn furniture, which had since been removed, making my job easier. The floors would need to be refinished, scuffed and worn down from heavy use. I tested the planks with my foot to determine looks deceived, solid under pressure without any sign of give or squeaking. The walls had been scuffed and bumped many a time as well, and here and there, a scuff had torn through the paint into the drywall beneath.
A few minutes per spot, some plaster, and some paint would solve that problem. I made a note, nodding my satisfaction. I poked my head out of the door and said, “It looks even better than in the photos, sir. This is all cosmetic in the entry.”
“I was unaware your assistant is a contractor,” Robbie said, raising a brow.
“Honestly, I wasn’t aware she’s handy until today, when I found out she did the steps at her place. How much of a bargain is one twenty, Valerie?”
“It’s easily worth at least three hundred thousand with that foundation,” I informed him, grabbing hold of the door’s frame to make certain I didn’t fall while pointing at the sigil. “Once we have Madeline set up with a basic flood kit, prepare her for the realities of flood season, and make sure she has a water barrel, she’ll be golden. You won’t have to worry about her except to make certain she’s nestled safely at home before the gates are opened.”
Or the levees broke, but the wise sheltered at the first sign of trouble and at the first drop of rain at the start of the wet season.
“Good. Robbie, I have no interest in wasting my time finding a second agent, so cut me a deal on your commission since you’re working both sides of the fence.”
“I’ll cut a percent off the total,” the agent replied. “I’ll even make sure the bank goes to bat for you and mark the estimated value of the property lower since you’ll be purchasing in cash. Will you need an inspection?”
“Yes, but only to confirm what we have to do. If that foundation is half as good as Valerie thinks it is, then the renovation costs are minor comparatively.”
“Foundations make or break homes here,” the real estate agent conceded. “Are you going to go up for a look?”
While my boss heaved a sigh, he scrambled up the rope ladder to join me. “Every time I have to climb one of these ladders, I question why I stay in Stonecreek.”
I did, too—and the more I opened my eyes to the reality of life in the city itself, the less I liked what I saw. However, vocalizing my discomfort wouldn’t do me any good. If I wanted to do the most good, I would do as I always did, keep quiet, and feed the Hunters of Moonriver intel on what I noticed.
And, if the situation warranted it, leave before I became yet another lifeless body in the water.
That someone in my home city-state would eliminate people for the so-called sin of not having been born in the precise right location disgusted me.
I gave my boss a moment to compose himself before saying, “So far, so good. The floor is cosmetic damage.” To demonstrate my point, I gave the floor a good thumping with my foot. “Solidly built, no squeaking, and no sagging.”
“Coming, Robbie?”
With the sort of sigh that made it clear he suffered for the sale, the real estate agent joined us. “There’s a basement, and I haven’t seen it yet. I don’t know how to access it. It was just in the certificate that the basement was sealed and is habitable.”
I whistled, as I had such a space in my house and had paid a pretty penny for it. “I have that, and knowing what I paid for it, this could end up being a really nice home.”
“Well, the idea is to have a permanent hire with this,” my boss reminded me.
That would cause me problems if I left Stonecreek. My guilt would nag away at me for months or years if I left knowing how much work my boss put into giving me an assistant.
I’d assumed I would drown in paperwork forever.
Once I made it home, I would need to have a long think about my circumstances, how much I loved Stonecreek, and if I would stay or leave. If I did decide to leave, I could train Madeline to do my job and offer my property to the replacement for a pittance. That would, for the most part, leave me free and clear of guilt.
Aware my home had initially a trapdoor to access the basement rather than a conventional door, which I’d installed after moving in, I poked around, checking the floorboards for evidence of such a thing. Sure enough, in the living room not far from the hallway, I found a few mismatched boards with a groove large enough to fit two fingers in. I lifted it to discover a pull ring. It opened, revealing a staircase beneath. “And there’s the basement. Got a light?”
Robbie pulled a flashlight out of his pocket and handed it over. I tested the first steps, and once satisfied it was solid, I headed down.
Dust ruled the basement, but it lacked any signs of moisture, a good sign the shoring had been done properly. “This is good. Dirty but good. I’m guessing the old owner never went down here, but this could be turned into habitable space.”
“And your home has something similar?”
“After we’re finished here, we can swing by,” I promised. “I’m not currently using my basement for anything, but it’ll be my next project.”
The first thing I would do was shore up the floors so if the water level did rise, the basement would be sealed. The magic required to keep water out but generate sufficient air to prevent asphyxiation would cost me, but if I stayed in the area, I feared I’d need such a working.
A basement abode might be a wise idea.
Acknowledging I allowed my worries to run away with me, I pushed the thoughts aside and focused on my current job, which involved getting a general idea of how many repairs needed to be done before the place became habitable. I headed into the kitchen, grimacing at the sorry state of the cupboards, stove, and sink, all of which had seen significant wear and tear.
The rest of the rooms, excluding the bathrooms, had escaped with cosmetic damage. Both bathrooms would need new tubs, toilets, and vanities, as the porcelain suffered from cracks and would spring leaks sooner than later.
I handed over my list of findings to my boss so he could decide how much to tell the realtor. Mr. Accor reviewed the list, nodded, and said, “How long will it take to prepare the offer?”
“About thirty minutes. I have the papers with me. There’s a coffee shop up the street. We can handle it there, and I can get the acceptance by this evening.”
“I’ll need ten minutes to pitch the boss, but he’ll bite.”
I’d met my boss’s boss’s boss, the owner of our company, once and only once. The man had reminded me of a hawk, ready and willing to swoop in and dispatch his prey. He’d worn a plain and simple suit, and he’d carried himself with the ageless grace of a shapeshifter.
While Moonriver had the reputation of boasting the highest shapeshifter numbers, Stonecreek had more than a few, although they tended to be shy about revealing their animals.
After this year’s floods, I wondered if there was more to their shyness than wanting to avoid extra attention.
“I’ll meet you at the shop up the street and get started on the paperwork while you handle your call.” Without waiting for an acknowledgement, Robbie left, heading up the street in the direction of a rather busy intersection.
Rather than call his boss, my boss shot over a text. “I’d already pitched two hundred thousand before repairs, which was approved, but I want to make sure that he knows what we found, that I’m moving forward with the acquisition, and otherwise prepare the accounting department for the paperwork.”
I nodded. “I’m surprised the company is willing to do this.”
“After we hired you, your efficiency led us to gain at least three times that sum per month. Making sure a refugee has a safe home essentially costs the company less than a month of profit and may result in us being even more efficient and being able to have higher earnings. It’s a good deal for us. I’ll also be recommending that you get a performance raise this year—a substantial one. Having numerous full years recording your performance will really help with that, and it’s been a day and night difference having you, so I don’t see a problem with getting you a good raise. We were going to offer a company car, but you don’t have a place to park it.”
“I opted to have the basement instead of a garage,” I admitted. “But what’s this about the bank not being willing to do more than double the owed mortgage value?”
“Banks gouged the market last year fairly heavily, and people got pretty cranky over it and threatened to have laws written in barring them from taking more than ten percent over the owed mortgage value,” my boss replied, and he shook his head. “It’s pretty ridiculous, honestly. The banks will be suffering soon enough. A coalition is pushing to cap retail prices in most neighborhoods in the city, and that might ripple out to the entirety of the city-state. If that happens, the real estate moguls are going to have a pretty miserable time.”
How strange. “And the company will do the repairs?”
“Absolutely—and we’ll help Madeline furnish her new home. It’s even close enough to walk to the offices if she would like, and there’s a bus that goes up this street fairly frequently. Try not to worry, Valerie. It’s a good arrangement for everybody. We get a loyal employee, you get the help you desperately need, and we’ll be even more efficient. We might even be able to add a few new account managers once you’ve trained Madeline. If we can add the account managers, we could double or triple our earnings—and expand our work to other city-states.”
Our firm had been eyeballing working with businesses that dipped their toes into numerous city-states, but the scope of the operation had been beyond what we could manage. I understood my boss’s perspective. If I could train Madeline to be even half as efficient as me, we’d be able to streamline the intake process sufficiently enough to take the dive. I had no idea where my boss would find accountants with the appropriate skills, but that was a problem he would have to address on his own. “When you phrase it that way, it seems buying and furnishing a home is a small price to pay.”
“We’re looking at the big picture.”
No kidding. “It seems strange they’d let her go for what appears to be a pittance,” I confessed.
“We’ll have a lot of paperwork to handle registering her as a full-time employee. That won’t be a problem. She’s not the first refugee we’ve brought in, and we’ve already learned the ins and outs of handling the documentation. Providing housing that will be in her name will smooth things along. Homeowners have better rights and protections in Stonecreek.”
I wondered if my decision to purchase immediately upon moving into Stonecreek had spared me from Gabriella’s fate. Once I got home and my boss left, I would contact the Hunters and find out.
In the meantime, I would do my best to hide my insecurities and worries from the rest of the world.