Matty called Bill at around six to inform him that she, Lindsay and Valerie were going to stay in Corner Brook for the night, at the Glynmill Inn. Partly because they were longer cleaning up and closing up her office and partly because the three of them wanted to have a great meal and have a girl's night out.
"I'll miss you, baby, but you and the girls have a good time."
"We will," Matty whispered.
"Hey."
"What?"
"I love you. So very much."
"I love you too Matty."
"No. I really do. And I would never do anything to hurt you."
Bill was a little concerned about the tone of her voice.
"You okay my love."
"I am, baby. Just missing you."
"I miss you too."
Matty took a deep breath.
"Well, I will see you tomorrow."
"Nite sweetie."
Bill ended the call and stared at his cellphone for a moment. He was still a little concerned about the tone of her voice, but he passed it off as just Matty being sentimental about closing her office.
Bill put the cellphone in his pocket and opened the patio doors to the veranda.
"Jarge? Mabel? Going to the Pub for a few beer. Want to join me?"
The two seagulls waddled out of their home, atop the new extension of the lighthouse, squawked and flew off.
They were waiting outside the Pub doors when Bill arrived. Bill opened the door and the three went inside.
It was about 7pm when Bill walked to the pub. There were s few people in the pub, having a meal, as was typical for a Tuesday night. Some of the families would all meet at the Pub for a meal out, since it was literally the only restaurant in the Bay. Weekdays usually saw a more family oriented atmosphere at the Pub, while the weekends were strictly for the adults.
As soon as he walked in, Bill heard several different voices calling out to him.
Yolanda's was the first voice he heard.
"Ise not cleaning up Jarge and Mabel's shit," she barked at Bill from behind the bar, as the two gulls jumped up on Jarge's stool, at the end of the bar.
Bill tossed a twenty dollar bill on the bar.
"Will that get at least a couple cleanings?"
Yolanda smiled, as she stuffed the bill in her jean's pocket.
"Beer for you and some sardines for the children?"
"Of course," Bill laughed, looking at the two seagulls.
Frank Pittman walked to the bar and joined Bill, just as Yolanda passed him a beer and leaned over the bar to kiss his cheek.
"Ise wud 'ave done it for free," she smirked, as she put two plates of sardines, in front of the seagulls.
Bill laughed.
"I know. That's why you are buying my first beer."
Bill took Yolanda's hand and kissed it.
"I hate you," Yolanda snipped, as she walked away to fill an order for Joanne Johnstone, who was helping out at the Pub, since Valerie and Lindsay were in Corner Brook, with Matty. Bill saw that Tanya Rideout was also helping out.
"Love you too, sweetie," Bill smiled, as he waved at Joanne.
Frank started laughing.
"I love this place."
"Bill, me son. Ise needs to bes talkin' at youse."
"Be there in a minute Henry. Gonna chat with Frank first."
Bill took a mouthful of beer and lit a cigarette.
Frank stared at him.
"You can smoke here?"
Bill laughed.
"Frank. Remember. This is my village. You can do whatever I say you can do.
So what's up?"
"I want you to come over to my table and meet Julie. She is dying to meet you. She spent most of the afternoon here, with Tanya and some of the others in the Bay."
"Sure."
Bill looked at Yolanda.
"A round for Frank's table, hun."
Frank introduced Bill immediately.
"I am so pleased to meet you, Bill. I have heard so much about you."
Bill laughed.
"Well hopefully, it wasn't all bad."
Tanya put three beer on the table and kissed the top of Bill's head.
"Youse knows wes all loves you, Bill."
She put an ashtray on the table and walked away.
"So, Frank tells me that you two might consider retiring here?"
Julie took a deep breath.
"I love this place. It is absolutely beautiful and the people here are simply amazing. So friendly and willing to help in any way they can. I just hope you will allow us to build a small place here."
"Well, Julie, I am sure that we can find a little plot of land for you two to build on."
"Seriously," Frank almost yelled.
"This afternoon, you weren't to sure."
Bill shook his head.
"I was told that your wonderful wife here had a moment out at Sandy Cove."
"It was so strange," Julie smiled, remembering the feeling.
"That is the Bay saying hello and welcome," Bill informed her.
"And that is good enough for me, although there are a few other little quirks that you might have to get used to around here."
Julie laughed.
"Yea. I met Joyce Dove and she was asking if I had met your fiancé's grandmother."
Frank stared at his wife.
"Matty's grandmother is dead, hun."
Julie sipped her beer.
"So I was told by Tanya."
She looked at Bill.
"Do you believe in ghosts, Bill?"
"Spirits, Julie. They prefer to be called spirits."
Frank laughed.
"Ghosts. Spirits. That's why I love the outports. So many tall tales."
He lit a cigarette and quickly changed the subject.
"I checked the levels at the sewer treatment plant today. Or more so, I should say, I looked over the readings."
"Readings?"
Frank sipped his beer, nodding.
"Yea. Freddy Simpson keeps impeccable paperwork. He does readings three times a day."
"You saw Freddy?"
Frank shook his head.
"Not today. I was told that he was in Corner Brook, helping Matty."
"Yea, she was closing her office there."
Frank laughed.
"I'll admit he is a little, ah, how can I put this?"
"'e bes a fuckin' fruitcake," Yolanda offered, as she picked up the empty bottles on the table and quickly wiped it.
"'e be crazy, but 'e bes smart as all fuck.
Another beer, gentlemen? Young lady?"
Julie smiled.
"I haven't been called that for a while. But, if its not too much trouble, could I have a glass of red wine?"
Yolanda nodded.
"Any particular kind."
Julie looked surprised.
"I assume you only have a house red."
Yolanda shook her head, as she named off seven different red wines that the Pub stocked.
"Bill 'as refined us a little."
"I'll have a Beaujolais, if its not too much trouble."
Yolanda shook her head.
"No, but Ise has to charge youse for da 'hole bottle. We don't likes to 'ave open bottles 'ere."
Bill looked up.
"Put it on my tab."
"No," Julie insisted.
"You have done enough."
Yolanda looked at Bill.
"She's the boss."
She walked away.
"How does she do that?" Frank wondered.
"One minute the heavy accent and the next ..."
"Perfect English," Yolanda smiled, as she returned with the bottle of wine and three glasses.
She showed the bottle to Julie.
"That is a fine wine."
Yolanda opened the bottle and poured a small amount for Julie.
Julie smelled the wine, swished it in her glass and tasted it.
"Beautiful."
Yolanda filled the glass and left the bottle."
"So, Frank. The readings were good?"
"They are excellent. You could literally drink that water that is coming out of the waste-tail. That Freddy is doing an amazing job and he cleans the filters every second day, even though they could go a week. It is spotless there.
Those readings I showed you earlier were so ...."
Frank's face turned red, with anger.
"Fucked up. I hate people who try to fuck other people over and this fucking Calvin Parsons is trying to fuck you and the Bay over."
Bill put his hand on Frank's shoulder.
"Don't worry about Calvin Parsons. He will be the one fucked, if he ever shows up here in the Bay."
Henry Tucker walked to the table.
"Bill, me son. Ise don't means to but in, but Ise gots to talks to youse."
"I'll come to your table," Bill suggested.
He said goodbye to Frank and Julie and went to Henry's table.
Henry put his hand on Bill's, as soon as he sat down.
"Bill, me son. Dat 'irst fella phoned Ise today and 'e tried to git a little pushy wit' Ise."
"Really?"
"'e was tryin' to convince I to come in wit' 'e on some plan to fuck you over and gits control of da Bay. 'e offered me a million dollars ifin Ise could convince youse to sell to 'e and 'is partners."
"Did he give you a number?"
"Like 'es phone number?"
"No," Bill smiled.
"Did he mention how much he would pay for the Bay?"
"Oh, dat. 'e said 'e was willin' to pay like tin million dollars fer da Bay. 'e said 'e wud also pay everyone of us in da Bay a 'undred t'ousand dollar each.
And 'e kept sayin' it o'er and o'er agin. I thot fer a moment 'e bes a fuckin' parrot. And 'e sounded pretty desperate too. Kept talkin' 'bout a deadline dat 'e 'ad to meet."
"What did you tell him, Henry?"
Henry sat back in his chair.
"Ise jest listened, Bill. Ise din't make 'e any promises or anyting. Alls Ise said to 'e was dat Ise 'ad to tink 'bout it."
"And what did he say?"
"'e said 'e wud give Ise 'till Monday. 'e said someting 'bout comin' to da Bay, wit some fellas dat 'e was in business wit. And 'e said 'e 'as some young lawyer in Corner Brook dat 'e 'as workin' fer 'im."
Bill was intrigued.
"When did he say he would come?"
"Well, 'e said dat ifin 'e did not 'ear from Ise by next Monday night, he wud take da next flight to Deer Lake and come to da Bay, wit 'is lawyer. Said 'e probably bes 'ere sometime on Tuesday."
Bill sat back in his chair.
"There is something else here, Henry. Frank knows all about what Hirst is up to and he informed me that Calvin Parsons is involved."
The whole Pub went quiet.
"Did youse say dat fucker Calvin Parsons bes tied up in dis?"
Henry glared at me.
"He is the Minister of the Environment and somehow he found out about some gold prospecting that was done in the mountains that ..."
Clayton Rideout walked up to the table.
"Deres not bes any gold in Tuckamore Mountain. It jest bes a fuckin' legend made up by dem fuckin' Parsonses. Dey bes nuttin' but a bunch of fuckin' thieves and murderers."
Bill looked around the Pub. Everyone was gathering around his table.
"I have a feeling there is something I should know about the Parsons and Tuckamore Bay."
Linda Tucker pulled a chair up to Bill's table and sat down.
"Da Parsonses used to bes a part of da Bay up 'till 'bout 1940. Dat was da year dat wes kicked dem out of da Bay."
"What happened in 1940?"
"It were da year dat the Tuckamore Bay, Parson Pond feud began. It were da year dat Calvin Parsonses great-grandfather, Neddy Parsons killed Maggie Dove. And dat were dat. Da feud were on."