Page 72 of Bad Seed

“I heard Ray Caldwell is putting the Serenity Inn up for sale because of health issues,” Sean said.

All of a sudden, Wolf’s expression shifted. “Really? I might give him a call to see what’s up with that.”

“Jubilee is a far cry from your corporate life and world travels,” Sean warned.

“But it’s far grander than how I was raised,” Wolf said. “And none of what I have means anything withoutpeople to share it with. You two have made me so happy. I love you both. Take care of each other, and I might see you soon.”

“Anytime, Dad, and remember, you have an open invitation to the extra bedroom here at Shirley’s house.”

“Thank you, honey, but that bedroom won’t be extra for long. You’re going to have to have a nursery for two before the year is out. Call me whenever, and if I head your way, I’ll let you know in advance.”

“Okay, bye, Dad,” Amalie said.

The connection ended.

Sean and Amalie were excited to have finally shared their news, but Wolf was already calling Ray Caldwell to get a status update about the hotel. He was already an investor at Hotel Devon, but he’d gladly sell his shares back to the corporation for the opportunity to own the Serenity Inn outright. Then he could live in the penthouse, set up an office from there and a section for his security guards, and grow old with his family around him.

***

Once Ray Caldwell had set the federal fraud investigators onto Larry Beaumont and his two associates, he was even more anxious to get the hotel paperwork in order. He knew there were whispers in the hotel industry about his recent health scares, and he’d been approached by more than one corporation regardingother holdings he owned. His wife, Patricia, was campaigning for him to retire completely, but it would take ages to liquidate everything he owned.

The stress of it all was getting to him, and when he got a call at midday from Wolfgang Outen, he would have bet money it wasn’t just to get an update on his health.

Patricia frowned when the phone rang. He blew her a kiss and winked as he answered. “Hello, this is Ray.”

“Ray, Wolf Outen here. I was just speaking to Amalie and Sean, who passed on a bit of info I wanted to follow up on.”

“Before you ask, yes, I’m working toward selling my hotel in Jubilee,” Ray said.

Wolf chuckled. “Well, I have personal reasons for asking. I won’t pressure you about anything, but before you go public with the news, would you give me a chance at first refusal? I would certainly make it worth your while.”

“Of course,” Ray said. “I wish I was there to give you the tour myself. It would rest easy on my mind to know someone with your integrity was taking over. I have a great staff.”

“Was it your health that prompted this?” Wolf asked.

“That and the interim manager I hired. He’s not working out,” Ray said. “I have an auditor already on-site getting a final audit and an updated P&L statement. Profit and loss, the bane of any business owner’s world.”

“Your auditor… Is he nearing the finish line?”

“It’s a woman. Her name is Harley Banks. She’s—”

“I know who she is,” Wolf said. “She’s a shark, which means she’s working on more than the P&L for you. Is it the manager?”

“At this moment, I can’t comment on anything more, other than to assure you that by the time the hotel is ready for sale, the tangle will have been removed.”

“Understood,” Wolf said. “In the meantime, if I just happened to be coming to the area to visit my kids, I assume it wouldn’t be misunderstood if I chose to book a room at your hotel?”

Ray smiled. “We’d be glad to have you. And if you do, maybe you and Harley could meet. For now, she knows more about what’s going on there than I do. If you decide to show up, just let me know and I’ll give her the okay to share information with you regarding the business. The other stuff is being dealt with as we speak.”

“Thank you, Ray. I’ll do that, and I look forward to meeting her. I would pay a king’s ransom to have her working in my organization, riding herd on the financial aspects of my holdings.”

“From all I know, she’s a loner,” Ray said.

“True, but one can dream,” Wolf said. “Take care and I’ll be in touch.”

“I look forward to hearing from you,” Ray said, and disconnected.

Patricia looked up. “Who was that?”

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