Elton said, “That is good news, ma’am. A body always wants to be first in line for Lucinda’s chicken and ribs, because there’s unlikely to be any leftovers for latecomers.”
It wasn’t until we pulled into the driveway of Jessamine House that I realized I had no actual plan. The best I could hope for was a few minutes alone with Tom Blomquist. As for Candy, after our last conversation it wouldn’t surprise me if she hid at the very sound of my voice.
“I thought I recognized the Escalade—that metallic blue is hard to miss.” Tom Blomquist was coming from the gardens, carrying pruning shears. “A guest got her skirt caught on the prickly stems of one of the brier rose bushes, so I thought I’d do some trimming before that becomes a routine problem and people are sending me clothing repair bills.”
“Candy took me into the garden on my last visit. Your brier roses are lovely,” I said.
“Well, Candy’s out and about, taking care of a few errands. Can I offer you a cup of tea? I do recall mint juleps aren’t your first choice.” Tom was jovial but it seemed forced, as if I’d interrupted his plans for the afternoon.
I decided to get straight to the point. “Actually, I came to see you.”
His smile became less certain. “Well, I am flattered. Now tell me what I can do for you. Or does Dolores need my help with something?”
“Actually, I am here on Dolores’s behalf. Can you tell me whatever you know about a company called Available Options and its owner, Randall Carbonetti?”
A frown slithered across his face, and then he was all smiles once again. “Ah, Randall’s a local boy, inherited the company from his father. Wouldn’t surprise me if there was a grandfather somewhere in the business as well. The company has a sterling reputation among the old families round here. Been helping them out of financial scrapes for decades.”
“Yes, that’s what Mr. Carbonetti told me.”
That caught him by surprise, and not in a good way. I noticed a thin sheen of perspiration forming on his upper lip. “I didn’t realize that you know Randall. I suppose Dolores does as well?”
“Actually, I spoke to him as a follow-up to paperwork we found in Willis’s file cabinets. How would you describe Available Options? How does the company function?”
Tom’s discomfort was growing. “Ah, I guess you could say it is a private loan company, with the loans based on collateral.”
“And how long does Available Options hold the loans?” I knew I had passed the point of polite inquiry, but Tom answered.
“I guess that would depend on the terms of the loan. Jessica, may I ask what your interest is? Are you planning to do business with Randall? Is Dolores in need of funds?”
I shook my head. “No, it’s nothing like that. This is somewhat awkward. I wanted to ask about your loan, the loan Dolores now owns.”
“My loan? From Dolores? I don’t know what you are talking about. I have no such loan.” He seemed absolutely convinced.
I realized what the mix-up must be. “But you do have a loan with Available Options.”
“If I do, that’s private and none of your concern. Now if you’ll excuse me . . .” He started to walk away.
“Randall Carbonetti sold the loan to Willis Nickens,” I said, and that stopped him on a dime.
“What? That’s not possible. I would know.” Tom was totally flustered. “You must be mistaken.”
“I’m afraid not.” I took the letter from my purse and pointed to his name. “See, there’s your name, right in the middle of this list of loans Mr. Carbonetti was transferring to Willis Nickens for a staggering sum of money.”
“I . . . I don’t understand.”
Even when I’d explained the process Tom remained confused. “Why would Randall sell my loan to Willis?”
“Not only your loan. According to Mr. Carbonetti it is a common business practice. He sells existing loans to investors so that he can accumulate ready cash to extend more loans. And when the loan is due you pay Available Options, and then they pay the investor with the proceeds of your repayment and a percentage of the accrued interest. The company keeps the rest of the interest—that’s their profit.”
“Ah, I admit I do have a working relationship with Available Options, but I had no idea of the rest of it—investors and all that. Do you think that’s why Willis dangled us? Because he knew we were already in debt?”
“I have no idea. I can’t be sure of what was going on in Willis’s brain. But you must have known that another loan on top of your existing loan with Mr. Carbonetti would put Jessamine House in great jeopardy. I assume you used Jessamine House as your primary collateral.”
“Jessica, when you say it like that, it does sound exceedingly foolish, but Jessamine House is all we have, and compared to the modern hotels . . . While our guests desire the beauty and elegance of a quaint atmosphere, they demand air-conditioning, en suite baths, and even elevators.”
“But when you and Candy discussed it, one of you had to realize the potential problems such hefty loans could cause.”
“Candy doesn’t know anything about the loan from Available Options. She thought I used some nonexistent savings to do the last upgrade. It would devastate her to learn that we are in that kind of debt. Now, please leave me to deal with it as best I can, and for heaven’s sake don’t mention any of this to Candy.”
When I got back into the car Elton said, “Well, that was really a short and sweet kind of visit.”
I could agree that my visit with Tom Blomquist was a short one, but it was certainly nowhere near sweet. I knew I’d caught Tom by surprise when I brought up his loan with Available Options, and he seemed genuinely shocked when I told him Willis had bought the loan. To my mind that meant until this moment he had had every reason
