The Other Child by Joanne Fluke Page B

sportsbook. If only he could come up with a great feature he’d be back in their good graces at the magazine, and then he’d have a little more money to bet and play the odds. If there were winnings, he could afford to hire someone to help Karen with the house. She’d feel better and take charge of Leslie. With Karen her normal, energetic self, Leslie would straighten right out and make some friends here in town. As usual, everything boiled down to money. And, one way or another, he had to get some.
    Mike stared absently out the window. The sun was high and the white crushed-stone driveway gleamed like bits of glass. This was a beautiful estate. With the grounds done properly and the exterior painted and fixed, it could be a real showplace. Everyone he knew would be envious of a home like this. It could be truly elegant, but it took money and a lot of hard work. What he wanted to do most was show all those idiots out there how beautiful an old house could be if you fixed it up right.
    “That’s it!” The idea began to take form. He was sitting on a gold mine here and he’d been too dumb to see it. Sure, he’d counted on using a shot or two of their house in his feature on Victorian estates, but he’d been thinking too small. The Appleton Mansion would be the perfect subject for a whole series, a do-it-yourself, fixer-upper special! He’d show a step-by-step restoration, starting from scratch with the pictures he’d shot when they first saw the house: the waist-high lawn with the FOR SALE sign out front, the stately brick structure with paint peeling on the trim, the empty rooms with undraped windows. It would kindle the reader’s imagination. Then he’d show them exactly how to restore it.
    The first step would be the grounds. They’d hire a gardener and re-landscape the place. For the next installment they’d concentrate on the trim and the new paint job. Another installment could focus on the greenhouse as it was restored and filled with plants. Then the inside, room by room. Gradually everything would be done and each major improvement would be a separate installment. Not only would he have a dynamite series, but all their expenses would be fully tax deductible. The whole renovation would be a complete tax write-off!
    “How idiotic! Why didn’t I think of it before?” He was amazed. Pushing back his chair, he stood up, beaming. He was going up to the darkroom right now to develop those negatives he’d taken the day Rob showed them the house. And if he didn’t have enough, he’d shoot more. Then they’d all pitch in and fix this big monster up. The magazine would love it. Rose Avery would love it. Everything was coming together again and it felt great!
    “Hey . . .” Mike stopped halfway up the stairs and grinned again. There was another bonus with this idea. He’d mention Cold Spring in the text and get in a free plug for the town. The people here would like that and their kids might be nicer to Leslie.

    Mike paced the floor as he waited for the completion of the developing process. He sipped his cold coffee and whistled. He’d call Rose tomorrow and see if they could start the series running in the next issue. That meant they’d have to hustle on the house, but it would be worth it. He was positive Rose would authorize an advance on a project this big. And just as soon as he got a little money ahead, he’d hire a housekeeper so Karen could concentrate on the decorating. It would be a family project, something they could work on together. They hadn’t done anything together since they moved here.
    At last the timer rang and Mike breathed a sigh of relief as he lifted the film out of the tank. The negatives seemed clear enough. Now he was glad he’d spent all that time looking for the light leak. He certainly wouldn’t want to botch up these prints. They had to be perfect. He wanted to show every paint chip and loose shingle so the reader would realize what a huge project it was. Then, every