ENGLISH BORN American immigrant Archie Baldwin opened Rasper Stables on High Street in the village of Rasper in October 1886, the same month that the Statue of Liberty was dedicated in New York, although only one of those two events received widespread attention.
Understandably, some Rasperians were upset that the smelly stables had been erected at the end of the village's main street instead of being placed behind the funeral parlor where the last stables had been before collapsing under the might of a tornado eight months earlier, financially ruining the owner.
Years later in 1912, with the horse servicing business in a slide, old Archie and his son Dick changed the face of the business and residents awoke one morning to find the stables had been renamed Rasper Automobiles Service Depot. Smelly horses were relegated to a rear extension to the premises and smelly gas engines began polluting the air from the front of the building.
And so to the present.
CHAPTER 1
Thin-faced and sallow in complexion, pugnacious by nature and possessing a lamentable sense of entitlement, wealthy Mayor Sally B. Moss, nearing the end of her second term as First Citizen, and Bob Clay, veteran city manager of Rasper (pop. 66,640), stood on the balcony of the mayor's office and discussed possible sites for the new City Hall.
Mayor Moss, who with her husband owned Moss Transport, Moss Quarries and Moss Broadcasting that operated the city's most popular TV and radio stations, reached agreement on the best site for the replacement HQ. The decision was Rasper Ford Sales Inc., a property that ran through to Silver Street, occupied the only suitable site. The company also owned the slightly smaller property parallel with its southern side boundary. Part of that second property was leased to two stores on the High Street frontage and behind them the land was leased to a vehicle crash repair and auto painting business.
Bob said as the mayor's chief adviser, "You'll buy a fight with the Baldwin family if you attempt to buy their patch of dirt that has been in the family for generations."
"Yes I believe so. Be a good boy and get that double site for me and don't take too long about it. I want to have the replacement Town Hall underway and this site sold before the next election so that I can point to it as the major achievement of my current term.
"I suggest that might be rather optimistic Sally. I don't think citizens will be overly thrilled with the mayor and council building grandly to house ourselves without any apparent gains for citizens."
"I'll deal with that Bob. Off you go and plot how we can acquire the Baldwin's land with minimum fuss and the lowest possible price."
Bob wandered off thinking the power hungry woman appeared to believe she could have everything she wanted, when she wanted and that any opposition would be crushable. Rasper didn't deserve to have that woman as its mayor. He decided he didn't want her lording over him for another mayoral term.
* * *
Widow Moira Baldwin, president and CEO of Rasper Ford Sales Inc., combed her hair and then went to the office of Paul Mancini, her vice-president and chief operating officer.
"Figures are looking good for this month," she said, sitting down and peering over the top of her reading glasses.
"Everyone out there is working hard, there's a bit of surplus money about now the squeeze on credit is lifting and so we have better figures Moira. That means better results for us is not one of the surprises of life."
"I was thinking about your retirement."
Paul smiled. "And now comes the good news. You are about to suggest I take early retirement with a big golden handshake?"
"Six month's salary from the day you resign plus a Taurus demonstrator."
Paul rubbed his chin and asked, "Coffee?"
"No thanks."
He leaned back on his chair and said, "I think 12 months' salary plus a Lincoln MKX demonstrator would be a really fair deal."
"My offer was my top offer Paul. That is six month's salary in compensation for taking early retirement plus a car as a long service gift. It's a Taurus demonstrator but you may upgrade by paying the difference. End of negotiations."
"I'll speak to Julie."
Moira was driving home when Paul called. "Here's my offer. Six month's salary and a new MKX and I'll finish here on Friday week."
"We are almost there," Moira said. "Make that a demonstrator MKX and for a tidy business exit you leave at the end of the month."
"You ought to be selling vehicles Moira. Okay we have a deal."
"Excellent Paul. You will be missed because you have been a good buddy of mine and I hope a social relationship continues between you and Julie and me. We will have a business cocktail party on your departure day and Kevin and I would then like to take you to dinner. I'll hand you your exit agreement to sign tomorrow. It's time my son succeeded you because he'll turn thirty tomorrow."
"Thanks and a piece of advice. If you want Kevin to stay, find him a good wife to tie him down."
"I've tried to match him up without success. As you know he's star-struck on Veronica Clay but regrettable she married last year but not to Kevin."
"There are plenty of good young women around Moira and he ought to know that. But I guess you tell him and that's greeted in stony silence."
Moira laughed and said so true.
An hour after she arrived home her eldest child Kevin drove up and came out of the garage whistling, feeling perky after having been to the gym. Kevin had said, unwisely perhaps, he'd stay living at home until either she remarried or his sister Rebecca, finishing off a PhD at university and return home to live as planned.
"Fat chance of me remarrying or Rebecca coming home indefinitely," she muttered, mixing a martini and grabbing a beer for Kevin. This was the ritual, observed most nights, something she enjoyed.
"Hi baby," said her towering son with curly black hair she often itched to comb tidy. She loved the stupidity of him calling her baby when they were alone. The fool had the knack of making her feel special.
She sniffed to confirm he'd showered at the gym and asked, "Good day?"
"Yep," said the sales manager. "Three sedans and two Explorers sold, six trade-ins went out and listen to this, Tony sold four pickups to Blue Ridge Ranch and told Gus we didn't want their clapped-out vehicles they were replacing and Gus said he'd already arranged to sell them to his men."
"Well that's an excellent day for your department. Is Keith ready to become your successor as sales manager?"
"He's fully trained."
"You become vice-president and chief operating officer from the 1st of next month. Paul agreed this afternoon to take early retirement. Your birthday present for tomorrow means handing over your Taurus to Keith after we tell him over morning coffee about his promotion. You can have a Mustang V6 Premium or V6 convertible."
"What about a GT Premium?"
Moira sighed and said she supposed so but if he wanted to load it with extras he had to pay for them.
"Thanks baby," he said, hugging and kissing her. "You might be an old bag but you are my mom."
Moira sighed, knowing he regarded that as teasing and therefore assumed she must like it.
* * *
Bob Clay waited patiently until Tuesday night when his son-on-law regularly went bowling with some pals and that was the night his daughter Veronica came for dinner. She ran a small business called Mr Fix-it for Home Computers. The enterprise wasn't very profitable but kept her busy until she went home to care for her husband John Hill, IT manager for a bank.
They were sitting outside and when Dolly (Doreen) went off to prepared dinner.
"Vonnie can I trust you to tell you something in utmost confidence?"
"Oooh, intrigue. Of course you know you can. Remember I slept with you in the same hotel bed one night about five years ago and I gritted and didn't take advantage of you."
Bob grinned.
