Chapter 36: Diehard Conservative

On a weekend morning, the Carter siblings gathered to repair the fence in their yard.

Mrs. Wood, who lived diagonally across from them, approached with a trolley and informed them, "Last night, I saw Scott being picked up by a car."

Elena grinned and remarked, "Perfect timing. He won't be bothering us now."

Mrs. Wood, a kind-hearted neighbor, reminded them, "You can't live without him, you know."

Elena nodded, "He'll be just fine."

Mrs. Wood pushed her trolley and continued on her way.

Martin emerged from the house with a toolbox, surveyed the somewhat worn-out wood before them, and started giving out instructions casually, "Hall, grab your shovel and start digging holes. Harris, find a ruler to measure the heights. Lily, come give me a hand."

He fetched a handsaw and began cutting the wood.

Suddenly, someone blocked the sunlight.

Martin looked up and saw it was Lily. "What are you up to, you goof?"

Lily reached out her hand, saying, "You're as clueless as a pig. Hand me the saw."

Martin recalled that Elena had mentioned the Carter family's skill in craftsmanship, which apparently applied to Lily. He handed over the handsaw and inquired, "Can you handle it?"

Lily adeptly sawed the wood while chatting away, "I can make it look just like you!"

Martin didn't ask her to be quiet; instead, he quipped, "I have a craft to make." Then, considering Lily's age, he added, "Nah, you're not suitable."

Lily raised her voice, saying, "Just watch me turn this piece of wood into your likeness!"

"You'd better not be boasting, you goof." Martin joked, thinking of finding a playmate for James. "If you can't manage it, I'll dig a hole in the backyard and bury you."

Lily blinked her eyes teasingly, "Then I'll be listening to you and Elena every night?"

Elena swiftly tossed a frayed rope in Lily's direction, hitting her on the head.

Lily promptly fell silent and got back to work.

Martin picked up a shovel and joined Hall in digging the holes.

It was as if their bodies had muscle memory, effortlessly performing the task.

Digging a hole to bury someone seemed deceptively easy.

After laboring for most of the morning, they managed to erect a wooden fence in the section where the yard's barbed wire had been missing.

All the wooden pieces had irregular shapes and stood upright in the earthy enclosure, resembling a conversation with the earth itself.

This was Lily Carter's masterpiece.

Martin and Elena used ropes to secure the wooden pieces to the barbed wire. While it may not have looked very elegant, it was functional.

Primarily because I'm unafraid of thieves.

Scott wouldn't be interested in worthless, broken wood anyway.

Martin washed his hands, hopped into his car, and declared, "You bunch of dummies, lunch is on me." Elena and the other four piled into the car, and Martin drove them to a nearby fried chicken and burger joint. The average cost per person was five or six dollars, which was enough to stuff Lily and Hall until they couldn't eat anymore.

After their meal, Harris bought some old magazines from a nearby bookstore.

Back at the Carter residence, Martin settled onto the sofa, casually grabbed a magazine, and said to Elena, "Calculate the rent."

Then, he turned his attention to Lily, pointing at her, and said, "Idiot, zip it!"

Lily's words were stifled. She cleared her throat, attempting to defend herself, "I didn't even say anything."

Elena went to fetch the account book.

As Martin flipped through the magazine, he stumbled upon an astronomy journal. The page he turned to introduced a newly discovered star.

It seemed like new stars were being discovered every year.

Martin picked up the magazine and waved it at Harris, asking, "Do you know anything about astronomy?"

Harris, engrossed in his book, replied without looking up, "Remember? I'm a member of the astronomy club. Don't hesitate to ask if you want to learn about the stars. I studied it back in middle school."

Elena returned from the bedroom with a notebook and said as she flipped through it, "I'm not sure how Emma negotiated with Jack, but the rent for six months is $1,000."

Martin privately thought that they must have discussed this while in bed, and he casually said, "I'll transfer it to you on Monday."

Elena, not one to mince words, immediately shot back, "Idiot, are you trying to mimic that scoundrel Jack and evade payment? This is until the end of March, and June is right around the corner!"

Lily seized the opportunity to chime in, "Yeah, he's just a deadbeat who feels better when causing trouble."

An astronomy magazine flew through the air and smacked Lily in the face. Martin quipped, "I'll give you $2,000."

Elena was feeling generous, saying, "I don't need the interest."

"I have plans with friends this afternoon, so go ahead without me," Martin announced before heading out.

Elena grabbed a laundry basket, followed Martin to the next door, and collected the clothes he had changed. Since the washing machine in her home was much better, they often did Martin's laundry there.

Martin had gotten used to this arrangement, so he didn't make any fuss about it. He got in his car and drove to downtown Atlanta, where he visited the last coffee shop.

Barkley, a reporter from the "Atlanta Star," was already waiting there. When he saw Martin, he said, "I've got some news." Martin took out the $200 he had prepared and slid it over to Barkley, saying, "This is for you."

This time, Martin wanted to know the going rate for buying information from reporters and getting scoops from Monica's freelance journalist friend.

Barkley pocketed the money and began, "In a few days, a prominent figure in the Atlanta Methodist Association, a man named Milton, will attend a press conference for a large-scale skills training event. He's the leading voice of conservative opinion within the Methodist Association."

He pulled out a folder containing the gathered information and handed it to Martin, explaining, "The controversial statements that triggered protests from the Woman Association, particularly his views on women being subservient to their families and needing to follow their family's will, were publicly articulated by him." Martin quickly scanned the details, inquiring, "Has he made even more extreme statements in the past?"

Barkley nodded, "Yes, he's a hardcore conservative."

Martin pored over Milton's information. Most of the facts provided by Barkley weren't classified, and any reporter could have dug them up.

However, one paragraph in particular caught Martin's eye: Of Milton's three marriages, two had ended due to infidelity on the part of the women. When they filed for divorce, they gave media interviews, branding Milton as ineffectual.

After giving it some thought, Martin said, "Barkley, my friend, I might need your assistance in a few days."

Barkley glanced at the money, then at Martin's polished attire. There was no hesitation in his response, "We're friends, so I'll gladly help. Whenever you need me, just give me a call. I'm at your service."

Martin made a phone gesture, saying, "I'll be waiting for your call."

Barkley collected the money from this civilly dressed benefactor and left the cafe in high spirits. He was originally a tabloid writer, so earning some extra cash was always welcome.

Martin headed to the club and sought out Vincent in his office, saying, "Boss, after spending several days carefully examining Atlanta's newspapers, it seems the media has stopped mentioning our Strip Club. That doesn't bode well for the club's efforts to gain more popularity."

Vincent, who had benefited significantly from the club's newfound popularity, was concerned. He remarked, "Suing the Methodist Church isn't a viable option. Civil litigation is slow and costly, so it wouldn't be worth it."

During their last press conference, Martin had lodged complaints loudly, and they'd even sent a lawyer's letter.

Martin suggested, "Boss, since the Methodist Church came looking for trouble last time, why don't we take the initiative this time? We could protest against those Methodist jerks and invite media reporters to cover it."

"Let the media stir things up again?" Vincent contemplated the idea. "Are you sure?"

Martin pressed on, "I saved Kelly Gray, the director of the Woman Association, last time, and Ms. Gray hired me as a part-time social investigator for the Woman Association. We can carry out our actions in the Woman Association's name."

Vincent pondered, considering Martin's pivotal role in the club's success. He responded, "Alright, we'll consider the personnel expenses as hourly wages."

Martin thought to himself that taking the initiative was indeed the way to go.