Chapter 18 - The People on the Pier
"Sell the house," I told Jonah. "That would cover payroll for a while."
"No," he answered. "We are not solving another problem by asking you to give up the last place Mom lived."
"People need their checks."
"Then we tell them the truth and work out a plan together."
So we did. Delia gathered the staff in the repair shed. I faced people who had spent months wondering whether their jobs were safe and listened to them describe the bills they were afraid they couldn't pay. They deserved the truth sooner.
Priya helped the independent managers separate legitimate company debts from disputed transfers. A local credit union agreed to consider short-term financing against verified operating revenue, not the public trust land. The staff voted to adjust schedules for six weeks while the lawyers challenged the invalid collateral claims. It took paperwork, patience, and people who believed the marina was worth saving.
At a public Shore Trust meeting, wheelchair users spoke about ramps that had never been finished. Fishermen described losing access to slips their families had used for decades. A retired teacher brought the program from the day Nora opened the first accessible walkway.
"She said a harbor isn't public if only some people can reach it," the teacher told us.
I couldn't answer for a moment.
The court later blocked the attempted transfer of trust property and required the disputed loans to be handled separately from the public shoreline. Recovery of the missing funds would take years. We weren't going to pretend otherwise.
That evening, I visited the repaired dock with Delia. The guardrail was higher. The boards were dry. I stopped at the place where Audrey had stood behind me.
"I still hear her voice here," I said.
Delia rested her hand on the rail. "Maybe someday you'll hear something else."
May you like
My phone rang. It was Miriam.
"Audrey has asked for a visit before she enters her plea," she said. "She says there's something she needs to tell you without asking you to save her."
