C.J. Miller - Capturing A Colton

La Bonne Vie being run-down didn’t bother him; he had seen worse properties and had made a fortune renovating them. The main house, built in a French country style, sat on top of a hill with a long drive and a fountain in front. The grand staircase inside the foyer, the seven bathrooms and eight baths, heated pools and beautiful barn: all spoke to the lifestyle Livia had led.

But the stigma La Bonne Vie carried because of what had gone on inside the house wouldn’t be scrubbed from local memory anytime soon. No one wanted to live there. It was haunted by the people whose lives Livia had destroyed. Quite a fall from grace for Livia, to move from the mansion to prison. Declan delighted in knowing the drastic change had to have been terrible for Livia. She deserved every ounce of suffering she had withstood over the last ten years.

Seeing La Bonne Vie in its current state made it easier to tear it down. Declan was removing anything that remained in the house that he could sell. Though the state had taken most obvious items of value, Declan knew how to squeeze every last penny from a property. The house had items to be sold and Declan had them taken to a nearby auction house each week, where they wouldn’t be recognized as Livia’s. When he was finished stripping the house, the structure would come down, the wreckage hauled away, and he would start new.

A new beginning for the property and perhaps, a fresh start for Declan. He hadn’t managed to outrun the ghosts of the past, but this effort was for revenge and closure.

The big fountain, thanks to the local spring on the property, was still spouting water into the algae infested bottom. The sight disgusted him, not only because of the grime, but because it represented everything Livia had been. An air of grace from a distance, but dirty and rotten close up. Livia had built everything on the backs of the people she had hurt and used. The house was dilapidated and smelled terrible from years of being vacant. The decor was outdated and water leaked in every bathroom and in the kitchen. The roof had been blown off in parts and several windows were broken. Even the work that Edith and River had done on it could not address the massive renovations needed. Those would take years. And while he didn’t have a problem putting time into a property, being in that place depressed him. His home awaited him in Louisiana and Declan couldn’t wait to return to it.

The one part of the property that had stood the test of time was the ostentatious red barn that Fabrizio, Jade’s father, had built before he’d died. It contained twelve stalls, a tack room, indoor corral, a feed room and a storage room. Aside from the indoor corral, it reminded Declan of a large version of Jade’s stable.

Declan hated being inside the house. Not a paranoid man, he was sure they would find a dead body somewhere. The police had brought out cadaver dogs when they were investigating Livia ten years before, but the land had a series of underground tunnels that had not been fully explored. No one knew exactly where those tunnels led, but Declan took great pleasure in dynamiting them closed. Livia had recently been hiding inside La Bonne Vie’s underground tunnels and run off the land. Declan would not give her an opportunity to return.

Shutting down each entrance to La Bonne Vie was like tying off a part of the past, closing that section of the town’s history. And it needed to be closed. There was nothing good about it.

Behind the house on the crumbling back porch, the construction crew had laid out items they had found.

Today’s items were a silver photo album, a gold bell and several dusty books. Declan picked them up. They might fetch a small amount of money at auction. Flipping open the photo album, he found pictures of Livia. How narcissistic. Livia with Fabrizio, her most recent late husband. In every picture, he was looking at her adoringly. Declan couldn’t imagine how Fabrizio had married her. Not even her money or beauty could hide how ugly she was inside.

Allison Rafferty Colton joined him on the covered porch. Declan had hired Rafferty Construction to help with the teardown of La Bonne Vie. He liked the pretty blonde. She was no-nonsense and direct. From what he had heard, she was married to, and shared a child with, Knox Colton. Declan didn’t hold that against her. At least, not for now. It hadn’t become a problem and it seemed in Shadow Creek, the Coltons were everywhere and into everything.

“It’s been a productive morning. We’ve removed some copper wiring from the second floor. We’ll take that to be recycled. The crew has been enjoying these treasure hunts. That’s what they call them. Person who finds the coolest trinket for the day wins.”

“What do they win?” Declan asked.

“I buy them their first round at happy hour,” Allison said.

Declan was pleased to hear the crew were at least somewhat enjoying the task. They’d work harder and get the job done faster. “Interesting collection today. Those wine bottles and racks you found sold great at auction.”

Allison glanced at the table. “I keep expecting we’ll find another secret room and it will be filled with treasure. I’ve taken the measurements of the outside of the house and of each room inside, and we could find small spaces stacked with goodies.”

“I was over at Hill Country Farm this morning.” Off topic and not what he’d intended to say. The words had popped out.

Allison nodded. “I thought I saw something between you and Jade at River and Edith’s engagement party.”

The statement made him feel defensive. “There isn’t anything between us. We just met. It was nice of her to host the engagement party.”

“Why were you at Hill Country today? Looking to buy a horse?” Allison asked.

He didn’t have time for a horse and he couldn’t read if she was being sarcastic. “I told Jade I would check in with her. Livia is still out there and seeing this done to her house has to piss her off.” Livia knew exactly what he was doing to La Bonne Vie.

Allison looked back at the house. “I figured that was part of the reason we were doing it. Knox will like seeing this place taken off the face of the earth. Nothing but heartache here.”

It was one of the first times Allison had mentioned her Colton husband. “The town doesn’t want it here. I wouldn’t have torn it down otherwise.” Not exactly true, but it helped that most of the town was happy to see it gone.

Before the town had known about the criminal enterprise Livia had helped run from La Bonne Vie, it had celebrated her and her children. They had been local celebrities. Livia had donated money to build Shadow Creek Memorial Hospital. Her name had been on the chapel inside the hospital, which had been renamed after her conviction. Her generosity had been the veil covering the truth of Livia Colton’s life.

She was a liar, murderer and a thief and used people like disposable lives.

“I’ll let you know if we find anything of major interest,” Allison said. She returned to the house and Declan was left alone with his thoughts.

The finality of destroying La Bonne Vie would be the jewel in the crown of Livia being found and arrested. Staying away from her home was impossible; she had just stayed there for weeks. When she was caught, Declan would campaign for her to be transferred to the most secure prison in the South.

Livia Colton wouldn’t see the light of day again.

* * *

Declan’s nerves were tight. Another conference call with SinCo’s lawyers and another week had gone by since Tim DeVega, SinCo’s former accountant, had taken off with over two hundred thousand dollars, embezzling the money and then disappearing. Declan refused to let DeVega go without pursuit. The authorities hadn’t found him, but Declan wouldn’t give up. He had hired private investigators to track DeVega down.