“I saw that pile of little black books and wondered what, why and who they were for. We are busy clearing out the shed and tidying up today. I started doing that a while back.”

  Bev put her arm around his waist and he pulled her closer and hugged her. “Lots of things came to an abrupt halt when I went away. It was a dark day when Mom died. Even more so when Dad died because it was something I hadn’t expected. But out of all of that sadness came the rainbow.”

  “With the pot of gold, Bev. Your parents were above average. Neither of us realized they were dealers. Collectors of everything imaginable.”

  Bev giggled and shook her head. “No, I didn’t realize every single thing in the house was an antique. I really was surprised when the auctioneer referred me to the art and antiques dealer. He was amazing. People were prepared to pay the price. A vase fetching a few thousand. The paintings I thought were so ugly and they fetched hundreds of thousands. And yet, my parents seemed like normal people. I could not believe the amount they invested over the years. Billions, Lance, billions. Now we really can spend where it matters. We don’t have to touch any of that money. The interest is what is going to feed and clothe us. I need to go to town a bit later. We are paying off the ranch and closing our accounts at the bank. They are not going to be impressed when we clear our savings and current account. When we go to the mall we can open our new banking accounts. But we definitely will not be staying with the bank we are with. They didn’t even offer us a better percentage when we had a big amount in the bank. What do you think?”

  “We still owe quite a bit on the ranch.”

  “Not all that much. But I am going to wipe the slate clean. We need that, Lance. Then I am going to drop off a little black book at the pub. The next stop will be Anne. The last stop will be that tiny farm next door. Margaret and her family lost their entire crop. I know you jumped in and helped with the irrigation system but it was too late.”

  “I didn’t even realize they had a problem. One of our men told me about it so a few of us went to help. They really are struggling.”

  “Then they need a little black book.”

  “Explain the little black book to me.”

  “When we go to the mall, we collect the black books. If they need something they jot it down in their black book and give us the cash. We take it from there.”

  “So, they have access to the mall, via us.”

  “Yes. What we have on our ranch is for us. We don’t give handouts, Lance, and that won’t change. But we can help in different ways. Help those that need it the most.”

  “They list their items, hand you the cash, and we do the shopping. And if we see fit we can add to their list and deliver.”

  “Yes. Everyone is tightening their belts. We were lucky mom and dad took care of us the way they did.”

  “Bev, you have a big heart. What time would you like to go to the bank? Do you need me?”

  “No, I need you to finish clearing that shed. But I will need two of the guys to go with me. We are going to be carting a lot of cash. Then you don’t need to go and withdraw for quite a while. Three or four months at least. That will give us enough time to start planning for down the line. We can’t do that kind of banking on a weekend when we go shopping. It will be far too dangerous to carry that kind of cash. We need to keep a lot of cash in the safe.”

  “Bev, are you sure about this?”

  “I am. Let’s go and see Chris. He can make a list of cigarettes they all smoke. And maybe list a few things for the school holidays. Still a while till the school holidays. I am considering those three children. Maybe they should join James and Samantha. We need a small classroom for the children. We need so many things and we have a week to get organized. When I go to town the first stop is the bank. Then drop off the black books. The last stop is the school so that we can return the textbooks and let them know James and Samantha will not be back. Their standards are going to drop.”

  “Well, they loved that our children had such high averages. The education board loved seeing the results. Results that they thought were because of the teachers. They aren’t going to be happy to lose such good kids.”

  “Their own fault, Lance.”

  Lance held her hand and they walked in to the bunkhouse. Chris looked up from his newspaper. “Reading the newspaper while on the job?”

  Chris laughed a hearty laugh. “Actually, yes and no. I spotted a lovely recipe so I am preparing the dish in my head. Something new for the men to try out tonight. And to what do I owe this visit?”

  “Chris, I am giving you a little black book. I need you to make a list of every cigarette brand our men smoke. If two of them smoke the same brand, put the number in brackets behind the name. Put that onto one page. Then on another page, each household needs to add their favourite item. Every household has a favourite. Ours is probably chocolate-coated nuts,” Bev said.

  “And mine would be marshmallows,” Chris said and laughed.

  “Even if their favourite is a certain kind of chocolate bar. They need to list one item per household.”

  “Mrs Benson, when would you like this?”

  “Chris, what about tomorrow? You get to see everyone in a day. If you can’t, maybe the day after tomorrow. What is the dish you are trying out tonight?”

  “Mrs Benson, I am looking at a mince dish. But it has macaroni mixed in to it as well as other yummy stuff. Mince goes rather far but not in a dish like this. Our men can eat.”

  “And they eat well. Chris, those three children that go to the same school as James and Samantha.”

  “Mrs Benson, not anymore. What I mean is they are still pupils, but the teachers give them work to do for the week. They hand in their assignments and do the tests.”

  “Why aren’t they attending the school?”

  Chris slowly nodded his head and spoke quietly. “Because the teachers don’t like that they are children of ranch hands. They have been singled out because they don’t have the attire the school prefers.”

  “To hell with them. I would interfere, but I need to go to the bank. Have a chat with their parents. James and Samantha are going to be schooled from here. Almost like a home school, but rather different. If that makes any sense. They will be studying in a room. The teacher will be on the monitor. If their parents are interested, let me know by tonight. Then I will include them. I need any books or textbooks that need to be returned to school.”

  “Mrs Benson, sign them up, please. I won’t be asking their parents but I will be informing them of the new schooling system. The same fees?”

  “Chris, yes, the same fees apply. We start on Monday. But I had better get my ducks in a row and get organized. I need their names and a copy of their birth certificates. As well as their last report card please.” Chris nodded in agreement as they walked out of the kitchen.

  “Little fibber. It probably costs about ten or twenty times what they are paying per month.”

  “But well worth it, Lance. They don’t need to know. It isn’t only what they wear, but where they live. All that nastiness will have a backlash. Time will tell. But it is time for us to give back where it matters.”

  Lance walked back to the shed and Bev went in to the house. She lifted Matthew and sat him on her knee. “Ooh just in time for some milk.” Agnes handed her the bottle and smiled as she listened to Bev chatting with Matthew. “And then time for you to take a nap. Your new play mat looks like the perfect place to curl up and sleep. And all those lovely new toys.” Matthew tapped on his bottle and his feet almost danced in the air.

  “Matthew loves his new play mat. Samantha and James were sitting with him squeezing the little toys. He sat and clapped his hands. But he seems to prefer the long soft thing that looks like a worm. It doesn’t squeak or make a sound. He keeps touching the soft buttons.”

  “He doesn’t like a big noise. Agnes, I am going to sneak out and go down to the bank when Matthew is napping. Can you tell me more about the family next door?”

  “They are in a very bad position at the moment. They planted the new crop and now they are waiting. While they wait they are preparing the next row of fields. But this time they are planting something different. They don’t want to take any chances. The different fields will be rotated.”

  “Are they surviving, financially?”

  “They are keeping their head above water. They don’t complain but they are under a lot of pressure and the strain must be terrible. They don’t go to town anymore so they are probably trying to eat as much off of the land as they can. You get tired of scrounging the land for vegetables. I don’t think they can last out much longer.”

  “Are their sons pulling their weight?”

  “They most definitely are.”

  Bev lifted Matthew and stood up and went to go and change him. She walked through and laid him on the soft mat and covered him with his blanket. “Sleeping like a baby. I won’t be too long.” Bev walked out of the house and Lance waved and ran over to her. Two men walked up to Bev and climbed in to the van with her. “The bank, drop off the black book for Janice, then to the school, Anne, the neighbours and home.”

  They both turned as Shirley, one of the ranch hands’ wives came running up to them. “Mrs Benson, these are the textbooks for our children. I have listed their names for you.” She handed Bev the packet and the list.

  “Thank you! Tell the children they are on holiday for the remainder of the week. School starts on Monday.”

  Shirley giggled and nodded. “Thank you, Mrs Benson.”

  CHAPTER 3

  Bev stood in the queue at the bank. Max and Len, who were acting as her bodyguards, stood just inside to either side of the door of the bank. They looked like bodyguards standing on guard. They both carried their weapons that were visible. Bev eventually reached the counter and put her card on the counter for the final payment of the mortgage on the ranch. Doris seemed over-friendly towards her while she did the transaction. Bev smiled as she took her card and put it in to her purse. She put the two withdrawal slips on the counter with the banking cards. Doris stared at the enormous amounts. She checked the system. “Mrs Benson, if you make these withdrawals there will be nothing left in your accounts. I need to get clearance from the bank manager first.” Bev didn’t answer but nodded.

  Mister Dyers walked over and stood behind Doris. He checked the screen and authorised the withdrawals. He walked out of the cubicle and came back with a bag of money. Bev watched as the money was put through the cash counter. Mister Dyers walked out and fetched two more bags of money. Doris put the cash in to three enormous bank bags that were bulging over and put them in to the deposit box at the bottom of the counter. Bev took the bags and Max and Len walked over and took them from her and stood beside her. “Now close the three accounts, please. I need a statement for each account. With the zero balances reflecting as such.” Mister Dyers and Doris stared at her. They were flabbergasted. Doris quickly started printing the statements. Bev put their cards on the counter with the empty chequebook. “Cut those up please.”

  “But Mrs Benson. You are one of our oldest clients,” Mister Dyers said.

  “That may be but when we requested a better interest rate on a rather large sum of money you turned us down, Mister Dyers. When my husband came in to do the banking he was given the most atrocious service you can ever imagine.” Bev took the statements. She folded them and put them in to her handbag. “Just to enlighten you, Doris, I left because my mother was admitted in to the hospital. Sadly she passed away on the very same day. My father died a month later. Lance and I didn’t have a fall out and we most definitely are not getting divorced. To add to that, and I am sure everyone is listening.” Bev turned and looked at every person in the queue. It was deathly quiet in the bank and they were all listening. “We won’t have any dealings with this bank, or the community. We are taking our business elsewhere. Chaps,” Bev said.

  Max and Len walked out of the bank with Bev. “Mrs Benson that news will spread like rapid fire.”

  Bev chuckled and nodded. “Stash those bags of money in to the gym bags in the van. Push them as far under the seats as you can. The next stop is the pub but we aren’t going in or stopping.”

  Bev drove to the pub and Eric and Janice sprinted up to the van. “What is this about black books? Lance called Eric and told him to sprint. What did you do? Rob the bank? News has it that you closed all your accounts.” Janice gurgled with laughter. “Good for you! Now talk!”

  “Janice, a black book for you and Eric. List the items that you cannot get from here. When I collect your black book, make sure you give me a whack load of cash.”

  Janice gurgled with delight as she took the two little books. “Why didn’t I get a thick A4?”

  “Because you will try and fill every page. I am going to the mall this week. Be ready.”

  “Love you, Bev!”

  “Love you, Janice. Now get indoors and stop attracting attention to yourselves.”

  Eric laughed as he waved. Max and Len sat laughing as Janice and Eric sprinted up the stairs waving their black books in the air. They stopped at the door and waved. Bev and the men waved. “We are going to do the same on the ranch. Chris has a little black book.”

  “Already told him what we smoke and our favourite nibble,” Max said and grinned.

  “And what is your favourite nibble, Max?”

  “Now that would be those liquorice strips. They look like a shoelace. Those are my favourites. The shopkeeper stocked them at one stage. But you know what he is like. Once the stocks are finished, they are not replaced.”

  “And that is why I need a list. Liquorice? Lance loves liquorice,” Bev said.

  Bev stopped at the school and took the packets of books. She walked to the main office and put the packets on the counter of the school secretary. “Hi, Alison, I am returning James and Samantha’s books. The other packet of books is from Megan Cleary, Alex Hunt and Sarah Clarke, the children who live on our ranch. I need documentation for each of them as they will be leaving the school,” Bev said and watched the Principal get up and walk through to the office.

  “Why are they leaving? Are you sending them to boarding school?” Principal Ericson asked.

  “Not at all. They are going to study via the Internet. I have already enrolled them in a school.”

  Alison quickly printed the letters and Principal Ericson signed them. Alison folded them and put them in to envelopes and handed them to Bev. “We didn’t think we would see you again, Mrs Benson.”

  “Principal Ericson, Lance and I did not get divorced. I left to tend to personal matters. My mother passed away and a month later my father collapsed and died. I am sure you have heard the rumours. That Lance was suddenly available and a free-for-all. That isn’t the case. Your teachers have not treated my children at all well. When they needed your support, you shunned them. Those three children live on our ranch. You don’t allow them to come to school because they can’t afford smart clothes. What you wear has absolutely nothing to do with education or do you disagree? I wholeheartedly disagree with that. Or is that the real reason? Isn’t it time your teachers had a wake-up call?”

  “Mrs Benson, I am not aware of any children being turned away from the school because of what they wear. I had heard the rumours about your divorce.”

  “Principal Ericson, you are an educated man. Of all the people in this town, you should be one of those who find out the facts and do not listen to the fantasies created. Why don’t you ask around and see how many children have to work from home? Unfortunately, we won’t be funding the school anymore.” Bev took the envelopes and smiled. “Good day.” Principal Ericson stood and stared as Bev walked out of the office.

  “I told you, Principal Ericson. You should never have listened to those rumours. And you believed them,” Alison said.

  “But how do you sift through the truth or what you think is the truth? Other than going and asking.”

  “It all depends on where the gossip begins. In total, we have about twelve or fourteen children who have to study from home. I told you about them. How can you say you are not aware of them?”

  “Oh to hell with the Benson family! Who do they think they are?”

  “Billionaires, Principal Ericson. Mrs Benson has just been in to the bank and she did a transfer from her account and paid off every cent they owe. The ranch now belongs to them and they don’t owe anyone a cent.”

  “Billionaires? I wouldn’t believe that for one second.”

  “You don’t have to believe anything. Mrs Benson has a purple card. Only one bank in this country issues purple cards.”

  “What does that mean? A purple card? How pathetic!”

  “That means the person who has a purple card is a billionaire. Generally, that means they have much more in their account than a billion. You only qualify if you have that kind of money.”

  “For real?”

  “For real, Principal Ericson, for real.”

  “And how do you know she has a purple card?”

  “Not from Doris or Mister Dyers. My sister was standing in the queue waiting. She watched as Mrs Benson withdrew all their funds and closed their accounts. I believe my sister. She is not a gossip. They didn’t even realize they were dealing with a billionaire. That says it all.”

  “That funding helped a lot. There go the extra math classes.”

  “Amen to that.”

  CHAPTER 4

  Bev climbed in to the van and chuckled. “Lordy! That guy is the world’s worst. He makes as though he doesn’t know a thing but he is the biggest gossip in town. I enjoyed setting him straight. Our next stop is Anne. Another black book coming up and one more. Are you still with me?”

 

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