The Keeping(54)

“Good. I thought we’d save that rough stuff until later, once we’re better acquainted.” He leered at her.

Mel bit back the retort that sprang to her lips. Sternly reminding herself that she was here for an interview and needed to be professional, she forced a smile instead. “I was pleased to get your message and I’m sure, whatever your terms might be, we can come to some form of satisfactory arrangement.”

He dropped her hand, his face suddenly becoming serious. “I hope so. I don’t like interviews. I prefer my privacy, but with you, I think the easiest way to regain my peaceful lifestyle is to give you what you want.”

She stared at him for a moment. Ryne was not a happy camper and she wasn’t sure why. Her tactics hadn’t been that pushy, had they? He had no reason to dislike her, but for that brief moment, she was sure he did. Waves of something—anger? Hatred?—seemed to be rolling off him. Hoping to get on a positive footing, Mel tried to smooth things over with a smile and a conciliatory tone.

“I promise this will be painless. Just a few questions, some background information, and then I’ll leave you alone.”

Ryne grunted and she wasn’t sure whether he was agreeing or scoffing. Before she could decide, he turned and indicated she should follow him.

They walked down the hallway and Mel noted her surroundings. Wooden wainscoting covered the bottom of the walls while the upper half showed just a few remnants of old flocked wallpaper. Both the wood and plaster seemed to be in the process of being stripped down in preparation for refinishing. Looking up, she noted the embossed tin ceiling. Even with its layers of peeling and bubbling paint, she could make out the fine workmanship. Decorative mouldings framed the ceilings and surrounded the doorways and the windows. They, too, showed signs of age, some broken and scarred; all in definite need of some attention from sandpaper.

It was obvious that this had been an elegant home in its day, but years of decay and neglect had taken their toll. Ryne had a big project ahead of him, if he intended to restore the home to its former glory. What had he mentioned the other day? Renovating the kitchen? She supposed he was doing the most crucial areas first, hence the new roof and step. Probably the plumbing and electrical had been the next on his list.

As if reading her thoughts, he turned to the left and led her into a room, flipping on the lights. New fixtures immediately sprang to life, filling the area with brightness. Along one side of the room a large entertainment centre, complete with a flat screen TV, was centred on the wall directly across from an overstuffed leather sofa. Two matching recliner chairs were on either side. Chocolate brown paint covered the walls, accented by white window mouldings and an area rug in varying shades of green. There were no blinds or curtains on the window, but Mel supposed that being in the middle of nowhere, there was no need to block the neighbours out. A fireplace, flanked by bookshelves, occupied the fourth wall and from the look of the partially burnt logs, they used it to help heat the room.

“This is nice.” She commented as she looked around. It needed a few pictures on the wall to give it a more homey feeling, but for three men on their own it was eminently suitable.

“Thanks. It’s where we relax.” He nodded towards the sofa. “Have a seat.”

Mel sat down on the overstuffed piece of furniture and immediately felt herself sinking down into its depths. It was soft and comfortable, but she wasn’t quite sure how she was going to get back up again without assistance. Adjusting herself as best as she could, she looked over at Ryne. He hadn’t sat down yet and was pacing back and forth in front of the windows.

“So...” She began slowly. “What are these ‘terms’ you were thinking about.”

He stopped and studied her for a long moment and she had to force herself not to start twisting her fingers nervously. She’d almost decided he wasn’t going to answer, when he finally spoke.

“I have complete control over what you write and want to see a list of questions ahead of time so that I can consider which ones I want to answer.”

She straightened and opened her mouth to protest. Who did he think he was? Before she could speak though, he continued, still staring at her, no doubt reading her reaction to his words.

“At any time, I can veto the entire article if I choose and you will leave Stump River immediately. You are not allowed to ask my partners questions about me either. If you don’t like the terms, you can leave now before we even start.”

Mel snapped her mouth shut and thought the situation over. Really, she had no choice. If he didn’t want to be interviewed, then there was nothing she could do about it. Slowly she nodded, an idea already forming in her head. He wanted control over the questions he answered and his two friends, but she could still ask the other residents of Stump River for information. He’d lived here for five months. Surely in all that time, he’d let things slip to the local merchants.