Crowned and Moldering

Tiger curled herself around my ankle and I smiled, amazed at how well my animals could sense my moods. “I’ll snap out of it,” I said. “Don’t worry about me.”

Despite my words, Robbie perched himself in front of my feet and whined until I picked him up and let him comfort me.

After a few minutes of quiet, I whispered, “No, I don’t like that guy either. But don’t worry. Everything will be okay.”

Just as soon as I sued Hogarth for defamation. Or maybe I’d just go ahead with my original plan and smack him upside the head, preferably with a two-by-four.

*   *   *

That afternoon, I met with Josh Martin, the engineer from SolarLight, the company providing the solar canopies for the school parking lot. He had scruffy hair and a nice smile and wore horn-rimmed bifocals. I would describe him as a good-looking nerd. He wore a navy sports coat with a wild red Jerry Garcia tie I recognized from one that Lizzie bought Hal a few years ago. I liked Josh immediately, maybe because of the tie.

Ms. Barney was there, too, and one of the school board members, Bob Heath. Wade arrived a few minutes after me, and I was glad to have someone else on my side in case I missed anything.

Josh handed each of us a thick, dark blue folder that contained several of the company’s glossy brochures as well as pages of specs and a precise timeline for the work to be completed. The brochures contained numerous photographs of the architecturally appealing canopies, showing a streamlined design that consisted of a long V-shaped panel held in place by thick, fifteen-foot-tall steel posts that would cover two rows of twelve cars each, for a total of twenty-four cars. The school had ordered three of the canopies, so the total number of cars that would be able to park in the lot would be seventy-two.

“The theory behind our product is a simple one,” Josh explained. “Asphalt and concrete parking lots and pavements cover much of our country, especially in the cities. These surfaces retain heat and create what scientists call the urban heat-island effect. Our canopies offer an easy solution to the problem by providing shade to cool the ground surface and the individual cars parked there.”

“That’s pretty simple logic,” Bob said. I could tell that despite the board’s having approved the expenditure, he was hoping to be convinced further.

“It might sound like mere convenience to provide shade for your students’ cars,” Josh continued, “but consider this: the Department of Energy has determined that parking in the shade actually has a positive effect on the environment. That’s because when a student gets in his car at the end of the school day, he won’t have to switch on the air conditioner to cool off, thus increasing fuel efficiency for the life of the car.”

“Never thought of that,” Bob muttered.

“Additionally, the design includes a gutter system that collects rainwater and directs it to a ten-thousand-gallon tank that will be concealed beneath the parking lot surface. That water can be used to irrigate the fields and landscaping across the campus, as well as being available for various nonpotable uses within the buildings, thus reducing your water and power bill.”

“What kind of nonpotable uses?” Bill asked.

Josh nodded. “Good question. Mainly things like flushing toilets, hosing down the floors of the cafeteria or the locker rooms, laundering gym towels—that sort of thing. Part of our service includes the installation of pipes that run from the tank to wherever you have a use for the water.”

“That’s brilliant,” Ms. Barney said, clearly anxious to sway Bob Heath.

“I like to think so,” Josh said. “Now the panels themselves generate a lot of energy, of course. We’ve estimated that your canopies will eventually generate enough power to cover forty-five percent of the school’s needs for an average school year.”

“Forty-five percent is pretty darn good,” Bob mused. “But this stuff sure costs a lot to install.”

“The costs are going down every year, but, yes, that is the major sticking point. But here’s the thing: we estimate that with the power and water you save, you’ll have made your initial investment back within four years. We’ve already contacted your local water and power company to get your new system hooked up to its grid. All things being equal, you could start saving money on your bill immediately. But realistically, it’ll take time. A few months, usually. If you have any problems, you’ll contact us.”

Bob shrugged. “Sounds fair.”

“In addition to all that, the panels will also serve as a power source for any hybrid or electric cars parked in the lot. I counted eight hybrids in the lot today, and within the next five years, that number is expected to triple. So this will provide your students with a welcome perk.” Josh paused, then managed to smile and make eye contact with each of us before adding, “And besides all that good stuff, let’s face it: these canopies look really cool.”

“They sure do,” Bob muttered.

We all chuckled and nodded in agreement. Because they really did.

Once Bob and Ms. Barney left, Josh and Wade and I had a long discussion about the construction process. First we would regrade and level the surrounding area to provide enough space to park seventy-two cars, plus an entry wide enough to allow cars to enter and exit at the same time. We would excavate deeply enough to make space for the ten-thousand-gallon water tank that the company would provide. We would install pipes leading from the gutters to the tank and from the tank to specific hoses for irrigation, and other pipes leading to the main building, for nonpotable uses.

We would set the thick steel posts in six feet of concrete and embed them into the blacktop.

And while my guys and I would do most of the work, it would all be supervised by several members of the SolarLight team. I was very happy to hear that they’d be around, because this would be my first experience installing solar canopies and I wanted to make sure it was done right.

“Man, that was interesting,” Wade said as we walked back to our cars. “And this job is going to be a lot more complicated than I thought.”

“I got an idea of the scope of the job from the bidding forms,” I said. “But you’re right. It’s going to be a lot of work. We can handle it, though. I’m excited to get started.”

He gri

“Hello, Sha

I glanced in the direction of the voice. “Hey, Mr. Jones.”

He looked exhausted, and I suddenly pictured him rushing out of the building the other day to go home to the police.

“How are you holding up?” I asked. “How’s Denise?”

“She’s been a real trooper, even though she cried for a while. She and Lily were such good friends.” He rubbed his neck, looking discomfited. “I was pretty flipped out, though. I can’t tell you how weird it is to see a couple of cops sitting in your living room, interviewing your wife.”

“I can imagine.” Except for the wife part, I could totally relate to his dilemma, but I didn’t mention that. “Chief Jensen is a great guy, though. He’ll get to the bottom of things. And I’ll bet Denise was a big help to him. She told him about Mr. Dain, right?”

“Yes,” he said, looking a little dazed by my fast talking. “She told him that Darren—er, Mr. Dain—was Lily’s advisor. I hope he was able to help the police.”

“I hope so, too.” Although I doubted Dismal would have anything worthwhile to say.

Mr. Jones seemed to realize he was in a mood and physically shrugged it off, and flashed me a cheery smile. “So, what brings you back to school again?”

“We’re rebuilding the senior parking lot,” I said. “By the way, have you met Wade Chambers? He’s my foreman, so you’ll probably see him around here a lot.”

The two men greeted each other and shook hands.

“Hi, Brad.”

The three of us turned to see Whitney approaching, and my spirits took a nosedive. Instead of greeting me, she looked from Wade to Mr. Jones and gave me a look of puzzlement. She was so transparent, I knew she was trying to figure out how I rated the company of two such good-looking men.