My father had worked in the pool-repair business for nearly thirty years, so when my boss, Richard, hired him to restore the massive swimming pool behind his multimillion-dollar house, Dad knew exactly what he was doing.
He gave Richard a detailed estimate of $7,800, and the work took nine days. Dad replaced the damaged pump, installed new pipes, repaired the filtration system, and completely transformed the water. What had once been dark and filthy was now crystal clear.
But the moment the job was finished, Richard’s wife, Melissa, refused to pay.
“Seven thousand eight hundred dollars? You’ve got to be kidding,” she said.
Dad calmly pulled out the estimate she had signed.
“You agreed to this price before I started.”
Melissa laughed.
“My husband is your daughter’s employer. I’d think carefully before you decide to make an issue out of this.”
I felt humiliated.
“Dad, don’t worry. I’ll figure something out.”
But Dad didn’t argue with her.
Instead, he stared at the newly repaired pool for several seconds, smiled, and simply said, “All right.”
Melissa looked pleased with herself.
“Good. Then I think we’re finished here.”
As Dad and I walked toward his truck, she called after us.
“I’m glad we understand each other.”
I waited until we were back home before asking him why he had let her get away with refusing to pay.
Dad opened the refrigerator, grabbed a beer, and looked at me.
“Tomorrow morning, they’ll understand exactly why I needed both of their signatures.”
I frowned.
“What signatures?”
He only smiled.
“Go to work tomorrow. You’ll see.”
The following morning, at exactly 7:46, my phone rang.
It was Dad.
He was already outside Richard’s house.
“Get over here,” he said.
“What happened?”
“You need to see what your boss just discovered beneath his pool.”
My stomach tightened.
“Beneath the pool? What are you talking about?”
Dad lowered his voice.
“And I’m not here by myself.”
“Who else is there?”
He told me, and I immediately grabbed my keys.
Twenty minutes later, I pulled onto Richard’s street.
Two police cruisers were parked outside the house.
Dad was standing near the driveway beside an elderly woman I’d never seen before.
Richard was shouting angrily at everyone, while Melissa stood nearby crying.
Then the elderly woman spotted me.
She slowly walked toward my car.
And the moment she reached me, I realized that whatever Dad had uncovered beneath that pool was only the beginning.
Comment “KEYS” if you want Part 2.