Cora blinked, trying to make sense of the words. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“A lien,” Leonard said again, nervously tugging at the knot of his tie. “On The Salty Spoon. You can’t sell it, even if you want to.”
The room went dead silent.
And then the dam broke.
“What in the name of Dolly Parton’s hairspray do you mean?” Aggie shot to her feet, the screech of her chair legs harsh against the wood floor. “How does a lien just...appear?”
Bea’s earrings jangled as she shook her head. “That can’t be right. Lolly would have told us if there was a problem with the café.”
Cora took a deep breath, trying to channel some of Lolly’s infamous calm under pressure. “Leonard, please explain. Slowly. And in English, not legalese.”
“Well, there’s a private lender who holds a loan against the property,” he replied. “It wasn’t...um...it wasn’t disclosed to the estate because it was a private agreement. But when you called to initiate the sale, it triggered a notificationto the lienholder, and that’s when the paperwork started showing up.”
Leonard fumbled with his briefcase, finally extracting a wrinkled document. “According to this, the loan goes with the property. It’s...substantial.”
“How substantial are we talking?” Winston demanded. “A hundred bucks? A thousand?”
Leonard’s face went pale. “It’s closer to one hundred thousand dollars.”
The room exploded again. Bea’s cookie tin crashed to the floor, scattering snickerdoodles in every direction. Aggie blinked rapidly, and Winston’s grip on his chair went so tight his knuckles turned white.
“One hundred thousand dollars?” Cora whispered, feeling like she’d been hit by a truck. A very expensive truck. “That can’t be right. The café was paid off.”
Leonard gave a helpless shrug. “I’m just the messenger. The document is quite clear.”
“Wasn’t the estate already settled?” Cora asked, trying to make sense of it all.
“We’re wrapping up the probate process, but creditors still have a few days to notify the estate of any outstanding debts,” Leonard answered, his eyes drifting to the cookies that were now spread out on the floor. He looked as if he was a half-second away from stress-eating one.
Bea followed his gaze and, in an uncharacteristic move, ground one under an orthopedic sandal. Apparently, Leonard had worn out his welcome, and even Southern hospitality had its limits. “You can’t do this,” she said firmly.
Leonard’s gaze darted back to Cora. “I’m afraid we don’t have a choice. The lienholder has every right to file a claim against Lolly’s estate.”
Cora slumped back in her chair, her mind spinning. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. She was supposed to swoop in, sell the café, and leave with enough money torestart her life. Instead, it felt like she’d stepped into quicksand.
“But why?” Bea asked, her voice softening with concern. “Why would Lolly take out such a large loan?”
“And why wouldn’t she tell anyone?” Aggie added, her earlier indignation fading to worry.
Winston cleared his throat, cutting through the tension. He turned to Leonard. “What are the terms of this loan?”
Leonard’s face, if possible, went even paler. “Ah, yes. Well...the lienholder has called in the debt. You have less than a month to pay it off.”
Cora shot to her feet, sending her chair clattering to the floor. “A month? How am I supposed to come up with a hundred thousand dollars in a month?”
“Sell a kidney?” Aggie suggested. “I hear they fetch a pretty penny on the black market.”
Bea swatted her arm. “Don’t be ridiculous.” She paused, then added, “Though I have a cousin who’s a urologist. Maybe he knows someone?—”
“Ladies, please,” Winston interrupted, ever the voice of reason. “Let’s hold off on the organ trafficking. There has to be a logical explanation for all of this.”
Cora rubbed her temples, feeling a headache starting to bloom. “Logical? Nothing about this makes sense. Lolly wouldn’t have taken out a loan unless she had a good reason.”
“Maybe she was in some kind of trouble?” Bea said. Her hands twisted together on the table in front of her. “Did she have any gambling debts?”
Cora snorted. “The only gambling Lolly ever did was playing bingo at the senior center. And I’m pretty sure the jackpot there was a fruit basket, not a hundred grand.”
