Crazy Jake’S Treasure

By Judy Lindgren Johnson

Imagine you wanted a house more than anything in the world.

Imagine that the only one you could afford belonged to Crazy Jake, the hoarder.

Imagine getting to keep anything you found on the property.

Imagine how that would affect your relationships or start a new one.

Imagine if your whole world and hope for the future is completely changed.

Just imagine.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Mar 31, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490862996

Judy Lindgren Johnson

Although Judy’s degree was in accounting; Literature, English Composition, and Speech classes were her delight.  Her only publicly acknowledged writings have been a dedication page for a town centennial and skits for her church.   Judy has 3 children, several grandchildren, lives in Creston, Iowa and is a school superintendent secretary.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

The dead silence of Jeanie’s apartment suddenly burst forth with a ringing loud enough to raise the dead. Jeanie sat upright, startled to a half zombie state, breathing rapidly, but not hardly able to focus. Her eyes scanned the room looking for the alarm clock. The red numbers glowing at her in the dark assured her it was only 4:32 and not time for any reasonable person’s day to be starting. The culprit had to be her cell phone.

Roxanne! Jeannie whispered under her breath. When will she ever learn?

Teachers were never supposed to call her before 5:00 and only that early because many of the subs lived out of town. Jeannie was one of the two secretaries at the kindergarten school and the low-man-on-the-totem-pole of all the secretaries of the Cedarville schools. That put her in the position to get the substitutes for all the kindergarten teachers, aids, and paras for that building and for the other schools if their call person was gone for any reason. It was a job she didn’t mind doing if the call was legitimate, but then there was Roxanne. Roxanne had been there for about 15 years and had learned a long time ago that she never wanted to lose any of her sick days like she had seen happen to others in the past and she made sure that every last one was used every year. It was already May 1st today and she still had 3 left. Guess that was an oversight on her part as she had taken days for her mother’s illness, a couple of funerals, and several professional days. She knew she couldn’t miss every work day, so now this last month would be dotted with her absences.

Jeanie reached across to the nightstand and picked up her phone. She flipped it opened and answered with what she hoped was a voice that sounded like it needed more well deserved sleep and with a hint of irritation in the background.

Good Morning, Jeanie managed to project through a froggy and early morning clogged throat. Good Grief, she thought, I sound sicker than anyone on the other end of the line could possibly be.

Good morning, Jeanie, sounded a voice too awake and cheery to actually be sick. It’s Roxanne. This was followed by what sounded like 2 fake coughs and an unnecessary throat clearing.

"Oh, good morning Roxanne, what can I do for you this early hour of the morning," Jeanie said hinting that she had called nearly a half hour too early.

Well, I think I finally got what is going around the classroom. I can barely talk and coughed almost all night last night. Just don’t think I can make it today, Roxanne stated emphasizing it with one last fake cough.

Oh, that’s too bad, Jeanie replied knowing she was supposed to sound at least somewhat sympathetic. Did you need a sub?

Well, it looks that way. Don’t want to spend the day coughing on the little darlings. Maybe you could get Esther. She is always so good with the kids and everything is always in order when I get back.

Jeanie figured the last statement was what she was most concerned about. Roxanne wasn’t the most organized person and Esther always cleaned up her messes. Esther was a retired kindergarten teacher, probably the best the district ever had. She not only had the best teaching skills but was one of the most organized people Jeanie ever met, besides the fact that she was always up at the crack of dawn and loved to sub, making Jeanie’s job a whole lot easier.

Any instructions I need to pass along? she questioned.

Well, Jason still hasn’t brought his afternoon milk money and his mom is supposed to bring it this morning, so if she doesn’t he can’t have any. Sara needs her permission slip yet for the field trip Friday. Oh, and today is the day they are all supposed to know that special list of spelling words. It’s on my desk.

I am sure it is, Jeanie thought to herself. Bet she put it there on Friday when she knew she was going to call in this morning.

OK, I’ll pass that on to the sub. You get better and hope to see you tomorrow, Jeanie said as she hung up knowing the chances of that were slim to none.

Well, what now. It’s only 4:38 and I can’t call the sub yet, so I guess I might as well have breakfast!

Jeanie went to her tiny kitchenette. This small overpriced apartment was all she could afford. She would have loved to have a full size house where the kids and grandkids could come and visit her, but it just wasn’t in her budget. Her husband Robert was killed in a terrible car wreck in 1974. That left her raising her 3 children by herself. As long as she had Ricky, Brenda, and Kenny home, she could get enough assistance to help her keep a full sized home running. However, when Kenny graduated all available resources dried up. On top of that, the factory job she kept so she could have good health insurance for the kids became a little too much for her physically. So 5 years ago she had no choice but to give up the job and the house she was renting and found the job at the school and a small apartment she could afford. It helped that she loved children, but hers was the desk they send the kids to when they thought they might be getting sick. She usually evaluated whether they were sick enough to send to Nancy the school nurse. Unfortunately by that time she may have had her shoes thrown up on again! She knew she would try to keep this job until she retired, but to make enough money to own a home was a far-away dream that kept her up at night. Her kids just didn’t understand. They figured she could always visit at their houses and that the apartment was the perfect size for her. After all, it should be easy to clean and others did the maintenance. She always wondered if a little of the reason was because the boys didn’t have the time or ambition to come and roof her house or help with the mowing and scooping. Ricky didn’t have to worry about that much. He lived in Central City about 50 miles north from here. But Kenny would get the brunt of it and he was just as happy for her to stay in this small efficiency apartment. Well, she had to quit thinking about this now. She really needed to get the day started.

Jeanie made her usual coffee in her one cup pot. With the prices of everything she didn’t dare waste anything. Besides she liked her coffee fresh and hot. No sense letting it sit on a burner getting strong or turn it off and letting it get cold. She got out her whole wheat bread and put one slice into the toaster. She really wanted 2 but knew that was just more carbs then she was supposed to have. She filled a bowl with fruit, not cereal. By the time the toast popped up and she started smearing peanut butter on it, the coffee was done. She looked at the clock. Oh, rats. I almost forgot to call Esther!

Jeanie left the breakfast on the table and ran back into the bedroom and picked up the cell phone. She dialed the familiar number for Esther their number one sub. She listened as the phone rang only twice.

Hello, the voice on the other end of the line said. It sounded wide awake and you could tell there was a smile on that face.

Hello, Esther. This is Jeanie. Sounds like you’ve been up for a while.

Oh, you know me. I’ve been up since 3:30 or 4:00. I love to beat the birds and the sun up and watch them arrive at my window.

I wish everyone was like that. Would sure make my job easier. Of course you know why I am calling, Jeannie teased.

Well, it sounds to me like you might be needing a sub. Let me guess, for Roxanne? Esther teased back.

Wow, you know her well. You’re right. She called in sick. She actually has instructions too. Jason needs his milk money, Sara needs her permission slip for Fridays field trip, and there is a list of spelling words on the desk. They should be pretty easy since the kids are kindergarten, but you don’t have to be told that.

Actually I think I wrote the curriculum for the kindergarten here. Almost seems like it anyway. I really miss working every day, and of course I will sub. Love those little kids. They can brighten any day. Esther sighed as she talked. I think children are God’s greatest gift to us.

Amen to that, Jeanie replied. I don’t know what I would do without my kids and grandkids and when I can’t see them, the kids at school are my subs! My Freddie was in 1st grade this year, so I didn’t get to see him every day. I just missed the dickens out of him. Once in a while I would try to sneak to the other school and have lunch with one of the grandkids, but it just doesn’t work out as much as I would like. Too bad the buildings aren’t all together.

The schools originally were supposed to be all together. When the school bought the land for the new building there was quite a controversy. The Barker family refused to sell the land adjacent to the other purchase. To make room for the whole school, they would have had to make a 2 story building which was what they were trying to avoid because of special needs kids enrolled here. With the classrooms, gym, stage, offices, playground, and parking it just couldn’t be made big enough. They decided to refurbish one of the old buildings. The 5 classrooms they needed for kindergarten was their main objective. Next was our office, which was larger than what we probably needed, a nurse’s office that would put most triage units to shame, a lunch room, a gym, and then there is the storage! We have a storeroom here for janitorial supplies, the million years of old records from the school, one room just for play props, one for extra band equipment, one for athletic equipment, one for extra classroom furniture, and I’m not really sure what is in some of the other rooms. Sometimes I think we could store half the town in here.

Oh, I better let you go. You need to get ready and so do I. Thanks so much for being such a wonderful sub. See you at school later.

Oh, I should be thanking you. Spending time with these kids just make my day. I’ll see you there.

Jeanie smiled as she hung up the phone. What a gem, she thought to herself. I don’t know what I would do without her.

Oh, rats, my breakfast! Jeanie turned her thinking back to the task at hand. As she scurried off to the table she found her coffee cold and her toast dry and hard. Oh, well, she said out loud to herself, guess I’ll eat it anyway. Can’t afford to waste food. At least I can pop the coffee into the microwave while I shower.

Jeanie went to the closet and found something suitable for the day. Her wardrobe was small, most of it had been purchased at garage sales and thrift shops. Some of those can be just as nice and for a much less price. Let someone else pay the high price had always been her philosophy. She moved on into the bathroom and started the shower. Since she had just washed her hair yesterday, she pulled her long hair up in a ponytail and tucked it inside the shower cap. She didn’t need the shower to wake her up this morning since she had already had conversations with 2 people, but the hot water running over her was refreshing. She got out and toweled off, got dressed, and returned to her less then tempting breakfast. She clicked on the news as she sat down with her plate, bowl, and cup. The reheated coffee did taste good and if the food wasn’t as tempting she didn’t notice as she really got into listening to the news and weather forecast. She really shouldn’t listen to the news before she went to work. It frustrated her what was happening in Washington D.C. and sometimes locally too. It just set a bad tone for the day. They always made comments about how bad the economy was and how things can never be better. If she could only win the lottery she wouldn’t worry so much about the economy. Both had the chances of about a billion to one to happen. Without a booming economy or a winning lottery ticket she knew she would never own a home or even be able to retire. Oh, well, such is life.

Glancing up at the clock, Jeanie panicked. Oh, great! Now I haven’t left myself very much time to get to work. She ran into the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and ran a comb quickly through her hair. She grabbed her purse and the lunch she prepared the night before out of the fridge and headed out to her car.

The minute she turned the key, she panicked again. Oh, no! I forgot I was going to get gas on my way to work this morning. She could tell where the needle was pointing she might have enough to get there, but not even enough fumes to get her back to the nearest station. Now I’ll have to go at least 3 blocks out of my way to the little Elm Street mini mart. I hope no one will be in my way.

As she pulled around the corner, her heart sank. This station only had two pumps, one for diesel only. On one side of the gas pump was a car with 2 cars waiting behind it. On the other there was only one. She eased her car in behind and waited.

I don’t recognize that car, she thought. Looks like a rental. Hope he isn’t in there doing major shopping!

A girl came out of the mini-mart and got into the car on the other side and left. The next car pulled forward and began fueling. Jeanie was drumming her fingers on the steering wheel. Where can the driver be? she sighed and felt her blood pressure rising. The car on the other side had used their credit card outside and pulled away. The next car pulled up and in the meantime another car pulled in the driveway and pulled up behind it. That’s it! Jeanie grumbled under her breath. I’m going to go in and find that driver!

CHAPTER 2

Jeanie pushed her way out of the car, slamming the door behind her.

OK, she said to herself, take a deep breath and calm down. You know you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. If the guy gets mad, he may take even longer to move his car.

As Jeanie swung open the door to the mini-mart, her eyes scanned the small interior. She recognized several of the high school kids filling 32 oz. cups with their favorite sodas and a couple of the boys awkwardly using the tongs to scoop pastries into paper sacks imprinted with the company logos.

Better get those finished before they get to the school house door and the nutrition police see them, she chuckled to herself.

Another quick glance revealed a lady getting a quart of milk from the cooler and a couple of people getting coffee for their commute to work. The alleged culprit was standing at the counter having what looked like an in-depth conversation with Angie, the clerk on duty at the time.

As she walked up behind him she observed that he was dressed in a much more classy and expensive suit than most of the locals wore, even to conventions, church, or funerals. Angie was responding to what had apparently been addressed to her.

No, sir, Angie replied with a look of serious consideration, I don’t think I know of anyone looking to buy property right now. The economy here isn’t the best and most of the people in my age bracket are going to college and couldn’t come up with the down payment even if they wanted to buy. Beside the fact, most have plans of leaving the area once they have their degree. Not much to keep you here in this one-horse-town, if you know what I mean. But I will put out the word you have a house for sale and you can even put a notice on the window over there. She pointed to the plate glass window near the entrance.

Well, we’re not talking about much money. In fact I just want to unlo–uh, sell for what it is costing me to do the transaction. We don’t have any investment in it. My father inherited it from his brother and we sure don’t need the money. Just want it to be done legally and mainly pay expenses of the paperwork for abstracts and closing costs and my transportation expenses to get this all done. About $4,000.00 should do it.

Jeanie’s heart skipped at least 3 beats. A house for $4,000.00! A real house! She thought about her whole life savings of $5,032.00 she had in the bank. It would be enough to cover with some left over.

Jeanie mustered up a boldness she never felt before. Sir, she inquired with a sweet soft-spoken voice, is that your rental car out there at the pumps? I was hoping to get gas on my way to work.

Yes, yes, he said with an air of impatience. I guess I am done here and I need to be on my way too. I was hoping I would be getting a little business done and maybe be on my way to the airport by tonight. Thanks for any help you can give me. He turned again to Angie. Here is my card, in case you come up with any thoughts on the matter.

He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a business card, handed it to Angie, and turned and walked out the door.

Jeanie nearly ran to keep up with him.

Sir, she called out to him. Sir, wait a minute. Did you say you had property for sale? I think I know someone that might be interested.

He spun on his heels and turned toward her. Really? he inquired with a look of doubt on his face. And who would that be?

Well, actually me, Jeanie said with a little apprehension and not nearly the boldness she wanted to portray.

And what would you be interested in the property for? he asked with a little apprehension himself. He didn’t believe at this time he was going to unload this property on anyone.

Well, if it’s a house, then I guess to live in, she said with just a tad more boldness and assurance that she knew what a house was for!

Well, apparently you didn’t get in on the first of the conversation. My uncle was somewhat of a hoarder. It would probably take more work to fix up than it is worth and I figured whoever bought the property would burn it down and use the lot to rebuild.

Well, not everyone might have the same opinion of what is worth fixing up. I mean, is the foundation and roof OK? If they are, it might be worth the investment.

It’s an old house; I think from late the 1890’s when they really knew how to build houses. I think the foundation is pretty stable and I think it was re-roofed about 10 years ago. However, it is chucked so full of newspapers I suppose it is probably overrun by mice and bugs and would take more than a month of Sundays to clean out.

What property is this? Jeanie questioned not thinking of any property in town it could possibly be.

It is the Jacob Henderson place, you know down on 2nd and Cedar Street next to Prairie Creek on the edge of town. Have you heard of it? he questioned.

Jeanie’s heart sank. Oh, no. It’s Crazy Jake’s place, she thought to herself. Who didn’t know that place? If you had children within the last 20 years they had to have gotten in trouble at least once by trying to sneak a peek at that property. She had heard so many rumors about why Jake was so crazy and why he might be trying to hide from society or what he might have hidden on his property. She didn’t think anyone knew the true story. It was the last house on that really short street on the southeast edge of town. It was cut short because Prairie Creek snaked in and around making it impossible to finish the street through. Kids playing in the creek tried to get a good view of Crazy Jake’s but it was almost completely obscured by the tree cover. Being the last house on that short dead end street gave very few people valid reason to drive by. About the only ones who had real access were the mailman and the paper carrier who delivered the papers that became the immense clutter of the house. Thinking back she did remember hearing Crazy Jake died last February, or was that March. She was always so busy during the school year it was hard to focus on the time line of local events. She couldn’t afford to subscribe to the paper so she missed lots of the obituaries. She smiled at the irony that she might be getting all the past issues with the purchase of the house.

After a second of trying to compose herself from the shock she found her voice to reply in what she hoped came out in a calm and matter of fact manner.

Yes, she replied, I do believe I know what property you are talking about.

Then you probably know you don’t want to buy it. Seems there is a stigma with this place. I get the same reaction from everyone I talk to here. He was shifting around maybe out of impatience but maybe a little embarrassment about his family legacy.

That’s where you are wrong. I am still interested in it. She couldn’t believe the words were coming out of her own mouth. What was she thinking? I would need to look at it first though.

Are you available now? I have got to get this started. He still looked like he didn’t have a chance of believing she was serious.

I’ll have to call into work, and then put gas in my car.

He pulled his car forward and she pulled in and started fueling while she dialed her work number.

Cedarville School, Cindy speaking. Thank Heavens Cindy came in early this morning.

Cindy, this is Jeanie. Wow, I know what an inconvenience this will be, but remember that last ½ personal day I was going to take the last week of school? I need it this morning, actually right now. I don’t have time to explain it, but I’ll tell you all about it when I come in at 10:30. You need to know that Roxanne called in sick and Esther is taking her place. If you see Jason’s mom, nab her for his milk money. Is this OK? Can you cover for me?

Cindy could hardly believe what she was hearing. This was so out of Jeanie’s character. She was miss reliable-I-always-plan-everything-ahead type of person. But because of that she couldn’t turn her down for this.

Sure enough, Jeanie. Take your time and I’ll see you when you get here. Everything will be fine. I don’t foresee any major problems this morning, Cindy exclaimed with a bit of concern and curiosity in her voice.

Jeanie closed her phone and stuck it back into her pocket. She finished fueling the car and went into the store to settle up the bill. When she came out she walked over to the rental car.

Guess we never got to the point of introducing ourselves. I am Jean Thompson. And you are? Jeanie reached over to shake his hand.

The man reached back and took a hold of her hand in a firm handshake. I am James Henderson. My father is Wilbur Henderson, the brother of the late Jacob Henderson. Did you want to just follow me in your car? That way you will be able to stay as long as you want to look around and make decisions.

Sounds like a plan to me. I really need to be to work at 10:30, so that should give me plenty of time to look around and make up my mind what I would like to do.

Jeanie stepped back and climbed into her own car. She started the engine and pulled out of the station following the luxury rental ahead of her. She knew the location they were looking for was on almost the complete opposite end of town. It would take several minutes if the traffic was heavy due to commuters and school buses. This would give her plenty of time to contemplate what she was about to do. She never woke up this morning thinking she might be buying a house today. She had to think this through thoroughly. If she spent her savings on a purchase that didn’t end up worth even what she paid for it, she would be in bad financial shape. However, if she wasn’t willing to risk it, there may never be another chance to own her own house. What a dilemma! These are the times that made it hard to be by yourself, no one to help you make the hard decisions or give advice that you would be willing to listen to. Well, she couldn’t make the decision until she saw the place. She knew she didn’t know a lot about foundations. The roof might be a little easier, if you could see enough of it from the ground. She would use the remaining time praying and asking God’s guidance in this decision.

Am I out of my mind? Jeanie thought to herself. I’m on my way to Crazy Jake’s place!

CHAPTER 3

The traffic seemed to be a little lighter than usual this morning and the trip was shorter than she had anticipated. It wasn’t long before the two cars turned right on Cedar and covered the short distance. Both cars pulled up parking one behind the other on the street. Because of the late spring the grass had just started growing good, so the property was pretty visible and not overgrown yet. The first negative thought that came to her was that it would take quite a bit of mowing to keep the property looking nice.

James was exiting his car now so Jeanie decided she should do likewise. The sidewalk to the front door was in good shape, so that wouldn’t need any immediate maintenance. Jeanie knew she would have to evaluate everything on the property to know if she could swing this deal. Remembering the roof, she looked upward. The part she could see looked in pretty decent shape. Barring some spot that could have received damage somewhere from a fallen branch from a storm she figured the roof was at least sound for now.

James and Jeanie walked silently up the walk. Jeanie’s eyes scanned the property. She could see a grove of trees lining the whole perimeter of the property blocking any sign of Prairie Creek which ran on the south boundary of the yard and blocked the sight of adjoining properties. With just a little trimming this place could have a neat view. Within this large field of grass were a few out buildings. The largest one looked like it could have been used for a small barn in the past. A smaller building resembling a tool shed was big enough to house a riding mower or workshop. A few feet from the house was a one stall garage that appeared to be the newest building on the place although it still looked like it could have been 30 years old or more. Much closer to the creek was a mass of vines giving the appearance it could be covering a gazebo left to be neglected for years. Although these buildings could add to the value of the property, they were not what she was interested in unless she decided she wanted to start living in a barn. Jeanie smiled to herself at the thought of living in any of these out buildings. They would give her more space than her apartment. She had to restrain herself from laughing out loud.

The south and east sides of the house were wrapped in an enclosed porch. You could tell this house had been built way before the main streets of the town were constructed. Originally the south doorway would have been used as the main entrance but through the years the east side was used and the garage built on that side for convenience. Screened windows covered most of the surface of the porch and the interior was concealed by stacks of newspapers. Opening the porch door she saw there was enough space for the entrance into the main house and for a small table and 2 chairs. The view from the chairs would let you see anyone coming to visit or the mailman or paperboy who left the daily treasures that were stacked everywhere. The contents of the table were just two very crusted coffee cups, a pen, a spiral notebook, and not surprisingly another newspaper.

As James unlocked the door and swung it open he searched her face for a reaction to what she was about to see. Nothing had prepared Jeanie for this room. She assumed it was the living room. There was an extremely worn couch covered by a blanket that appeared to be a night cover for someone sleeping there. Next to the couch were a pole lamp, a large basket with an assortment of folded clothes, and an older TV tray that looked like it had been used for a combination of a dining table and a catch-all. There were still some dishes on it that looked like the remains of a breakfast. The TV was the only thing in the room that looked relatively new. It was a 32 inch flat screen like you could buy at the local appliance dealer. It sat on an old library table that looked like solid oak and at least over 75 years old. The rest of the room was saturated in newspapers, not helter-skelter, but stacked with care like someone was expected to be able to find the one they wanted and still in good shape. The living room must have been half of the down stairs, but with all the newspapers the dimensions were nearly impossible to figure. Jeanie tried to keep the look of horror out of her face.

James finally spoke. Well, what do you think?

Jeanie found her voice and said with a little determination, Interesting, can I see the rest?

James smiled. "When you’ve seen one stack of newspapers, you’ve seen them all. But, yes, I will give