An Arson Plot in Center Harbor

 An Arson Plot in Center Harbor







    One of the many pleasant afternoons I spent on the road in New Hampshire with Greg was one that involved an errand for the dear Minnie. The matriarch had decided the much used Webber Kettle barbecue was done-for and she wanted some manly help in choosing a replacement. Since price was never an object with Bear Cove necessities, the son-in-law was tasked with finding a new outdoor cooker, better than the delapidated predecessor. The easiest target would be to drive to close-by Center Harbor where Everett M. Heath had a sort of monopoly on retail trade since about 1945. There was a hardware store and a market where most Camp provisions were procured,  We strolled into the hardware store and asked a nice woman where we might find Barbecue grills and she hesitated since Greg let her know about the necessity of the Webber brand. Before this probably part-time simple woman could figure this out she was assailed by a bastard of a boss who barked at her and humiliated the poor thing in front of us. There was absolutely no need as we were not in any hurry and were not unhappy with her service. Greg, seeing this injustice walked out of the store and drove off to Laconia where he did purchase a fine Webber grill that probably still sits in a shed at dear Bear Cove. Still, Sheehy was steaming at this big powerhouse, assistant manager in a nowheresville hardware store for his rudeness and bullying of a co-worker. After a fine dinner prepared on the new apparatus and several glasses of red wine brought back from the State store Greg hatched a plan that I encouraged. We were going to burn Heaths down! This was probably close to the year 2000 and we kept up the desire to set fire to Heath's Hardware store probably until it went bankrupt and closed. Every time he went to Bone without me and we always talked when he did I goaded him into picking up a torch and doing the deed. Strangely enough, he left Heath's market alone since it was just too convenient for camp essentials.





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