Killing Down the Roman Line by Tim McGregor

Jim felt a gaping black hole yawning open under his feet. It would swallow him whole. His wife, child, home. He pulled to the shoulder and clambered out to be sick but nothing came up. He stayed doubled over, hands on his knees.
    His whole plan had popped like a balloon with the appearance of this man at the old property. Without the new acreage, Jim was painted into a corner with no way forward or back. He’d go under and with it, they’d lose it all. The bank and the creditors would pick the bones clean. Turkey vultures. Everything lost because of his ineptitude.
    His teeth felt gritty and burned when he turned back into his driveway. He was surprised to see Travis mowing the front lawn, a chore he normally had to cajole and harass the boy to do. Emma must have scolded him into doing it, anticipating his mood. Jim waved at his son as he rumbled past him, drove on towards the barn. He heard the lawnmower shut down and Travis crossing the yard towards him. The boy would have a million questions, none of which Jim wanted to face, let alone answer.

    “So this carpetbagger just shows up out of the blue. Says the place is his. Weird looking guy too.”
    Travis sat perched in the tractor seat, legs dangling. “What’s a carpetbagger?”
    “City people. Con artists. They’ll steal your wallet while shaking your hand.” Jim lifted out the air filter and slotted the flathead into the idle screw. Tweaked it a hair. “Try it now.”
    Travis hit the ignition and the engine sputtered up. The idle too fast. Jim turned it back until it slowed and then waved at Travis to cut it. “Dollars to donuts, he’s got some scam going.”
    “Where’d he come from?”
    “Dunno. Out east, I guess. Probably run out of the last town he was in for pulling something stupid.”
    “Uh… Dad?”
    “You can tell a shyster by the look in his eye. You know—”
    “What happened up there?” Emma stood just inside the barn door, hair wet from the shower. Listening to his tirade. He gave her a brief rundown of the stranger in the house, his talk with Kate at the diner. Carswell and his condescending tone. “So why are you talking trash about this guy?”
    “Because he just screwed us over.”
    “You don’t know anything about the man.”
    “Don’t need to.”
    “Yes you do. Go back and invite the man over for coffee.”
    He looked at his wife like she had suddenly grown two heads. “No way.”
    “Yes way. Go be neighbourly. Let’s find out about our mystery man.”
    Jim dropped the filter back in, replaced the cover. Refusing to budge. Emma looked up at her son in the cab, shielding her eyes from the sun. “Travis, take your dad over there and invite our new neighbour over.” She looked back at Jim. “Or I’ll do it myself.”
    ~
    Travis sat in the box, bouncing on the wheel well as Jim drove back to the decrepit house. The debris pile in the yard was even taller now. Lengths of mouldy sheetrock and lines of cast iron pipe. Travis hopped out of the pickup and joined his dad in the overgrown grass. He looked over the mess. “What’s he doing? Gutting the place?”
    “Looks that way.” Jim frowned. The guy was settling in fast, already tearing down for the inevitable home reno. Good luck with that. He’d be better off just bulldozing the whole thing and starting from scratch rather than renovating this husk of a house.
    Travis drifted off to where a big square of framed plywood leaned against the porch rail. Painted white with letters stencilled neatly in black, waiting to be filled in. A sign.

    THE CORRIGAN HORRORSHOW
    ~ Historical tour and attractions ~

    “What’s that supposed to be?”
    Jim didn’t have a clue. Sitting a few yards away were two posts braced with triangular footings. A frame to nail the signboard to. Whatever it meant, he didn’t like it. The odd sign simply confirmed his earlier suspicion of a con man or opportunist.
    “Watch your step.” He went up the porch, pointing to the broken steps. “The