Dr. Abel Hammond, Abe as he was called by the locals, walked in. He was an older man, around Jeremiah’s age, and he and Felicity were deep in conversation.
“I wonder what that’s about,” I whispered.
“Maybe she’s working your campaign already.”
“Oh please,” I said and rolled my eyes, turning back to Josie. “You have a one-track mind sometimes.”
“Sounds familiar,” she said and winked at me.
The door to the restaurant pinged again, but I didn’t bother to look up. I was too focused on my salad, pushing the lettuce and tomatoes around on the plate. I wasn’t hungry, though I knew I should be. My stomach was tied in knots.
“Eleanor Schaeffer,” a male voice called out.
My head popped up so fast, I could have given myself whiplash. That voice sounded familiar. The tone wasn’t friendly in the slightest either.
“Shit,” I muttered.
Alex Holt was walking right toward me, his silky, sandy blonde hair brushed back, his designer glasses covering his eyes. He looked like he’d walked right out of a California photo shoot for the rich and spoiled.
“What does that asshole want?”
I had an idea.
I stood as he approached our table, wanting to shield Josie from the man as much as possible. But she stood up, standing beside me with her arms crossed in front of her.
Alex ignored her, instead pointing a finger in my face. “You need to stay out of this. You know nothing about what’s going on.”
I shrugged. “I only told Teddy that you were driving your sister’s car. If you’re innocent of any wrongdoing, what does it matter?”
“It doesn’t,” he spat.
I had to admit, seeing him so unhinged intrigued me. He was normally so put together, always smiling for the camera. Putting on the act of the golden boy, the perfect son. To know he was this angry over such innocent information made me think there was more going on here.
He continued complaining, though I wasn’t paying attention to most of it until he said, “You only dragged me into it because you can’t find any other way to clear that asshole’s name.”
“Wait a minute. Did you just call Jeremiah an asshole? If that’s not the pot calling the kettle black, I don’t know what is.”
Alex scowled, lowering his sunglasses so I could see those creepy ass eyes of his. I shuddered but tried to hide it. I wasn’t going to let him intimidate me.
“He’s not going to win re-election. No matter what bullshit you try to pull, you’re not taking my family down with him. My father will be mayor of Liberty.”
“Oh yeah? You’re so confident about that, but I bet no one here would vote for him.”
Alex scoffed. “Like they’ll have a choice once Jeremiah is behind bars.”
“He won’t be behind bars, but even if he is, your dad won’t be the only candidate.”
“Oh yeah?“ Alex chuckled, wiping his face with his hand. “Why, are you running?”
“Maybe I am,” I stated, speaking louder than intended.
Alex doubled over in laughter, “Sorry, it’s just—wait, you’re serious?”
More laughter. No one else in the diner was laughing, though. And I was beginning to suspect he had more than a few screws loose. I’d always thought he was a douche, but this was a new site for me. He never made such a scene in public. I must have hit a sore spot.
“I don’t see anyone else laughing here, Alex. Maybe you should be more concerned than you are.” I narrowed my gaze and put my hands on my hips. Nobody laughed at me. Especially not a Holt.
Alex stopped laughing and wiped at his eyes. He still looked amused, but I knew his type well. He was trying to intimidate me. If he thought I was afraid of a little embarrassment, he didn’t know me. Truth be told, there was nothing they could do to embarrass or shame me. My history was as clear as the sky on a summer’s day in the mountains.
He had nothing on me. And I knew he knew it. That’s why it scared him.
He steadied himself, cleared his throat and said, “Well, whatever happens, if you decide to run for mayor or not, it would be in your best interest to stay out of my family’s personal affairs, Eleanor.”
“Is that a threat? Because if so, there’s a whole restaurant who heard you.”
“Oh no, it’s not a threat,” he said with a sneer. “It’s a suggestion.” He turned on his heels and marched out of the diner, letting the glass door slam on the way out.
All eyes were on me now.
Was this it, was this how I was going to announce my run for mayor?
“Does this mean you’re doing it?” Josie asked, beaming at me with pride.
“Maybe.”
“Maybe? That didn’t sound like a maybe to me,” Josie said, punching me playfully in the arm.
I wanted it. I wanted it so stinking bad. Not just because I wanted to get back at Alex Holt for laughing at me, but because his family was awful. Truly awful. And I couldn’t even let them entertain the idea of them running my town. They’d destroy everything Liberty stood for.
That was the moment I decided to go for it. I just had to figure a lot of other things out first. It wouldn’t be easy, but as my daddy always told me - nothing worth having ever was.
Another idea hit me at the same time - what was causing Alex to become so unhinged in public? Maybe my gut had been right; the Holts were behind James’ murder. But maybe it was more than that.
Maybe they were behind all of it.
I grabbed my bag and dropped some money on the table, enough to pay for both of our meals plus a nice tip. “Can you take care of the check, please?”
“Sure, but where are you going?”
“To register for the race,” I said, speaking low so only Josie would hear me.
I’d announce it to the world later, once I announced it to my friends and family first. And after I talked to Jeremiah too. He deserved to hear it from me.
The Holts wouldn’t win, I’d make sure of it.
Jeremiah
“That’s great, Elle. I’m so happy for you.” Relief washed over me as she announced her intention to run.
“You sure you’re okay with it? I mean, I get that you’d like to step down sometimes, but are you absolutely sure that once all this drama is over with, you won’t regret it?”
I had the phone tucked between my ear and shoulder and was juggling both Amelia and Grace in my arms, rocking the girls who’d only just stopped crying. They’d been fed, changed, and were simply fighting sleep. Elle’s question sounded even more ridiculous considering the context, but I didn’t laugh.
“Trust me, it has nothing to do with this stupid scandal. I’m just not cut out for public office. You’re much better suited for this than me.”
“I guess so. I just feel bad.”
“You shouldn’t.” There was a knock at the door. “Hey, I have to go? I think Sam might be stopping by, and I’ve already got my hands full.”
“Alright. Talk to you later”
I wanted to ask her to come over but decided against it. I’d call her back later. Right now, I needed to get off the phone and deal with Sam.
I put the babies down in their pack and play and hung up the phone as the knocking continued.
“Sam, you’re really early, hold on.”
“FBI, open up.”
I froze just above Amelia’s crib.
FBI? A moment of panic was followed by a reminder from my brain to calm down. It could be anything, I reminded myself. Maybe they had more questions. Something in my gut told me it was more than that.
I didn’t even remember walking over to the door, but I opened it. And the next few moments happened so fast, I felt like it couldn’t be real.
“Jeremiah Jenkins.” An agent held up his federal badge. “You’re under arrest for extortion, bribery, money laundering, and murder.”
“What? No,” I argued. “I’m innocent.”
The federal agent had handcuffs ready if I w
asn’t willing to go on my own accord. All I could think about were my girls in the other room.
“Please, I need someone to call Eleanor Schaeffer to take care of my girls,” I said. “I’ll go with you, no need to cuff me. Just make sure my girls are taken care of, that’s all I ask.”
Teddy stepped into the house, and I was relieved. Finally someone I could trust. “I’ll call Elle,” he promised, patting me on the back with an apologetic glance. “And I’ll personally wait here until she arrives.”
I nodded. “Thank you.” It was the best I could hope for. I knew I couldn’t fight it. I had to do what the agents wanted me to do.
Even if this was a mistake.
My heart broke. I didn’t want to walk out of that house, I wanted to wait for Elle. But I knew I had to go freely or they’d cuff me and tack on resisting arrest.
Not in front of the girls. Even if they wouldn’t remember it, I’d never forgive myself.
I dragged my feet, but I walked out the door surrounded by both sheriff deputies and Feds. They read me my rights, but it was all a blur. I knew my rights well enough to know one thing.
“Call my lawyer. I won't speak without my lawyer present.”
One of the other deputies nodded. “Sam will meet you at the station.”
Dickinson, the agent who’d interviewed me earlier, scoffed. “Small towns. The corruption runs deep.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” the deputy, a young man named Henry, asked. I knew Henry, had watched him grow up in town. He was a good kid who turned into a good man, but he did have a smart mouth on him. Always did. He didn’t take shit from anyone.
“It means, everyone knows everyone. Can’t trust the local law to not be involved in the shit,” Dickinson said. “Which is why we’re here.”
Dickinson shoved me into the back of a police car and slammed the door. I couldn’t hear what else was said between Henry and him, but it didn’t really matter.
None of them were involved in this, none of them were protecting me.
I was innocent.
But I no longer felt hopeful about the truth setting me free.
Ooo000ooo
Agent Dickinson tossed a file down in front of me. Sam, of course, grabbed it and looked it over first. I stared straight ahead at the detective without saying a word.
“Can you explain that?”
“Explain what?” Sam asked. “It looks like the same financials you had before.”
“It is, except we traced the source for some of those transactions. We discovered an offshore bank account belonging to the Pearson family, and as hard as they tried to keep it a secret, the truth finally came out. And it’s the one shown sending large sums of money in and out of the city coffers.”
Sam closed the file and sighed. “My client didn’t handle the financials. James Fitzhenry was the treasurer. He controlled money that came in and out of that account.”
“But your client oversaw the accounts, didn’t he?”
“He did…” Sam hesitated, but then cleared his throat and continued. “My client trusted James Fitzhenry and didn’t monitor them as well as he should have. Jeremiah took over the job as mayor from his father, with no prior experience, and he relied on help from other departments, trusting Fitzhenry and others to run their own departments with very little oversight.”
Looking back, yes, I’d screwed up. But I had never asked to be mayor. I did the best I could, and Sam was right - I had trusted James. He seemed like a good, honest man. The people trusted him. So did I.
“Well then, why would Fitzhenry come forward and give Jeremiah up, saying he forced him to handle that cash flow without telling him where it went or where it came from? And why is he dead now? Oh, that’s right, you should keep looking in the file. Autopsy came back.”
Sam picked the file back up and flipped through the pages in it. His face turned as white as a sheet. “I need to speak with my client alone.”
“Have at it,” Dickinson said, the sound of his chair on the concrete floor was like nails on a chalkboard, but I was so relieved that he was leaving, if only for a moment.
When the door shut behind him, Sam turned to me. “The body was James Fitzhenry,” he said slowly.
My heart ached for the guy. He wasn’t a bad guy or my father wouldn’t have trusted him as much as he had. Whatever his role in the crimes, I was certain it wasn’t uncoerced.
Sam continued. “And it wasn’t suicide. He was shot in the back of the head before his car was driven into the lake.”
“Shit.”
“You’re a hunter, right, Jeremiah?”
“I am, but I haven’t been hunting in years. What’s that got to do with anything?”
“The gun used was a 270 Winchester.”
“Yeah? It’s a popular hunting rifle. Doesn’t mean it was one of mine.”
Sam nodded. “Do you have a lock on your gun cabinet?”
“I don’t keep them in my home at all anymore. Because of the girls. I don’t want to risk it with them in the house.”
“Where do you keep them?”
“I have a storage locker where I keep my gun safe, but why does it matter?”
“I’m sure the Feds are searching that locker now. And every other piece of property you own.”
“That’s fine. They won’t find a damned thing.”
“Let’s hope not,” Sam said, not meeting my gaze. “Are you sure you’re being honest with me, Jeremiah?”
“Of course I am,” I said. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because they also found traces of your DNA in James’ car and at his home.”
My heart dropped. “I’ve never been to his house or in his car. Maybe it came off his coat or something.”
Sam didn’t look entirely convinced, but he reached out and patted my arm. “I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation, Jeremiah. If you insist you’re innocent, I believe you.”
“I am innocent,” I said.
But I wasn’t so sure that meant a damned thing anymore.
Elle
I got to Jeremiah’s as quickly as I could. Josie was with me, thankfully. I wasn’t sure I could have driven on my own. After she paid our checks at the diner, she found me at City Hall just as I got the call. My heart was racing, and I couldn’t believe this was happening.
Teddy left me in charge of the babies, who were screaming when I got there. Josie took Grace, I took Amelia.
“I’m thinking it’s dinner time,” I said, shaking all over.
“I’ll prepare the bottles,” Josie said. “Try to be calm.”
Easier said than done considering the circumstances, and with two crying infants to care for. Josie had a son of her own, so she knew what she was doing. She placed Grace beside me in the pack and play and hurried to the kitchen.
I walked over to Grace, still cradling and rocking her sister in my arms.
“I promise you girls, I will clear your daddy’s name. He’s a good man and doesn’t deserve any of this.”
“Who are you talking to?” Josie called from the kitchen.
“The babies,” I said. “Trying to calm all of us down.”
“Keep talking then,” Josie said. “Do whatever it takes.”
Amelia had started quieting down a bit in my arms. I knew once they had their bottles, they’d be even happier. I’d nannied before, and I had experience babysitting, but never two at once. And never as their sole caretaker either. I was always there to assist the parents or to watch the kids for a few hours.
But I had no one else to take over for me once Josie left.
Now I knew how Jeremiah felt, and I understood his stress all too well.
That poor man.
Josie came back into the living room, two bottles in hand. She took Grace again, and we sat on the couch together in silence, feeding the babies.
“They were hungry, poor babies,” Josie cooed. “They’ve been through so much.”
“I know,” I said, wiping the tears fro
m my eyes. I felt very emotional about everything. “Neither of them deserve this.”
“No, they don’t,” Josie said, rubbing my arm. “But they’ve got you. They’re in good hands.”
“I hope so,” I said, looking down at the baby in my arms. I’d never felt so unsure of myself. Not even when it came to the whole mayor thing. This was a million times scarier.
Josie stayed with me and helped me put them to bed, but she had her own family to get home to. She couldn’t stay too late, even if she wanted to help.
“I’ll be fine,” I said, faking a smile to hopefully reassure her. I didn’t want to keep her too late.
“I’m just a call away, and if I can’t come over, Leah or Piper or Felicity can. We’re all here for you.”
“Thanks, Josie,” I said, giving my best friend a hug.
I held it together until she left, but once the door was closed, I slid down to the floor. The tears finally fell, and I let them. I was alone, the babies were asleep, and I could finally let loose.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I tried my best to wipe away the tears as if the person on the other end could see them. I cleared my throat and hoped I didn’t sound like someone who’d just been crying.
I checked the caller ID. It was a call from the local jail.
I answered right away. “Jeremiah?”
“Yes, it’s me. I’ve only got a few minutes, but I wanted to make sure everything was alright with the girls?”
“I’m here with them. Josie was here too. We took care of them. They’re fed and asleep now.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you. Are you okay?”
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?”
“Well, we both know how I’m doing.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I’m still trying to clear your name.”
“No, Elle. Please, just don’t get involved. You need to take care of yourself and my girls.”
“I need to take care of the people I love too,” I insisted, my voice strong. “You know that’s who I am, Jeremiah.”
“I don’t have time to argue about this, Elle. But please, take care of yourself and the girls - no matter what happens. Please.”
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