Chris watched the muscles in Shari’s throat work as she swallowed the liquid. “I know. There are a lot of factors to consider.”
Shari pinned Chris with a direct gaze. “What do you think?”
Chris hesitated. “I want you to be happy. That’s the most important thing, and I don’t want to influence your decision in any way.”
Shari gave him a dry look. “Do you think my mind is so prodigiously weak that I’d do something I didn’t want to do just to please you?”
Chris couldn’t imagine that ever happening. “When you put it that way . . . Have you done a pros and cons list?”
Shari shook her head. “I don’t need a list to know there are plenty of things on each side.”
“But think about the significance of each point. For example, you’re from Chicago. The longer commute won’t bother you, but the frequent trips to the gas station will strain your budget.”
“Buffalo Today pays more than the Telegraph.” Shari’s tone was dry.
“And you’ll have to drive more to cover your stories. That will add to the wear and tear on your car.”
“It pays a lot more than the Telegraph.”
“I see.” For most people, that kind of financial compensation would have been enough for them to accept the job offer within the hour that it was made. Shari wasn’t most people, though. Something more was holding her back. “Your workdays will be a lot longer.”
She shrugged. “I work long days now with the Telegraph—and for a lot less money.”
Chris was reluctant to play this next card, but it was laying there, unspoken between them. “With your longer commute, you’ll have a lot less time for Aunt Lou. And for me.”
Shari’s gaze held his. “That’s the greatest drawback.”
Chapter 27
The annual Mayor’s Charity Spring-Raiser was a big thank-you from the local government to the organizations that served the community and the donors that supported them. In Sister Lou’s estimation, that was the event’s altruistic purpose. In fact, it was another fund-raising opportunity for the organizations that served the Briar Coast community.
The event’s registration also raised money for the Briar Coast Community Center, which hosted the event, and the mayor’s pet fund-raising project. For the past four years, the Stanley administration’s goal had been to break ground on the town’s first-ever health clinic.
Sister Lou stood alone for the moment, surveying the community center and the event attendees. She enjoyed the temporary relief from the demands of socializing. Sister Carmen, who was more of an extrovert, would have reveled in that aspect of the evening. Sister Lou didn’t. She felt her knotted muscles relax as she sipped her fruit punch. The sweetly tart drink was light and refreshing.
The room was comfortably cool for the large gathering. Sister Lou searched the crowd, picking out each member of the congregation’s leadership team with their specific donor assignments.
Their prioress, Sister Barbara, and the president of the College of St. Hermione of Ephesus, Sister Valerie Shaw, stood together. They appeared to be blocking the exit as they stood smiling and chatting with Donald and Sonya Russell. The wealthy retirees were notoriously reluctant donors although Sister Lou was grateful for the couple’s response to the congregation’s annual appeal. Perhaps with Sister Barbara’s and Sister Valerie’s combined persuasion—and a small miracle—the Russells would decide to extend their generosity to the college.
Sister Lou wondered if she should join Sister Angela Yeoh and Sister Paula Walton at the hot hors d’oeuvres station. It would give her an excuse to get more of those Swedish meatballs. But the sisters were deep in conversation with Montgomery Crane, one of their donor assignments. The handsome older gentleman was the chief executive of Crane Enterprises, which owned and operated a chain of vacation resorts across the country. A wave of sadness rolled over Sister Lou as she recalled that Montgomery had been a mentor to the late Autumn Tassler. Sister Lou found peace in the knowledge that she’d played a role in catching Autumn’s killer.
Sister Marianna had cornered Ian Greer near the pastries. In addition to educating the town council president on the congregation’s various service projects, Sister Marianna had planned to voice her objection to several of the town council’s legislative proposals, including the tax abatement. Every other member of the leadership team was concerned about combining both messages, but Sister Marianna was confident that she could pull it off. Sister Lou had promised Sister Barbara that she would handle damage control. She also made a note to bring back one or two mini chocolate cupcakes for Sister Carmen.
“You look like you could use something stronger, but I’m afraid all I have is fruit punch.” Heather’s voice drew Sister Lou’s attention away from Sister Marianna. The mayor took Sister Lou’s empty glass.
“Thank you.” Sister Lou accepted the proffered full glass of punch. “I was lost in thought. Forgive me.” She managed a smile for Heather and Diego, who’d joined the mayor.
“There’s nothing to forgive.” Heather waved a dismissive hand. “I only wanted to make sure you were having a good time.”
“Absolutely.” Sister Lou’s attention was drawn away as Kerry appeared beside them with her boyfriend.
“Excuse me, Mayor Stanley.” Kerry offered their small group a blinding smile. “Jeff wanted to pay his respects.”
Heather accepted the young man’s right hand. “Thank you for coming.”
“Thank you for the invitation, Mayor Stanley.” Jefferson released Heather’s hand but kept her attention. “You know, Kerry told me that you announced your reelection campaign on Monday. Good luck.”
“Thank you.” Heather’s smile was pleasant but perfunctory.
The mayor appeared to be fighting a battle on two fronts. On one front, Heather didn’t appear to want to interact with Kerry’s boyfriend. On the other front, she didn’t seem to want to insult her administrative assistant by cutting her exchange with Jefferson short. She was in quite a quandary.
“Do you know who your challengers will be?” Jefferson glanced around the ballroom as though he could pick out the other candidates on sight.
“No one else has formally declared.” Heather sounded resigned to having a lengthy conversation with the budding politico.
Sister Lou masked her smile behind her glass of punch. She drew a sip of the sweet-and-tart beverage. A few of the ice chips brushed against her lips. Diego also seemed to be amused by Heather’s dilemma. Kerry didn’t appear to be aware of Sister Lou, Diego, or anyone else in the room. She gazed at Jefferson with near adoration. How long had the couple been dating, and were Kerry’s feelings returned in equal measure?
Jefferson was still holding court. “You must have some idea who would be running against you. Every good politician has an ear to the ground to find out how the political winds are blowing, you know? They know their allies and their enemies.”
Heather’s features were hard to read. “As a public servant, I’ve been too busy serving the public to be a politician. Whoever runs against me will be running against my record, which is the way it should be.”
Sister Lou silently applauded Heather’s response, but it seemed her message was lost on Jefferson.
He swept out an arm to encompass the ballroom. “Don’t you think this large-scale event poses, you know, an unfair campaign advantage for you over your opponents?”
“No, I don’t.” In a blink, Heather went from irritation to amusement. “The annual Mayor’s Charity Spring-Raiser is a decades-long Briar Coast tradition. I didn’t start it, but when I’m ready to leave office, I hope my successor continues the tradition.”
“I don’t know.” Jefferson’s gaze once again swept the room before he gave Heather a pitying look. “I wish you luck with your reelection, but I think you’re facing several uphill battles. You know?”
After making his declaration, Jefferson spun on his heels and stalked away.
Kerry’s gaze shot to Heather. �
�Don’t worry, Mayor, I’ll find out what uphill battles Jeff is talking about and let you know.” The young woman chased after her boyfriend.
Heather’s expression was thoughtful. “I know it’s not my place, but I really don’t know what Kerry sees in that guy.”
Sister Lou followed Kerry’s flight across the room. “I’m at a loss as well, but he just gave me an idea.”
* * *
“Guess you really botched the mayor’s reelection campaign announcement.” Harold’s was the last voice Shari had expected to hear tonight.
Standing at the dessert station, she wrapped the mini chocolate cupcakes that she’d pilfered for Sister Carmen in paper napkins before facing the rookie reporter. Harold had been using that unique greeting with her since Diego’s piece on Heather’s reelection announcement had run in the Telegraph Tuesday morning.
“Why do you keep saying that to me?” Shari was more curious than annoyed. “You’re responsible for the election coverage. Don’t you understand what that means?”
“Of course I know what that means.” Harold leaned forward to take a chocolate chip cookie from one of the trays.
“Then you understand you’re the one who botched the mayor’s reelection announcement.” Shari considered Harold’s expensive black suit and bow tie. “What are you doing here?”
Harold sipped from his champagne flute. Shari didn’t think he was drinking fruit punch. “My parents made a significant donation to the Briar Coast Health Clinic project. It’s their way of helping me ease into the community.”
Shari’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “That’s nice.”
It had been tempting to make a snarky comment about Harold’s parents buying friends for him. He’d probably been expecting it. But the proposed health clinic was too important to the community for her to diminish it with an ungrateful comment. Besides Harold’s disconcerted expression was worth it.
Harold bit into his cookie as he scanned the ballroom. “I’ve been watching Sister Lou and the mayor this evening. They’ve been spending a lot of time together.” He turned to hold her gaze. “I was right when I asked the mayor about her association with Sister Lou, wasn’t I? What’s going on?”
“Why are you so sure that Sister Lou is investigating anything?” Shari watched Harold closely. His persistence had gone beyond annoying to concerning.
Harold scowled. “What other reason could there be for them to spend so much time together?”
Shari crossed her arms over her sweater dress. “Why don’t you tell me? What do you think Sister Lou and Mayor Stanley are up to?”
Harold gestured with his right arm. His movements were jerky with impatience. “Sister Lou is obviously investigating Opal Lorrie’s murder.”
Chris came up to Shari and put his arm around her waist, making her jump. “Is everything all right?”
Shari smiled up at him before continuing her exchange with Harold. “There’s no evidence that Opal was murdered. Do you know something that we don’t?”
Harold looked from Chris to Shari. “No, I don’t, but I know that there’s something going on. I can sense it.”
Shari watched Harold stalk away. She could sense something going on, too, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
“What was that about?” Chris asked.
Shari turned to him. “Have you heard the theory that criminals try to insert themselves into an investigation so they could learn what the police have discovered?”
Chris’s eyebrows knitted. “Yes. Why?”
Shari looked over her shoulder in the direction that Harold had disappeared. “I’m getting a weird feeling about Hal.”
* * *
“Are you gathering intelligence for your mayoral campaign?” Sister Lou addressed Owen Rodney minutes later. The real estate agent and former mayor stood at the hot hors d’oeuvres station.
“I won’t need that much intelligence to beat her.” Owen chuckled at his unfunny joke.
“I believe you’re underestimating Mayor Stanley.” Sister Lou put a few Swedish meatballs on a plate. She used the pause to recall Jefferson Manning’s exact words. “I understand that every good politician has an ear to the ground to find out how the political winds are blowing. They know their allies and their enemies.”
“That’s right. It’s called strategizing.” Owen stabbed a meatball with a tiny silver plastic fork and shoveled it into his mouth.
“Have you identified your allies and enemies?” Sister Lou claimed a meatball with her fork. Wafts of steam carried its flavorful aroma up to her, causing her mouth to water in anticipation. When she bit into the hors d’oeuvre, spices exploded in her mouth.
“You bet your . . . Sorry, Sister.” Owen rocked on the heels of his black loafers as he tore apart a chicken wing with his teeth.
“Who are they?” Sister Lou led Owen a few steps away from the food station to make room for other guests.
Owen stilled. He looked at Sister Lou suspiciously. “Why are you asking?”
Sister Lou cleared all expression from her face and widened her eyes to simulate innocence. “I’m just curious. Who would you consider an enemy and who would you think was your ally?”
Suspicion faded from Owen’s eyes. Excitement replaced it as he talked about his candidacy. “Well, of course I consider my enemies to be anyone who doesn’t want what I want and my allies are the ones who support my ideas.”
Simple enough. “What about Mayor Stanley? Who would you say are her enemies?”
Owen tossed back his head with a laugh as he resumed his rocking stance. “Oh, she has lots of them.”
Why, then, do I have the sense that Heather has just one enemy, and I’m looking at him? “Who would you say they are?”
“I wouldn’t want people to accuse me of gossiping, but a lot of her enemies are on her staff.”
Sister Lou shook her head. “I’ve heard those rumors, too. They aren’t true. Her staff is devoted to her.”
Owen smiled knowingly. “Oh, sure, her executive team loves her. I’d love her, too. Well, I’d probably love her. Still, that doesn’t mean that I’d be loyal to her. Her executives get all the pay and all the glory. But the working stiffs who report to them and actually do the work, they take all the sh—Sorry, Sister.”
It was Sister Lou’s turn to contemplate Owen. His theory sounded plausible. She and her team should at least look into it. They didn’t have any other leads. Owen’s ideas would give them a place to start.
“Are there any people in particular who you believe are disloyal to the mayor?”
Owen turned to a nearby tray to deposit his empty plate. He rubbed his jawline with the blunt fingers of his now free hand. “Well, one name that immediately comes to mind is Kerry Fletcher, the mayor’s admin.”
Sister Lou’s newly discovered acting skills were not yet strong enough to mask her surprise at such a huge—and false—revelation. “What makes you think Kerry is disloyal to the mayor?”
“I wouldn’t want people to accuse me of gossiping, but the rumor is that Kerry resents Mayor Stanley because the mayor forces her to work long days and odd hours.” Owen’s eyes gleamed with the satisfaction of sharing negative news about his opponent.
This news didn’t match her impression of the close relationship between Heather and Kerry. That didn’t mean Owen was wrong. Perhaps Sister Lou was mistaken. “Is there anyone else?”
“Why are you asking all of these questions? Are you going to help the mayor clean house?”
“Not at all.” Sister Lou’s mind moved quickly to create a plausible reason for her line of questioning. “It helps to better understand the candidate if you know the people that they surround themselves with.”
Even Shari would agree that my excuse was pretty good for a spur-of-the moment cover story.
“Well, I wouldn’t want people—”
“I’m not accusing you of gossiping, Owen. I’m just grateful for any insights you can share with me.”
A blush rose
up from Owen’s neck and filled his cheeks. “Well, thank you, Sister. The thing is I don’t have other names to give you right now. I’ve just heard stories about her abrasiveness and meanness. That’s one of the reasons that her popularity is so low. Because she’s an outsider, she doesn’t have the common decency that longtime Briar Coast residents are accustomed to.”
Sister Lou nodded. “I understand, Owen.”
“But I’d be happy to get those names for you.”
Sister Lou was certain he would be. “Thank you, Owen. That would be very helpful.”
“Now you see the mayor in a whole new light, don’t you?” Owen nodded with satisfaction. “If I think of anything else, I’ll let you know.”
“I would appreciate that.” Sister Lou placed her empty plate with Owen’s on top of the counter, then turned to leave.
The evening was growing later. Guests were departing. Sister Lou stopped by the dessert station and wrapped two mini chocolate cupcakes in paper napkins for Sister Carmen. She’d taken perhaps five steps from the table when Chris caught up with her. The concern in his eyes was unsettling. “What’s happened?”
Chris laid a hand on Sister Lou’s upper arm. “The mayor’s received another threat.”
Chapter 28
Heather claimed to be fine, but Sister Lou didn’t believe her. The signs of stress were there. Her eyes were haunted. Her lips were tight. Her hands were clenched on her lap above her black wool dress. She gripped a single plain sheet of paper in her fists.
Diego sat beside Heather on the sofa in Sister Lou’s sitting room after the Mayor’s Charity Spring-Raiser. He’d barely touched his mug of chai tea. Instead his attention kept straying toward Heather. Sister Lou sensed his unease. The whole room felt swollen with tension.
Heather squared her shoulders and cleared her throat. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me so late on a work night.”
It was after ten o’clock Thursday night. Sister Lou had to get up early the next morning for her yoga class, but she expected she’d have trouble sleeping after tonight’s events.
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