by Leona Fox
Chapter 5
Ever since James and Charlotte had made The Chrome Cafe their official meeting place the location had been packed. Ellen knew they had done this to spark fear and discussion among the people of East Pender. Although it was good for business and profits were through the roof, it annoyed her to no end. She was tempted to refuse service to the two of them but remembered what she had said to the townspeople in that very cafe. So she bit her tongue as she showed them the kindness and generosity that so personified East Pender. Their meetings were filled with documents that went back and forth and, although Charlotte had made statements about selling to the highest bidder, there did not seem to be any other interested parties. So if she was going to sell to anyone then it seemed likely it would be James.
Day after day they sipped coffee and laughed loudly as they plotted the downfall of the town right in front of its citizens. There were a couple of occasions when people, ignoring Ellen's advice, walked by and gave them scathing words but they only were met with laughter. Perhaps in some ways Charlotte was right, Ellen thought. They didn't have the sharpest fangs, especially not when compared with the city, and Charlotte would have dealt with much worse things back there. As far as Ellen could gather, as soon as the paperwork all went through Charlotte was going to sell her majority share in the mill for a handsome sum and retain a stake in the business so she would receive a share of future profits. With James at the helm Ellen was confident profits would be through the roof as he eagerly planned to cut people's jobs and have the mill working with a skeleton staff. Ellen overheard them talking about installing various pieces of machinery that would drastically cut down on the need for manual labor. It seemed most of the jobs were in jeopardy.
“We've tried being nice but how can we continue when they are so determined to ruin us?” a number of people asked Ellen.
It was a common question and Ellen wasn't sure of the answer. She wanted to be better than Charlotte and James, wanted to show them the way of life in East Pender could triumph when faced with greedy jackals from the city, but the more this saga dragged on the harder it became to hold onto that philosophy. This was made even more difficult when Charlotte would make comments whenever Ellen was within earshot about how Andy was not like the typical man one would find in the city. It riled Ellen and it was all she could do not to explode with anger, but she knew it would do no good in the long term. She also had spent a long time trying to master control of her emotions. A lot of people asked her why she did not simply throw Charlotte and James out of the cafe. Ellen only could reply with, “It's not the East Pender way,” and hoped that if she led by example then the others would follow. But she was not blind, and could see the tension that had spread through the town. Charlotte and James were poking and prodding the good will of the town and the people of East Pender did not have infinite tolerance or patience.
It did not take long for it to come to a head.
Ray, leading a crowd of people, many of whom worked at the mill, approached the cafe and stood outside. Ellen groaned inwardly, knowing that no good was going to come of this.
“You two vultures need to come out here and face the people you're going to put out of work. You want to take over the mill and ruin people's lives? Fine, you go right ahead and do that, but don't hide behind your plans and schemes. Come out here and speak to the people you're going to hurt. You think you're so much better than us. So come on, show us you have the guts to face us. Show us you're not cowards and that you do at least have some respect for the people you're treading on.”
Ellen never had seen expressions change more quickly. It gave her a morbid satisfaction to see the color drain from James and Charlotte's faces. They glanced at each other, then at Ellen, expecting her to help, but she merely shrugged.
“Measly peasants, all they can do is crow and think they're effecting change but it's all meaningless. If we just ignore them they'll-” she said, but was cut off as James pumped his fist in the air and turned to face the crowd.
“You're all doomed, the lot of ya. For so long you've been wrapped up in your cotton wool view of the world but you don't see it for what it really is. This town is stuck in the dark ages and finally we have someone here who actually sees the light. Sure, some of you are going to lose your jobs but this is going to make East Pender a good place for industry and I am going to be at the forefront of it. All of you have tried to laugh me out of town but I'll be the only one laughing when this is all done.” James returned to his seat with a proud grin on his face but Charlotte held her head in her palms.
“You are a fool,” she said. James looked insulted because he didn't understand what he had done wrong.
Outside, the crowd had been riled up even more by James' words and were baying for blood. Ellen rolled her eyes at James' outburst but she also chewed her lip with worry. The crowd outside only was growing and Ray was yelling back at James.
“Come out here now! We're not going down without a fight. You want to take the mill from us then you can do it by force!” he said, and the rest of the crowd cheered.
Even Scampy barked loudly, which made James and Charlotte jump. Worry lined their faces and, finally, Ellen saw Charlotte's composed façade crack. While she enjoyed a perverse amount of pleasure from witnessing the sight she knew this was not the way to go about things. Worried about the crowd’s anger, she called Andy and, soon enough, the police arrived to break up the crowd. Ellen, Charlotte, and James watched as the police forcibly broke up the crowd, dragging people away as they screamed and shouted, even the usually-composed Ray, who looked as though a demon had possessed him. His white-hot eyes burned into Charlotte and James and they were visibly flustered by the experience. Andy came through the cafe.
“My hero,” Charlotte said, still trying to stir up trouble, but Andy paid her no mind. He walked straight up to Ellen.
“What's been going on here?” he asked.
Ellen gave him the update. “All because they like to conduct their business out in the open where everyone can see,” Ellen said, making sure to raise her voice so James and Charlotte could listen.
“Did any of them try coming into the cafe?” he asked.
Ellen shook her head. “I think they were able to keep enough of their composure to realize that wouldn't have done them any good. It's not the first angry mob I've had outside the cafe but I'll never get used to the sight of it. Can't blame them really, a lot of them are faced with losing their jobs and their livelihoods. They're just scared.”
“I understand that, but that doesn't give them the right to cause public disturbances. I'm glad you called me when you did. I've seen too many of these things go wrong, even when they're begun with harmless intentions.”
“I don't think they would have stormed the place if that's what you're worried about,” Ellen said, but Andy remained unconvinced.
“Emotions are high right now and when that happens people are put under a lot of stress. That's when mistakes are made, when people make the wrong kinds of judgment calls.”
“I'm just glad you had our best interests at heart,” Charlotte piped up, interrupting the conversation.
Andy stiffened as he heard the shrill tone of her voice. Ellen gave him a sympathetic look. She motioned that she would deal with Charlotte herself, after all it was her cafe, but Andy held up a hand.
“This falls under official police business, I think,” he said.
He flipped his notebook shut and shoved it in his pocket, then spun on his heels and approached the table. James and Charlotte both had smug grins on their faces as they watched the people outside being hauled away. Their attention quickly was brought back to the table as Andy slammed his palms against it, making their cups of coffee wobble. Andy lowered his voice and slowly twisted his head from side to side as he spoke to them menacingly.
“Now listen to me you two, you might think you're playing a trick on this town and that we're all simple but don't forget you're playing with people's lives here.
If you want to make this decision then that's on you, but this isn't a game. What you're doing has real consequences and, I'm telling you right now, if I wasn't a police officer I would be right outside with all of them. No one here likes what you're doing and we all know you don't care, but at least have some dignity about it, at least for your own safety if nothing else.” And without another word he rose and left them.
“I think I'm in love,” Charlotte said, fanning herself with a piece of paper as she watched the chief of police walk away. James grumbled and looked away, folding his arms like a sulking brat.
“Oh do cheer up, you're not making this whole thing very fun,” Charlotte said.
Andy went back over to Ellen and looked outside worriedly.
“This is only the beginning, you know that, right?” she said.
“I know; it's only going to get worse. I'm going to have trouble containing this.”
“It's okay, we'll turn up something, I'm sure of it.”
“If there's something there you'll find it, but if there's not then East Pender is going to change dramatically very soon,” Andy said. Neither of them thought it was going to change for the better.
“I'd better go and sort out this mess,” he said. “You two, stay here until it's clear,” he ordered.
James and Charlotte chose to obey him. Secretly both of them had been chilled by the incident and neither of them wanted to face the beast they had created. Ellen followed Andy's path and she watched from the doorway as the people she had considered friends were roaring and clawing for freedom like wild animals. Their faces were contorted with anger and many of them practically were foaming at the mouth. It was only a thin line between beasts and men but the fear of being threatened was enough to push some people over that line. It was sad to see, in a way, and Ellen did not like seeing her friends in such a state of mind. But worse still was the reaction when they saw her, for they called her a traitor.
“You're not really one of us,” they said, and the words cut deep into her soul.
She had tried her best to do her best for the town but they were quick to condemn her for harboring Charlotte and James, even though throwing them out would have gone against every virtue that she wanted the people of East Pender to uphold. She looked back at Charlotte, at the manicured nails and the manufactured appearance. Everything about her was designed to give off a certain impression and Ellen wondered if she had been a whisker away from something similar. She had left East Pender once for a long time and the city almost swallowed her up. It was only after she returned that she had discovered what kind of person she was. East Pender was her home, but if she hadn't returned...would she have been able to become the person she wanted to be? This question plagued her as the night went on. She was forced to endure James and Charlotte's company for a while longer, until the coast was clear outside and they could leave without the fear of suffering from the crowd's wrath.
“I think we've seen the true face of East Pender tonight and it doesn't make for very pretty viewing. Perhaps that's the image that should be on the tourist board. The cute little kitten thinks itself a tiger. It's rather sweet when you think about it,” she said, and Ellen again festered with rage. Later that night she was with Andy.
“How was it at the station?” she asked, cuddling up beside him, enjoying the warmth of his body and his steady heartbeat.
It was like a drum, and never wavered, unless they were lost in the heat of love. Her head was resting against his chest and his arms were draped around her, holding her tightly against him. The television was playing in the background but neither of them were paying much attention to it, instead preferring to lose themselves in each others' scents and rhythm of breathing.
“Not great. Turns out people don't like being pulled apart when they think they're in the right, especially when they know you sympathize with them. They were very uncomplimentary and thought we had no right to protect James and Charlotte.”
“I had a few comments like that thrown my way as well. How do you deal with it, with people thinking you're the villain when you're only trying to do the right thing?”
“I don't know; you just have to compartmentalize it. These people...emotions are running high at the moment and they're not thinking clearly. It's up to us to try looking at the bigger picture and do what's best for everyone. I know they wanted to have it out with Charlotte and James tonight but that wouldn't have led to anything good. As much as I admire all those people I know what the mob mentality is like. You can't trust them. Even if they never intended it to get violent it would have if Charlotte and James had stepped out of the cafe.”
“I'm only glad I was there to stop them.”
“I'm not. You shouldn't have been in harm's way; you shouldn't have to deal with that. You're not a police officer. You're a part of the community and they should be grateful for everything you've done for them.”
“It's a risk of the job, I guess. When I work with the police I get identified with them, but it's like you said, we have to try doing our best, no matter what. Sadly, what James and Charlotte are doing isn't illegal. It makes me wonder about the world. How can what they're doing be legal? How can they get away with ruining so many innocent people's lives?”
“It's best not to think about it. The world isn't perfect and it's never going to be. The laws...they can't take into account everything. All we can do is be vigilant and hope we can, at some point, take them down. Legally.”
“Maybe once your mysterious friend gets here. Who is it, anyway?” Ellen asked, and this time she was aware when Andy's entire body tensed.
“Just someone I used to work with. You'll get to find out soon enough,” he said, and moved the conversation along. However, Ellen couldn't help but get the feeling he was hiding something from her, and it set her mind on edge.
She tried losing herself in the movie but it did her no good as her mind kept wandering back to Charlotte and James. They were so sure of themselves, so convinced that nothing could scupper their plans that it galvanized Ellen and made her want to succeed all the more. It would have been easy to throw up her hands and surrender, given the way she had been treated by the denizens of East Pender, but that wasn't what she was there for. That wasn't who she was. Whatever selfishness had been in her system while she was in the city had been eroded by the love and the comfort of East Pender. However, that didn't seem to be having the same effect on Charlotte. She wondered about the woman, about what had led her to this point in life, what had brought her to East Pender and made her so ready to disrupt the lives of people she never had met before. Ellen was unlikely to get the answers to these questions, but there was someone she could get to know better.
Before bed she settled down with Michael van De Lay's journal and began reading it properly. It was the journal of a forgotten man, whose name lived on but whose life was cast aside. As she read the words she imagined him writing them, sitting at his desk. She looked out of the window, knowing that at some point he would have looked at the same sky and that, despite the vast distances between them, they somehow were connected through time and space.
Her fingers traced the rough paper and felt the dried ink on the page. He never would have imagined she would be reading it, but there she was, a witness to his thoughts and feelings, getting to know a man who had been dead for a long time. All their lives seemed connected in a way that wasn't apparent at first, but everything that Michael van De Lay had done in his life had made it possible for Ellen to come to East Pender and be happy. He had helped build this town, which drew in people such as Andy and Kelly, people she loved and cared about. Without Michael van De Lay her life would be vastly different in ways she could not comprehend. The building blocks of her life were put into place while he was living. He had died alone in a cave, but somehow, reading his journal made Ellen feel as though she was putting his soul to rest, as though reading his journal made him more real.
She was even reluctant to put it away because it felt like she
was closing the book on his life. She thought about her own life and what she was going to leave behind. She had no journal and she had no children. All she had was her unwavering need for the truth, and her need to help people. If she could spread that through the town, then she would consider herself happy. Andy slept beside her, looking peaceful as he dreamed. She reached out and rubbed his tousled hair, smiling. No matter what happened with Charlotte and James she still would have Andy, and while he was by her side everything seemed possible. She flicked off the light and went to bed herself, cuddling up to Andy, kissing him softly on the back as she wrapped her arms around his taut body and let sweet sleep overcome her.
Chapter 6
“These things are impossible. I'm glad everyone through the years made an effort to record the history of East Pender but I don't think we needed this much information,” Kelly bemoaned.
The two women's eyes were aching and they still were poring through the records. There were notes about practically everything and yet there were still no clues as to who could have been Michael van De Lay's heir.
“I've been reading his diary,” Ellen said. Kelly’s ears pricked up.
“He seems like quite the adventurous man. He always was taking his boat out sailing and attending parties. I'm actually surprised there's no record of him being married because, from what he wrote, he received much attention. That doesn't surprise me, given the state of his finances and his position in society. I imagine he must have had quite a few women after his hand in marriage.”
“Lucky man then, I bet he made full use of it.”
“Ah, that's what I thought but actually he seemed to see it as more of a hindrance than anything else. Often he complains of his social duties and how he is hounded by hungry beasts, licking their lips at the thought of devouring the carcass of his life. And I'm quoting him directly there.”