Though several of the council members seemed uncomfortable, Lexie was disappointed to see that Cesare appeared completely unaffected by the comments. She had to remind herself that he was used to criticism from the newspapers and tabloids. A group of angry townsfolk wouldn’t leave a bruise on his ego.
Mayor MacDougal stepped forward, raising his hand for silence. “Can I have your attention, please? I need your attention!”
Bryony and Kaitlin were the last to stop shouting. Pastor Shrewsbury’s face was pink as he glanced at his daughter. Bryony threw another tennis ball after Kaitlin’s missed Cesare’s forehead.
Cesare caught the ball with ease. He scanned the crowd until his gaze fell on Lexie. The corners of his mouth turned upward slightly, and he threw the ball to her. His smirk grew wider when Lexie failed to catch it. Lexie stared back. She knew the meaning of his sneer: your move.
“Yesterday the newspaper published an article about Garland Corporation tearing down the Stratford Theatre and building a research lab. I, along with the town council, have been discussing options with Mr. Garland for over six months,” said the mayor. “He has kindly agreed to speak to all of you today. So, I introduce to you Mr. Cesare Garland, co-owner of Garland Corporation.”
Cesare smiled and clasped the mayor’s hand before turning to the crowd. What a fake! Lexie rolled her eyes and shook her head.
“Thank you, Mayor MacDougal,” said Cesare. “People of Vernon Hill, I am here today to explain the benefits of having a Garland Corporation lab located in your town. I understand that the Stratford Theatre means so much to the town. However, we must remember that art is something created by an individual and can be performed and expressed anywhere. The Garland Corporation lab, which will focus on water purification products, will open in Vernon Hills by next year.”
People started shouting. Bryony and Kaitlin were launching tennis balls as fast as possible. Giulia went and grabbed some balls so she and Theodore could help. The policemen paced before the crowd with anxious eyes, and Sheriff Cato’s attention was focused on a group of people at the back of the crowd. Lexie followed his hard gaze to the boy she’d seen him arguing with that morning. Mark Cue was smirking and muttering under his breath to his companions.
“I assure you,” Cesare continued, “the lab is a fine investment for Vernon Hills.”
The shouting was so loud that Cesare was forced to stop speaking. He glanced at the mayor for help. Lexie could see the wheels in his head turning. Should he continue? Did he need to soothe the furious crowd? Was it necessary to make a call to Guillaume Garland? His father was better known and had years of experience dealing with unruly crowds.
That family certainly has a way of pissing everybody off. Lexie grinned slightly at the thought.
“Silence!” Mayor MacDougal bellowed. “Mr. Garland is a guest in Vernon Hills! I expect every single one of you to treat him with respect.”
Lexie choked back a startled laugh. She looked at the faces of the people standing around her. Steely obstinacy gleamed in their angry eyes.
Cesare looked out over the crowd. “I understand this is difficult to accept. The Stratford Theatre is a beautiful building with a rich history. However, Vernon Hills needs a great economic boost, and a Garland Corporation facility can do that.”
Cesare paused, his eyes filled with mock understanding. He was an actor himself.
“Two sites were offered to me when I suggested building the research lab. One was located on the western end of Avon Road and the other was the location of the Stratford Theatre. Vernon Hills has a lovely downtown which I would hate to ruin with a modern building and expansive parking lot, so I chose this site. I will rebuild the Stratford Theatre on Avon Road. Pierre Triste has kindly made copies of the theatre blueprints. Everything will be exactly the same.”
“Nothing will be the same, you stupid liar!”
“How many people did you blackmail to ruin the theatre?”
Bryony whispered something to Kaitlin. Then tennis balls started flying through the air like hail. Bryony and Kaitlin were sharing their weapons, but Bryony had the best aim by far. One ball soared above the crowd and crashed into the mayor’s face.
Lexie found a ball at her feet and snatched it up. Her hand tightened around it, and she sent it barreling through the air. Lexie laughed when it smacked Cesare’s shoulder. The man stiffened, and Lexie was disappointed that was his only reaction.
Kaitlin threw a ball and it hit one of the Leer sisters in the chest. She gave Bryony a high five after the ball made contact with the intended target.
“Kaitlin Shrewsbury!”
Kaitlin was aiming for Cesare when her father shouted. He seemed to have startled her because she missed, nearly hitting Scarlet MacDougal.
Pastor Shrewsbury turned to two policemen hovering nearby. They exchanged frenzied words while the pastor jabbed his finger at Bryony. The policemen nodded and started toward Bryony and Kaitlin. Bryony gestured for Kaitlin to run, and the slim girl vanished into the crowd. It seemed that Pastor Shrewsbury was more intent on subduing Bryony Arden because the men did not search for Kaitlin. However, they did escort an innocent looking blond girl from the crowd. Bryony continued shouting insults and tossing tennis balls, though her focus was now on the deputies marching toward her.
As the policemen got closer, Lexie wanted to run over and grab Bryony. What was the woman thinking? She didn’t need to get arrested. Those men were big, and she doubted Bryony could hold them off on her own.
Fortunately, the policemen were blocked by a burly man wearing a cowboy hat. He grabbed Bryony’s wrist and dragged her, fighting tooth and nail, deeper into the crowd. It was only moments before Lexie lost sight of them, but their voices were still quite clear.
“Let go of me, Ben! I don’t need your help!”
“Pastor Shrewsbury just had Blanche removed by the police. They are looking for Kaitlin. Do you want to get arrested?”
“If I can prove a point, then it’s fine with me! What do you care?”
“Who says I care? You won’t prove a point. You need to get out of here, now!”
“Don’t tell me what to do, Ben Forester!”
Meanwhile, the sheriff was doing all that he could to fend off the attackers. He was grabbing tennis balls with the speed of a feline.
“Get them! Use force if necessary!” Sheriff Cato shouted to his deputies.
Lexie heard arguing from behind, and she glanced back to see Mark Cue being restrained by one of his friends.
“This isn’t the time to get personal!” the panicked boy implored Mark. “You said we were here for the theatre! I hate Cato just as much as any of my Rose relatives, but I don’t think a fight today will do any good! We aren’t here for some feud—”
“Shove your holier-than-thou-art attitude up your ass, Benny!” Mark Cue retorted, pushing the boy out of his way and barreling toward the sheriff. He grabbed a tennis ball from Theodore and chucked it at the sheriff when he was feet away.
Sheriff Cato dodged the ball and made a grab for Mark’s arm. “You insolent, foolish—”
Mark punched Cato squarely in the face, breaking his nose. Blood poured down and collected on the sheriff’s lips, but the ferocious glare never left Cato’s eyes.
The sight of blood shifted the mayor’s focus to the sheriff. “Backup! Sheriff Cato needs backup!”
The deputy closest to Cato reached for Mark, but the teenager elbowed him in the stomach and shoved him to the ground. Lexie heard a sharp crack when the deputy’s head made contact with the asphalt. A woman screamed, rushed to the fallen policeman, and dropped to her knees by his side. Lexie recognized her as the owner of I Am Egypt.
“Antonio!” screamed the woman as she lifted the deputy’s head. Lexie cringed when she saw blood on the Egyptian’s hands and deputy’s face.
Lexie was pushed out of the way as deputies rushed to Cato’s aid. Two officers grabbed Mark, securing handcuffs around the laughing boy’s wrists.
&n
bsp; “You can’t even arrest me on your own!” Mark shouted gleefully. “How did such a pathetic man become sheriff? You have less authority and talent than a meek little kitten! Meow!”
Sheriff Cato staggered for a moment before straightening up, attempting to regain his dignity. He shouted for someone to attend to his fallen deputy.
Suddenly, the bulldozer roared. Lexie saw the mayor nodding his head and shouting to the construction workers. People started screaming again, and more of Bryony’s tennis balls, aimed at the workers, went flying through the air. Lexie caught sight of Pierre with his hands clasped against his colorless face. He looked ready to faint. Cesare, the mayor, and the council members moved away from the ill-fated theatre.
The Stratford Theatre gave a great shudder when the bulldozer collided with its side. The scraping of metal on brick sounded like giant teeth viciously grinding. Windows cracked and shattered, spraying glass shards like water. A great fracture appeared across the face of the clock tower, and only seconds passed before it tumbled sideways, crashing through the theatre’s roof.
A great tremor went through the ground when the walls, both towers, and roof collapsed to the ground, mud splattering over the dun-colored stone. The crowd’s shouting turned to gasps and whispers. A high-pitched peal, like a banshee heralding death, sounded from the Stratford Theatre’s clock before the hands halted.
The council members, the MacDougals, and Cesare were muttering about having dinner at Vidalia in D.C. as they walked to their limos. Lexie couldn’t stop herself from glaring. She hoped Bryony had overheard where they were going for dinner. Maybe the fancy restaurant would be attacked by a volley of tennis balls.
Lexie remained with the crowd, an overwhelming sense of defeat settling in the air. She couldn’t let Cesare get away with this.
Chapter Five: The Drama Begins
The apartment above the Piazza Café was still subdued on Monday morning. Lexie was silent as she waited for the electric kettle to boil water for tea and instant coffee. Flora had managed to take a shower and get ready for work before collapsing on the sofa in a state of Shakespearian despair. Usually, when Flora’s melodramatic behavior lasted more than twenty-four hours, Lexie became very annoyed. Things were different this time. Lexie felt partially responsible since she had failed to convince Cesare to change his mind. Cesare had asked for a kiss; instead he had gotten a good slap across his smug face. Lexie was truly realizing how much she despised Cesare Garland.
Lexie leaned her head against the cabinet and closed her eyes. Vernon Hills had transformed into a town of mourning. It was as though a prominent member of the community had died. Pierre had not been seen since Saturday. There was a rumor that Donna Leer had checked into the nearby hospital due to complications from being hit in the chest by Bryony’s tennis ball. Pastor Shrewsbury was refusing to let Blanche leave the house, and Kaitlin was hiding out at Bryony’s place. Mayor MacDougal had policemen at his house around the clock. Antonio Roma, the deputy who had hit his head during the riot, died in the hospital yesterday. Flora had informed Lexie that he was the husband of I Am Egypt’s owner.
Though life in Vernon Hills had taken a momentary halt, the rest of the world was still ticking away as usual. It was this fact that caused Lexie to force Flora out of bed. Dejection over the destruction of a theatre was not an acceptable excuse to be late to work at The Washington Post. She doubted Dr. Lindegaard would be pleased with that excuse either.
The gurgling kettle brought Lexie out of her thoughts. She poured boiling water in Flora’s mug of instant coffee, set it aside, filled another cup, and dropped in a Darjeeling teabag. It wasn’t just the theatre that bothered Lexie. It was Flora. Lexie was beginning to wonder if something more was on Flora’s mind. Nickolas better not be causing her grief!
The scent of coffee brought Flora to the kitchen. Dark crescents stood out under her eyes, and her face was pale and pinched.
“Do you want to carpool today?” suggested Lexie as she stirred sugar into her tea.
Flora shook her head. “I usually work late on Mondays. I don’t want you to wait around.”
“I really don’t mind. I can hang out somewhere. Maybe I’ll check out the new shoe store. I need new brown flats.”
“I’ll be fine,” Flora told her. “Why don’t you pick up something for dinner after work? There’s that good sandwich shop on the way home. Just get me the turkey sub with pepper jack cheese, tomato, and lettuce.”
“Okay. Well…I’ll see you tonight,” she answered. “Flora, I think going to work will be good for you. It will take your mind off things.”
Flora did not reply as she walked out of the kitchen with her coffee.
Lexie sighed. How long would it take for Flora to emerge from this sea of despair? She bid her friend farewell as she left the apartment.
Fog moved along the streets and sidewalks like a restless ghost. Mist settled on Lexie’s skin like cold sweat, and she shivered and crossed her arms over her chest.
Commotion across the street caught her attention. Through the fog, she saw the owner of I Am Egypt, dressed in gold and lapis lazuli, redecorating her display window with snake jewelry. The window had previously been adorned with jewels inspired by Egyptian queens. However, the woman now looked like an Egyptian queen in all her finery. A tiara of gold and blue rested atop her shiny black hair, and the shimmering copper-colored dress hugged her body.
Snakes? Really? Does she actually think they will bring people to her shop?
Lexie put the woman out of her mind as she made her way to her car. Today there was no sheriff or snarky teenager to block her entrance into the parking lot. Lexie prayed that the atmosphere at work would be lighter than the one in Vernon Hills.
***
“We have a very busy day ahead of us,” Dr. Lindegaard announced to his staff. “There are a number of new clients today. I had a few people call my home number in order to schedule sessions.”
Dr. Phillip Lindegaard was a tall man with a pale complexion and straw-colored hair. He and Nickolas had the same grey eyes—a trait that Flora said was consistent in the Lindegaard family. Lexie wondered what had possessed this man to start an affair with his sister-in-law.
An uneasy murmur ran through the staff. Lexie frowned. She’d never heard of anyone calling Dr. Lindegaard directly. Was his home number even in the phonebook?
Dr. Lindegaard glanced at his notes. “Some of the clients have some unusual issues. A man having nightmares about witches is coming. A generous gentleman who lost all his money called me this morning and will be here at noon. His comments on the phone were disturbing, and we need to prevent him from becoming a misanthrope. These are just two examples from our busy, busy day. I had to call a few clients in order to make room for new ones. I think I paired our first-time clients well, but if a rapport cannot be established, please inform me.”
He pinned the paper on a bulletin board behind him before walking out. There was a flurry of movement as everyone struggled to see if they had one of the new clients. People began muttering with discontent.
“I can’t take on any more clients!”
“Why did he go through the schedules without consulting us?”
“I know I told Richard Ludlow to be here at 9:00, not 12:30! He has a sleep disorder! That’s why I need him here early!”
“You have Nickolas Lindegaard later. His stepdad is still trying to find a therapist who can connect with his son. Good luck…if he shows up. I couldn’t do anything with Nickolas last time. One hint: all his issues stem from his mom betraying his dad.”
“Timothy Root? He must be new.”
Because Lexie had only worked at Lindegaard Counseling and Therapy for a few months, she was still shadowing more experienced therapists. Following the sessions, she and the therapist would discuss the session. Then Lexie would record the session data and transfer the notes to the electronic database.
Lexie found her name and discovered she was shadowing Dr. Lindegaard that morn
ing.
“James MacDougal? Isn’t that the mayor of Vernon Hills? I guess that’s why Dr. Lindegaard is attending to him. Have fun, Lexie.”
Dr. Lindegaard rarely allowed new employees to shadow him with his clients. The staff joked that it was because he didn’t want people replicating his style. Lexie wondered why he was allowing her to observe him as she made her way to his consulting office. She sat down in the armchair situated toward the back of the room where her presence would be least disturbing.
“Are you ready for an interesting session, Ms. Stanley?” Dr. Lindegaard asked as he stepped through the door.
She nodded.
He checked the clock before fixing her with a steady stare. “You are Flora’s closest friend, so I don’t mind telling you this. Flora has done wonders for Nickolas ever since they started seeing each other. They are a lovely couple, and Audrey and I will happily welcome her into the family if such a time comes.”
Lexie twisted her hands nervously. “I know Flora would—”
Dr. Lindegaard held his hand up to stop her. “However, I know that my recent marriage to his mother has had a negative impact on my stepson. I just want to make it clear to you and to Flora that his odd behavior has nothing to do with their relationship. Through all of this, she has been a constant presence in his life. I don’t see how the clouds still hang on him when he has that lovely girl.”
Before more could be said, Mayor MacDougal entered the room.
“Mayor MacDougal, welcome to Lindegaard Counseling and Therapy. I am Dr. Lindegaard and this is Ms. Stanley. She’s a new but very talented therapist. I want her observe me today. Is that alright with you?”
“As long as she keeps my session confidential, I have no problems with her being here.”
“Of course she will,” Dr. Lindegaard assured the mayor.
“I am very happy you could see me on such short notice.”
“It was no hardship.”
“Can we get started?”
Dr. Lindegaard gestured to an armchair. “Of course. Take a seat and make yourself comfortable. Now, please tell me why you seek my counsel.”
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