5. Breaking & Entering
Chapter 5
Breaking & Entering
A n imposing figure fills the opening of the chateau’s front door. During another chapter of my life, this would be a problem. I forcibly tell myself not to make a run for it on pure instinct.
Whereas I’m usually relaxed, in my hard won unflappable way, Maddock seems completely unphased by the flashing lights and the presence of the law officer blasting us with a flashlight.
I wince, shielding my eyes.
Jesse says, “Oh, Honey. It’s you. Didn’t see your car outside.” His tone suggests he did see it on Main Street earlier.
“Sorry about that. Won’t happen again. Drivers from out of town don’t always heed our parking rules, so?—”
“There was no Porsche Only parking sign.” Maddock turns to Jesse and gives him a chin nod.
Jesse surveys him carefully and says, “That’s something you’d have to take up with the mayor, Honey.”
Hand on hip, I say, “Unfortunately, I haven’t seen Mayor Jagger lately.”
Jesse shifts uncomfortably. “What are you doing out here?”
“Just giving a tour.” I gesture at our surroundings and at the man who came protectively to my side like we’re accomplices in a crime. A pleasant plume of cedarwood and smoke wafts my way—the same scent I smelled in the truck. It makes me twitchy inside.
The spotlight turns to him. “Sir, I’m Maddock Witt.”
“Jesse Lawson. Deputy Sheriff.” The nod of recognition he gives Maddock makes me wonder if I’m missing something. He’s the heir, but he said he’s not related to Tickle. Perhaps he’s a debt collector. My guilty conscience rises like a zombie out of a grave.
“Nancy at dispatch said a suspicious vehicle with out-of-state plates passed down this way. Just following up.”
“It’s a rental. Figured I’d get four-wheel drive because I wasn’t sure what to expect. That was all they had available,” Maddock supplies.
“Smart man.” Jesse looks around. “I came down here often enough while investigating the Bling Ring, but I haven’t been inside for years.”
Me neither.
“My cousin Sawyer and I used to rile each other up, claim the place was haunted. We’d ignore the No Trespassing sign and sneak in.” He points. “Looks like our spray paint still stains the plasterboard walls in the dining room.”
The flashlight grazes the words Break the Law.
“Jesse hasn’t always worn a uniform,” I say.
“And you didn’t always wear your seatbelt.” He tips his head knowingly at me.
“Times change,” I answer.
“Except on the town clock.”
“Which was also your doing,” I say.
We both chuckle.
Jesse adds, “It’s a wonder we made it to the other side. Sawyer just barely. How about your cousin?”
“Last I heard she went north, scamming wealthy golfers by posing as an innocent drink cart girl and working her way into affluent social circles.”
“Sounds just like the Queen of Hearts,” Jesse says.
“Sounds like a high-maintenance princess like my ex. However, she was clingy, and not independent-minded enough to con golfers out of their gold. I vowed to be a casual connections-only type of guy from now on. Never again will I enter into a serious relationship,” Maddock says as if trying to convince himself.
“It’s a wonder she and Sawyer didn’t end up together,” I echo.
“Nah, he’s got his sights set more locally.”
Maddock says, “I take it you weren’t exactly exemplary citizens.”
Wishing I could shed that part of my history, I snap, “Past tense.”
“These days Mrs. Halfpenny keeps us honest.” Jesse points the flashlight’s beam around the space, inspecting it. “If our mayor wasn’t a rooster, I’d petition to raise funds to repair the clock among other things.”
“How exactly does that fly?” Maddock asks.
“It’s Hogwash,” Jesse and I echo.
“Hugwash,” he counters.
Not privy to our previous conversation, Jesse paces a short circle through the room and says, “I always had a feeling Honey would end up living over on Marais Way.”
I let out a peel of delirious laughter. “Me over there?”
Jesse juts his chin westerly. “It’s where the other pageant queens live.”
“We both know I don’t belong in the bougie part of town.”
“Like you said, times change.” Jesse hangs his thumbs in his belt loops.
At this point, I can’t take any more change. I’d like time to slow down. For things to stay still and let me catch my breath. I turn toward the door. “I was just leaving.”
Maddock mounts the stairs. “I’m not done checking out the house.”
With big brother caution in his voice, Jesse says, “You can’t walk back. There have been crocogator sightings.”
“Shouldn’t the mayor do something about that?”
Jesse winces. “I’m afraid Chick Jagger was its lunch.”
“In that case, it looks like we need a new mayor. I nominate my cat,” I mutter the last part because of the absurdity of the concept, no less Hogwash residents electing a chicken in the first place.
“Maddock, it was nice to meet you. Congratulations. If there’s anything I can do to be of help, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
Jesse extends his hand to shake.
Maddock replies, “I appreciate your service, especially you checking up on things. That’s always a good sign.”
“That’s what I’m here for. Do you plan to fix up the place?” Jesse gestures to the chateau.
“The original plan was to bulldoze it, but?—”
I gasp. “You can’t do that.”
“Why?” he asks as if unable to fathom my objection.
Me neither, but the words slipped out. I shift uncomfortably, certainly not attached to the chateau. “I’ve considered taking a sledgehammer to it on more than one occasion, but it’s part of history.”
“It’s rotting into the ground.”
“Maybe if you do a little digging, you’ll find the treasure,” Jesse says.
“There’s no treasure,” I say, my tone flat.
“You don’t know that for sure. I broke the Bling Ring and found Mrs. Swan’s engagement ring,” Jesse says, referring to a recent public scandal and a personal case.
Maddock asks, “If there were, wouldn’t it go to me since I’m now the owner of Hogwash Holler?”
Never mind delirious laughter, I all but cackle. “You can’t own a town.”
The two men exchange a glance.
“Of course you can,” Jesse says.
The corner of Maddock’s mouth peels back with a grin. “Signed the paperwork today.”
“So you’re the mayor? I’d rather have the rooster in charge,” I say, feeling prickly about this whole situation, mostly because of the way Maddock looks at me and my traitorous body’s response.
“No, I’m the owner,” he clarifies.
Jesse holds his hand up with a wave and exits as if he wants no part in our disagreement, leaving Maddock and me in near darkness without the glow of the flashlight.
The floor creaks under his weight when he takes a few steps toward the window.
“I inherited the town in the divorce settlement from my lying, cheating ex-wife.”
“Hence the revenge plot.”
“Exactly.”
“But how would that work?”
“The original plan was to expose her, humiliate her, and then secretly burn it to the ground.”
I narrow my gaze at him. “I thought you said you’re a firefighter.”
“I meant figuratively.”
“Ruin the place and bring disgrace to her family name under the guise of being the good guy? That’s diabolical.”
“Trust me, she’s worse.”
Maddock may be an obnoxiously arrogant nitwit, but I don’t like the idea of someone betraying him. I know the feeling and wouldn’t wish it on anyone. “You sound bitter.”
“Quite.”
“The bitter heir. If you were to succeed in your plan, do you think that would make you feel better?”
“I never said I felt bad.”
“You must, considering you hatched a plot to destroy a town, never mind the collateral damage. Real people live here, you know.” I really don’t like that part of his master plan.
He surveys our surroundings with disappointment. “Yeah, and it turns out someone already did the dirty work.”
“This is Hogwash. Get used to it. But this means you’ll need a new plan to sabotage your ex. I have a love-hate relationship with this town, but you’re not running it.”
He makes a sound as if that’s not off the table but says, “I’ll come up with something.”
He’s quiet for a long beat as if tapping into options for Plan B.
Instead of leaving as planned, lest I go the way of Chick Jagger, I gravitate deeper into the house, recalling the shadows in my life that follow me even on sunless days.
Faint footsteps follow me until they catch up. Maddock stops by my side where I look at the grandfather clock.
His gaze strays to me as if wondering if I’ll give him the time of day.
Not a chance, buddy.
He says, “I can see how it was once grand.”
“Times change,” I repeat.
“I wonder if fixing it up and bringing this place back to life would be a more apt act of revenge.”
“Restoration as an act of retaliation? That’s a novel idea.”
“Like I said, I’m a work in progress.” He winks.
I tell my smile muscles to stand down, but they defy my orders.
A sliver of light shining through the stained glass window separates Maddock and me. I tell myself it’s more than space and light and time. There are circumstances in my life that prevent me from even entertaining so much as a hug with this man.
The corner of his mouth lifts. “Jesse was right. You have a pageant winner smile.”
I scoff. “Those days are long behind me.”
“But you said it yourself. Times change.”
“Exactly. I’m about as far from being a true pageant winner as the clock tower is to telling the correct time.”
Maddock tips his head from side to side. “Except twice a day.”
A sinister part of his potential plot slithers into my thoughts. “Do you want to use me to make your ex jealous?”
He chuckles. “Aren’t you deviously minded?”
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” I mutter.
Maddock squints his eyes as if he’s trying to get a better look at me. “No. I’d never do that. I wasn’t sniffing around or inquiring. Seeing if you were interested. If I was, you’d know it. Plus, due to the aforementioned ex, if I were to become involved with someone, it would be a no-strings-attached arrangement.”
My stomach doesn’t sink. I’m just hungry. “Lucky for you, I come with a lot of strings.”
“So, no casual dating for you.”
“And nothing serious for you.”
“We won’t be taking part in anything romantic.”
He winks. “Definitely not.”
“There’s a reason I’m single. You’re not going to change that no matter what you do.”
“I wouldn’t dare. You’re looking for someone honorable, long-term. I respect that.” His head bobs like it’s settled.
“That’s right. You must really hate your ex if you were willing to ruin Hogwash,” I say with an air of protection.
“I didn’t say I hate the people in it.”
“Give it time,” I murmur because right now I’m not too pleased with Molly, Besty, or Lexi for throwing me into this blaze.
He smirks. “But you like me.”
I back up, nearly falling into a chair with the stuffing missing and the springs exposed. “I do not.”
Maddock reaches for my hand, but I play keep-away.
He says, “You just don’t realize it yet.”
I huff, then echo what he said, “Definitely not.”
His eyes hold on me for a long moment. “Finish showing me around.”
No please ? I’ll show him. “Fine. We’ll go to the graveyard.”
“Cemetery,” he counters.
“Grave. Yard,” I practically growl.
He makes his voice airy like a ghost and says, “Cemetery.”
Graveyards are graveyards and pancakes are pancakes, and I could do without the newcomer to town. Because this one almost sends me up in flames.