Chapter 12 #2
She settles herself on the couch, shifting some pillows around her until she’s comfortable while I pour us both a cup. She doesn’t waste any more time or mince words.
“Those bastards want Lucky’s.”
“They do. I know Austin vandalized the place. Or hired someone to.”
“Oh, I’m sure he hired that job out. He has plenty of people to choose from. You aren’t the only one they have over a barrel.”
“I’m not letting them take it from me.”
She grins, showing yellowing teeth. “No, you aren’t. Reach down and pull that box out from under the coffee table, would you? My back doesn’t like me today.”
My curiosity rages as I do what she says and set the box in front of me.
“I was the deputy clerk for ten years, then county clerk for twenty more before I retired a few years ago. All the paperwork filed in this county went through me at some point. Property deeds, contracts, permits, financial records.” She twirls her hand.
“All of it. Looking into people became a sort of hobby for me. I’m sure it’s not news to you that the Matheson’s are crooked as a dog’s leg, but it goes a lot further than you probably think. ”
The first folder I pull out contains copies of budgets and spending. They’re stapled together in sets with receipts. A short scan of the first set reveals what they did. The documents they filed are different from the receipts.
“They were skimming money,” I whisper, reading a little more carefully.
Her laugh is brittle. “Embezzling. They have been for a generation. They’ve built a network of others willing to cover up for them or just look the other way. It’s all in there.”
It would take a while to go through everything, but I quickly flip through copies of budgets, signatures, and clearly altered documents.
“My god.” There are things in here that would put them in prison for years. The expression on my face when I look up must show my alarm.
Bright, knowing eyes look into mine. “This is dangerous information to have. It isn’t only embezzlement. Tax fraud, bribery, money laundering, federal grant theft. Maybe I’m not doing you any favors by giving it to you, I don’t know. What you do with it is up to you.”
My head is spinning. The Matheson’s aren’t the only ones who could be arrested. She stole these documents while she was an elected official. “If I reported this to anyone, you’d be in trouble too.”
“Oh, don’t go thinking I’m any better, honey. I’ve been accepting their hush money for years to keep myself in heart pills and smokes.”
“You’ve been blackmailing them with it?” I’m not judging. Women have to be resourceful to survive around these types of men.
She lights a cigarette then sips her tea.
“I never needed to. Austin ain’t got the sense god gave a goose but his daddy’s no idiot.
No one knows that I have all that.” She gestures toward the box.
“But Grady knew I must’ve seen a lot. From the moment I retired, he took care of me.
Waived my property taxes, arranged for a monthly pension.
He knew I wouldn’t bite the hand that feeds me, I suppose. ”
Stunned isn’t a strong enough word for what I’m feeling.
I’m not shocked that they were committing the crimes, but to be handed this proof.
Evidence that’s been collected for decades.
It feels like hitting a lottery and having a target drawn on me at the same time.
The thrill also comes with a dose of suspicion.
“Why are you giving this to me?”
Celia flicks her ash into a brown plastic ashtray. “I like you. Nobody stands up to them, but you punched Austin in the face. Do you know how many times I’ve wanted to hit one of those assholes?” She leans forward in her chair with an eager grin. “Tell me, what did it feel like?”
There’s no keeping a smile from my face. “So damn good. His nose crunched.”
Her cackle fills the room before turning into a cough.
She takes a sip of tea then nods at me. “I wish I’d seen it.
I’d be happy to see you take them all down, but even if you do, I won’t be around to watch.
I’m on my way out. Cancer. I’ve got a year if I’m lucky.
My daughter is driving up from Florida to get me so I can spend some time on the beach first.”
My heart sinks. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s alright. If this is what seventy-five is like, I don’t want to see eighty.
I’m ready to go to Jesus, but he’d want me to pass this stuff on first. Use it to blackmail them into leaving you alone, turn it over to the feds, hand it to a journalist, or sit on it until you need it the most. Whatever you decide, just be careful.
Powerful men do one of two things when they’re cornered.
They either dissolve into the sniveling cowards they are underneath and turn on one another, or they lash out like a toddler who missed naptime and try to destroy anything in their way. ”
“I’ll be smart about it. Thank you. For this and the advice.”
“Before you go, let me give you one more piece of advice since your mama ain’t around to do it. Get away from that man.”
I pause as I’m returning the folder to the box. “What man? I’ve been single for more than a year.”
“I’m not talking about the worthless boy you assaulted.” Wow, she really does keep up with everything. “I mean the man you’re staying with now, the caretaker at the lake.”
“Lee.” I’m afraid of what she might be getting ready to tell me, but unable to resist asking. “Why?”
“It’s not common knowledge around town, but like I said, looking into people was kind of a hobby. Do you know about his wife?” Her conspiratorial tone is back and she leans forward, clearly happy to share something juicy.
“She was murdered.”
The wrinkles on her forehead deepen as she raises her eyebrows. “Is that what he told you? That’s what the few others in town heard too. But there’s no death certificate for her.” She pauses and looks me in the eye. “If she was murdered, why’s she still listed as a missing person?”
I was gone longer than I intended to be when I return to the diner, but everything’s well under control.
I scheduled extra staff for the next few days in case any other unexpected problems arise.
So far so good. It’s a good thing because I can’t concentrate on anything.
My mind keeps going back to the box of papers that’s locked in my truck.
I hold the power to completely destroy this town’s leadership, to take their ugly fake cowboy boots off so many necks.
I’m going to have to be smart about it. Take some time to plan and think it through.
Since I’m distracted and not needed much, I retreat to the kitchen to get a head start on tonight’s donuts.
When I manage to shift my thoughts away from that whole situation, they go right to Lee.
Could Celia have been wrong? A quick internet search for Isla’s name didn’t bring up any missing person alerts but it didn’t bring up a death notice either.
It doesn’t give me any answers. There must be an explanation.
Maybe she was missing before they found her dead and Celia just couldn’t access the death certificate.
It's really none of my business. That’s what I’m trying to tell myself. But I can’t help thinking about his nighttime visits to that boarded-up cabin. What if he’s keeping his wife there?
Now, I’m being ridiculous. I’ve watched too many thrillers and crime documentaries. Lee isn’t some psychopath. He’s a good man who’s done a lot for me and expected nothing in return.
After the dinner crowd has gone, I walk through the dining room and stop to do a double take. Lee sits at a corner table with a cup of coffee, an empty plate pushed aside. “Hey, I didn’t know you were coming.”
“You didn’t answer my text.”
I fish my phone out of my pocket and realize it’s dead. “The battery died. I have a charger in my office. Is everything okay?”
He nods. “I wanted to make sure none of the town assholes showed up.”
I take a seat across from him. “No, I think they made their point for now.” I’m not going to say anything to anyone about the information from Celia, at least not until I figure out what to do with it.
Nina, one of the waitresses, approaches carrying a slice of apple pie with ice cream.
She sets it down and starts to hand him a check.
“Comp him,” I tell her and she agrees with a smile.
“So, I didn’t answer your text, and you hunted me down.” His lips twitch with amusement as I pick up his fork and steal a bite of pie. “I hate to tell you this, but you might like me.”
“I was hungry.” He plucks the fork out of my hand and takes a bite. My gaze is drawn to his mouth when his tongue sweeps over his lip to catch a bit of cinnamon. I’ve never been so into a man’s lips before.
“Nah, you’re obsessed and stalking me. It’s an effect I have on men. I should’ve warned you.”
“You’re in a good mood,” he observes, ignoring my teasing.
“It’s been a good day. Back in business and everything.
” And I was handed the downfall of my enemies on a silver platter, or in a cardboard box anyway.
Camille catches my eye, and I excuse myself for a second to talk to her about tonight’s deposit.
I let her know I won’t be staying until closing time after all since everything is done.
There’s no reason to. My new cameras and alarm will give me notifications on my phone if anything isn’t secured or if someone shows up after hours.
I grab my phone charger and my own plate of pie with ice cream then return to Lee’s table. He chuckles at the sight. “It’s your fault. One bite wasn’t enough. How was your day?” I ask, plugging my phone in.
“Fine,” he grunts. “Just working.”
When my phone gets enough juice to power on, I get Lee’s text. Or texts.
Lee
Any trouble today?
Silver
Don’t make me come down there.
How could I suspect him of something as horrible as locking up his own wife in a rotting cabin? He worries about me more than I worry about myself. I look over at him with my eyebrows raised. “Wow, you were really hungry. And for a long time. Your first text was hours ago.”
The look he gives me makes me want to kick everyone out and lock the doors. “Keep teasing me and see what happens.”
“If I leave now, can I see it happen when we get home?” Maybe Celia’s news about his wife should make me hesitant, but it doesn’t.
Lee also doesn’t hesitate, getting to his feet with a deep chuckle. “Let’s go.”
Any thoughts of the Matheson’s, the cabin, or the fate of Lee’s wife are shoved away from the moment we get home. He yanks me out of my truck before I can get out, carries me inside, and bends me over his couch.
By the time I climb into my bed hours later, I’m a worn out, satisfied heap without a thought in my head.