18. Nicolette
Nicolette
G etting locked in a strange basement should have made me nervous, but I’d been held at gunpoint during my month in Saudi Arabia after a misunderstanding about a few choice words I’d had for one of the leaders.
Okay, I’d called him a misogynistic, slave-trading pig and his security guard detained me for six hours.
I pulled out my phone. One bar of service blinked on and off as I moved about the small space. A wave of sadness and insecurity crashed over me, realizing I had no one to call. Chelsea had three girls and I couldn’t ask her to bring them into this. Whatever this was.
My thoughtswentto Riot. I could call him. I should call him. He would be here in an instant, I know, and I tried not toletwhat that meant distract me from my task at hand.
I think it’s just been a really long time...
My finger hovered over his name on my phone when my eyes caught one of the file cabinets labeled Land Permits I knew he’d be at the center of this.
Elias stopped in front of the closed door with a surprised look on his face. He regarded me before spinning to Geoffrey and holding his hands out.
“Really, Geoff? You locked her in the records room? Give me that.” He snatched the keys out of Geoffrey’s hand and turned to unlock the door.
“Sorry about this, Miss Parker.” He shook his head in disbelief.
“Geoff fancies himself a bit of a prankster.” He shot a scornful look at Geoff who smirked at me with two guffaws .
A silent rage coursed through me. If I hadn’t just hit pay-dirt I would have lit him up but Geoffrey Brown had just locked the wrong girl in a room with information she shouldn’t have.
Pastor Blackwellledme upstairs into an empty office.“Can I get you anything? Coffee? Water?”
“No thanks, I’ve had my daily dosage of fluoride, thank you.” I was baiting him, but I saw no reason to play games.
Pastor Blackwell stilled, but he just gave me a flat look before holding his hands up like I was a cop. “You got me, Nicolette. I asked some friends at the water authority to put fluoride in the water. I am guilty of caring too much about this town’s enamel.”
He sat down across from me. He was shaking his head as if I were his teenage kid who had just been busted for shoplifting.
“So why was Echo Chemicals dumping it in the dead of night?”
Pastor Blackwell sighed deeply. “There’s no official work order, so the county can’t touch it.
Geoff asked some connections there to help us out.
” I kept my lips pressed tightly together.
He looked tired. “Honestly, Miss Parker, you are trying to make me out to be a bad guy… I’m sorry, but there’s no story here. ”
“You don’t think people have a right to know what’s in their water supply?”
“It’s a perfectly safe additive.”
“So why not tell them?”
Pastor Blackwell looked off, appearing defeated. He took a long pause and a brief expression of regret passed over his face.
“I was disappointed when the bill was voted down some years ago. I’ve always done everything I can to try to bring select progression to Godot.
But I’m often met with resistance. People don’t like change.
” His eyes drifted off as if lost in thought.
His mind seemed to land on a sad memory.
“The fluoride in the water is harmless. It’s administered by a reputable company and is perfectly safe.
” He looked at me like the matter was closed so I reached back and pulled the papers from my back pocket.
“Were the massive amounts of radon in the Valley perfectly safe when youbuilta whole community on top of it?”
I tossed the paper down that contained the land surveys of the valley right before the houses were built. He looked down at them and then back at me, remaining expressionless.
“I’m sorry you had to find that.” My heart thrummed in my chest.
My phonebuzzedin my pocket, a barrage of messages coming through now that servicereturned.
“I assume since you’re such a worldly man that you know radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer?”
Hepressedhis lips into a thin line. “The company wecontractedwith to build the homes overlooked the mitigation systems.”
“They overlooked one of the most standard practices in home building?” Iasked, the doubt clear in my tone.
He sighed before a thick swallow rolled down his throat.
“They were a young, up-and-coming real estate company that sought to revolutionize pre-made manufactured housing. But startups often cut corners and radon hadn’t been much of an issue in Northern California where they originated.
” A tick of familiarity tugged at me and I let my brain rewind, taking advantage of the silence.
“There is already a massive class action lawsuit pending in hopes to make it right for those that got sick.”
Finally, I tilted my head. “This real estate company wouldn’t happen to have been a company you had investments with, would it?”
Pastor Blackwell remained stoic and blinked at me. Once. Twice. “Housing and healthcare. That’s what you said, right?” I reminded him.
“It’s not a crime to either hire or invest with companies that you believe in.”
His words from our first meeting came swirling back to me and I thought about the influx of cash it must have taken to pay off the financing for a project the size of rebuilding the Valley. A devious warmth spread through me and I tried to conceal my nervous excitement.
“But it is a crime to short a stock when youhaveinside information. Let’s say that informationisabout a massive impending class action lawsuit forfailingto install radon mitigation systems.”
Pastor Blackwellblinkedwith a blank expression. The pregnant pausewasnine months large, and Idrankin the Gotchya Moment.
His facereddened.“Nicolette, Iamthe pastor of a church in rural West Virginia.”Heshookhis head at me.“I leave the investments up to my consultants.”
“You weren’t lucky to pull out of real estate before the housing collapse.
You just knew one of your funds was about to face a massive lawsuit.
You shorted the stock then pulled out of real estate entirely to make it look like an overall strategic move.
” I nodded, piecing it all together, clucking my tongue like I was impressed. “Very well done,” I regarded him.
“Nicolette, if you are going to make these kinds of accusations, I’m afraid I’m going to have to excuse myself from these conversations.
I was trying to entertain you as the bright, intelligent young woman you are but your ideas are becoming…
outlandish .” He stood up and gestured toward the door.
“If you have any more questions, there is a hotline dedicated to the class action. I’m sure their lawyers will be happy to get you a statement.
Our community members who were affected by the radon are already on the list of potential recipients. ”
I opened my mouth to reply but a distant shout halted me. My head swiveled toward the door. It almost sounded like Riot.
“Nic!” It was definitely Riot.
Moving toward the door, Ipeekedmy head out to see Riot standing at the front desk, the receptionist on her feet,scowlingat him. His headsnappedin my direction and his expressionregisteredimmediate relief. Hesprintedtoward me.
“Excuse me, sir, you can’t go down there without an appointment.”
“It’s fine, Susie.” Pastor Blackwell stepped into the hall and raised his hand toward the woman who frowned and sat back down .
“Areyou okay?”His wordsrushedout while he crushed my body against his chest. My breath hitched from fierce tenderness of the gesture. He finally pulled back but kept a hand on my elbow, anxiously scanning me. Itremindedme of the wild way hedraggedme out of Brennan’s house.
I don’t know whatcameover me. I think it’s just been a really long time…
“Yes, I’m fine.” I pulled my elbow out of his grasp and he deflated. “What are you doing here?”
“I got your message about being locked in the basement,” he said, darting his suspicious eyes between me and Pastor Blackwell. The concern in his voice tore open that wound I spent all week stitching up.
“A misunderstanding.”Elias Blackwellputhimself between us.“Now, I think it’s time for you two toleteveryone go back to their regular business.”The tone of his voicewastight. And Riot puta protective hand around my shoulders toleadme out.
“Oh, Mr. Asher?” We turned around and Pastor Blackwell gave Riot a heartfelt smile.
“I would love to see you back in my congregation one of these days.”