Chapter 12 #2
They converse in hushed voices for a minute before Nurse Machado hands over the clipboard and leaves. As she walks by, I glance up and think I notice a hint of a smirk on her face for a split-second before she’s past me, then out the door.
“Okay, Tre. What’ve you found out?”
“Hi Fiona. Nice to see you too. I’m doing well, thank you.”
She merely stares at me, waiting. As soon as I make eye contact, the guilt rises again, and I look away.
Idiot. Don’t be a smartass. You’re trying to fix things here.
“Right. Debrief. When we go, the condo building will be framed up, but it shouldn’t be walled in yet.
They’re supposed to be running electrical and plumbing, which means we’ll have an easy time getting inside, and I can cut a few of the timbers to make room for the vehicles.
That’s assuming we still want to put them inside before bringing the building down. ”
“I’m not a fan of shouldn’t and supposed to. Or have you forgotten the lock on the trailer door?” Fiona counters.
I haven’t forgotten anything about the trailer, though I don’t say that. I only shrug. “I understand, but it’s two weeks in the future. Nobody can guarantee anything.”
“Fine. What else?”
“To prepare you in case the ‘supposed to be’ is wrong, the next stage would be for them to wrap the whole building in insulation. After that, they start putting up the drywall inside. Even if they get ahead of schedule, that’s easy for us to get through.
We’ll just be slightly inconvenienced at the beginning. ”
“Good to know.” She may as well be tapping her foot, she’s so impatiently waiting for me to share everything.
“I haven’t heard anything about anybody noticing a problem with the trailer or their documents. Security seems to be the same.”
“Excellent. Have you solved the problem of cutting those I-beams?”
“Actually, yes. I’ve checked a couple of different options, and I’m sticking with the simple, easy route. I’ll have all the equipment before we go. And yes, I’ll be careful. I remember what we discussed,” I rush to insert before she lectures me again.
Fiona simply nods and waits for me to continue.
“Speaking of cutting beams, did those blueprints give you everything you need?”
“Yes, it’s all fine. Thank you.” From the strain in her voice, that may have physically pained her to say. “But on the subject of secret notes, don’t get in the habit of passing me messages on receipts. Once, nobody will notice. Probably. If you keep doing it, we’re liable to get caught.”
“I’m aware. It’s not like I do it every day you come for coffee. I needed a distraction to get the keys. And by the way, I thought we weren’t involving Ewan.”
It’s Fiona’s turn to shrug. “I’m busy during the day.
” She waves her hand vaguely. “There aren’t many rafting trips on a Tuesday afternoon.
He doesn’t know about cars any more than I do.
All he knows is he tried to help his sister, so he just thinks I made a dumb mistake. It’s fine. Did you get them?”
“Yeah, it worked like a charm. Thank you… and him, I guess.”
Fiona nods. “How long do you think it’ll take you to cut through the beams?”
“Probably about thirty minutes per beam.”
“Probably?” she says sharply.
“It’s not like I’ve been able to test out that part of it, Fiona.”
“Fine,” she grumbles. “Anything else I need to know?”
“Nope. I think we’ve accounted for what we need. Are we still going with the same plan for meeting up that night?” It’s two weeks away, but I don’t want to make a mistake and give her a reason to get cold feet.
“Yes, but I want you to meet me the day before at this address, at seven-thirty so we can walk through the plan and make sure we both know exactly what we’ll be doing the entire time. We have a lot to do, and we need to be efficient.”
I unfold the paper she handed me, looking at the address. “Isn’t this a storage place?”
“Yes. Is that a problem?”
“No. I’ll be there.”
“Alright. Make sure you come on foot. Try to be inconspicuous. Barring an emergency, we keep our distance until then. If anyone asks about your shoulder, I cleared you for all activities. You’re back to normal.”
“Are you going to be at the town hall tonight?”
“Obviously,” she replies, heading for the door without so much as a goodbye.
“Hey Fiona,” I call before she’s gone. “Is that nurse… does she have memory problems?”
“I don’t hire incompetent people, Tre. Her memory is fine.” And with that, she opens the door and leaves me sitting on the exam table all alone.
“We close in five minutes. Time to clear out!” I shout to the diner from behind the counter.
June’s town hall starts soon, and as has become routine over the past year, Betty’s is crowded with people killing time beforehand.
I love hearing everybody get so fired up, but I need to close early enough to attend myself.
I’ve already stopped serving food and taken care of the grill.
The tables have been bussed, and the dishes are in the dishwasher.
The remainder of the cleaning can wait until the morning.
The city council obviously won’t lock the doors to keep people out if they’re late, but I’m sure that pissant Jacob has some way to keep me from joining if I’m not on time.
Chairs squeak as people stand, and the bell above the door jingles as they file out. Eventually, I’m the only one left in the diner, and I lock up before rushing down the sidewalk to the meeting.
I nod to the deputy standing idly outside the main entrance as I walk in.
A brief scan of the room confirms that, as usual, all the seats are taken.
The room is fuller than I can remember it being, but after word got out about Bridal Mountain, I’m not surprised.
Lucas waves at me from the back wall where he’s saved a space.
I nod as I stand next to him, waiting for the city council along with everyone else.
Jacob is such a prima donna, always needing to be the center of attention.
We can’t just have a meeting. He has to make an entrance.
I check my watch. Two minutes to seven. I survey the room more closely, hoping to judge people’s moods.
Most of Kalomish has been pretty steadily against Henley and Montank, but there’s been plenty of wild talk since the bombing.
Many of the people along the walls were just down at the diner, and they’re all staunchly anti-developer.
I still haven’t found the one face I’m hoping to see, but I suppose she does always sit near the front and center, like a proper little follower.
Damn, she’s good, I think, not for the first time.
If I hadn’t run across her up there, I still wouldn’t have a clue what she’s really like.
She’s so worried about my being a suspect, she might not want me to make a scene, but can I afford to stay quiet now?
As if my thoughts summoned her, I see a head in the third row swivel and find me. Then just as swiftly, she spins again to face front.
The conversations have been building to a low roar, and snippets of gossip about what actually happened up at Bridal Mountain intrude on my worrying.
Now that I’ve seen Fiona turn around, I notice people glancing at me and then looking away.
Maybe she was right. Maybe I’m more of a suspect than I thought.
Shit, I guess I should keep my mouth shut tonight.
The council members file in from a side door and take their seats. The conversations quickly die out, leaving silence for Jacob to speak.
“Hello. Thank you all for coming tonight,” he begins. “I expect many of you are here for one reason, so we’ll begin with the most pertinent topic.
“It’s true that there was an act of vandalism at the project site on Bridal Mountain. There was significant damage to the construction there. The sheriff’s department is actively investigating. In due time, the perpetrator will be apprehended, and further details will be made available.”
People throughout the crowd start muttering, interrupting Jacob’s moment.
“Please, settle down. We’ll have time for questions and answers at the end.
For now, it’s important to remain calm and not engage in unfounded speculation or baseless accusations.
” Jacob is looking directly at me, with a smug grin on his stupid face.
“That doesn’t benefit any of us. If anyone has relevant information that can aid in the investigation, the sheriff’s department will provide the number for a tip line. ”
How does Fiona keep her mouth shut during these meetings? I don’t know how much of this bullshit I can stand, I fume.
He continues droning on, restating that something happened and they have no idea who did it. He’s using fake politician-speak so it sounds important. As long as you don’t think about it. Eventually, he shifts into his corporate mouthpiece role.
“Henley and Montank have reassured the council that they remain committed to their contract and invested in their project to boost—”
“That’s not reassuring at all,” I interrupt. “Clearly, people don’t want them here.”
Heads turn in my direction. I don’t dare look away from the council to find her face, though. There’s only so much BS I can sit through. Sorry, Fiona.
“Once again, this is not the designated period for questions and answers,” Jacob replies, eyes narrowing.
“If their contract is up for discussion, it shouldn’t just be with you. Let’s put it to a referendum!” I state. This is met with a smattering of agreement around the room.
“The council is not accepting motions from the floor at this time. Deputies, please escort Mr. White from the assembly.” That shit-eating grin is back on Jacob’s smug face.
As two deputies walk down the aisle from the dais toward me, I seize my last moment to speak. “If their contracts affect our land and our water, then we should get to decide!”
I let them seize my arms. As they begin walking me out, I call over my shoulder, “Put these contracts to a vote! Let the people decide.”
And then I’m through the doors and heading down the building’s front steps. They walk me right past the lone deputy standing outside, serving and protecting the sidewalk very productively.
“Sir, you’re not allowed to reenter the building for the remainder of the night. Please move along.”
“Sir? Yeah, I know the drill, Dan. You should unwedge that stick from your ass before you hurt yourself,” I grumble before walking to the corner and making my way across the street to Malcolm’s bar.
I heard everything the council was going to say in that meeting. They don’t know anything. And they also aren’t listening to anyone. But Fiona and I will make sure they get the message.