Chapter 31
Small Town Gossip Network
FIONA
My dad huffs from his position beside me at the workbench in the storage unit. He’s been watching me put together another IED that’s identical to the ones Tre and I used at Highland Estates, and I can feel the weight of his judgment pressing down on me.
I roll my eyes. “Something you wanted to say, dad?”
“It’s not very elegant,” he grumbles.
“It worked, didn’t it? That’s all that matters.”
“If you—”
“The point is that it’s identical to the last ones we used, so no, I can’t.”
“Fine,” he mutters. “Did you have to involve your brother? It’s bad enough you’re involved. But Ewan? When the ATF is already sniffing around?”
“Ewan involved himself.”
My dad huffs again.
“I told you. Tre is Ewan’s best friend. Ewan’s not going to let him sit in jail if he can help it. Actually, I think you’re just about the only person in town who doesn’t care if Tre gets out,” I say as I finish wiring the batteries in series.
Carol was excited to tell us that someone had left the Henley and Montank executive’s cat on her doorstep this morning.
‘Tre couldn’t have done it!’ were the first words out of her mouth when she came into the office.
Then she immediately launched into the story of finding a very traumatized cat who ‘must’ve been locked in that cage for days because the poor thing was so starved for attention! ’
She was convinced the sheriff would drop the charges against Tre and he’d be released before the day was over—which obviously didn’t happen or my dad and I wouldn’t be sitting in a sweltering storage unit, with no breeze, using bomb building as family bonding time, or whatever it is we’re doing.
Not only did the sheriff not release Tre, but according to the gossip Ewan overheard, the cat never even came up during Tre’s bail hearing.
It doesn’t matter, though. Carol told Natalie, Jean, and me about the cat.
She’s sure to mention it to every patient who comes into the office this week.
And Jean also likes to make sure everyone is in the know.
I think she doesn’t want anyone to feel left out.
Between the two of them, it’ll be all over town in a day or two.
Then the sheriff will have to contend with people knowing he’s withholding information that indicates Tre might not be behind the attacks.
“I’m just saying—”
“Dad, I’m trying to focus.”
“Fine,” he grouses impatiently. He’s already finished the bomb he was building, and now he wants to lecture me while I’m a captive audience.
I decided on Bridal Mountain’s lower passenger terminus as one target, and the Henley and Montank executives’ cars as the other.
The passenger terminus is the riskier target, since there may still be increased security at the construction sites, depending on how confident Henley and Montank are that Tre is the perpetrator. I intend to spend tonight watching it.
Assuming it’s viable, and I can get in and out without being seen, once Ewan determines where the executives are staying, I’ll give him the bomb I’m building to put under their cars and set off in the middle of the night when no one is around.
There’ll likely be some damage to nearby cars, which is unfortunate, but insurance’ll cover it and no one will be hurt.
And I’ll use the bomb my dad built on the lower terminus and take out its gondola support column, the same way I did at the upper site back in May.
The sheriff won’t be able to keep that under wraps, and it should be more than enough for even the worst lawyer to use to get Tre out of jail, and hopefully get the judge to drop the charges—with prejudice, if we’re really lucky.
“Are you sure he’s worth it?” my dad asks softly.
I set everything down before turning to face him. “Yes.”
The bare bulb overhead casts long shadows on his face as his blue eyes bore into mine. “Tell me why.”
“That first night, when we ran into each other at Bridal Mountain…” I sigh.
“Neither of us was expecting to see the other there, but Tre especially wasn’t expecting to see me.
I spent every single town hall for months leading up to that voicing support for Henley and Montank.
And then I pushed him down the mountain, and despite all that, he instantly adjusted his worldview. Do you know how rare that is?”
My dad says nothing, so I continue. “It took me a lot longer to even begin to consider that he might not be a total moron. Initially, I only heard him out so that he would keep quiet about having seen me, but when I did, when he told me what he was doing at the construction site, his plan was better than mine!”
“Ah,” my dad murmurs.
“What?”
“Competence,” he says, as if it explains everything.
I nod. “All along the way, anything I’ve asked of him, he’s managed to figure out.
But it’s not just that. I know he seems like he walks around without a care in the world, but that’s simply what he lets people see.
It only looks that way because he’s hyperconscious of everyone around him all the time.
He doesn’t let that paralyze him, though.
He’s the only other person in this town actually acting against Henley and Montank directly instead of complaining to the city council and hoping for the best.”
My dad grunts noncommittally.
“Plus, he’s sitting in a jail cell for me, dad. How could I not be sure?”
He falls silent, and I turn back to the workbench to finish up the wiring. Finally, he says, “Your mother was the same.”
“What?”
“She was highly competent and very thoughtful.” He shrugs.
“I suppose so. There was nothing she couldn’t figure out.”
“Yeah.”
“She would’ve sat in a jail cell for you, too.”
He nods. “She would’ve.”
It’s nearing six-thirty when I walk into Malcolm’s and spot Ewan sitting at the bar with Cade and Jordan on one side and Kyle on the other.
He didn’t say anything about inviting them, I think with a grimace.
I haven’t seen them since that morning at the campsite, and I want to turn around and walk out, even though it makes sense.
A little. For Cade, at least. And Jordan goes where Cade goes.
But I have no clue why Kyle is here, and I stare at his back long and hard. Ewan and Jordan are in the middle of the group. I can sit next to Cade, or I can sit next to Kyle.
I don’t like either option.
After another second of indecision, I force myself to move out of the doorway toward the bar. Kyle glances at me when I slide onto the stool next to his.
His eyes widen slightly as he inclines his head, but he only murmurs, “Hey Fiona.”
“Hi Kyle,” I respond as I tamp down on the urge to apologize again. For what happened in July, for sitting next to him tonight. I don’t even know. All I know is that I’d still like to punch Cade in the face, so sitting next to Kyle is the safer choice.
“Hey Fi,” Ewan says at the same time Cade practically shouts, “Fiona!” like we’re old friends. Like he’s not at the top of my shit list.
“Ewan,” I reply, letting the annoyance creep into my voice, although I can tell from the laughter in his eyes that he already knows exactly how I’m feeling. Whatever he’s doing, it’s deliberate. “Jordan.”
“Oh, she’s definitely still mad at you,” Jordan stage-whispers to Cade.
“That’s why I’m here,” Cade says loudly enough for half the bar to overhear. “To apologize for being an asshole in person!”
“Whatever, it’s fine,” I grumble, not wanting to rehash that day for everyone. It’s Tuesday night, and it’s not that busy, but even so. Malcolm stops by long enough to ask me what I want and then moves away.
“Hey sis, I heard your receptionist found the Henley and Montank cat on her doorstep yesterday.”
“Yeah, is that true, Fiona? The cat’s not dead? Someone returned it after they arrested Tre?” Cade calls down.
My eyes dart to Ewan—who’s definitely smirking—and I sigh.
“Yup.”
“Tre couldn’t have done it!” Cade crows, spinning on his stool. “Did you all hear that? Someone returned Henley and Montank’s cat after Tre was arrested, so it wasn’t him,” he says to the room.
“I bet those executives had the cat stashed somewhere safe all along,” Ewan comments.
“What, you think they blew up the houses themselves?” Cade asks as Malcolm sets a pint on the bar in front of me.
Ewan shrugs. “Probably the construction sites too. Think about it, Cade. They had security at Hay Creek. And Highland Estates is gated. They’re the only people with access everywhere.”
“Why would they blow up their own sites?”
“Insurance fraud,” Kyle says softly, surprising me.
“Insurance fraud?” Cade echoes.
“Why not?” I reply. “People who are underwater on their mortgages have been known to burn down their own houses. Why not a company like Henley and Montank? It does make sense.”
There’s a thoughtful look on Jordan’s face. “It makes more sense than Tre.”
“Insurance fraud,” Cade says. But this time, it’s a statement and not a question, though he still seems to be shouting it to half the bar.
Ewan, Jordan, and Cade continue loudly speculating about Henley and Montank’s solvency for everyone to hear.
“I don’t normally see you here,” I murmur to Kyle.
“I heard your receptionist found the cat, and I thought it was interesting.”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath.
“Anyway, I didn’t have anything else going on, and Tre’s a decent guy, so I decided to tag along.”
“You thought it was ‘interesting’?”
“Yeah. I mean, you’d expect the sheriff would’ve said something about it… right?”
“Mmm.” I take a sip of the beer in front of me to buy myself a second to figure out how to respond to that. I’m not sure if Kyle’s fishing for information, or if he’s worked it out. But it’s like he said. He pays attention. “Makes you wonder what else they’re not telling us,” I eventually say.
“It does,” Kyle agrees. “Hey Cade, why do you suppose the sheriff doesn’t want anyone to know about the cat?”
“They must be trying to frame him!”