Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
I dentifying George Hindley in a line-up had been easy. Afterward, Rose returned to the cottage, grocery bags in hand. Her phone rang as she nudged the door closed.
From the other end of the line, Brigette said, “I heard about what happened. All of us are worried about you. We want you to meet us for breakfast tomorrow at Cracked Egg.”
Rose agreed.
Willow had the morning off, so she came too.
The Elders had chairs out for them around the table. Serious expressions welcomed them as they took their seats. Florence poured coffee all the way around.
Jeremy cut right to it. “We heard about the trouble you had up at the cemetery and here at the cafe. Horrible thing when men think it’s all right to handle young women without permission. Unacceptable. Especially with what you’ve already been through.”
Rose assured them. “I’m okay. My arm’s getting better. The cemetery set things right with her grave.”
“We took flowers up there earlier,” Willow said. “They replaced the sod over the damaged areas, cleaned her tombstone.”
Brigette’s eyes narrowed. “Any news on who it was?”
Rose said, “I identified him in a line-up. It’s George Hindley. He set the?—”
Hal cursed. “Hell. How is he out of prison?”
The mayor cleared his throat.
With hesitation, Rose continued. “The sheriff said he served his time.”
Jeremy shook his head. “He was sentenced to life.”
“Life with parole,” said Dr. Cook. “I remember the shock I felt when the sentence came down.”
Rose shook her head. “I’m no lawyer. Broome’s checking into it.”
Jeremy looked at the mayor. “You know anything about this, Clyde?”
The mayor reddened a bit, adjusted his collar as he cleared his throat. “Of course not. I’ll make some calls. We want a safe town.”
Brigette reached across Jeremy and patted her hand. “My goodness, girls, what a scare, so soon after your loss. You let us know if there’s anything we can do.”
Rose said, “Thank you. We will.”
Florence came over and took their orders. Jeremy and Brigette ordered an omelette to split.
Hal wasn’t ready to let the topic go. “Hindley’s a monster. Not a speck of goodwill in his blood.”
Brigette said, “Hal, this is not the place. Florence is watching you. Let the law do its work.”
He muttered. “Like it worked last time.”
Their plates were half empty when Deputy Reggie MacShane walked in. He came right to their table.
“Morning. How are all of you this am?” He didn’t give anyone a chance to answer. “What about you, Rose? Heard you came by the station.”
She nodded. “I did. It’s him.”
Hal put down his fork. “Reggie, I got to say, Hindley being back here, it’s no good. We need to protect the citizens in this town. That man’s rotten to his core. Always was.”
Reggie set a hand on his shoulder. “I hear you, Hal, but it’s not up to me. He’ll go before a judge. He’ll be tried. Rose here, she’s pressed charges.”
They all looked at her as if in surprise. Mayor Winston paled.
Dr. Cook nodded. “Good on you, Rose. I don’t care who his father is.”
Confusion filled her. “Who’s his father?”
Mayor Winston answered, his words slow. “Franklin Hindley. He served four terms as the mayor of Gray Mountain.”
Reggie said, “I heard stories about how he ran things up on Gray Mountain. He had power and the finances to go with it. When he retired, he hand-picked his successor. No one ran against his candidate.”
Rose asked, “What does that have to do with anything? He’s not the mayor now.”
Reggie shrugged. “No, he isn’t. Franklin’s in his nineties, in hospice care. I called the facility up there to see if I could talk to him about his son, but he’s in and out of consciousness. I’ll try again, but I’m doubtful I’ll be able to question him.”
Dr. Cook asked, “Is that how Hindley got out? Favors?”
Reggie said, “I have no evidence indicating such. Franklin Hindley was a cop before he became mayor.”
Hal and Dr. Cook looked like they wanted to say more, but Mayor Winston spoke first. “Franklin’s stance on crime won him the election in Gray Mountain. People thought that if he was willing to send his own son to a ranch for troubled boys, they’d have a safer community.”
“Rose looks too much like Nola,” Hal blurted. “They should deny him bail.”
All eyes turned to Hal, even Florence’s, who’d appeared beside Reggie with coffeepot in hand.
“Have you forgotten, Clyde?” Hal continued. “He caused trouble here long time ago with Nola. Was obsessed with her.”
Reggie sobered. “Did he hurt her?”
Jeremy said, “He tried.”
Rose reached beneath the table and gripped Willow’s arm. This was the first she’d heard of this.
“George Hindley’s older now,” said Mayor Winston. “I don’t see how he could be a threat.”
Rose couldn’t help it. She glared at him. “Would you like to see the bruises on my arm?” She’d worn long sleeves to hide them.
The mayor blanched, shook his head. “I think you misunderstood the situation.”
Hal said, “His age doesn’t matter. His heart’s full of tar. The only thing he wanted that he couldn’t have was Nola.”
Dr. Cook straightened in his chair. “Only because we stopped him.”
Rose and Willow exchanged horrified expressions. What had happened all those years ago?
Reggie hooked his fingers into his gun belt. “Shit Sam. You would have to say something like that.”
Hal said, “One of us has to. It’s the truth.”
“I’ll do my best about the bail hearing. They’ve set it for early next week.”
Reggie squeezed Rose’s shoulder as if to reassure her before he grabbed coffee-to-go and left.