Page 33 of Rekindled

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Molly’s inner child was bursting with joy as she walked beside Spencer down the pier. At the end, she could see the Mariner’s Club twinkling an invitation to come closer.

“I can’t believe you picked the one place I always wanted to go to as an adult. I daydreamed about eating lots of little appetizers and dancing the night away,” Molly confessed.

“Then I’m glad I get to be the one to make that dream come true,” Spencer said, as he reached out and took Molly’s hand. “We’re going to do plenty of both tonight.”

Their hands fit together perfectly; just like they did when they were adolescents. The warmth from his touch moved up her arm and filled her heart.

As they walked into the club, the volunteers greeted them. A few rushed up to Spencer to ask about auction items and decorations, showing that he didn’t just put his name on the fundraiser, but was involved with the details.

“Spencer, we have a huge problem,” Greg said, coming up to them. He glanced at Molly, and said quickly, “Hey there, Molly. I’m glad you could make it, but do you mind if I steal Spencer for a few minutes?”

“Of course not,” she said, gesturing for them to leave. “Go take care of whatever it is you need.”

“You’re sure? You’ll be here when I get back, right?” Spencer asked skeptically, “because I’m sure whatever it is, I can probably just tell Greg—”

She shook her head. “Don’t worry about me. I’m not going anywhere.”

After Spencer disappeared, Molly glanced around the room, trying to figure out what she could do to pass the time until he returned. Most of the people didn’t look familiar to Molly until she laid eyes on Allison Pratt. They had gone to high school together. Though they hadn’t run in the same social circles, they didn’t have any problems either.

Not only did she know her from when they were young, but she also had come across the fact during her researching this story that Allison was Spencer’s paralegal. Maybe Molly could talk with Allison about Spencer and see if she had any pertinent information about his dealings at work. The closer she got to Spencer, the more she hoped her boss was wrong, and there was no evidence to support the allegations of corruption.

Molly made her way over and said, “Hello, Allison.”

As the other woman turned towards Molly, her smiling disposition turned to one of disdain once she realized who was greeting her.

“What do you want?” she asked with irritation.

Molly was shocked by the open hostility from the other woman. She had no idea there was a problem between them.

“I was wondering if I could talk with you for a few minutes.”

Allison’s face bunched up in disgust. “I don’t think that’s the best idea. I work with Spencer.”

“I don’t know why that would be a problem. I came with him tonight,” Molly explained.

“Exactly, you being here with him is unacceptable. I can’t believe he’s stupid enough to start spending time with you again, let alone bring you to an event this important. I mean, it’s one thing to slum around in private, but to do it in such a public venue is beyond me. I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt when I heard you were first back in town, but then you flaunted yourself all over town and at the reunion. Tiffany warned me not to trust you, so you might as well save your breath.”

And now it all made sense. The reason Allison was treating her with such hostility stemmed from Tiffany. Not surprising, because she had a way of getting to everyone.

Molly tried to force down the anger rising inside her. Allison was turning out to be more difficult to question than she first anticipated, but Molly had dealt with her fair share of problematic sources. She decided to use a compliment to try to diffuse the other woman, knowing any friend of Tiffany’s would most likely be vain.

“I can understand how you feel, but I was only coming over here to tell you I love your dress. It compliments you so much,” Molly stated, glad she was able to tell the truth. Allison did have a good figure and had picked a dress to enhance the fact.

“And what’s your point? Do you think I care any little bit about your opinion?” Allison stated as she crossed her arms. “Why don’t you just run along,” she added dismissively, before turning away.

Realizing she wasn’t getting anywhere with Allison, she decided it was best to end the endeavor and look for someone else to question. She talked to three more people, and ended up hearing the exact same thing from all of them. Spencer was a great guy, and an even better public defender.

Did that mean the information her boss gave her was invalid? There had been specific cases with data to back it up. Spencer had the highest acquittal rate in the state, which made Molly wonder how it was possible. He was either lucky, good at his job, or succeeded in doing so by cutting corners. She wasn’t any closer to figuring out which one was the truth since she had returned to Bayfield.

Molly headed to the nearest table and took a seat. She felt like she had whiplash from the tongue lashing she just received from Allison. She needed a break before she ventured to talk with anyone else about Spencer tonight.

Over the next half hour, guests arrived for the event, including many prominent people from Bayfield. There was the mayor who held the position for the past twenty years, the local television news anchor, and the district attorney, as well as Pastor Matt and his wife.

People were meandering around, looking at the auction items and placing their silent bids. Molly decided to get up and take a look at the different offerings.

There were over twenty items, but the most impressive big ticket items were along the center wall.

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