Page 51 of Axe Backwards
Frowning, I glanced over my shoulder. “They sell snacks?”
“Yup, it’s a fundraiser for the school. There was a motion last year to sell alcohol, but, shockingly,” she teased, “an elementary school isn’t eligible for a liquor license. After that, there was talk of parking a beer truck in the lot next to the playground. But then the zoning board got involved, and it was a whole mess.”
Tess squirmed in my arms while I gaped at my friend. Between all that information and the hum of the growing crowd, my mind was beginning to scatter.
“Seriously. Give me Tess and go get the snacks. I’ll save the seats.”
I complied, saying hello to several people on the way and getting completely fleeced by elementary schoolers in the process.
Upon my return, I found Jude sitting beside my empty seat. The large room was filled with chairs aligned in neat rows, and a large projection screen had been set up at the front of the room. The basketball hoops had been folded up to the ceiling, and the buzzing lights highlighted the fraying pennants that hung from the rafters.
Tess, who was happily munching on yogurt melts, waved at every person she saw.
I sat, and Vic leaned in, taking the lemonade from me. As she whispered in my ear, it was impossible not to breathe in her honeyed scent. “I’ll catch you up on the basics,” she murmured as Tess plucked another yogurt melt from her cupped hand. “Mrs. Dupont is feuding with Mrs. Blakely because she stole her parking spot at church bingo and then spread a rumor that she wears a wig.”
I fought back a snort. That was far more information than I needed.
“When Mrs. Blakely reads the agenda, Mrs. Dupont heckles her.”
“Heckles?”
“Oh, yes.”
When Mayor Lambert walked up to the podium and tested the microphone, Vic straightened, taking her warmth with her, and the crowd quieted in anticipation. “Good evening,” he began, “We’ve got a packed agenda for the night, so if you could please take your seats, we’ll get started.”
All over the room, people were shuffling into seats. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen a school gym this packed before.
Gus stood in the back, arms folded. Beside him, Finn was smiling and chatting with one of the Gagnon brothers. Our families had been adversaries for years, and though I wouldn’t say we were on the best terms, tensions had eased since Finn and Adele Gagnon had gotten together.
From the look of things, every single resident of Lovewell, and a few from neighboring towns, was here.
“Where the hell am I?” I whispered.
Vic patted my thigh, the contact sending a bolt of electricity through me. “Lovewell, Maine. Buckle up, hotshot. This is gonna be wild.”
“Before we get to the more exciting town business,” Mayor Lambert said, his voice echoing off the high ceilings. “I need to address the current policing situation.”
Several people around the room inhaled sharply.
“As many of you know, Chief Souza has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.”
Many people nodded, and others wore surprised expressions. I’d known the police chief since I was a kid. He’d coached my little league team and had been fishing buddies with my dad. But earlier this year, he’d drugged my brother Cole and attempted to frame him for destroying the hockey rink.
Thank God for Cole’s wife. Without Willa’s quick thinking, it might have been impossible to prove. She’d shown up on the scene and had quickly taken a blood sample that showed without question that he had been drugged.
According to my mother, the chief was found in possession of the drug that had been discovered in his system. Now Souza was facing charges and all kinds of trouble.
For years, I’d been out of the loop with my family. As disorienting as it was to jump back in and be involved, I needed to. Even if it included accepting the ripple effect my father’s actions had on this town and our family.
He’d been locked up for a couple of years now, but unanswered questions and suspicions still abounded.
“With the generous help of the state,” Lambert said, “we’re doing an audit of police activity. It will take approximately six months, and during this time, we will digitize records, retrain all officers, and appoint an interim chief. I want to assure you all that the safety of our town and our citizens is our top priority.”
I craned my neck and found Cole. He was such a tall motherfucker, it was impossible to miss him. He stood next to the bleachers where Willa was sitting with her parents. Her dad had been the town doctor for decades before she took over andhad given me stitches more times than I could count. It was yet another reminder of how long it had been since I’d been back here.
And how much had changed. My father was in prison, our family business had been sold, and our town was struggling far more than when I’d left.
But while I was untethered, floating around and scrambling to find my place in this world, my brothers seemed to have fared much better. Perhaps they’d worked through the fallout of my father’s crimes while I was fighting fires and living in a bubble of ignorance. But they were thriving members of this community with families and careers.
