Page 75 of Chosen Path
“No, not today.”
Kimberly remained uncharacteristically silent. Greg glanced at her from the corner of his eye as they fetched their coats. She’d gone pale, not white so much as a sickly greenish gray. She wrapped one arm around her middle. With her other hand, she clung to her purse strap with a white-knuckled grip. She swayed slightly on her feet.
Perth noticed her condition, too. “Mrs. Dickerson, are you feeling all right? Do you need to sit down? I can go get Doctor Hart if you need her.”
“No,” Kimberly breathed the word as she braced her hand against the wall. “No,” she said more firmly. “I’m fine.” She pulled on her coat and buttoned it up to her chin for the short walk next door.
They lowered their heads against the gusting wind and trudged across the parking lot that Saint Olaf’s shared with the municipal building.
* * *
“… so that’s the plan,” Officer Booth said in conclusion. “Are you both clear on your roles?”
“Crystal,” Molly said.
“Hope, how about you?” Booth asked.
Hope glanced at Molly, who gave her an encouraging smile.
“I understand the plan, but I have concerns,” Hope admitted.
Officer Booth checked the time and managed to maintain a neutral expression even though Hope was sure the woman secretly wanted to shake her. “Should I go over it again?”
“No,” Hope told her. “I’m just not clearwhywe’re splitting up. It seems like it would be smarter to stay together.”
“I’ll be with you the whole time. So if you’re concerned for your safety, don’t be,” Booth reassured her.
“I’m not concerned for my safety. I’m worried about Molly.”
“Me?” Molly’s eyes went wide. “I’ll be fine. I’ll be with Officer Perth.”
Hope figured her skepticism must’ve been splashed all over her face because Officer Booth said, “Sam Perth’s a good cop, Hope. He’ll take care of her. Besides, Bodhi will be there, too. He won’t let anything happen to Molly.”
“You know that’s true,” Molly chimed in.
“I know. Still, be careful, please.” Hope was mortified to hear her voice come out all wobbly and cracked.
Molly gave her a little smile, then reached over and grabbed her hand. Her skin was warm and soft, and her grip was strong. “I will. You do the same.”
“Are we good now?” Officer Booth’s impatience was showing.
“Sure.”
“Listen, Hope. You have the most important job. You’re a villager, born and bred. The only insider among us. You’re the best hope we have of getting the village to convene a meeting.”
“Are you sure there’s even a quorum?”
True, most of the village came out for funerals, but not every single one of Scandia Bluff’s 587 souls was accounted for in the church basement.
“Ed Pratt gave me an approximate head count based on how many programs he passed out. You have well more than a quorum. All you have to do is convince them,” Booth told her.
Hope managed a shaky breath. “I’ll do my best.”
“You can do it. I know you can.” Molly caught her eye and held her gaze for a long moment.
“Okay.”
“And don’t forget, with Greg and Kimberly out of the picture, there’s not likely to even be that much pushback. But if there is, hold your ground.” Molly’s look was steady and sure.
