Page 31 of Clued in to Love
She had called to tell him about the fiasco with the mayor, but she hadn’t intended to sleep at her desk.
Hilary took a few long sips of the strong coffee before calling him. He didn’t answer. He probably had an early training client.
“Hey, sorry. I worked through the night. Have a meeting with the mayor in a few. It’s going to be a long day. I’ll check in when I can, but don’t count on me for dinner.”
Until she could resolve the cheating issue, she would have to be at work. Even if the mayor and his team listened to her input and let the hunt continue, she had a lot to do. There were more clues to be placed throughout the city, checkpoints to set up, and updates to be given to the teams via the app, all in addition to her regular work.
Hilary could only imagine how irritated Ben would be at her message, but she didn’t have time to worry about it. She was already operating on fumes and needed to be at her sharpest to convince the mayor that nothing nefarious was going on.
She finished her breakfast and headed to City Hall.
“He’s waiting for you.” The receptionist at the front desk pointed to the mayor’s office.
Hilary knew the way. She’d spent plenty of time in his office.
The mayor had a way of making Hilary feel like she was back in school. The city government had been a bit of a boys’ club, and she was one of the first women making inroads. It wasn’t easy, but Hilary had no intention of giving up the fight or letting them win.
“Hilary, come in.” The mayor sat behind a large, dark walnut desk designed for intimidation. He was in his late sixties and desperately trying to cling to his youth by wearing neon snowboarding gear like the twins’ friends wore on the mountain. It was a known secret that the mayor had blown out a knee a decade ago and hadn’t skied since.
“Have a seat.” He locked his eyes on her, reflecting his need to control the situation.
She squared her shoulders and approached him with a confidence she didn’t fully own, but she wasn’t about to let him see that. “Mr. Mayor, I’ve been reviewing every team’s account all night, and I can assure you that there isn’t even the slightest shred of evidence of any cheating. I think the top teams got lucky. The scavenger hunt is designed for family fun. These aren’t nuclear codes we’re asking teams to try and crack.”
“Ha.” He cackled and reached for a pen. Before continuing, he scribbled something on a yellow legal pad. “Listen, Hilary, I know you and your staff have put a lot of energy into this event, and the city appreciates it. We really do, but this is a grave matter that cannot be taken lightly or brushed off. Businesses have donated their hard-earned cash for the prize money. I like to think of myself as the city’s father, and at this moment, I’m a very concerned parent. You will face potentially damaging lawsuits if you let Passport to the Holidays continue.”
The city’s father? Ewww.
Hilary didn’t need a “dad lecture” from the mayor.
“I’m not brushing it off.” Hilary leaned forward to hand him the paperwork she’d brought with her. “I assure you,we’re taking this very seriously, but as I said, there’s absolutely nothing to indicate that any of the teams are cheating or that there’s been involvement with my staff.”
He didn’t even bother to look at the documents. “That’s not what I’ve been told. I’ve been informed that you have a mole.”
“A mole?” Hilary wanted to pinch herself. Was this a weird dream? This was wild. The joke about Bend was that it was a mountain town with a drinking problem. Its laid-back lifestyle attracted outdoor lovers and adventure seekers. Yet the mayor was talking about moles?
“Someone on your staff is intentionally feeding teams information to give them a leg up in the competition.” He tapped the tip of his pen on the notebook.
“Where are you getting this?” Hilary could hear how incredulous her tone sounded, but she didn’t care. The mayor was acting like this was some kind of government conspiracy.
He tossed his pen on his desk and gave Hilary a challenging stare. “I have my sources.”
Sources?
“Okay, I’m not sure what else you want from my end.” Hilary shifted in her seat, squaring her shoulders and meeting his eye. “I’ve personally reviewed each team’s progress thus far. I’ve looked at every message sent through the app. I don’t know what else to do.”
“Like I said last night, we must shut it down.” He folded his arms across his chest.
“With all due respect, Mr. Mayor, we can’t do that. It will be a PR nightmare. Do you know how much we’ve spent promoting Passport to the Holidays? We have visitors who booked hotels and Airbnbs months in advance. Every member of the Chamber of Commerce has been advertising the event. This is a huge influx of cash for our local economy. We can’t cancel the hunt.” Hilary tried to stop her knee from bouncing. She could feel thefloor rattling under her feet. “I take full responsibility. The first clue was too easy. We’ll rectify that for next year, and I’m having a staff meeting later this morning to review the rest of the clues and activities. We’ll make sure that none of them are too easy or obvious. If you’d like, I’d be happy to send them to your staff for another set of eyes, too.”
“I appreciate the gesture, but I stand firm that the hunt needs to be called off.” He leaned against his chair and narrowed his eyes as if waiting for Hilary to contradict him.
“It’s not your call, though.” Hilary hoped their conversation wouldn’t come to this, but she wouldn’t be bullied either. “This is a Chamber of Commerce event. We’re funding it along with Bend’s small business community.”
“Inmycity.”
Hilary couldn’t stop herself from scowling.Hiscity?
She knew he had an ego, but she hadn’t realized it was so inflated. He’d been in office for as long as she could remember. Hilary had heard rumors from staff that he had been challenging to work with in the past, but until now, she’d never had an issue with him. She was fine to let him lead parades and cut ceremonial ribbons.
