Page 198 of Story of My Life
“You said when you overheard Nina on the phone that you thought she was talking to someone here in Story Lake. An insider.”
“I don’t know—it seems a little high-concept for small-town life. Besides, everyone showed up today. Everyone pulledtheir weight…and those Outdoor Girls even carried some other people’s weight when they swam to shore.”
“Levi and I took a look at the boat when Gator hauled it out. Found a puncture in the back of one of the pontoons.”
She took a sip of beer. “What are you saying?”
“Levi’s the cop, but I’m willing to bet money that someone put that hole there on purpose.”
She choked on her beer. “Someone sabotaged the lake tour? People could have been seriously injured or worse!”
“It’s four feet deep out there, odds are everyone would have just gotten a little wet walking back to shore. Anyone who lives here knows that. Then there’s the electricity in the park,” I continued. “First the extension cords go missing. Then the breaker trips. And while everyone’s trying to get gallons of melted ice cream into a working freezer, someone opens the gate on the petting zoo.”
“You think someone sabotaged the entire day?”
“If I say yes, is it going to make you more pouty?”
“No, it’s going to infuriate me and I’m going to create a campaign to hunt them down and destroy them.”
“Good. You’re hot when you’re mad. So yes. Someone sabotaged the entire day, and I think I know who.”
Zoey flopped down on the curb next to Hazel. She had chicken feathers stuck to her stained tank top. “I can’t wait to shower this day off me. My skin tastes like the rim of a margarita.”
“Cam was just telling me he thinks someone sabotaged the entire day,” Hazel announced.
“Someone didwhat?” Zoey screeched. “Give me a name and I’ll hunt them down right now.”
“Keep it down,” I said, glancing over both shoulders.
Hazel slapped her knee. “We need to set up a sting.”
Zoey perked up. “Like in Spring Gate four! When Madeline sneaks into Chester’s house and?—”
“Shit,” I muttered when I spotted a familiar blond make her way toward us. “Pretend you’re defeated and shit.”
“What? Why?” Zoey wondered. “I wanna go defeat something.”
“Crap,” Hazel said, spotting the problem. “Nina. Cam’s ex-girlfriend and mayor of Dominion.”
Zoey nodded. “Okay. And I’m all caught up.”
We rose as one just as Nina stopped in front of us. She looked like a woman who had spent the entire day in air-conditioned conference rooms.
“Well, it looks like your little town had some excitement today,” Nina said with a politician’s smile as she scanned the ruins of Summer Fest behind us. “I’m happy to share my resources to help you clean up this mess. I could have a sanitation crew over here as soon as our much larger party is over.”
“I think we’ll pass, Nina,” I said.
“Who knew so many things could go wrong in a single day? I almost feel sorry for you,” she said.
“That’s funny. I was just going to say the same thing about you,” Hazel said with a short laugh.
Nina brought a hand to her chest. “Me? My life is perfect. What could you possibly feel sorry for?”
“You’re an adult, a mayor of what looks like a thriving town, you have a great wardrobe, good hair?—”
“Get to the insults part,” Zoey insisted.
“Yet here you are, almost twenty years after your high school boyfriend dumps you, and you’re still trying to get revenge. You’ve got a husband and kids and probably a nice house with lake views. But you’re still thinking about the one who got away. That’s just sad,” Hazel said.
