John watched her make her way to him. The dark look on his face didn’t bode well. “Gemma.”
“Sheriff.”
“Come with me.”
Gemma followed him to her mom’s front door, where he turned. “It’s hot, but I want you to see this.”
“The fire’s out?”
He nodded and stepped inside. “It was all in one room—the dining room. Your mom was under the table. On top of the table, the fire had consumed a large quantity of papers that were used as kindling.”
“Why was she under the table?”
“She was tied to one of the legs.”
Gemma sucked in a breath laced with smoke. She coughed it out. “Tied?”
John walked straight to the dining room. The air was hot in there, and Gemma didn’t want to stay. He motioned for her to step past the table and into the living room where papers had been laid on the carpet. “We pulled these out of the pile before the fire could get to them. I’d like to get your take.”
Gemma crouched, already pretty sure what they were. But why would they be in her mom’s dining room? She read one paper, moved it aside. The page was brittle, and even though she moved it as delicately as she could, it cracked under the pressure of her fingers. “These are papers from the radio station. I didn’t read these specifically, but I did read one in this stack for sure.”
John nodded. “Your mom is connected to this.”
“She was a journalist in Vietnam and stumbled across a story. She was following Dan’s dad, and he never saw her, but she knew who he was. It’s how she met Hal.” Gemma paused. “I can tell you the rest when we have more time.”
“Let’s go back outside.”
Gemma led the way. Everything that happened just made it all even more confusing. What was she supposed to think now?
She stopped short, as she saw Dan walking toward her. Mei was right behind him. A curl of something nasty unfurled in her stomach. Had they been together?
“Hey.”
Gemma couldn’t smile, she just could not make her face do that right now. “Hi.” She turned to the sheriff, but the huddle formed by itself, and Gemma found herself in between Dan and John, facing Mei.
The sheriff said, “Hal’s papers were in the house. What I don’t know is if they intended to kill Janice in the process of destroying the documents.”
Dan set his hand on her shoulder and said, “She’s okay, right?”
Gemma sucked in another breath. “She didn’t have a good idea as to who did this.” Matthias was gone from the spot where he’d set her mom. He must have taken her to the medical center already.
“I have two more names to add to the list.”
Mei’s words were clearly for the sheriff, but Gemma still asked, “Names for what?”
John said, “The list of people involved in this.”
“With the mayor as the ringleader?” Gemma figured he would be, but had the mayor actually done anything bad yet?
“He’s moving to have me removed as sheriff.”
Mei snorted. “So he can be king of this tiny realm?”
“I guess.” John stared at her. “I don’t know what else he might have planned.”
Gemma shook her head. “He can’t just change the whole town because he feels like it.”
Dan nodded. “Even if he does know about my father, and Hal, what does that give him?”
John folded his arms. “More information than the majority of the residents. Maybe he just thinks knowledge is power. Or, if he’s not planning on blackmailing you with it” —Dan shook his head— “then he might use it to state his case with the committee.”
“But why try to kill my mom? They got rid of Antonia and tried to kill Sam Tura. Terrence is wherever he disappeared to…” Mei shot her a weird look. Gemma didn’t know what that was about. “Now Janice. People who are linked to them, or linked to Hal and Dan’s father? Anyone who doesn’t agree with them? I could totally see Sam Tura turning them down big-time.”
Dan nodded. “The mayor tried to get me on board a couple of times, but I turned him down.”
Gemma coughed out the lingering taste of smoke in her throat. “I should go check on my mom.”
“Gem—”
“I’ll see you later, Dan.” Maybe while she was gone, he could spend some more time with his BFF, Mei.
**
Dan knew what John would say, so he didn’t tell him where he was going. Mei had business. Gemma was at the medical center. He hadn’t seen the mayor at all during the fire, while the rest of the town had been happy to come out to B Street and gawk at the event. Where was the mayor? Dan didn’t really want to know what the man was up to, but there had to be a way to find out.
He lifted his fist and knocked on the mayor’s front door.
It didn’t take long, but it wasn’t Collins who opened it. “Sal?”
The old Italian lifted his chin. “Pastor.”
“The mayor in?” Dan needed to ask John if he had Sal Cordova on the list of the mayor’s associates. People usually only called him “pastor” when they wanted to put distance between them. Which usually meant they felt guilty about something.
Sal stepped back and held the door open. Dan stepped inside. The mayor’s house was considerably newer and twice as big as the rest of the town’s residences. He’d heard the man paid for it himself. That was nice of him, to show everyone he had more money than them.
The inside was no different, though the cleaning lady hadn’t been by in a while.
“Living room.” Sal passed him in the hall and went to the back, where the kitchen was.
“Dan.” The mayor sat on his couch, the lingering odor of a cigar in the air.
“Mind if I sit?”
“Suit yourself.”
Dan was still covered in dirt from his farm, but he took a load off on the mayor’s white suede couch. “Thank you. How are you, Collins?”
“Truth be told, Pastor, I’m taking Antonia’s death hard.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” That was what he was going with, grief? Dan didn’t buy it one bit. The mayor had shown up right when Terrence had Gemma in that alley, and that had been only shortly after Antonia’s death. He hadn’t been grieving then, and Dan didn’t buy it that the mayor hadn’t known. The man probably ordered her death himself.
The mayor sighed. “The sheriff is too busy to find her killer. I find the man’s work ethic questionable, and his ability to solve my wife’s murder left me with no doubt he’d take his time solving Antonia’s.”
Dan listened to him rant longer. John had just had a baby, which meant he was completely at liberty to take a few days off. But he wasn’t. Still, if Dan straight out said he agreed, Collins would never buy it. He had to go slow with this, introduce the idea of being sympathetic slowly so that Collins didn’t get spooked.
The mayor nodded. “That’s why I’m moving to have him removed from his position as sheriff.”
“Really?” Dan couldn’t over-sell his surprise even though John had told them about the mayor going to the committee. The mayor would be on his guard, watching Dan’s reactions. “Who will replace him? Mei?”
The mayor snorted. “The Chinese girl is even less qualified than he is. I don’t think she’ll even be allowed to remain here as a resident after the sheriff is fired. Mei—whatever her last name is—will be another person on a list I’ve compiled whom I will be talking to the committee about. There are undesirable types in this town, and we cannot possibly have harmony if we allow them to remain.”
Dan nodded slowly. “I understand wanting to clean up this town. It should be a place of harmony and cooperation.”
“Oh, it will be.”
“How can you be so sure? People are notoriously unpredictable. You can’t expect them to simply fall in line with whatever you say.” Dan paused. “And you are retiring as mayor, are you not?”
“The phase Sanctuary is moving into, we won’t need a mayor. Maybe we won’t even need a pa
stor.” He sneered, which might have been meant to be a smile. It didn’t work.
Dan had heard that before. People were fine, they didn’t need religion. Dan didn’t need religion, either—a set of rules to follow, and if they were completed righteousness could be obtained? He could never do it, and the reality was that no one on earth could because they were all flawed. Jesus was the only way any of them could have everything they needed to cope with this life, and the only way for hope of a life beyond it.
“The thing you need to be most concerned about is where you will fit in this new town. Will there be a place for you, or will you be one of those ‘undesirables’ who are removed.”
“Was Antonia one of those?”
The mayor dredged up a sad look and shook his head. “Loss of life is never part of the plan. There has been too much death in this town already.” His lips curled into a small smile. “As much as you can, live peaceably with all men. Isn’t that right?”
Dan nodded. “It’s from Romans. And I’m glad you feel that way, it’s good to hear your intentions when there’s so much conjecture flowing around town. People who dislike the way things are, pointing fingers at others, and blaming them for what is happening in town.”
The mayor most of all. He’d hated John for a long time, probably since he showed up, but definitely since the mayor’s wife was killed. The death had nothing to do with John, and he and Andra figured out who the killer was.
Then there was the other side, what he and his friends had been doing. They’d been quick to blame many things on the mayor, and mostly without cause. Before Dan came to this house he’d have wondered whether the mayor was going to do anything, but now it was clear. From what he’d said, it sounded like the man was planning a coup. Planning to take over the town—by force—and run out those he didn’t think were worthy to live there.
“My father taught me many things,” Dan said. It was going to be difficult to get the mayor to trust him without lying, but he had to find out details of what was going down. Antonia had died, and John would flip his lid if he found out Dan was putting himself in danger this way, but this was for Sanctuary.
His father’s prison.
Their home.
“One of the things my father taught me, was that the town should be here to provide what we need. I don’t think everyone feels that way. Some are simply… bottom-feeders who think Sanctuary, or witness protection, will provide them with the life they want.” Dan chuckled. It sounded totally forced, but it was too late to back down now. “Sanctuary isn’t here for them. It’s here for those of us who want to see it succeed, who want to make it better.”
“Exactly. And who will show them the error of their thinking?” The mayor motioned to Dan with his index finger. “I’ve long thought you should use that pulpit of yours for something more useful than talking about an old book. Stir people up! Help the town become better! There is so much you could do with the voice you have, Daniel. People trust you. They look to you for leadership.”
“They do,” Dan said. “And I think I need to consider ways I can utilize that to its maximum. Ways I can be on the ground, on the front lines, and really be effective.” Dan was about to choke on his own baloney. He kept going anyway. “I’ve been thinking about your mayor position, but with what you said, I’m not sure that’s the way to go now. You mentioned us not needing a mayor. Who will lead the town? I’d like to support whoever it is. To really come alongside them and encourage them as they take the reins.” Dan lifted both fists in front of him for emphasis.
The mayor nodded slowly. “I think you might be a great resource, Daniel. Though in the past you’ve been misguided in terms of who you chose to impart your knowledge upon. Those you chose to help have been the less-fortunate, the ones struggling within the town. I can see how you would encourage them to make the most of their lives here, but we need a statement. I for one cannot live in a town where the sheriff allows people to be assaulted and lets the culprit go scot-free.”
Dan nodded. “I’m so sorry that happened to you. Ben Mason is an unsavory character.” That was enough of the truth he was able to sell it. “Anyone who commits a crime should pay the penalty and not go free because of any kind of nepotism. That’s not right.”
“It’s good you think that. It will serve you well in the coming days.”
“Days? So it won’t be long, then?”
“Not long at all.” The mayor’s face lit up. “In fact, I got word just this morning that we will be moving to the next phase momentarily. It’s going to be very exciting, and the new direction the town is taking will be undeniable.”
“I see. Is there anything I can do to…prepare?”
“There is, actually.” The mayor glanced once at the hallway, and then said, “You might want to think about keeping that deputy sheriff away from your house.”
Chapter 21
Gemma sat beside her mom’s bed. She still wore the oxygen mask, but she kept taking it off to talk. “It was for me.”
Elliot hadn’t given her anything but oxygen, but Janice sounded loopy anyway. “What was for you, Mom?”
“The music. Every song was mine. He played them all for me.”
Shelby tapped lightly on the doorframe.
Gemma got up and went to her. “Is she okay? She’s talking crazy.”
Shelby glanced at the bed for a moment. “She had a traumatic experience. It could be she’s still in shock, and she’s processing what happened to her.”
“By talking crazy?”
Shelby set her hand on Gemma’s shoulder. “Allow her mind to work through this. To run its course so she can get to a place of peace and healing.”
“Okay.” Gemma ran her fingers through her hair and tried to shake off the feeling, but it didn’t help. What was Dan doing now? He’d left the scene of the fire so fast she hadn’t been able to ask him where he was going. And why was it any of her business? They were broken up.
Her head was a mess. She wanted him with her, but she didn’t want to talk to him. She wanted to know where he was, mostly so she could make sure he felt as miserable as she did. He hadn’t looked like he was having a bad day. At least no more than usual. And what had he been doing with Mei anyway?
“Are you okay?”
Gemma shot her friend a look. “No. I’m really not.” She took a step back because she didn’t want to talk about it. “I’m going to sit with my mom some more.”
Shelby might have stood there for a minute, watching, but Gemma didn’t check. She sat where she couldn’t see the door and held her mom’s hand. “I’m sorry I moved out. I should have stayed.”
Since she’d been gone her mom had lost Hal, and now she’d been hurt in her home, tied under a table that was set on fire. Gemma should never have left, but she’d been so excited to get out on her own. It had taken years to decide she needed her own space. She’d never needed it before, and she’d been happy in her mom’s house. They’d both had their own lives, but Gemma felt like they should stick together. Then suddenly it was just time. Things were quiet, and Gemma had wanted her own home that she could put her personal stamp on.
Days later Hal was dead. Her mom was devastated, and Gemma still hadn’t unpacked all of her boxes.
She took her mom’s hand. “I think maybe I should move back in.”
Janice blinked. “That would be nice. I miss you.”
“I miss you, too.” Gemma studied her mom’s face. The lines and creases. Had she always looked so old, or had the last few weeks of being so alone aged her? Janice had always been so active, working outside on Dan’s farm. After retirement she’d helped out around town, and even helped Gemma landscape the library. Her mom had a healthy tan all the time and often smelled like dirt.
“I miss Hal.”
“Tell me about him.”
Janice smiled. “He loved me. But no one could know, no one could ever find out. Bill would know that Hal had a daughter. We were too much of a risk.”
And yet
he kept them both close. Her parents had spent years apart, never being a real family. She couldn’t imagine what that would feel like now. All so a madman-murder never found out Hal had a weakness.
So instead of them, Bill Jones had simply tormented his own family. He’d tormented Dan.
Gemma sighed. “I know all this, Mom. Tell me what Hal was like. The good stuff.”
“Every song he played on the radio was for me. Every flower I planted was for him. I wanted to write notes, but he didn’t allow it. I wanted to go to the woods for the weekend, but he said it was too risky. He watched, he reported. He kept track of the CIA agents they brought down, and they were looking for us. A couple died. Cancer, a car accident. The rest never found us, though we’d get word every once in a while that they’d asked around. But none of them ever made a move on Sanctuary.”
“Thank you for helping to keep us safe, Mom. I know what it feels like not having what you want. To have to watch other people have it while you stay on the sidelines in your own life. If he was here, I’d want to thank Hal, too.”
Janice nodded. “You always were a good girl. Hal said that.”
Gemma smiled. She squeezed her mom’s hand.
“Bill said the same thing.”
Gemma froze. She didn’t want to talk about this.
But her mom continued, “I tried to look in his eyes, to figure out what he was talking about, but I couldn’t read it. I thought he might have worked it out, that you were Hal’s daughter. He never met me in Vietnam, and Hal and I were never together in town except in secret. But maybe he’d figured it out.”
Gemma clenched her stomach. “He shoved me against a wall. Pushed me around, said horrible things. But that was it.” It had taken her this long, and the perspective of an adult, to be able to say that. As a child she’d been traumatized. He’d seemed so much bigger than her.
“All because you stood up for Dan?”
Gemma nodded. She’d had good intentions, and God had saved her from something that could have been so much more horrific. But she’d never told Dan about it, and she wasn’t going to. It wouldn’t help.
Sanctuary Forever WITSEC Town Series Book 5 Page 23
