by Wendy Vella
“TJ.”
“Sheriff.” Cubby strolled past in uniform.
He'd been digging, but had come up with no news on who had fired those shots at him and Macy. Brad and Ethan had a theory, and that included someone being left behind when those two helicopters had left.
“Psst, TJ!”
Brad looked for the owner of that voice and found Billy's head poking out of a door just a few feet from where he stood. Checking Macy’s eyes were somewhere else, he casually walked closer.
“What's up, bud?”
“I'm getting a dog.”
“Yeah, that's pretty cool.”
The boy's face was alive with excitement, his small body moving from foot to foot.
“I'm gonna name him Razzle.”
“You don't want to see him first?”
Billy shook his head, and the determined expression on his face was so Macy.
“It's one of Mac's pups. I get to pick the one I want tomorrow. You want to come with me?”
He didn't, because that would put him up close and personal with Macy again, but how could he refuse that face?
“Ah, sure, if you think it'll be okay with your mom.”
“Yeah, she likes you.”
He did not feel good about that fact, Brad told himself.
“So, Razzle. Where'd that name come from?”
“A book at daycare. The boy had a dog called Razzle Dazzle, and I like it.”
“No other explanation needed then. Razzle is the perfect name, and you can call him Razz on the day's he's annoying you.”
Billy laughed, more a snuffle, as it was muffled by his hand.
“You meant to be in there doing something?”
“Drawing and stuff, and Aunty Milly says if I behave she's buying me a treat on the way home.”
“Aunt Milly?”
“I think Uncle Ethan calls her Militant,” Billy said slowly, his eyes serious. “But she's real nice to me.”
“Of course she is, because let's face it, you're a suck-up, and a good one. So pretty much everyone loves you.”
Billy snuffled again.
“I probably shouldn't have said suck-up, so let's keep that between us, okay.”
“’Kay.”
Aunty Milly? Brad couldn't wait to tell Ethan that one, and maybe pass on to his big brother that the boy seemed to like the town grouch, so maybe pull back on the insults when he was in hearing range.
“Okay, buddy, time for you to haul a—butt back in there, and no listening at the door, okay?”
“’Kay.”
Newman arrived looking nothing like the man Brad knew. Gone was the messy hair and old clothes, replaced by chinos, a dress shirt, and loafers. He looked smooth and controlled, and just what was needed to calm the people who were buzzing with the news of what was proposed for the Buchanan land.
“If I could have your attention, please.”
Soon Cubby had everyone settled down to listen.
“I'm sure the town grapevine has been working, and you all know why we're here, and what's at stake, so I'll hand this over to Newman now to outline what we know, which isn't much at this early stage, but we're working on it.”
Brad listened as Newman spoke, then Annabelle. They explained about what was proposed, and that they were unsure as yet what the will of the late Mr. Buchanan stated, but if it did not request the land be used for a reserve, the bottom line was likely the Falkirk Consortium could win this fight and end up doing whatever the hell they wanted.
People asked questions, and the discussion continued in a surprisingly orderly fashion.
“It’s my understanding this entire thing is spearheaded by the father of Ethan and Brad Gelderman, and that he’s a Texan billionaire.”
Brad straightened from his slouch to see who’d said that, and found a man he didn’t recognize. Finding Ethan seated beside Jake, he met his eyes briefly, and his brother shrugged, indicating he didn’t know the man’s identity either. They’d known this would get out, now he guessed they would see how the town would react.
“Yes. EG Gelderman is the head of the Falkirk Consortium,” Newman said.
“How do we know they’re not involved in this? How do we know they didn’t lead him here?”
Cubby grabbed Annabelle as she lunged at the microphone, anchoring her in place at his side with an arm around her waist.
“Not sure why they would, seeing as one of them has made his home here. Seems you have a lot of information, sir. Care to tell us how you came by it?” Newman’s voice was calm and even.
“It’s not important how I came by it, only that I did.”
Brad had wondered if his father would find out about this meeting and send in people to stir up some trouble. Seems he had and did.
“Will you give us your name, sir? Being raised here among these fine people, I know most faces, but yours eludes me.”
Brad switched his eyes to the man in time to see color flush his face.
“I live out of town, but it concerns me, and I have a right to ask the question without revealing my identity.”
“Would you mind telling us how far out of town you live, or is that information also classified?”
The man mumbled something that no one caught.
“Speak up, man, if you’ve something to say!” Walt Heath was on his feet now, glaring at the man.
“If you’re being accusatory then back it up by telling us who the hell you are!” Mac from the general store stood also. “Sounds to me like you’re all air and no substance.”
“His eyes are too close together, I don’t trust him.”
Brad heard the rumble of laughter ripple through the crowd as an elderly woman he had seen about town spoke.
“He’s got a shifty look about him.”
“I’m just stating the facts. You all should be pleased I’m sharing them with you.”
The man looked uncomfortable now.
“We know the facts.” Patrick McBride, Jake’s father, got to his feet. “This is a small town, and we make it our business to know everything that is a threat toward our existence. I’ll add to that by saying that Ethan and Brad are trustworthy men who don’t deserve your insinuations.”
Brad had spoken to the man twice, and only briefly, but he’d been added to the trustworthy tag. It was humbling to be accepted, even if it was because of his brother.
“Maybe I could clear this up.” Jake got to his feet next. “Ethan and Brad Gelderman are putting their money behind the legal costs to fight this, so from where I’m sitting, that means they’re on our side. Anyone who has a problem with them, say so now.”
Brad looked around the church, but no one spoke, and most were glaring at the man who had raised the subject of his and Ethan’s loyalties. His eyes moved to the door as two men in suits entered. Average height, hair neat, suits dark and immaculate. Lawyers, was his guess.
“Who are you?” Annabelle said the words into the microphone, which she’d managed to wrestle out of Newman’s hands. Her words made everyone who hadn't seen the men enter turn in their seats.
The two men looked surprised that she'd addressed them; no one else was. Brad had only been here a short time, but he had come to realize Annabelle never took a backward step. If his sister-in-law had something to say, she said it, and he found himself liking her very much.
“I said,” Annabelle spoke again, this time sounding seriously pissed, “who are you?”
The men had remained just inside the doorway, and Brad had a feeling he knew just who they were and why they were there. He also knew who'd sent them.
“My name is Mr. Alexander, and this is Mr. Ryan. We are lawyers for the Falkirk Consortium, and have come here to clear up any misunderstandings that may have arisen over the upcoming development proposal.”
The sudden silence in the room was complete, and then Cubby grabbed the microphone from Annabelle. Brad smiled as she snarled at him.
“I have a question for you, Mr. Alexander.”
“Of course, Sheriff, ask me anything.”
Brad shifted his weight to his other hip. This was about to get interesting.
“Is shooting at unarmed people and forcing them flee for their lives part of your upcoming development plan?”
The man had not expected that, but like any good lawyer he rallied fast.
“I'm sorry, Sheriff, I don't understand the question?”
In fairness, he probably didn't, as Brad doubted the man knew any of what had transpired on Buchanan land that day. Or maybe he did, but hadn't instigated it. Whatever, he was now one of the bad guys, and if the wave of anger rolling through the church was any indication, they were about to become very uncomfortable.
“Two of my people were shot at the day they flew out to look at the Buchanan land. Upon landing they were confronted by members of the Falkirk Consortium and Nadine Buchanan. Heated words were exchanged, and then your people supposedly flew away in two helicopters. The shootings started after that, and it’s a natural conclusion, don't you think, that the shooter could have been someone who stayed behind?”
Both men appeared calm in the face of the swell of fury travelling through the church.
“That’s speculation, Sheriff, and I vehemently deny any involvement from my clients. It is my understanding after speaking with them that all members of the Falkirk party left the scene after their discussion with your people.”
Cubby’s look wasn’t a pleasant one, and Brad got his first glimpse of the man who served and protected his town. A town that it seemed he was now classed as part of. It was a nice feeling, Brad had to admit, to belong somewhere, even if he would be leaving soon.
“It's my belief someone stayed behind, Mr. Alexander, and then got picked up later.”
“Do you have proof to back these wild allegations up, Sheriff?”
This time it was Mr. Ryan who spoke. His voice was equally as slick and calm. Brad liked him even less than Mr. Alexander. He had that smug look of a person who believed himself better than most.
“None,” the sheriff said, “but then I'm still looking, and I'm sure I'll get round to the point I want to reach in time.”
The locals nodded to back their sheriff up, and a few even voiced their agreement.
“He's thorough.”
“The best there is, so don't go underestimating our sheriff.”
Cubby kept his expression calm, and beside him Newman was smiling at the show of support. Annabelle was still snarling.
“Well, perhaps when you have we can continue this discussion. For now I suggest we shelve that matter, as I'm equally sure that given time, it will be cleared up as a misunderstanding.”
“How do you figure that?” Brad drawled, pushing off the wall. “Seeing as I was one of the people shot at, I'll clear up that little misunderstanding for you right now.”
All eyes switched to him. He found Macy briefly, and she gave him a smile of encouragement, following it up with a nod for him to continue.
“Come on out here, Miss Reynolds.” He held out a hand to her as he made his way to the front.
“Oh—I….”
He'd put her on the spot, but if he did one thing before he left Howling, it was to show her she was stronger than she believed.
“Come on, honey.” He kept his eyes on hers as she made her way into the aisle, and then up to stand beside him. Brad rested a hand on her shoulder, and felt the tension in her lovely body.
“Miss Reynolds was the other person shot at. Tell these gentlemen what happened, Macy?”
“I thought you would,” she whispered.
“You got this,” he whispered back. “You're strong, remember?”
Her shoulders shot back with his words, and she drew in a breath.
“Mr. Gelderman had just left in his helicopter to pick up the other members of our party, and this Mr. Gelderman”—she pointed at Brad—“and I were waiting, when the first bullet was fired.”
Actually, what they were doing was making out, but he kept that nice little memory to himself.
“We ran and tried to hide, but the shots kept coming, so we kept running until eventually we managed to hide, until the other Mr. Gelderman could fly his helicopter back and pick us up.”
“I'm sure there's a perfectly good—”
“Don't you push this aside,” Macy yelled down the church, and Brad saw the looks of surprise on faces in the crowd, and especially Macy's friends. They weren’t used to loud displays of emotion from her. “I was terrified, damn you! I feared for our lives, and I've been in that place before, and vowed never to do so again.” She was into it now. Eyes blazing, body twitching. “I was never in doubt someone wanted to harm us.”
“The incidents may not be related, Miss Reynolds.”
“Quite some coincidence wouldn't you say, considering we were just threatened by your consortium.”
“Miss Reynolds,” Mr. Ryan said in a tone that had Brad’s hackles rising. “My understanding is that in fact you were aggressive to Miss Buchanan, who was one of the party on Buchanan land that day. I was told your attack was vicious and unprovoked, your behavior bordering on crazed. Miss Buchanan received significant damage to her cheek. She is at present considering pressing charges, but has conceded that in light of your past—”
“Oh hell no!”
The anger was so fast it took Brad’s breath away. In seconds he'd left Macy's side and was stalking down the aisle before anyone could stop him.
“Brad!”
He heard Ethan's roar, then the thunder of feet, but Mr. Ryan had obviously seen the rage in his face and was backing toward the door.
“This will not help.” His brother's hand grabbed his arm, and then he felt someone else take the other one.
“We don't want any more trouble with this, Brad.”
He stopped a foot from the lawyer and shook his arms free.
“Get out of this town before I personally escort you, and if you try any more of that bullshit with Macy, I'll rip your head from your shoulders.”
“Y-you can't threaten me. I'll have you arrested.”
Mr. Ryan's eyes weren't quite so smug now.
“Sheriff, this man threatened me, I insist you do something about it.”
“Do you have proof to back these wild allegations up, Mr. Ryan? Because from where I'm standing, which incidentally is right here before you, with most of the town of Howling at my back, I'd say you'd be wrong. I have at least fifty people, possibly a great deal more, who would stand up in court and agree with me.”
Brad was now sandwiched between Jake and Ethan. He battled down his anger by breathing slowly in and out. What the hell was the matter with him? He didn't lose control like that. In fact, he hadn’t done so since the day he left home. He’d vowed then that anger was not the way to settle things.
“I think we all need to take a breath and get back to the issue at hand here, Sheriff, don't you?”
“Sounds an idea to me, Mr. Alexander. How about you, TJ?”
Brad nodded.
“Sorry. I don’t like people shooting at me, or issuing baseless threats to my friends.” It was the best he could come up with, but it seemed to work as Brad watched Mr. Ryan nod quickly.
“I accept your apology, Mr. Gelderman.”
“I d—” Brad grunted as Jake elbowed him in the ribs. “Sure, whatever,” he added.
“Okay, I think we'll shelve further discussion for another night. You lawyers head on back to the Hoot, as I'm sure that's where you are staying.” Cubby moved in front of Brad. “And my advice is you leave town in the morning, and in future you run all visits and correspondence through my office.”
“But that’s ridiculous,” Mr. Ryan spluttered. “We don’t have to have permission to gain access to this town.”
“No, you don’t, but my advice is it will go easier for you if you do.”
The lawyers decided to leave then, after a rumble of agreement swept through the church.
“Okay, folks, le
t's call it a night, and we’ll schedule another meeting when we have more details. If any of you want to come on board and think you can help in any way, let me know.”
Brad moved to one side with Ethan and Jake as the people started to file out.
“Nice work, brother.”
“The man was a dickhead.”
“Sure, but we’ve both seen plenty of men like him in our lifetime, and I don’t remember you reacting like that.”
“Leave it alone, Ethan.”
Thankfully he did.
“Thanks for looking after our girl.”
Everyone who passed Brad had something to say to him. It was downright off-putting. He was slapped on the back, and a few women even hugged him.
“That woman just touched my ass.” Brad shook his head.
“Gussie Neeps. Local fudge maker and yes, she's grabbed mine before now,” Jake said.
They stood and nodded and said good-bye until the only ones left in the church were Ethan, Annabelle, Macy, Newman, Cubby, Katie, Brad, and Jake.
“Our father would have sent those men here, and I'm thinking this is going to get a whole lot worse, now we know it's personal,” Ethan said. “He won't stop until he gets what he wants, and Brad and I think it's motivated by vengeance.”
“You think he'd sink some of his precious millions into a piece of land just to spite his sons?”
Brad looked at the faces before him as Newman spoke. He felt different here. Like an onion that was slowly having pieces of itself peeled back, exposing its hidden center. What he'd done, wanting to hurt that lawyer simply because he'd threatened Macy, that wasn't Brad. None of what he was feeling was.
He liked them, all of them, he realized, looking around him. They were good people, with everyday flaws and issues. But fundamentally good, and he'd never been exposed to this kind of closeness before. He had his friends now, but none of them made him feel like his chest was set on simmer.
“You know what I'm saying, Jake. EG would not have shown interest in this venture unless it was on Howling's doorstep.”
“Sure, I get that,” Newman said. “But here's the thing. If you hadn't been here, my money’s on Nadine Buchanan still wanting to sell off that land, whether it was to your father or someone else. We would still be fighting this with someone at some time.”
