by Hunt, Jack
“What’s the matter?” Evan said coming around the corner and almost colliding with him.
He grabbed a hold of him. “Where’s your mother?”
Rayna was holding a dishcloth in her hand. “I’m here, Elliot.”
“What’s up? What happened?”
“Nothing.”
His brow furrowed. “What?”
“Nothing’s the matter. Why?”
He shifted his weight from one foot to the next. “But I got a message over the radio from Jill saying I needed to head back to the house and talk to you. That it was urgent.”
Rayna took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
He could tell something was bothering her. “Rayna, is everything okay?”
“Lily, Evan, can you head upstairs and take Kong with you? I need to chat with your father.”
They wandered off, Lily cast a glance over her shoulder and Kong bounded up the stairs. Rayna headed into the kitchen and he followed her in. She went over to the sink where she had a bowl full of water and was in the middle of washing some dishes. She tossed the cloth over her shoulder and leaned back against the counter.
“Why do I get a sense I’m not gonna like this?”
“You need to promise me that you’ll listen, and won’t lose your cool. I can’t have that. The situation is complicated enough as it is. I need you to hear me out.”
Elliot nodded. “Whatever it is, it can’t be as bad as what I put you through.”
He took a seat at the kitchen table and Rayna squeezed her eyes shut then took a deep breath. “How do I put this?” She shook her head as if searching for the words. She brought a hand up to her face and squeezed the bridge of her nose.
“After you left for New York, I had no idea where you’d gone. No one did. By the evening I phoned Gary to ask if they would search the town because I figured you were suicidal and maybe you’d hurt yourself.” She took another breath. “As the days went on and you never returned, I didn’t know what to think. I was struggling to cope, wondering if it was my fault. The kids were completely devastated.”
Elliot dropped his chin. When he left, he was in a very dark place. Although he had given much thought to how they would cope, he didn’t really know how hard it was for them.
“I’m sorry, Rayna.”
“You don’t need to be. It’s in the past. I get it. You were struggling with PTSD and didn’t want to put us through it.”
“Then what is it?”
“In those first few months after you were gone Gary and Jill were like my lifeline. I honestly don’t think I would have managed if it wasn’t for them. They invited us to dinner. They visited often. Gary helped out around the house with odd jobs.”
He smiled. That was the one reason why he felt at ease while in New York. He knew they would come to her aid. They were honest, good people and…
As he was thinking that, Rayna started heading down a path that was beginning to sound like something he didn’t want to hear.
“Then one thing led to another and…” She blew out her cheeks and looked at him. “I didn’t cheat on you while you were away, but Gary came on to me.”
Elliot screwed up his face. “What?”
“Like I said. They visited. However, Gary started visiting more often than Jill. He had dinner here one night and had a little too much to drink and made a pass at me.”
“And?”
“I pushed him back. Told him I wasn’t interested.”
He nodded. Good. At least she had stayed faithful. He didn’t like it and he was going to have words with Gary for sure, but he understood why Gary might have done it. Rayna was a beautiful woman and long before Gary met Jill, Elliot was aware that he’d liked Rayna. He’d seen the looks he’d given her. The way he changed when he was around her. An attractive woman could do that to a man. As he chewed it over in his mind, he couldn’t help wonder why she hadn’t told him sooner. Why had it taken a message from Jill to bring up the topic?
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“What do you think? I was scared you’d misunderstand. You’ve only been back a couple of weeks. I would have eventually told you.”
“Would you? Then why did Jill contact me and not you?”
“Isn’t it obvious? She’s angry at me because she thinks I seduced her husband.”
“And why would she think that, if you told her what you’ve told me?”
Rayna dropped her chin, and he continued.
“What are you not telling me, Rayna? Did you sleep with him?”
“No, but one night I had a little too much to drink, and I didn’t push him away when he kissed me. I mean, eventually I did, but I lingered in it.”
Elliot tapped his fingers against the table beating out a gentle rhythm.
“Do you feel anything for him?”
“God, no. I told him I didn’t want him coming around again unless he was with Jill.”
“And has he?”
“No. He’s stayed away.”
He breathed in deeply and rose to his feet. “I should get going.”
“Elliot. I didn’t flirt with him. Hell, I didn’t even want it to go as far as a kiss. It just happened. Please. Stay.”
“I have to go.”
“But the kids.”
He suddenly realized what she was thinking. He thumbed over his shoulder. “I told Gary I would meet him at the department.”
“So… you’re not leaving Lake Placid?”
He chuckled. “No. I promised you I wouldn’t leave again, and I meant it.”
She got this confused expression on her face. “Aren’t you mad?”
He sighed. “Were you, when I returned?”
She shrugged. “I was processing.”
“And so am I,” he said before turning and walking out. She followed him as he got back into the Jeep.
“Are you going to say anything to Gary?”
“We’ll exchange words.”
“That’s all you’ll exchange, though, right?”
Elliot scoffed. “Can’t guarantee that.”
He fired up the Jeep, and he put it in reverse and started backing out. He looked at her one more time before driving off. She looked worried, but she didn’t need to be. The fact was he was surprised she’d even taken him back. Twelve months was a long time to be away, and he had half expected to find her seeing another man, if only because she thought he was dead. He gripped the wheel tightly as he made his way to the town hall. Was he mad? He wouldn’t have been human if he didn’t feel a little burned by his own friend but in light of what he knew about Gary, he would have been lying to say that the thought of him and Rayna getting close hadn’t crossed his mind. At one time he might have blown his top and confronted Gary but that was before New York and before he came to understand the fragility of life.
When he arrived at the town hall he walked in with his mind full of questions.
“Hey Elliot!” Jackson said.
“Please tell me you are not back to your regular duties.”
“Hospital released me an hour ago. I don’t have anything else to do so I might as well be down here helping out.”
“You’re a better man than I am,” he said jabbing his finger at him. “Where’s Gary?”
“In the mayor’s office with the chief.”
He gave a nod and wandered down the hall. The door was closed but he could hear a heated exchange inside. He gave a knock and Gary opened the door.
“Oh hey Elliot, come on in.”
Elliot looked at his old friend through new eyes. There was a part of him that wanted to take a swing and let him know that he knew about his transgression, but he didn’t think this was the time or the place. He closed the door behind him. Chief Murphy was sitting in a chair off to the far side with a toothpick in his hand; he gave a nod and turned back to Mayor Hammond.
“Anyway, as I was saying, I think it’s important we start to consider new forms of punishment,” Ted said.
“Jail isn�
�t enough?” Gary asked.
“Have you seen it lately? It’s practically bursting at the seams. We’re not set up to handle this level of criminal behavior. Most of these guys would have already been carted off to county by now.”
“So we expand it.”
“And who’s going to monitor them?” Ted asked.
“You. It’s not like you’re doing anything else around here.”
“Watch it. I’m still the chief.”
“Assistant,” Gary said, quick to correct him.
“Wayland has gone, so the baton has been passed to me.”
Gary sneered. “Yeah, isn’t that convenient.”
Elliot’s eyes darted between them. He stood by as an observer while still mulling over what Rayna had told him.
Ted scowled. “I’m not sure I like your tone.”
Gary waved him off like he was nothing more than an annoying fly.
“Gentlemen. Please. This isn’t getting us anywhere. We are here to discuss how to move forward, and the recent murders.”
“We are wasting our time. What is done is done,” Ted said, picking at his teeth.
“Ted, please, allow Gary to answer,” Hammond said.
“Thank you,” Gary said glaring at Ted. He brought him up to speed on what had occurred so far with the return of Jackson, what both he and Elliot had heard outside the home before they raided it and the capture and death of Keith. He then added that he felt that a committee needed to be assigned to make the decisions on who in the community would step into the role of officers.
“We don’t need a committee to decide that,” Ted said. “I’ve already compiled a list of those who I believe would be best suited.”
“Really? I’d like to see that.”
Ted fished out of his internal pocket a folded piece of paper. Gary took it and scanned the list before handing it to Hammond.
“Um, that’s interesting. What happened to the list of names from the town hall meeting the other night? I heard there were some good people ready to help.”
“They might have been good, but they weren’t suited.”
“And what criteria are you using to decide that?”
“Don’t you worry about it, Gary. We’ve got this under control.”
“Oh I bet you do.” He eyed him and the tension in the room thickened.
“Look, it doesn’t matter who is helping just as long as we have enough people to man the checkpoints around the town, protect supplies and hunt for food,” Hammond added.
“It does matter,” Elliot piped up. “You go placing firearms into the wrong hands and you’re just asking for trouble.”
“That’s why I personally compiled this list,” Ted said.
“Mind if I take a look?” Elliot asked. The mayor gave it to him and he scanned it while Gary and Red continued to bicker about forms of punishment for those caught stealing, murdering or rape. Elliot handed the list back to Ted.
“Satisfied?” Hammond asked.
He shrugged. “I guess we’ll see.”
He didn’t know them all but the ones he did weren’t known for creating trouble in town. They were honest, hard-working folk who either had some military training or were avid hunters.
“Are they aware there will be no perks for helping?” Gary asked.
“Yes and no,” Ted said. “Those who are going to hunt for food, like James Bolton and his pals, are going to want a larger cut.”
“Well that’s not going to happen,” Gary said immediately.
“It will if you want to eat.”
“We’ll find our own food,” Elliot said.
“Not around these parts you won’t,” Ted replied. “We can’t just have anyone out there killing wildlife otherwise we’ll run into the same situation of dwindling supplies.”
Elliot chuckled and shook his head.
“Something amusing?”
“Yeah. You’ve got big ideas but not enough people to enforce them. Hell, you can’t even deal with the situation in your own backyard.”
Ted scowled. “First, we will do whatever is required, second, why are you even in here?”
“Because I invited him,” Gary said. “While you’ve been agonizing over this list, we’ve actually been out there risking our necks.”
Hammond cleared his throat and leaned forward. “Ted, he does raise a valid point. We’re not going to be able to stop people from hunting and trapping.”
“We will if they want to remain residents of Lake Placid.”
Gary turned to him. “I’m sorry but I can’t keep a straight face while you’re talking. Are you implying that you will kick them out of town if they don’t abide by your rules of hunting?”
“Like I said. We need to look at new forms of punishment. And until help shows—”
“Help isn’t going to show,” Elliot said.
Ted ignored him like he wasn’t even in the room. “Until help shows we are still the law in this town and that means we will do whatever is necessary to uphold it.”
Gary chuckled. “Well then, let’s hear it. What are your ideas for this new form of punishment?”
“It will be judged on a case-by-case basis.”
“Well surely you’ve given it some thought?” Gary was having a dig at him.
He shook his head and looked back at the mayor. “All I’m saying is that in order for us to survive, we need to make some hard decisions. There are only so many mouths we can feed.”
“That’s why it’s important folks should be allowed to hunt,” Elliot added.
“Yeah? And what happens when you get one family who decides to kill more than their share? Huh? Sure they will be fine but what about the family that doesn’t hunt?”
“So we teach them,” Elliot replied.
“It’s not happening. Once I have these men and women as officers the first order of business is to remove anyone who is not from the town of Lake Placid.”
“You can’t do that.”
“I can and I will. It’s no different from what we are doing already at the blockades. We are preventing anyone from outside coming in and adding to the strain we are under. Now folks who are not from this town, I’m speaking about tourists or out-of-town family, have a home somewhere. We’ll give them enough food and then send them on their way.”
“You are going to incite a riot,” Gary said.
“That’s why my list is important. We’ll be ready.”
Gary shook his head and put a hand on his hip. “This is bullshit.”
“It’s only bullshit because you’re not calling the shots,” he replied. “And if you were, we’d be in a worse state.”
“Yeah? How so?”
“I’m not even going to dignify that with a response. It’s probably best you stay out of this,” Ted replied.
Gary walked over to him and Ted stood up.
“You better stand down,” Ted said.
“Or what?”
Hammond raised a hand. “Okay, okay, let’s not blow this out of proportion.”
Elliot tugged at Gary’s arm to get him to drop it. There was no point getting into a fight. It would have only given Ted a reason to cause further trouble later. The tension between them was already close to exploding.
“No, I’d be interested in knowing what you expected me to do with Keith.”
“It’s pretty obvious. He kidnapped a member of the department.”
“Are you suggesting that I should have killed him?”
Ted stared back at him then looked at Hammond. “We are living in different days now. We don’t have the manpower to look after criminals and we certainly aren’t going to release them.”
He wouldn’t come out with it and say it, but it was pretty clear what his new forms of punishment would include. Now as much as Elliot didn’t agree with him on certain points related to hunting, he was all for disposing of those who could and would threaten the survival of residents.
Mayor Hammond sighed and put his head in his hand. “Unfort
unately, Gary, Ted has a point. We just don’t have the manpower to watch over criminals and if we release them, we could be placing the lives of others in jeopardy.”
“You’re out of your mind,” Gary said. “We are not animals.”
He glanced at Elliot. “Tell them, Elliot. Tell them that this is not how we do things.”
Gary was expecting him to back him up, but he couldn’t. It wasn’t because of what Rayna had told him or that he even liked Ted. It was common sense and common sense had to be the guiding factor in making decisions. When he didn’t respond, Gary looked at him and shook his head. “No. This is not right. I say we bring this decision to a group. And they can be the ones that make that decision.”
Hammond tapped his cigar ash in a tray in front of him and leaned forward.
“We did,” Hammond said. “You’re looking at it.”
Chapter 18
When Magnus and the others returned, Cole was pleasantly surprised to see they weren’t alone. There was a group of six with them, of course he assumed they weren’t there of their own accord. The door swung open and men and women streamed into the room. Ages varied from late teens to mid-thirties. A mixed rabble who looked curious.
“Welcome. Welcome. Welcome,” Cole said greeting them like he was about to give a presentation. Behind them Sawyer, Tyron and Magnus walked in. Magnus was quick to make his point.
“See. I told you my way works.”
Cole wasn’t going to have a pissing match with him. Time was of the essence and now that he had an audience, he planned on playing to it. But before doing so, he shared with Magnus what Maggie had told him.
Magnus scoffed. “Well, I’ll be. You found out?”
“Yep. It just requires the right kind of persuasion.”
He eyed all three of them. This was what he needed. Something to gain their trust back and let them see that following him made sense. It was a straight-up power play.
“So who was it?”
Cole sniffed. “A man by the name of Elliot Wilson. He lives on the same street as your cousins. He was defending his family.”
Magnus was speechless. His mouth turned at the corner.
