Coming to Rosemont

by Barbara Hinske

  “Honestly, I don’t know why everyone keeps referring to me that way,” Maggie laughed. “I’m most certainly not a mover and shaker. I’m just a helper.”

  “Come on, Mom,” Susan said. “I never would have believed it if I hadn’t seen you in action this past week, but you are a politico. Look how you created that carnival to raise money, and now you’re managing a political campaign. I always knew you were super-organized. Mike and I used to complain about it at times, but it’s a helpful trait and now we’re just like you that way. What I never saw is how capable you are. I guess you were always in Dad’s shadow. I’m sorry that we never gave you the credit you deserved.”

  Maggie shifted in her seat and tugged at the wrap that had slipped off one shoulder. She had longed for this moment—this recognition from her children—for an eternity, and now that it was unexpectedly upon her, she was rendered speechless. She flushed with equal parts frustration at herself and pleasure at the remark.

  “And another thing,” Susan continued. “I thought that you were insane, moving to this hick backwoods county. Meaning no dis-respect, John,” she added hastily. “But I haven’t felt this engaged and involved in years. I can see why you care for these people so much. The ones I’ve met would do absolutely anything for you. I can’t wait to hear how all of this turns out. I’m going to call you daily, Mom. And if I can do anything at all from my end, you just let me know. I’m so sorry that I have to go back home on Saturday and leave you with all of this.”

  Maggie, John, and Susan were well into their main course when Frank Haynes and Russell Isaac stepped up to the bar. They were starting in on a couple of martinis when Frank noticed Maggie’s intent gaze. He nodded at her and whispered something to Isaac. Isaac reluctantly set his drink on the bar and followed Haynes to their table.

  “I wanted to come over and say hello to my favorite vet and our new political power broker. And to introduce her to our acting mayor, Russell Isaac.” Maggie, John, and Susan all stood for the round of introductions.

  “Sit, please. We don’t want to interrupt. Nice to meet the lovely daughter of our mysterious new resident,” Haynes crooned. He was curious about Susan. Another tedious career woman, no doubt. He was about to address her when Isaac spoke up.

  “I understand you’re running Alex Scanlon’s campaign,” Isaac interjected. “Fixing up Rosemont, organizing that little carnival, and now this. Quite a busy lady. Well, this campaign will give us a chance to get to know each other over the next few months. That is, if Alex can get enough signatures to get on the ballot. Just remember, I’m acting mayor, so I represent you. My door is always open if you need anything. It must be difficult for you, what with being so new to town. You probably don’t even know your way around yet.”

  “Thank you so much for coming over,” Maggie replied sweetly. “I’ve got a few things I’d like to discuss with you. I’ll take you up on your offer and come see you tomorrow. I’ve got lots of unanswered questions about this town. And its finances. As for finding my way around? Don’t worry, my GPS system takes care of that.” She raised her chin and leaned forward imperceptibly, locking him with her gaze. “I’ll see you first thing, say nine o’clock?”

  Isaac took a step back and stiffened. “I’m not sure what’s on my schedule tomorrow. Just call my secretary and she’ll set something up,” he blustered.

  Haynes shot Maggie a look of pure venom. This broad was certainly full of herself. Sensing that Isaac’s thin veneer of cordiality was about to crack, he took his candidate by the elbow. “We’d better get back and let you enjoy your dinner,” he said as he led Isaac back to the bar.

  “Good going, Mom. You stood up to that pompous twit.”

  “He may be pompous, but he’s not a twit. I just caught him off guard. He won’t underestimate me in the future,” Maggie replied. “We’ve got a fight on our hands.”

  “I think he’s got a fight on his hands,” John said. “My money is on you. And I’m here to help you in any way I can.”

  They finished the meal with lively conversation about books and movies, and the best shows on TV this season. It was late when they pulled up in front of Rosemont. Susan hugged John and thanked him for dinner, then tactfully disappeared through the front door.

  “She’s great,” John said. “And she seems happy and relaxed after this week with you. She’ll be fine. Some smart guy is going to come along and realize what he’s got in her.”

  “I hope it’s soon,” Maggie sighed. “She’s been waiting so long. I just want her to be happy.”

  Maggie and John had been drifting together as they talked. They came together in an easy kiss that quickly turned passionate. Maggie pulled away first. “I shouldn’t be standing on my front porch necking while my daughter is waiting on the other side of the door. And you’ve got an early day tomorrow. Thank you for tonight.”

  John leaned back and smiled down at her but didn’t let her go. She continued, “Susan leaves Saturday morning. Would you like to come to dinner here Saturday night?”

  “I’d love to, but why don’t I take you out? Won’t you be tired from all this campaign running you’re doing?”

  “No, I’ll be fine. I like to cook. It’s relaxing and creative. I’m planning to collect signatures at the supermarket on Saturday, so I’ll be right there to pick something up for dinner. It won’t be fancy, so don’t get your hopes up too high.”

  “Whatever you want to do works for me. And if Saturday comes and you’re tired, my offer still stands.”

  He must be the most thoughtful man on the planet, Maggie reflected as she stepped across the threshold and locked up.

  ***

  Frank Haynes’ mind was working overtime as he drove home after the encounter at Stuart’s. Russell Isaac was certainly no mental giant. Being acting mayor was going to his head. Isaac understood that he couldn’t go it alone; that he needed the support and guidance of Frank Haynes. He smiled in spite of himself. That’s exactly how I like my politicians—dumb and dependent on me. He’s expendable. I can frame him, if I have to. Just like Wheeler.

  A bigger problem was Maggie Martin or, more accurately, her ownership of Rosemont. He was surprised to see her with John Allen. The vet was one of the few people in Westbury that Haynes liked and respected. He’s certainly wasted no time in courting the wealthy new widow in town, he thought. Not that John would be dating her—if that were even what they were doing—because of her money. The vet was too honorable for that. Well, let him have her. He didn’t want another woman in his life, poking around in his personal affairs, trying to censor his activities, and taking half of his estate when she finally gave up trying to change him. That part of the bargain Dr. Allen could have. But Haynes still needed Rosemont.

  He had been absent-mindedly picking up speed and was heading into a curve too fast. He stepped on the brakes and fine German engineering came to his aide, preventing a skid. He straightened the wheel and slowed to the speed limit. He switched radio stations and tried to get interested in the final innings of a Cubs game, but the subject of Maggie Martin wouldn’t leave him. She hadn’t been in Westbury all that long, he reasoned. She and Rosemont and Westbury were still in the honeymoon stage. There was plenty of time for this new adventure to turn sour. Maybe that daughter of hers would produce a grandchild and she’d want to go back. Or maybe the budding romance with the good vet would fizzle and she’d throw Rosemont on the market and flee back to California with a broken heart. Haynes began to whistle a tuneless melody. All would work out. He simply had to be patient and wait for the parties to paint themselves into their respective corners. If you allowed people enough rope, they would inevitably hang themselves.

  Chapter 27

  Friday passed too quickly. Susan insisted they work out in the morning. They took in a matinee movie and then explored the shops on the square. Maggie proudly introduced her daughter as they made their rounds.

  Alex returned to Rosemont late Friday evening as Maggie was setting up th
e coffee pot for the next morning. He stretched his lean frame against the kitchen counter and announced that they had over twenty-five hundred signatures.

  “We’re going to get there this weekend,” Maggie said. “I talked to Sam. He’s arranged a meeting of town workers tomorrow afternoon. He wants you to speak to them. He’ll collect signatures there, and I’ll get more outside of the grocery store after I drop Susan off at the airport. So ... congratulations.”

  “Thanks, I think. When can we have door hangers made up?”

  “I’ve got samples for you to look at. As soon as the clerk confirms that you’re on the ballot, we’ll get them printed. We’ll have them in hand by the end of next week. We should mobilize volunteers to distribute them. We’ll do an email blast as soon as we hear from the clerk.”

  “My office has the mailing list done. We’ll be ready.”

  “Has anyone else petitioned to get their name on the ballot? We don’t want Isaac to get elected because the opposition vote gets split up.”

  “Not that I’ve heard. Most of the people I’ve talked with think Isaac is a shoo-in. We’ve got an uphill battle. You know that, don’t you?”

  “Uphill battles are my specialty,” Maggie assured him. “We’re going to play up your status as the underdog. And if Isaac under-estimates you, so much the better.”

  “I’m so glad you’re here. For everything,” Alex said, gesturing around him to the house. “As if taking us in wasn’t enough. Now you’re donating your time and expertise to run my campaign. I can’t thank you enough.”

  Maggie reached across the counter and squeezed his arm. “Let’s get you elected before you thank me. And I’ve got a big investment in Rosemont. I don’t want a bunch of idiots ruining Westbury and destroying my property value,” she said with a smile.

  Chapter 28

  Susan had a midmorning flight on Saturday, and they set out for the airport after a quick breakfast. It was clear and sunny, the start of a spectacular day. They rode most of the way in companionable silence. Maggie finally turned to her daughter and asked, “Well, how are you feeling about things now?”

  “You know, I can’t believe how much stronger I feel, more peaceful. My relationship with Rob had gotten so dysfunctional. He was controlling; I was miserable. It happened so gradually that I didn’t see it coming. I haven’t missed him one bit.”

  “That’s my girl! I’m so glad you came ... I almost said home, but I don’t know if you feel like Rosemont is home?” Maggie held her breath; her children might be grown, but she needed them to feel safe and at home with her.

  “Rosemont is all that and more, for sure. It’s just spectacular. I’m so excited that you get to live there. I can’t wait to come back.”

  Maggie slowly exhaled. “So what’s next for you? Any big cases you’re working on?”

  “There’s always something. But I don’t have any major deadlines until the fall. I may take a two-week trip to Europe. Would you like to come with me? Think about it.” Maggie said she would. “And I still want to find Mr. Right,” Susan said with a catch in her voice.

  “You know what? I really feel you will. I’ll bet that he’s waiting for you right now. Rob has been tying up your attention. Now that you’re free, the two of you will find each other. He may have been right in front of your nose all along, but you’ve been too blind to see him.”

  “You really think so?”

  “Absolutely. Things like that happen all the time.”

  “Well, maybe,” Susan said.

  “Open those beautiful eyes of yours and look around, okay?”

  “I will, Mom,” Susan said with a bit more confidence.

  They pulled off onto the airport exit. “When will you be in California on business again?”

  “Not sure. With this election in eight weeks, I may not make a trip out until after that. I’ll let you know.”

  “I have to hand it to you, Mom, you’re full of surprises. I can’t wait to tell Mike that you are running a political campaign to unseat a corrupt mayor that you helped get indicted.” She turned to her mother. “Our mom is so cool.”

  They swung to the curbside check-in area. Susan dragged her luggage out of the back. Despite the dirty look from the police officer on duty, Maggie got out of the car and threw her arms around her daughter. “I love you and am so proud of you. I believe in your happy future, honey. No worries.” She took Susan’s now teary face in her hands and kissed her on both cheeks. The officer waved at them and shouted that Maggie needed to move her car. Susan smiled at her mom, picked up her luggage, and set off.

  ***

  Sam and Marc were setting up chairs in the fellowship hall of the First Methodist Church while Beth made coffee in the kitchen. This would be Alex’s initial campaign speech, and he was nervously pacing in an adjacent Sunday school room.

  “He’s all set,” Marc offered. “He’s just got a case of the jitters. He’ll be fine once he starts to speak. How many do you think will attend?”

  “No idea,” Sam answered. “We publicized this the best we could by email and word of mouth. We posted signs, too, but someone kept taking them down. People should start arriving any time now.”

  As they spoke, Councilmember Chuck Delgado entered the room.

  “Why, hello, boys. And lady,” Delgado drawled. “You’re expecting quite a crowd here, aren’t you?” he said, looking at the hall.

  Beth, who had seen him enter the church from the kitchen window, spoke first. “We are. And that crowd will not include you. This meeting is for union members. It’s not open to the general public. You need to turn around and head on out of here,” she said in the authoritative tone of a seasoned schoolteacher.

  “Now, Ms. O’Malley,” Delgado replied. “Don’t go gettin’ all stirred up. I’m not here to make trouble. I just want to connect with the citizens during these troubled times. I want them to know I’m standing with them.”

  “Nonsense,” Beth said. “You’re here to spy for Russell Isaac. You should be ashamed of yourself.” She was warming to the task of laying into him when the first attendees arrived. Sam signaled her to be quiet. She turned to offer coffee to the new arrivals, and Delgado slipped into a seat on the far side of the room.

  The room filled up fast; it was standing room only by the time Sam stepped to the front of the hall and called the meeting to order. Delgado draped an arm casually across the seatback next to him and half-turned in his chair to face the door. His presence was noted; two workers from Town Hall took one look at him and quickly exited. The town clerk, however, was not to be intimidated. She wove her way across the room to position herself directly behind him, turning the tables and keeping an eye on him instead of the other way around. Delgado snatched his arm from the back of the chair and shifted stiffly to the front. The clerk patted her hair into place and settled her purse at her feet.

  Sam cleared his throat and signaled for quiet. “I’m Sam Torres. Most of you know me. I work maintenance for the school system. I’m not a public speaker. My wife, Joan, works as a police dispatcher. We’ve been public employees our whole working lives. We’ve worked hard, paid all of our bills on time, and contributed to the pension plan. We’ve been counting on our pension, and now that we’re almost ready to retire, the money isn’t there. Because someone stole it.” He paused. “We can’t let that stand. Our stewards have let us down,” he said, looking pointedly at Delgado. “We need new leadership at Town Hall. One of the brightest, most innovative and honest people I know is willing to step in to clean up this mess. He’s going to speak to us for a few minutes, and then we’re going to ask you to sign petitions to get his name on the ballot. And if you’d be interested in working on his campaign, please see me or Beth.” Sam straightened his shoulders and looked at the index card he was holding. “Alex Scanlon is an attorney and has his own firm here in town. Before that, he was a prosecutor. He was born and raised in Westbury. He was on the high school basketball team that won the state championship. He’s
raised money for the hospital and sits on the library advisory board. Ladies and gentlemen: Alex Scanlon.”

  Thin applause rose from the crowd as Alex stepped to the front of the room. “Thank you for taking the time out of your busy Saturday to stop by. As town employees, you’ve played a large part in making Westbury the place we know and love, a place where neighbors watch out for each other. If someone’s dog gets lost, we drop everything and look for it. If we find a wallet on the street, we pick it up and return it to its rightful owner—with the money and credit cards intact. We sweep our sidewalks and mend our fences. We buy Girl Scout Cookies, and candy bars from the sports teams. Our countryside is gorgeous, but this is a wonderful place to live and raise a family because of the people.”

  Heads nodded in agreement. Alex continued, “As you know, we’ve got widespread corruption in our town government. Money is missing from the general fund and the pension fund. We don’t yet know the full extent of the problem. Someone we trusted, our mayor, is accused of betraying us. I don’t know if he’s guilty or not. That’s up to the courts. And we don’t know if anyone else was involved.” People glanced surreptitiously at Delgado. He ignored the crowd and shot Alex a searing look. “We’ve all been victims of serious wrong-doing. My opponent Russell Isaac has not been indicted. But he’s been on the council for many years. If he didn’t know about these problems, he should have. We don’t need elected officials who aren’t looking out for us. It took our newest councilmember, Tonya Holmes, just a few short months to uncover the wrongdoing.” All eyes were fixed on Alex.

  “Mayor Wheeler’s resignation gives us a chance to change course and get our finances back on firm footing and our town headed into a prosperous and productive future. We all want Westbury to be a place where people are proud to work. We want our citizens to build meaningful careers and enjoy comfortable retirements right here. We’re not going to be known as a seat of corruption. If I’m elected, we’re going to clean up this mess. I won’t allow us to be a laughing stock in the national press. We’ll be a model of how ordinary people, like you and me, can take control and restore the ethics and decency that define a community.” He paused as the crowd applauded.