“Let’s go inside, Max.”
He followed me in and I got him his breakfast. As much as I would have loved to have crawled back in bed with Josiah, I had to go to work.
The high school gym was packed. Rows of folding chairs had been set up in front of the stage and most of them appeared to be taken. The noise of dozens of conversations echoed off the cavernous walls and there was a buzz of energy in the air.
I’d gone back to Josiah’s house after work and he’d told me there was an emergency town meeting in an hour. That had given me just enough time to change and grab a quick bite to eat.
He took my hand and led me into the gym, past knots of people who hadn’t yet taken their seats.
“Is this a normal turnout?” I asked.
“Depends. Something obviously has everyone riled up.”
“But your dad didn’t say what this was about?”
“No.” He paused and craned his neck, looking out over the crowd. “There they are.”
He led me to the front where I recognized his dad, Paul. I hadn’t met him yet, but I’d seen him at the remodel a few times. He was a big guy with thick, hairy arms and a beard shot through with gray. A woman who had to be Marlene stood with her hand tucked in the crook of his arm. She wore blue rimmed glasses and a dress with daisies on it.
“What’s going on?” Josiah asked.
“The squirrels,” Paul said.
“What?”
“Two squirrel killings, and both at one of our properties. People are concerned.”
“Someone vandalized Audrey’s house and the town is worried about the squirrels?” He glanced at me. “Oh, this is Audrey.”
“I’m Marlene, this is my husband Paul,” she said. “Sorry we’re meeting under less than ideal circumstances.”
“It’s still nice to meet you.”
She smiled. “You too.”
A tap on the microphone caught our attention and the chatter in the room began to fade.
“Good evening.” An older man dressed in a blue shirt and tan pants stood on the stage. “Can everyone hear me?”
“We can hear you, mayor,” someone said from the back.
“Excellent. If everyone could take their seats, we’ll get started.” He gestured toward the back. “Are there enough chairs? We can bring in more if necessary.”
He waited a moment while people sat. Paul gestured for us to sit next to him and Marlene in the front row.
“Tilikum residents, thank you for coming tonight,” the man on stage said. “If you don’t know me, I’m Bill Surrey, and I have the honor of being the mayor of this fine town.”
The crowd responded with a polite round of applause.
“Thank you. As you all know, there have been some disturbing incidents here in Tilikum. Miss Young, a newcomer to our town, had her house grotesquely vandalized.” He focused on me. “Miss Young, my sincerest apologies. We pride ourselves on the safety of our community and I assure you, Sheriff Cordero and his highly capable team are doing everything they can to find the perpetrator of this heinous crime.”
He gestured to a man in uniform, standing off to the side. He was every bit as intimidating as Josiah. Older, with gray in his hair and beard, but there was no mistaking the look of danger. He looked like a sheriff, all right, and one I wouldn’t want to cross.
I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to get up and say something or just acknowledge what he’d said. I nodded and that seemed to be the right call because he continued.
“With the human aspect of the crime in the hands of the law,” he said, gesturing to Sheriff Cordero again, “we can have complete confidence that the criminal or criminals involved will be apprehended and charged to the fullest extent of the law.”
The crowd applauded again and a few cheers of, “Sheriff Jack!” rose up behind me.
“But that leaves us with another problem, and the reason for this emergency town meeting tonight. So far, two squirrels have lost their lives at the hands of this criminal or criminals. The good sheriff and his deputies have their hands full dealing with the crime. That means it’s up to us to come up with solutions that take our squirrel population into account.”
“Protect the squirrels!” someone yelled from the back.
Mayor Bill pointed. “Exactly. I know the squirrels can be a nuisance, but based on the feedback my office has been getting, it’s clear that we need to act.”
“It wasn’t me!” a rough voice called out.