“Well, right now, Haley has been warned not to use the press. If she does, Agent Morris will arrest her. I had to beg the man tolet me handle my sister. Haley has no idea how close she came to being arrested and sent to prison. Agent Morris understood my concern and agreed to let me handle Haley.”
“But?” Candy asked.
Brad went for his coffee. “Haley is spiteful, Candy. When she sets her mind on something, it's full steam ahead. She's been like that ever since we were kids.” Brad took a sip of coffee. “My guess is Haley will demand a town meeting be held to cast suspicion on you without putting herself in any danger.”
“What will happen?” Candy inquired.
“Candy, you're well-liked in Pine Snow, and you have enough money to hire a mountain of lawyers to defend you. And that's what worries me,” Brad answered.
“My money?”
Brad nodded. “You won the biggest lottery in the nation. Instead of sailing off into the sunset, here you are, living on a frozen island in the middle of a big lake. Why?”
“Because I want to build—”
“Your dream. Yes, I understand that, Candy, and I believe you. I honestly do. But will other people? If I know my sister, and I do, she's going to insist that the mayor force me to tell the townspeople just who Sandy, Ralphie, and Marty are. Then, when that can of worms is opened, who knows what will happen? Haley has a way of making people believe aliens will invade the earth if she wants. She may not be liked, but she can be very convincing.”
“So, your sister will make everyone in Pine Snow start to believe we're a mafia crime organization, huh?” Peppermint shook his head.
“If Haley can turn a portion of the town against Haley, then she'll win,” Brad continued. “Haley will try to extend her reach if she succeeds and ask the County Commissioners to close the toy factory.”
“She can't do that.”
“But the county can if...if the county believes you are connected to criminal activity. As you know, Gary created an ugly scar. He abused the trust that was given to him and insulted his voters. The County Commissioners will do whatever it takes to keep the people from voting them out. If they think for one minute you're guilty of a crime, Candy, you or Betty, the toy factory will be shut down.”
“But the toy factory—”
“Adds jobs. I know. But does that matter? If the toy factory is shut down, lots of people are lined up to buy the factory and the land,” Brad concluded.
“Outsiders...” Candy felt sick to her stomach. What began as an avalanche of blessings was quickly turning into an avalanche of misery. “Outsiders will come in and destroy everything. The toy factory is the heart of Pine Snow, and you know it.”
“I do know it,” Brad agreed. “But I'm just one man, Candy. Haley knows how to manipulate the system and the people. She'll start a small fire and then continue to throw gas on the fire until you're forced to leave the state.”
“I'll never leave Pine Snow or this island,” Candy promised Brad in a voice that began to shake. “I will turn this island into a place for children to come and dream, and I will never leave Pine Snow or allow the toy factory to be shut down. I'll use every penny I have to fight Haley or anyone who tries to destroy my dream.”
“You may have to, Candy.” Brad took a slow sip of coffee. “You may win every legal battle in the book, but once the people are turned against you, the war is lost.”
“But Candy is respected in Pine Snow,” Chris pointed out.
“It doesn't take much for the tides to turn on a person,” Brad warned. “If Haley accomplishes her goal and the toy factory is shut down, who will the workers blame? Haley or you?”
“I...” Candy began to speak but then closed her mouth. She clearly understood Brad's point. Candy would be marked as the villain, not Haley. Why? Because Candy would be marked as acriminalthatthe County Commissioners had todeal within order toprotectthe good people of Pine Snow. And because Pine Snow was a small, poor town—a town filled with people who knew and depended on each other—the collective mentality would turn sour toward Candy. After all, Candy was now a wealthy woman. What would it matter if a measly toy factory was closed? A toy factory that Haley would make everyone believe was afrontinstead of atoy factory.
“Chief, what can we do to stop your sister?” Peppermint asked in a voice that veered down an angry alley. “We can't let her win!”
“I intend to talk to the mayor. Phil is a good man, but he is also a man who likes being mayor. Haley runs the newspaper. Any bad press against him could ruin any chance of reelection.” Brad rubbed his eyes for a second. Boy, was he tired. “I'll explain the situation to Phil and see what he thinks. In the meantime, I want to talk to everyone as a group. If there are any more hidden skeletons in the closet, I need to know. If I'm going to help you, there can't be any secrets.”
A low groan left Peppermint. “Then I better be the first to open my closet, Chief.”
Brad locked his eyes on Peppermint. “I'm listening.”
Peppermint stood up, looked around the kitchen, and then simply dropped his shoulders. “I've been living on this island for ten years. Before that, I traveled around some. I worked cutting down trees before I took a job on this island. While I was working cutting down trees, I got into a fight with a fella. We went at it really hard, and he ended up in the hospital in a coma. He's still in a coma.”
“Peppermint?” Candy asked.
“Now, don't go getting all worked up,” Peppermint pleaded. “The fella came at me with an ax. I moved out of the way and shoved him toward a tree. He tripped and hit the tree, and then his head hit a rock on the ground. It was an accident, but that fella would have killed me if he could have. I haven't lost a night's sleep over the fight and I don't intend to. I wasn't arrested, and the Sheriff who investigated the fight cleared me of any wrongdoing because the other fellas I worked with supported me. But, if word gets out about the man I got into a fight with is in a coma...”
“I think we understand, Peppermint.” Chris stood up. He patted Peppermint's shoulder. “Thanks for telling us.”
