Why?
I lean toward Nash, asking quietly, “Why is Nance so happy?”
“Mount Everest crushed Marcus Gabriel,” Nance declares from the kitchen, proving she has sharp hearing to go along with her sharp eyesandinstincts.
Confused, I bounce my gaze between Nance and Nash. “Hedied?”
Maybe that’s why all the reporters were gathered outside. One suspicious murder is bad. A second one made the national news.
“I decided against using the diary to blackmail my uncle,” Nash explains.
“Yeah, I’m not sure I agree with that,” Makhi says. When Nash opens his mouth, probably to complain, Makhi adds. “But you have to do what’s best for you. And you’re a better man than I am. Ilikebeing petty.”
“What did you do with it?” I take a sip of my peppermint tea. It’s sweet, hot and calming. Exactly what I needed.
“Shared it,” Nash says.
“With?” I ask.
“Everyone.”
I blink at him. “Everyone?”
“This morning, I scanned the diary, uploaded it, and emailed it to the FBI and to every news channel and reporter I could think of.”
I put my cup down before I drop it. “What?”
“The FBI turned up to arrest him for rape. That was bad in and of itself. Then the FBI searched his house and found documents linking him to payments he’d made to the sheriff. The FBIthenarrested the sheriff and his deputy for corruption. Right now, the FBI is in charge of the sheriff’s department until a new sheriff can take over.”
My jaw drops. “All because of your dad’s diary?”
Nash nods. “There was a lot of incriminating evidence in the diary. Once they speak to the women involved in the crimes, and I can’t see any of them keeping quiet after they were hushed up and forced out of town, a reckoning is coming to Massey.”
I take his hand and squeeze. “But that means everyone knows about your dad hurting you.”
He squeezes my hand back. “All that pain and hurt has been rotting inside me for years. It’s time to get it out, and it’s time to move on.”
After we finish our drinks, we head into town for Nash to meet with his attorney at the sheriff’s department and give a formal statement to the FBI.
It’s busier in town than I thought it would be. I guess with the FBI turning up and arresting the mayor and the sheriff, everyone has decided to be nosy.
Vonn holds the door open for me, and as I get out of the car, I realize everyone is staring. This isn’t the hard, suspicious stare of someone mentally making the sign of the cross or about to go looking for holy water to fling in someone’s face.
The townsfolk are looking at Nash, Vonn, and Makhi, and they seem almost…embarrassed.
A man clears his throat.
I turn to find a man wearing a green apron and a sheepish expression standing near Nash. It’s the owner of the grocery store who warned me to stay away from the Gabriel Mansion.
With an embarrassed smile, he holds his hand out to Nash. “I, uh, owe you an apology for a lot of things. Mainly for listening to gossip and rumors. If you don’t want to accept, I understand, but?—”
Nash takes his hand and shakes it. “When the mayor is the one spreading those rumors, it’s hard not to listen. I accept.”
“Maybe leave my handshake for another time. I’m not exactly in a rush to forgive and forget,” Makhi mutters.
I lower my head to hide my smile.
Vonn shakes the grocery store owner's hand when he makes the same apology to him, and one by one, the rest of the locals approach with sheepish smiles and apologies of their own.
