“In what past life did I hurt you?” Holy cow, the woman really had it in for me. “Is this about Shawn?”
She screwed into a sideways pucker. “Shawn?”
“Rafferty,” I said. “You know, the chief of police and my ex-husband. Is this because you had a crush on him in high school?”
Carol’s laugh was almost maniacal.
Broyles muttered, “Nora was married to the chief?”
Reese shushed him. “Unless it gets physical, we’re staying out of it.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Carol shook her head in disbelief. “You don’t even know what you did, do you, Nora?” She put a lot of ugly emphasis on my name as if it were a cuss word.
I returned the favor. “I think we’ve established that, Carol.”
“I worked hard to get recommendations to go to Girls’ State our junior year, but they chose you to go instead.”
“I didn’t even go to Girls’ State,” I said, full of confusion. Girls’ State was a week-long summer leadership program awarded to one or two high school juniors from each school in Missouri every year. You couldn’t apply to the program; you had to be nominated by your teachers as a leader. I had no interest in politics or public office. Girls’ State would’ve been wasted on me.
“Exactly! It could’ve opened so many doors for me, but they gave the opportunity to a rich, entitled daddy’s girl who didn’t even want it!” Spittle was flying off her lips. “You know you only got in because your dad was the chief.”
“Oh my gosh, Carol. Get over it. I am sorry you didn’t get into Girls’ State. It’s not my fault. I was sixteen years old and had no control over who they chose or why. The only thing I could control was if I wanted to go, and I didn’t. I didn’t do that to spite you. I did it because I was sixteen and wanted to spend the summer with my boyfriend, who had just graduated from high school and was heading off to college.” I was pretty sure I was spitting now. I took a deep breath to calm myself. “I’m sorry your life didn’t work out the way you expected. I think anyone past the age of forty can attest to the fact that it rarely does. You’re old enough now to know better than to blame a hormonal teen for the decisions she made in the past.” Besides, it wasn’t like the program would’ve taken Carol had I not been nominated. After all, there were two positions available, and she hadn’t been offered either one.
My reasoning seemed to take the wind out of her sails, but it didn’t stop her from glaring at me. Well, at least now I knew. Carol Billingsly still had the emotional maturity of a sixteen-year-old, and if she hadn’t grown out of it by now, she probably never would.
Ezra walked up the hall, shaking his head as he entered the room.
“Do we still have jobs, Boss?” Reese asked.
“Yep,” he said. His gaze found mine, and his eyes softened around the edges. “No one is losing their job. No one.”
I exhaled my relief. “Then why have I been called in?”
He stared at Carol. “We found out that the anonymous letters were written by Carol Billingsly. She tried to cover her trail, but the owner of the paper gave us backdoor access to her work computer, and her keystrokes were logged last night at a quarter after ten. She’s our concerned citizen.”
“So,” Carol huffed. “I didn’t do anything illegal. I spoke the truth. Nora is a menace to this town.”
“I’m mighty certain the only menace here is you,” Reese said in my defense.
“The chief and the mayor are talking with Darla Potter, the owner of the Gazette, and she is planning to issue a public apology for any wrongdoing on behalf of her staff.”
Carol’s skin turned sallow. “She... she can’t do that.”
“What you wrote about Ms. Black and then tried to pass off as an anonymous letter is a libel,” Ezra continued. “That’s beyond ethical journalism, and our prosecutor thinks we have a strong case if Ms. Black wants to move forward with it.”
“I guess I’ll have to think on it,” I replied.
Carol blanched.
I had no intention of suing the wretched woman, but she didn’t need to know that. The words she’d written about me were so vile that I didn’t think I could forgive her, but I wasn’t interested in taking her to court over it. The trial would only expose me and my gift even more.
“Good ol’ Nora.” Carol’s eyes were glassy. She spoke in a barely audible whisper, and I had to lean in to make out the words. “Always the hero. We’ll see how much after tonight.”
I narrowed my gaze at the reporter. “What do you mean by that?”
“You’ll see,” she hissed. “This race isn’t over. Watch yourself, baby, or you’ll get burned.”
“Light up the sky like the fourth of July,” the mystery man had said in the memory, “I’m coming in hot, dog, and the race is on. Wow, wow. Try an’ stop me. I’m unstoppable. Stop, drop, and roll, hero, or let it burn, baby, burn.”
