The subtle tension in the air thickened as Ethan smoothly shifted topics.
"So, Celia's wedding is this weekend. I heard it's going to be quite the event. I’ll be there, of course. Wouldn’t miss it. It was nice of Celia to invite me.”
"She’s been planning this for over a year," Kelly said. "The flowers, the dress, the centerpieces. Everything has been planned with military precision."
“I’d expect nothing less,” Ethan replied easily. “Especially if your mother is in charge.”
"How's the campaign going?" Kelly asked, visibly steering the conversation away from family matters. "Hannah mentioned you're running for mayor."
Ethan's entire demeanor shifted subtly, his shoulders straightening, chin lifting almost imperceptibly. He was instantly in campaign mode, his eyes lighting up with practiced enthusiasm.
"It's going well. Really well, actually,” he said, his tone filled with excitement. “It’s time to pull this little town into the 21st century. Bergen has so much potential that's been untapped because we're stuck in old ways of thinking."
Ben recognized the cadence of a stump speech when he heard one. Ethan had clearly delivered these lines many times before, polishing them to perfect resonance with his target audience. The speech contained just enough specificity to sound concrete while remaining vague enough not to alienate anyone.
"You'll probably have to do it kicking and screaming," Kelly replied with a skeptical smile. "Bergen isn't exactly known for embracing change."
"Maybe," Ethan laughed, the sound warm and confident. "But there are a lot of people on my side. The younger generation, especially. They don't want to leave town the way wedid. They want to stay, but they need reasons to do that. Better jobs, better infrastructure, better opportunities."
After a moment, Ethan glanced around pointedly at the empty field, the muddy ditch, the bright blue morning sky. His expression was sad, his lips turned down at the corners.
"I know why you're really here, Kelly," he said gently, all traces of the politician momentarily gone. "Lori."
The name hung in the air between them, heavy with unspoken history. Ben watched Kelly's face carefully, noting the flicker of surprise that quickly morphed into sadness before settling on defiance.
"You need to leave the past in the past," Ethan continued, his tone gentle but firm, like a doctor delivering unwelcome news. "Whoever killed Lori is long gone. You're just reopening old wounds that the town has worked hard to heal."
"You don't know that for sure," Kelly challenged, her chin lifting slightly. "No one does. That's the problem."
Ethan sighed, his expression full of concern and worry.
"Think about it logically. If the killer was still in Bergen, don't you think there would have been other victims? Other incidents? It's been over a decade with nothing similar happening."
He gestured broadly toward the town, his voice taking on the reasoned tone of someone explaining something obvious to someone who simply wasn't getting it.
"The evidence points to exactly what the police concluded back then. Someone passing through. A drifter. A random act of violence that tragically happened in our town."
"Lori deserves justice," Kelly insisted, her voice quiet but firm.
"Of course she does," Ethan agreed readily, his expression appropriately solemn. "No one disagrees with that. But justice doesn't mean tormenting yourself over something that maynever be solved. It doesn't mean disrupting lives and reopening wounds."
“I am not tormenting myself, and maybe some lives need to be disrupted.”
It was clear that Ethan didn’t agree, but he had the grace to let the argument go.
"I should get going,” Ethan said, checking his watch. “I have a client meeting in Ridgeville in thirty minutes."
"It was good running into you, Kelly," Ethan continued, his tone warming as he turned to her. "Despite the circumstances. I'll see you both at the wedding on Sunday?"
“We’ll be there,” Kelly assured him. "Good luck with your meeting.”
"Thanks." Ethan extended his hand to Ben once more before heading back to his vehicle. "Nice meeting you, Ben."
He climbed into his car and waved as he drove away, leaving Ben and Kelly still standing on the side of the old country road.
"So that's Ethan," Ben said finally, turning to Kelly with a questioning look. Her face was unreadable, her gaze still fixed on the spot where the SUV had disappeared around a distant bend.
Kelly blinked, as if coming back from somewhere far away. "That's Ethan. He’ll make a good mayor.”
