Some of the crowd seemed remorseful. A few nodded their heads. A red-haired woman nearby nudged the man beside her. They whispered back and forth, then the man got up and approached the mike. Though he wore a neatly trimmed beard now, Gray recognized him as Drew Lennox—one of Brendan’s two minions from high school.
Great.
Shelby took his hand and led him down the aisle to two empty seats when Gray would’ve preferred to keep right on going. Once seated she pulled his hand into her lap. Their gazes caught and held for a long second. He squeezed her hand. He had no idea what would happen from here, but having Shelby at his side meant everything to him.
“Go ahead, Drew,” the panelist said.
As the man started talking, Gray’s gaze drifted over the familiar faces in the queue that had formed. Liddy was second in line, followed by Janet, Zuri, and Haley from the bookshop. Miss Phoebe came next, then his friend Patrick. And a handful of their loyal customers rounded out the line, which now stretched to the back of the room. A strange buoyant feeling swelled inside.
“Most of you know I’m a journalist for theGrandville Gazette,” Drew said. “I was good friends with Brendan Remington in high school. We haven’t been as close in recent years. Let’s just say my wife’s been agood influence on me. I’m embarrassed to say that Brendan and I used to bully Gray. I didn’t think of it as bullying back then, but that’s what it was.
“And I’d like to set the record straight about that cheating scandal... That test was put in Gray’s locker. It was a setup. I had the locker a couple down from Gray, and Brendan asked me to get his combination.” He paused. “Brendan put that test in his locker. Gray rightfully deserved that scholarship, and it was Brendan who did the stealing—not the other way around.”
Gray’s head jerked back. His skin tingled with realization.
The room filled with murmuring as Shelby clutched his arm, tears in her eyes.
He’d always suspected Brendan had done it. But he’d never dreamed the truth would come out after all these years. Much less that it would happen in such a public way.
“I’m sorry I didn’t stand up for Gray back then,” Drew said. “I guess I didn’t have the courage. But when I heard about last night’s shooting, I knew I couldn’t keep quiet anymore. Brendan always worried his father would find out what he’d done and cut him out of his business. And that’s pretty much the only thing Brendan cared about. I should’ve come forward when I heard about the vandalism, because Brendan certainly had motivation to drive Gray out of town. But after last night’s shooting I couldn’t keep quiet anymore. This morning I went to the station and told Chief Jameson about what Brendan did all those years ago.”
Gray blinked. That buoyant feeling was making his head float.
“I guess they looked into it, because the newspaper received notification late this afternoon that Brendan Remington was arrested for that drive-by shooting.”
Gray reared back.
Shelby gasped.
Brendan had been the one shooting at his house? He’d been arrested?The police had arrested a Remington? It was almost too much to fathom. Too much to hope for.
The murmuring in the town hall had reached an uproar, and the board members were trying to regain control.
He turned to Shelby, his thoughts as chaotic as the room.
She was smiling at him from ear to ear, her eyes sparkling with tears. “It’s over, Gray. It’s finally over.”
Chapter 46
Forty-five minutes later Gray’s head was still spinning as he walked Shelby outside. The air was brisk and the night was quiet. White Christmas lights danced in the trees lining Main Street, and a breeze sent brittle leaves scuttling across the nearly empty parking lot. The meeting had ended a while ago, but so many people wanted to talk to him, many of them apologizing for their part in making him a town pariah.
He gave his head a hard shake. Had all that really just happened?
When Shelby shivered he set the jacket he carried around her shoulders.
“Thanks. When I got Caleb’s text I dashed out of the store without my coat.”
“I’m so glad you were there. That was...” He chuckled. “I don’t even know what that was.” All those people saying all those nice things about him. Publicly. It was amazing. Embarrassing. Humbling.
She curled an arm around his waist. “It was all true. And long past time the people of this town defended you. Did you see Dede Myers? She was in tears.”
The woman had worked in their high school office. “I always suspected she had a soft spot for me.”
“And Phoebe! She was so eloquent.” As they reached the side of hisSUV, Shelby drew him into an embrace. “And she didn’t even once mention your studly biceps.”
He chuckled. The release felt good. Everything inside him felt good—and he couldn’t even remember the last time that was true.
The biggest surprise of the night was Brendan Remington’s arrest. Gray couldn’t believe the man had been so desperate to cover that long-ago misdeed that he’d fired a gun at Gray’s house. “I guess we know now why the Remingtons weren’t present at tonight’s town hall.”
