All For Not

Page 58

 "Thank you for seeing us at such short notice, Mr. Mayor."

"Yes, well, veiled threats have that effect." He looked at each of us but he became unnerved at the dead look in my eyes as I stared him down in his chair, "Garrett Gates wasn't killed by a stab wound." He cleared his throat returning his attention to my sister as she handed over the fingers, "that blue sheen is a telltale sign of nightshade poisoning. But you already knew that, didn't you?"

"Because back when you were sheriff, you were in charge and covered it up." He was clenching his jaw suddenly, eyes finding mine until he shook himself away and looked back at Wednesday, "Ansel Gates hated outcasts and Nevermore. He claimed the land the school was built on was stolen from his family over 200 years ago. Garrett went there that night to spike the punch and kill all the kids at that dance. Ansel confessed the whole thing to me in a drunken stupor. It was his idea."

"Why did you instruct Dr. Anwar to falsify the autopsy report? You knew the truth about how he really died."

"Listen, my job was to keep the peace. If there had been a trial, Jericho's and Nevermore's reputations would have been trashed." I was practically snarling as he shot repeated glances at me, my mothers hand resting over my shoulder to keep me complacent, "I think the only reputation you were worried about ruining was your own."

"I remember Garrett bragging to me that his father had the sheriff in his pocket. One year later, you get elected mayor. Hmm. No doubt with the full support of Ansel Gates."

"I resent your implication."

His eyes shot to me as she dropped her hand letting me step forward, "do you?" I watched his Adams apple bob in his throat and his breathing escalate as my mother spoke again, "what I resent is that you could have prevented Garrett's death if you had done your job when I lodged my complaint about him stalking me. But no. Men like you have no idea what it feels like not to be believed."

He had his eyes switching back and forth between mine and the others as I stepped to the side, tauntingly, seeming as if I was beginning to circle him in a frenzied stalk, "What do you want?"

"All charges dropped. My father will be released immediately with a full and unequivocal apology from the sheriff's office. Do we have a deal?" He shot from his chair almost yelling as I stalked closer, "fine, fine just get out of here."

"Dear come on," my head tilted, "I'm not ready yet..."

"Darling?" I firmly replied as he backed up from me even as I stood still, "no. I want something more..."

"What?" His shocked confusion did nothing to me as my family watched me spiral, "I've been meaning to talk to you since the Rave'N at Nevermore, yet it seems you avoid the place like the plague. You don't know how hard it's been not to hunt you down for a simple thing as such."

"Morella..."

"I said no." My mother quieted at my words, Wednesday looking up at her as our father watched me at a loss of words, the human before me easily scared by the look in my eyes, "what do you want from me?" I didn't smile and I didn't speak politely, "the names of your son's friends of course. I have some bones to pick..."

"What? I can't do that," Wednesday had caught on speaking up as well when she remembered what had happened at the dance to my little blonde wolf, "can't because you don't know them or won't?"