Page 8 of Gideon

“Yes. But you think you should get special treatment around here, and I’m not sure why that is. I do know a lot of thought has gone into the resolution, and every effort has been made to keep the fee as low as possible.”

“Can I ask what the fee is for?” He didn’t like them bullying her, but the deputy would have to insist on payment if that was the law.

“It’s some new ‘clean act’ thingy,” she said. “It’s nothing more than a money grab.”

“Everyone else is happy to do their part to look after the environment,” Cole said. “But if you’ve got an issue with it, then you can voice your opinion at the next town hall meeting. Like you always do.”

“And like always, I’ll be shouted down by that group you hired to harass anyone who has a different opinion from the mayor.”

“You’ll notice,” Cole said to Gideon, “that she’s delusional as well. But nobody likes a conspiracy theorist. It’s disruptive and disrespectful to those who abide by the law.”

“It’s not a conspiracy when the mayor doesn’t bother hiding it.”

“Here we go.” Cole looked at Gideon. “You sure you want to stick around for this?”

“I’m not here to cause any trouble,” Gideon said. “I just want to make sure she’s not being picked on. That’s all.”

“Well, I’m not paying,” Nikki said to Cole. “So, you may as well go.”

“That’s your final word?” Cole said.

“Yes.”

“Okay. Have it your way.” He grabbed the box of tomatoes and placed it on top of a crate of cucumbers before taking several of the mugs and laying them on top. “We’ll take your product in lieu of payment.”

“You can’t do that.” She scrambled to take the boxes off him, but Gideon grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

She yanked it out of his grasp. “What are youdoing? I thought you came over there to help me. What is wrong with you?”

“If you don’t want them to take your stuff, you’re going to have to pay them. You might not like the extra fee, but you’ve got a stall in the town market. The fees are the fees.”

“This is your last chance,” Cole said, handing the box to his friend. “You pay us, and we’ll leave you alone. For now.”

Nikki glared at Gideon but moved around the table and opened up a container, pulling out a pile of bills and throwing them across the table. The wind scattered them and sent Cole’s friend hurrying to gather them up.

“Happy?” Nikki said to Gideon.

Cole winked at Nikki. “I appreciate your cooperation. It was nice doing business with you.” He picked up another tomato and sniffed it. “I’ll take this as a tip.” Then he walked off.

Nikki watched them leave, then looked at Gideon. “You can go too.”

“I was trying to help.”

“Yeah, well, you did a great job. Thanks.”

“He was a sheriff’s deputy. If the mayor has put some extra fee into place, you can’t just refuse to pay. That’s not the right way to handle this. What if they took you to jail?”

She gathered the mugs Cole had piled on top of the cucumbers and put them back into place. “You think going to jail is worse than giving the mayor what he wants when he’s doing the wrong thing by the people he’s supposed to be serving? You think I shouldn’t fightfor what is right because there may be uncomfortable repercussions?”

“I’m just saying?—”

“What are you even doing here?”

“Having a look around.” He held up the bird whistle. “Buying some gifts. Your mugs are nice. Did you make them?”

“What I meant was, why come back to Asher? If all you’re going to do is help the mayor line his pockets, you may as well go. He already has plenty of assistance with that.”

Gideon noted her use of the word ‘back.’ “I’m sorry, I don’t recognize you. Do we know each other?”

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