Page 81 of S.O.S. Billboard

O’Shea looked around for an exit that wasn’t being guarded by the local PD, and spotted one near the front of the meeting hall, off to the right. If she could just duck through the standing constituents; lose herself in the crowd before she got caught, she might be able to make a clean getaway.

As she scooted low from the aisle where she’d been standing, a smattering of applause broke out around her. She acknowledged it with a tip of her head, but…damn. It was going to call attention to her position.

It had all been going so well, her passive confrontation during a Q and A session at the end of Jake’s long-winded speech. She’d stood when called upon, and her first question—a softball—had been, “Who, exactly, will be running for mayor of this town, Mr. Jakes, if your resolution is adopted?

****

“Well, that depends on who decides to run,” he chuckled. “It could be anyone in this room.” He waved his arm around magnanimously.

“Will you run?” O’Shea asked a little more pointedly.

“I might,” he hedged. “The people have voted me in as head of their select committee for a number of years now, so if the sentiment is right, I’d certainly consider it.” It was a pompous answer; one for which he inflated his chest and beamed at the crowd.

It was time to up the ante.

“What about the scandal that’s just breaking?” O’Shea continued, once she had him relaxed and enjoying her questions.

His brows drew together. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Miss,” he scowled. “There’s no scandal in our fine town.”

“No?” O’Shea pushed. “What about the budget shortfall for the last five fiscal years? Didn’t an independent auditing firm just uncover those findings? Aren’t they going to proceed with a full investigation?”

O’Shea knew it to be true, but Jakes and his cohorts had somehow managed to bury that damning information deep within the pages of a copious town report that had just been released—online only—giving the discovered anomalies a one liner that the majority of voters would miss,ifthey cared to skim the document at all. And as far as an investigation was concerned…O’Shea wasn’t so sure. She had her suspicions that Jakes had paid the analysts off, and the probe would go no further.

“I’m not sure to what you’re referencing,” Jakes pushed back. “We’re all about transparency on this board. Are you suggesting there’s something inappropriate going on?”

Several of the members around him suddenly looked uncomfortable, squirming in their seats. Oh yeah. They all knew what O’Shea was talking about. They’d just been told… No, probablyorderedto squelch it, upon pain of…what? Dismissal from the board? Implications that they had direct involvement? Threats that they might “disappear”?

O’Shea dug in. “I was going over the current town report earlier before the meeting, and noted on page two-hundred fourteen that you’d just undergone an audit, and it—”

“Exactly who are you, anyway?” Jakes interrupted. “I didn’t catch your name.”

“O’Shea,” she answered, trying to charge forward again. “I’m just concerned—”

But Jakes was the one with the microphone.

“Are you a citizen of our fine town?” he questioned sourly. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before.”

“It’s a big town,” O’Shea rebutted, “and I’ve just moved in.”

“What’s your address?” he probed relentlessly.

“I don’t think that has any bearing—”

“Clearly then, you’renota citizen. Officers!” He snapped, beckoning to the two uniforms at the front doors. “Will you please see this woman out of the hall. She’s disrupting our proceedings.”

****

O’Shea had known then, it was time to ditch, and now she was attempting to make herself scarce, but it wasn’t going well. Looking back at the pair of cops trying to wend their way through the crowd, she was happy to see they weren’t making easy headway. But when she glanced back toward the stage, she saw Jakes gesture behind the curtains, and two more cops strode to his side.

There was whispering as O’Shea weaved her way toward the door she’d spotted, then Jakes, along with the pair, began perusing the auditorium.

He spotted her almost at once, and pointed. Those cops immediately started pursuit.

Dammit.She wasn’t going to make it.

The best she could do, was…

O’Shea almost laughed. A line from her favorite Christmas movie popped into her head.The best way to spread Christmas cheer, is singing loud for all to hear.

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