Page 49 of Lion's Share
More murmurs of agreement from the crowd. I had to admit that from the perspective of someone who didn’t know about portals and shadow stalkers, Linda’s argument sounded compelling. She clearly was trying to position herself as the candidate who would actually address the town’s problems instead of ignoring them.
“And what exactly do you propose to do about these electromagnetic disturbances?” Eliza asked, tone still remarkably even. “Assuming that’s really what’s causing our power issues, and not a glitch that PG&E will eventually get to the bottom of.”
Linda smiled, and I could tell she’d been waiting for this question. “First, I would establish a task force to work directly with federal investigators. No more stonewalling, no more secrecy. Second, I would bring in independent experts to assess our electrical infrastructure and recommend upgrades. And third, I would push for emergency funding to install backup power systems at critical facilities.”
It was a reasonable platform, I had to admit. It was also completely irrelevant to the actual problem facing Silver Hollow, but the people in this room didn’t know that.
“Those are all fine ideas in theory,” Eliza said, “but they would cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars we don’t have. Are you planning to raise taxes to pay for all this?”
“I’m planning to apply for federal emergency grants,” Linda returned. “Money that’s available specifically for communities dealing with infrastructure crises…money that requires proactive leadership to access.”
The crowd seemed to be swaying in Linda’s direction now. I could see it in the way people were nodding, in the way they were looking at Eliza with increasing skepticism.
“Furthermore,” Linda went on, “I think the people of Silver Hollow deserve to know exactly what these federal investigators have found. Transparency is the foundation of good governance.”
My fingers tightened around my purse, which I’d held clutched in my lap this whole time. The last thing we needed was Linda Fields demanding full disclosure from Agent Morse and whoever this Dr. Rosenthal turned out to be.
Ben leaned over and whispered in my ear, “I’ve heard enough. Let’s get out of here.”
My thoughts exactly.
I nodded, but before we could make our escape, Linda’s voice rang out across the room again.
“I see some people are already trying to leave. Maybe they’re not as concerned about Silver Hollow’s future as the rest of us.”
Every head in the room swiveled toward the back of the auditorium, where Ben and I were halfway out of our seats. Heat flooded my face as dozens of pairs of eyes fixed on us.
“Actually,” I said, more loudly than I’d intended, “some of us have jobs that require us to get up early in the morning. Not everyone has the luxury of calling emergency meetings at dinnertime.”
A few people chuckled, and Linda’s smile sharpened. “Of course, Ms. Lowell. I wouldn’t want to keep you from your very important work selling dog food.”
The dismissive tone in her voice made my temper flare. Although I knew I should have let her snarky comment roll off my back, I couldn’t help retorting, “At least I’m providing a service people actually need, instead of manufacturing crises for political gain.”
“‘Manufacturing’?” Linda’s voice rose, was now downright strident. “Tell that to the Hendersons when they’re burying their goats!”
“That’s enough,” Eliza said, her tone firm as she stood up and faced the crowd. “Linda, if you want to run a campaign based on fear-mongering and divisiveness, that’s your choice. But you’re not going to turn a community meeting into a personal attack session.”
“I’m running a campaign based on competence,” Linda replied. “Something this town desperately needs.”
Ben tugged on my arm, and this time I didn’t resist. We slipped out of City Hall while Linda continued her speech about transparency and federal cooperation and emergency preparedness.
Once we were outside in the cool, damp evening air, I finally allowed myself to breathe normally again.
“Well,” Ben said after we’d taken a few steps, “that was a disaster.”
“It was,” I agreed. “And it’s only going to get worse when Dr. Rosenthal shows up tomorrow.”
“Dr. Rosenthal?”
Oh, right. We hadn’t talked at all today, so he had no idea I’d had a fun little repeat trip into Rebecca Morse’s brain.
“I’ll tell you over dinner,” I said, even as I realized we were probably going to have to get takeout if we wanted to talk about any of this without someone overhearing us.
“Okay,” he said, then added, “What do you want to bet Linda Fields is going to be first in line to volunteer her services as a liaison with the federal investigation?”
I groaned. “Don’t even joke about that. The last thing we need is Linda Fields with a direct line to the FBI.”
We kept walking toward Molly’s Corner, both of us lost in thought. City Hall was still brightly lit behind us, and I could hear Linda’s voice carrying through the open doors to the auditorium.
