Page 14 of The Girl on Hallow's Eve

“You know she’s going to talk about you now, right? Like you’re going to be the highlight of her dinner conversation,” he says.

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” I shrug. “Anyway, the tunnels. That’s exactly right. Those tunnels were created to make sure that the people who work at the mall could get around easily without having to walk through the customers. It lets them get from place to place quicker and get through the congestion in the mall. It’s also a really convenient way to move stock from storage rooms into the shops.

“But the thing is, only people who are connected with the mall would have access to them. I know that Marissa told us about them, but it was only because I asked what was behind the door. I have a feeling that talking about the storage areas and the tunnels wasn’t part of the basic tour script. Which means most people who go into that mall won’t ever know that those tunnels exist. Now, whoever it was didn’t necessarily go into the tunnels after the argument. They could have gone into one of the storage areas, or I’m assuming there are probably some offices in there, too.

“But they didn’t come out of the back area. We would have seen them or at least heard them. We were standing right there at the salon even several minutes after Mr. Rainey came out, so if somebody else followed him, we would have known. Even if they didn’t go into the tunnels, they were still in a restricted area. He wouldn’t just leave some random person back in that section of the mall. An angry protester might have come to the open house because it was open, anybody could just walk in, and conceivably they could find him and follow him back into that area. But he wouldn’t leave them there.”

“He would have forced him out,” Sam nods. “Which means somebody who has authorization to be there is also one of the people against the mall having been built.”

“And I’m sure that’s something the men in charge would really like to keep under wraps,” I say.

It had occurred to me while we were at the mall that there were no protests going on. Part of me had expected to see picketers lined up along the road heading to the parking lot, or a group of people shouting outside. But they weren’t there. At first, I thought it was possible that this event signaled what had been inevitable from the beginning but still felt potentially surmountable. That the mall was going to open. Like I told Sam, people resisting things that seem futile to resist are doing it to make their voices heard, to make sure it’s known how they feel about it so there’s no misunderstanding that whatever it is comes with unquestioned support.

Even if the logical part of their brain tells them that nothing is actually going to change because of the protests they are mounting, they can’t give up so long as there is still time. As long as the final step hasn’t been taken—in this case, as long as the mall hasn’t opened—there is still a glimmer of hope. That little bit of light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how far away, keeps them motivated to keep pushing back. As long as that light exists, they haven’t really lost yet. They can’t stop. They won’t give up until they are facing the absolute culmination of what they feel is being done against them.

For the people protesting the development of the mall, the open house was the sign that their efforts hadn’t worked. People had come. The shops were built. Stock was in place. It was going to happen and doing anything else only put their own safety and freedom at risk.

That kind of reality doesn’t always stop people. Anger is a powerful motivator. It’s a drug that flows through veins with a burn that is both unbearable and addicting. For some, it’s enough to keep them speaking out for as long as they have the ability.

When I didn’t see any of the protestors at the mall, I thought maybe they’d decided, at least for today, it wasn’t worth the risk. They might not continue to stay quiet, but they weren’t going to take the step of interfering with the public, either.

Now I can’t help but wonder if they were told to stay away by someone they have on the inside. I didn’t hear all of it, but the argument I did hear gave all the clues that Mr. Rainey was battling against someone who was in opposition to the mall, but who had aligned himself with it at the same time.

“If there really is someone sympathetic to the protestors working for the mall, it explains how they got the information about where the construction crews were going to be and what they were doing from day to day,” Sam offers. “Some of the protests and demonstrations seemed far too coincidental. They were already where the crew was going to be, or they’d sabotaged the areas of the project that were supposed to be worked on that day when there shouldn’t have been any way for them to know those details.”

“You don’t believe in coincidences,” I point out.

“Because there aren’t any,” Sam asserts. “And this shows it. They weren’t just coming up with ideas that happened to line up perfectly with the work that was being done from day to day. They were getting fed inside information. And Rainey must have found out just recently.”

“By the way the conversation sounded, it seems like he already fired whoever it is,” I add. “He said he told him to leave and to stay away. But the inside man still clearly has access.”

“And enough sway to remain in the authorized area even after he was told to leave,” Sam says. “Which makes me wonder if he’s someone who can’t actually be fired. At least not by one of the developers.”

It’s interesting to think about, but nothing else happened so there’s not much else to do but to be curious. At the very least, Sam now has information to share with the rural department if anything else does happen.

The announcement of the names of the winners of the invitations to the pre-opening party came along with the announcement that the local news would be providing coverage of the event. They planned for a pre-recorded segment about the beginning of the party, then some live footage to allow those who didn’t secure one of the coveted spots to still feel like a part of the festivities.

And probably to generate more of a sense of missing out on something, which will hopefully, from the perspective of those with a stake in the success of the mall, boost interest and early crowds. I’m not feeling like I’m missing out on anything by not attending the party. But I’m still interested to see how it plays out. Sam and I are going to watch the footage together. It almost feels like a TV special, entertainment disguised to look like information.

The news starts at ten, a couple of hours after the actual start of the event, so we had dinner and spent a few hours tending to cleaning around the house that had gone by the wayside during the last busy few days and starting to decorate for the upcoming Halloween season. It’s still a bit early to be going full-on into cobwebs and black cats on the front porch, but we’re easing into it with fall touches inside the house and a couple of pumpkins out front.

We went to a patch to pick them. I did not wear flannel.

A few minutes before the news starts, we gather popcorn and snacks and curl up on the couch in our pajamas, tucked under one of the massive blankets Xavier has crocheted for us. He specifically makes wildly oversized blankets. He says it’s because he knows that Sam and I are going to share them all the time and doesn’t want either one of us to get left with an uncovered leg or cold back. I think he also just gets into a rhythm with his stitches and stops paying attention so they get out of hand before he realizes it and finally stops. Either way, they are all beautiful and warm, and Sam and I do fit very nicely under them together, so I don’t mind.

The news starts with the basic greeting from the anchors and an overview of stories from around the area as well as top stories from around the country before one of the anchors flashes that kind of bright smile that signals to viewers something far more fun than the usual news is coming.

“We all know if there’s one thing that everyone around our little town is good at, it’s talking, and for the last year, everybody has been talking about the same thing,” he says. He looks over at his co-anchor, Claire Rogers, who flashes him her own reporter-ready grin.

“That’s right, Lionel. Since the reveal last year that our area is finally getting our own mall, everyone has been buzzing with excitement. From mothers loving the idea of being able to run several errands all in one location and grab dinner at the same time, to men looking forward to the shopping experience being cut down a bit, to teenagers eager to just have a place to hang out, everyone has been looking forward to The Village Square Mall opening up,” Claire adds.

“Absolutely,” Lionel nods. “And I can confirm that part about appreciating shopping taking a lot less time.”

Their heads tilt sideways toward each other as they share a laugh.

“Well, the wait is almost over. With the open house giving locals a sneak peek at the two floors of shopping, eating, entertainment, and more, we’ve all been even more excited for the grand opening event coming Monday. But for some very lucky shoppers, their anticipation is over tonight. Winners of a contest run by the developers has allowed a select group of mall enthusiasts to celebrate the opening and get the first chance at visiting many of the stores tonight at a special all-night event,” Claire says.

“All night?” Lionel gasps in mock horror and disgust. “I thought we said that shopping would take less time when the mall is open.”

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