The mayor stands up, signaling the conversation is over. “I appreciate your concern, but unless you have concrete evidence of illegal activity, I suggest you stop spreading unfounded rumors.”
When Kai looks like he’s about to argue back, I put my hand on his arm.
“Thank you so much for your time, Mayor Whitmore.”
“Next time, book an appointment or make sure you come to me for a real town issue,” he says, dismissing us.
We leave the office feeling dejected. Carol gives us a sympathetic look as we pass, but there’s nothing she can do. The mayor has made up his mind.
Outside, Kai and I stand on the steps of the town hall, the Colorado sun warm on our faces but doing nothing to lift the weight we’re carrying.
“He’s not going to listen,” Kai says.
“No, he’s seeing nothing but dollar signs.”
“So what do we do?”
I think about Jordan’s evidence. I think about the pattern of destruction HelixGen Corp leaves in its wake. I think about my parents and Mrs. Field and Vaughn and everyone in Pine Ridge who deserves to know the truth.
“We go around him,” I say. “We tell the community. We make it impossible for him to move forward without public backlash.”
“Then that’s what we do.”
But as we walk away from the town hall, I can’t shake the feeling that we’re running out of time. That HelixGen Corp is already moving forward with its plans and we’re scrambling to catch up.
We need a new plan. And we need it fast.
8
KAI
I arriveat the Bookshelf Café fifteen minutes early, hoping to grab a table in the back corner where we can talk privately. But I find someone already sitting there—Vaughn Reeves, the man from the town meeting. The one who was watching Richard Musgrove with such intensity. He’s nursing a coffee and reading a book on sustainable agriculture.
He looks up as I approach, and there’s a flash of recognition in his eyes. Maybe it’s because I’m not from Pine Ridge, but I get the feeling he’s not from here either. Sharp features, but kind eyes, expensive but understated clothing, an air of quiet competence.
“Kai,” he says, gesturing to the seat across from him. “Good to see you again.”
“Same.” I sit down, curious. “If you don’t mind me asking, why are you getting involved with this?”
“I have my own reasons for keeping HelixGen Corp out of Pine Ridge,” he says, his voice low enough that only I can hear. “I own a large farm just outside of town. My work has a huge positive environmental impact on the area. Companies like HelixGen Corp are the opposite of what I’m trying to build. Theycome in, disrupt the land, destroy the community fabric. It’s not good for anyone.”
He’s not telling me everything. I can feel it in the way he’s choosing his words. The way his eyes don’t quite meet mine when he talks about his reasons. But my gut tells me he’s on the right side. That whatever his full story is, his intentions are good.
Atlas and his dad arrive together ten minutes later. Emilio has worry etched into the lines of his face, and I wonder if Atlas has spoken to his parents about his situation yet.
Mrs. Field shows up shortly after, pulling up a chair to our table. She looks determined and ready for a fight.
“Thank you for coming,” I say.
“Of course,” she replies. “This is exactly the kind of threat the library and this community needs to stand against. I can’t stay long, though. I’ve left the clerk in charge, and we have storytime in a couple of hours.”
Atlas leans forward. “We tried to get through to the mayor yesterday. We told him about HelixGen’s unethical practices, their pattern of exploitation. But he wasn’t interested. He just sees dollar signs.”
“He dismissed us completely,” I add. “He said unless we had concrete evidence of illegal activity, we should stop spreading rumors.”
Vaughn shakes his head. “He’s already made up his mind.”
“The question is whether we can get the community to see what we see,” Mrs. Field says. “Before he signs anything.”
