Page 9 of Outlawed

The silence now is palpable, and I have to fight the urge to fidget.

“When I woke up in the hospital, the first thought I had was to run. To leave this town and just start somewhere fresh. What does this town even have to offer anymore? Certainly not kindness or safety. But then I thought of Calliope and realized that wasn’t strictly true. Knowing what this place did to her, how it shunned her, turned its back when she needed you all most? I have no idea how she found the strength to come back, let alone stay. And you know what? If Calliope can do it. If Dawn can do it…”

Heads turn, looking for Dawn. I follow suit and see her sitting in the middle, head held high.

“Then I can do it too. This may be a small town with small-minded opinions, but times are changing. We need to change with it, or the rest of the world will leave us behind.”

She blows out a shaky breath, her eyes going to the man sitting at the edge of the stage, watching her with the same intensity my men watch me with. Henry winks at her, making her grin and giving her the confidence to carry on.

“I’m tired of waiting for this town to fix itself. If we want things to change, then it’s time we became the change. Nobody talks about what’s been happening, the good or the bad. But I’ve visited Miss Jackie, and I’ve seen the beautiful flowers adorning her property. I’ve seen signs of life appearing everywhere, and do you know what the common denominator is? Or should I say who, the common denominator is?” She looks my way, nothing but hope and determination on her face.

“Bad things have happened in Crowhurst, truly heinous things, but there has been good here too. Beauty and wonder. And I’m here now, ready to nurture that, asking you all to join me in making that change. The festival is just the beginning. Let’s make it the best one yet.”

She steps down and retakes her seat as Shepard moves into me, his lips next to my ear. “That sounded part graduation ceremony speech, part eulogy, part I’m running for mayor.”

I chuckle and shake my head. “I’d vote for her.”

“After that ringing endorsement, how could you not?”

I turn back to the front as the next speaker steps up. I half-listen as they complain about parking. I gaze around the room, catching Dawn as she looks over. She waves, looking nervous but not scared. Still, I make a point to double-check the room to make sure my father isn’t lurking around here somewhere. He’s like a bad smell that won’t go away. And I just know he’s biding his time as he gets ready to make his next move. I’m wary because having people I care about means having people he can use as leverage against me. He’s proven he’s cruel enough to do it.

The speaker sits down when they’re done, which is when Harry gets back up to the podium. “On a serious note, and while we have Sheriff Shepard here today, I’d like to address the spate of missing people of late.”

“Not missing people, missing men!” someone calls out.

“Not just men. My sister’s friend’s niece went missing too,” a woman shouts.

“She ain’t missing, she’s running from that cheating man-whore husband of hers,” someone else pipes up as the room dissolves into chaos.

“Be right back,” Shepard sighs, kissing my temple before getting to his feet. He eases past Jackie before heading up to the front.

“I wouldn’t want to be him right now,” Riggs groans.

“I’m not sure he even wants to be him right now.”

A piercing whistle has everyone shutting up. Shepard pulls his fingers from his mouth and steps up to the podium, nodding to something Harry says. He braces himself before he begins. “As I’m sure all of you know by now, I’ve only just started back today⁠—”

“After you attacked⁠—”

“That’s enough, Glen,” Harry snaps from his seat. “Shepard was cleared of any wrongdoing, and you know that, or he wouldn’t be standing up here right now.”

Glen huffs out a laugh. “A lover’s quarrel. If his woman wasn’t spreading her legs for every Tom, Dick and Harry…” His voice drifts off as Shepard gets down from the podium without a word. He walks down the aisle, his jaw tight, ignoring the loud whispers.

I get to my feet as Riggs and Jackie do the same. We head toward him, and I notice Dawn is following too. Sarah and Henry are next, heading down the aisle toward us. Before you know it, more and more people follow suit.

“Order, people,” Harry snaps.

“Where the hell is he going?” I don’t know if it’s Glen who asks or someone else, but as I reach Shepard and slide my fingers through his, I realize I don’t care.

“Sheriff, please!” Harry calls out.

Shepard stops, his eyes locked on mine, silently asking me what he should do. I give a little shrug. It’s his call.

“The name-calling doesn’t bother me, Sheriff. It’s always small-minded bigots that shout the loudest.”

His lips twitch as he turns to face the front of the room. Sarah and Henry reach us and move aside so they’re not blocking Shepard, and the people behind them follow suit.

Shepard looks at Harry and sighs. “What’s the point, Harry? Most of the people here don’t give a fuck about the people that are missing. They just want to use them as cannon fodder to pick apart my relationship. I put my badge on today for the first time in weeks, and it’s never felt so heavy before. When I came to Crowhurst, it felt right. I wanted to make a difference and find my place, and for the most part, I thought I had. Like Sarah, I have a soft spot for this town. Even though I could see the writing on the wall, I refused to jump ship. But this place has always taken more than it has given. It took watching the way you treated my woman for me to truly open my eyes. I’m a cop, so I did what cops do best. I dug into Calliope and the history of this place. I’ve had nothing but time on my hands after all.”