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Hope blossomed in my chest. So much so that I finally said words I never thought I could out loud.
“Oh my God, I think I finally figured out who runs the STM grant.”
I didn’t get to sit with my shock for long. I heard the familiar sound of Hugh’s car backfiring and I jumped. I needed to get out of here, so I shut the door and hid behind an old hitch he was selling.
Hugh slowly walked in. “Damn Jackie and her damn raccoons. They better not make it in here.”
This was the Hugh that I knew. I’d seen this man complain about Tammy raising her prices slightly. I’d seen him leave the store with the same amount of food every single week, determined to save every dollar he could.
Hugh walked fully inside before he stopped at the storeroom door. He looked both ways, almost as if he were worried someone was here before looking inside. I crouched, squeezing my eyes shut in the foolish hope I wouldn’t be caught.
The door creaked open, and I heard a click.
“Don’t shoot me!” I said. “It’s Jade! Your lovable, quirky, rock-collecting woman!”
Hugh’s eyes met mine. He didn’t have a gun in his hand, and the door shut. His eyes were narrowed. “What are you doing?”
I looked at the money and then at him. “Uh, just hanging out?”
“Get the fuck out.”
“Hang on!” I held up my hands. “I have a reason to be here! There was a raccoon in a tutu and I needed to save him.”
Hugh scoffed. “I don’t care. Just leave.”
I let out a shaky breath and left the storeroom. Halfway to the front door, my shame faded and my curiosity grew. “Why do you have so much cash in there?”
“Jade—”
“Come on,” I said. “You can’t expect me not to ask. We have to talk about this!”
Hugh frowned and crossed his arms. “We have nothing to talk about.”
“Yes, we do.” I decided to be bold. “That much cash . . . You have a secret, don’t you? One you don’t want anyone to know.”
I waited. This would be the moment that would change everything. For a second, he was still. Then his entire body tensed. This was the reaction of a man who had been caught.
My heart hammered in my chest. Every time I interviewed someone else, they all seemed like they had nothing to hide. This was different.
“And what do you want to know?”
My skin erupted in gooseflesh. Oh my God, had I done it? Did I really find the man who started the STM grant?
“Why’d you do it, Hugh?” I shook my head. “And why keep it a secret?”
He let out a long sigh and hobbled over to me. “You think people are going to react well? No way. I’m already the pariah of this town.”
“You wouldn’t be if the people knew.”
“Have you lost your mind? I absolutely would be.”
I let out a shocked laugh. “How? You’ve done more for us than anyone else!”
“That doesn’t mean they’re going to be thrilled that I sold the land.”
“Still, you—” I froze as his words finally registered. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”
“Me selling my land. That’s why you’re here, right? You somehow found out about it.”
