Authors: Barbara Hinske

Coming to Rosemont (21 page)

Chapter 32

Maggie fully expected they would
put out a gracious press release, thanking everyone for their support of Alex’s
campaign and for their prayers and well wishes. She didn’t think any more about
it. And she was most certainly not prepared for what happened next.

When Election Day rolled around that Tuesday,
Maggie was so busy helping Marc get in and out of bed and arranging for Alex’s
transfer to rehab, that she didn’t even vote. Why bother? Russell Isaac had won
this round by default, and, frankly, it made her sick to think about it.

If Maggie had gone to the polls, she would have
been amazed to see the volunteers at each and every polling place, from the
time they opened to the time they closed, stationed at the required distance,
soliciting votes for a write-in candidate. A newcomer to town who seemed like
she had been part of this community her whole life. The dynamic spirit behind
the successful Easter carnival. The energetic soul who was willing to get
creative and roll up her sleeves to pitch in and help others. The new voice and
breath of fresh air that this town needed. A successful business owner and
forensic accountant with the experience and expertise they needed to lead Westbury
forward.
Maggie Martin.
Write her into our future!

***

Frank Haynes retired early on
election night. The tension of the past few weeks had taken its toll. It was
all finally over and he felt certain that Isaac was a shoo-in. He hated to
admit it, but that accident that Delgado arranged worked like a charm. Voters
wanted someone capable of being firmly at the helm in the mayor’s office.
Hell—that’s
the drum that Scanlon’s own campaign had been beating. What did they call that?
Being hoist on your own petard?
He kept his ear to the ground, but so far
there wasn’t any talk about that tree trunk being anything other than an unfortunate
obstruction on the highway. Haynes settled back into his pillows as he patted
the mattress and his faithful Border collie jumped up to join him.

Haynes woke at his usual time the next morning. He
was in no hurry as he let the dog out, fixed her breakfast, and made his
coffee. He picked the newspaper off his front step and proceeded to his bedroom
to shower and dress. He flipped it open and the headline assaulted him as he
slumped onto the edge of his bed.
Good God Almighty, what were they going to
do now?

Write-in Candidate Maggie
Martin Elected Mayor

Major Upset After Debilitating
Injury of Candidate Alex Scanlon

First Write-in Mayor in
State’s History

***

When she retrieved her newspaper on
Wednesday morning, Maggie also gasped as she read the headline. Her world spun
around her as she stood rooted to her porch, paper in hand. She widened her
stance to steady herself. How the hell had they done this to her, without
asking her? But even as she thought this, a wave of excitement washed over her
and a smile broke forth, scattering her doubts and fears.
I can do this. I
really, truly can do this.
She squared her shoulders and set her gaze above
the trees.
Why not? I can figure out what to do here. With the help and
grace of God, I can make a difference. If all of these good people believe in
me, then I ought to believe in myself. I will not let them down.

She resolutely crossed her threshold, and when the
massive door of Rosemont closed on her this time, the tentative woman looking
for a fresh start was gone, replaced by the new Mayor of Westbury.

“Well, Eve, looks like we’ve got a town to run,”
she said as she tossed the
Westbury Gazette
aside. “We’d better get
cracking. This is the start of my next chapter.” She turned and raced up the
stairs, with Eve bounding happily at her heels.

The End

Thank you for reading!

If you enjoyed
Coming
to Rosemont
, I’d be
grateful if you wrote a review.

Just a few lines would be great. Reviews are the best
gift an author can receive. They encourage us when they’re good, help us
improve our next book when they’re not, and help other readers make informed
choices when purchasing books. Reviews keep the Amazon algorithms humming and
are the most helpful aide in selling books! Thank you.

To post a review on Amazon or for Kindle:

1.

Go
to the product detail page for
Coming
to Rosemont
on Amazon.com
.

2.

Click
“Write a customer review” in the Customer Reviews section.

3.

Write
your review and click Submit.

In gratitude,

Barbara Hinske

Book Club Questions

1.

Have you—or someone you know—been thrust into a life
situation like Maggie's where you needed to start over?

2.

What personal qualities did Maggie possess that allowed her to
lose her entire social support group, the Windsor College community, and
rebuild her network?

3.

Have you experienced a crisis where the people you thought would
"show up" were conspicuously absent and you were surprised and
uplifted by the kindness of strangers?

4.

Was this a fast-paced, engaging read? Would you say it was plot
driven or character driven?

5.

How have you encouraged a friend or family member who thinks they
will never meet that special someone, like Maggie did for her daughter Susan?

6.

Have you ever run for public office or been involved in a political
campaign? If yes, would you recommend political involvement to your friends and
family?

7.

Do you decorate your home for the different seasons?

8.

How would you feel about moving to an entirely new area of the
country, where you know no one?

9.

Would you start over with new furnishings as Maggie did, or would
you surround yourself with familiar furniture and décor?

10.

Was
the plot predictable or were you surprised along the way? Did you believe the
ending?

About the Author

Barbara Hinske
is an attorney by day,
bestselling novelist by night. She inherited the writing gene from her father
who wrote mysteries when he retired and told her a story every night of her
childhood. She and her husband share their own Rosemont with two adorable and
spoiled dogs. The old house keeps her husband busy with repair projects and her
happily decorating, entertaining, cooking, and gardening. Together they have
four grown children and live in Phoenix, Arizona.

Chapter 1

The Honorable Margaret Martin
peered uneasily out the cruiser window at the sea of angry faces as Chief Andy
Thomas wove his way to the rear entrance of Haynes Gymnasium. A uniformed
officer sprang to open her door. He shielded her from the jeering crowd and
quickly escorted her inside.

“I would never have expected such an uprising in
Westbury,” she said, turning to the officer.

“People hate pay cuts,” he replied curtly as he
opened the door and stepped back outside.

Maggie sighed and made her way to the enclosure at
the back of the gymnasium where she and the town council were gathering before
the council meeting, scheduled to start in forty-five minutes.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” she said as she joined them.
“I was on my way when Chief Thomas intercepted me. He wanted to bring me in
himself.”

“That was my call,” Special Counsel Alex Scanlon
said. “I was afraid there might be trouble tonight. As mayor of Westbury,
you’re the focal point of all this animosity.”

“I’ve lived here all my life and I’ve never seen
anything like this,” Councilman Frank Haynes interjected. “Maybe it wasn’t such
a good idea to move the council meeting to the largest venue in town.”

“You may be right, Frank, but we’re here now,”
Maggie replied. “And the people need to know what we’ve decided.”

“Voting to cut employee pay and revoke the
cost-of-living increases on town pension payments is idiotic,” Chuck Delgado
snapped. “I shouldn’t have gone along with it. None of us will get re-elected.”

Maggie wheeled on him. “We’ve been over this a
million times. Until Alex and Chief Thomas finish their investigation into the
fraud and embezzlement perpetrated on the town and the pension fund, we have to
drastically cut expenses.” She scrutinized each member of the assembled
council. “You all agreed.”

“Where’s Councilwoman Holmes?” Russell Isaac
asked. “She should be here by now. We said we’d do this together.”

Maggie inhaled sharply. “Tonya called thirty
minutes ago. Her son broke his arm at football practice and she’s at the
emergency room. She can’t make it tonight.”

“That’s bullshit,” Delgado exploded. “Now she can
wash her hands of this entire fiasco.”

“Calm down, Chuck,” Haynes said. “She can’t leave
her kid alone at the hospital.”

“Thank you, Frank,” Maggie said. “Tonya’s given me
her proxy to vote for the measure.”

“That’s not the same thing as voting in person in
front of this crowd,” Isaac observed. He turned to Scanlon. “You could diffuse
the situation. Just announce that you’ve finished your investigation and William
Wheeler is the only person implicated. That you’ve got your man and you’ll get
a conviction. Soon.”

“I can’t do that,” Alex answered sharply. “Our
ex-mayor may not be the only one involved.”

“Go to hell, Scanlon,” Delgado spat.

“That’s enough,” Maggie broke in as Chief Thomas
approached.

“It’s time,” he said. “Every seat’s taken and more
than three hundred people are waiting outside. I’ve got all available officers,
plus some off-duty ones, in place. I’ll remain on stage with you. If I think we
need to end the meeting for safety reasons, you’ll have to abide by my
decision. It’s my call.”

Maggie nodded. How in the world had she gotten
herself into this predicament? Less than three years ago she had been the wife
of a college president, and a successful forensic accountant with a growing
consulting practice. Now she was a widow and mayor of Westbury—as a
write-in candidate no less—about to face a town’s wrath over a problem
she had no part in making. She shook her head and straightened her shoulders.

“I’ll explain the budget we discussed,” she
announced with more confidence than she felt. “Then we’ll all vote for it as
planned.”

***

Catcalls and comments from the
floor derailed Maggie’s presentation almost immediately. At one point, she felt
certain Chief Thomas would step in to close the meeting. She finally finished
and called for a motion to adopt the budget that would decrease the salary of
every member of the audience as well as her own, a fact she had reiterated to
the crowd. Haynes made the motion, which Isaac seconded. Maggie leaned into the
microphone and voted yes. The crowd’s boos and jeers drowned out her
pronouncement of Councilwoman Holmes’ proxy vote.

“Councilman Isaac?” she queried.

“I vote
no
.”

Maggie spun toward him. He dropped his gaze to
avoid eye contact.

“Councilman Haynes,” she continued.

“I vote no.”

Maggie stiffened. So this is what it felt like to
be stranded on the bridge while the rats deserted a sinking ship.

“Councilman Delgado.”

“I stand with my esteemed colleagues in support of
our faithful town workers,” he pontificated. “I vote no.”

Pandemonium broke out in the auditorium as the
crowd leapt to their feet and surged toward the stage. Maggie felt an arm
around her shoulders pulling her firmly toward the rear exit. “You can deal
with them later,” Chief Thomas said. “Right now, I need to get you out of
here.”

Maggie complied in a daze. “I was set up, wasn’t
I?”

“It appears so, ma’am,” the chief answered,
sliding her into his cruiser with the practiced motion he employed for suspects
heading to jail.

Excerpt from
Weaving the Strands
, the second

installment in the
Rosemont
series

Other books in the
Rosemont
series

Weaving
the Strands