It isn’t easy to keep Inga happy. She has a wicked tongue and uses it whenever she thinks it will help her get her way. Most people are afraid of Inga, but she and I bonded over our love of books especially mysteries.
The sound of a gavel against a desk brought my attention back to the room. I sat through several small, but important issues and then the head councilman asked if there was any other business. That’s when I stood.
I watched him grab his forehead and ask, “What is it tonight, Annie?”
“Same as every other time, but this time I’m upset, and I think the town will be, too. I know you’re tired of me trying to convince you to get a new population sign for the town even though I have offered to pay for it. No one seems to care if the numbers remain the same year in and year out. I do, but what I saw this morning is too much for me to keep quiet. As I was driving back from the superstore in the next county, I saw Edgar working on the population sign. I pulled over thinking he was going to replace it. When I asked him what he thought he was doing he looked at me and said he had to change the number because the Manners have a new baby boy, and the town has grown. He changed the last number on the sign from ‘7’ to ‘8’ by writing ‘8’ on a piece of duct tape and placed the tape over the number ‘7’. Duct tape of all things. People are going to think they arrived in a cartoon village. Do something!”
I crossed my arms and sat down. Georgie’s eyes were big as she stared at me. I was busy catching my breath after my speech.
Councilman Phillips said, “Uh ha, I’ll ask Edgar about it and we can discuss it at the next meeting.” He picked up his gavel to adjourn the meeting.
My face flushed with anger. How dare he dismiss me that way? I was ready to stand again and battle it out when Inga stood in front of me.
She stepped out into the aisle and said, “Annie makes a good point. We can’t have people coming into town with duct tape on our signs. Take care of it Phillips.”
Councilman Phillips’ face paled when he looked at Inga. I was silently yelling “Go Inga Go!”
Inga raised a finger in the air and said, “Another thing, Philips…” and she dropped over face first onto the floor.
Georgie, who knew CPR from Red Cross training because she owned the grill, sprang to her feet. She was on her knees turning Inga on her back when Doctor Bolden dropped down on the other side of Inga. I sat stunned. Mags held her hand to her mouth, and I saw a tear run down her cheek. Douglas was stoic.
The rescue squad arrived in record time, and two paramedics ran down the aisle. As they began working on Inga, I moved to the other end of the seats. I’m squeamish when it comes to needles and IVs. I dropped my head into my hands and said a prayer. Georgie slipped into a seat next to me.
I swallowed and asked, “Is she dead? I think my speech upset her, and I killed her.” I shuddered and felt a cold shiver run down my back.
Georgie said, “Whatever happened wasn’t your fault and yes, I think she’s dead. The paramedics are taking her out, so there isn’t a spectacle.” She grabbed my hand, but I still felt guilty.
Doctor Bolden walked over and asked Georgie how she was doing. Georgie nodded and said, “I’m okay. It’s just sad.”
I looked at the doctor and said, “I upset her and killed her didn’t I?”
“No, Annie. I’m not sure what happened, but I don’t think you killed her. She shouldn’t have passed out that way. She was healthy for her age. We’ll know more in the next few days. Go home and rest.”
Once the paramedics left, people slowly emptied out of the meeting room. Georgie and I were the last to leave. Georgie suggested we needed a drink, but I was tired and said I wanted to go home. I hugged her and promised to call in the morning.
Chapter Two
I parked in my garage and walked into the house. It was dark and quiet. It was too dark and quiet. I flipped the kitchen light switch, and the overhead fixture flooded the room with light. That was better. My stomach grumbled at me, and I remembered I didn’t eat anything before the meeting. I grabbed a chocolate covered granola protein bar and a raspberry wine cooler from the fridge and headed into the living room. Flipping another wall switch brought light to three corners of my living room. The dark corner was lit enough from filtered moonlight coming in the sliding doors that led to my patio. I opened the door and stepped out onto the patio, grabbed an aluminum lawn chair and dragged it downhill to our pier. I walked to the end of the pier, unfolded the chair and sat.
I tore open the granola bar wrapping and took a bite. After the second bite, my stomach stopped screaming at me. A nice gulp of wine cooler helped, I’m sure. I have a sweet tooth that I argue with daily, but tonight I didn’t care. The sweet granola bar and wine cooler were what I needed. One helped my hunger and the other my nerves.
It was still early, only a little after nine, and I could see the lights in Inga’s house across the lake. It was too early in the season for campers, and most of the surrounding area was dark. I was fortunate. My grandparents and three other families had built homes along the lake before the Kelleher family bought up the rest. My grandmother left this house to me when she passed away. It
