Thomas’s arrest had provided the residents of Shady Hollow and Mirror Lake no end of gossip, and this dovetailed with the final few days of campaigning before the election. Signs popped up in yards and banners hung from doorways, especially the bright red and yellow ones for the police chief race. Vera counted silently in her head as she walked through town, but it was impossible to tell who had the edge.
Election Day dawned bright and sunny. The cold snap in the air was more invigorating than harsh, and Vera thought the weather boded well for turnout. She dressed hurriedly and bypassed her small kitchen on the way out the door. She’d grab a bite at Joe’s later, but first she wanted to get to the polls and interview folks as they headed out to perform their civic duty.
At the central polling place, located at the town hall itself, she interviewed Moira Chitters, one of Howard’s more precocious offspring. She’d attempted to cast a vote this morning, but was prevented from doing so when the poll workers noticed her youthful expression beneath her grandmother’s wide-brimmed hat. They informed her that children were not permitted to vote.
“But I want to!” Moira protested, even as she was being escorted away from the ballot box.
“Not till you’re a bit older, dear,” one of the poll workers said kindly.
Vera knelt down to comfort the young mouse, and asked her for a comment on the state of local politics and voting in general. “I should get a vote,” Moira insisted. “I live here too!”
“That’s a good point,” Vera said, writing in her notebook. “What do you think needs changing here in Shady Hollow?”
“We could use more slides at the playground,” Moira said. “And the rope swings into the river are just not long enough.”
“You should go to the next town council meeting,” Vera suggested. “Anyone can speak at those.”
“Oh, really?” Moira got a glint in her eyes as she hurried off home.
After interviewing a few more locals, Vera got in line to vote herself. In the booth, she needed only a moment to mark her choices. She pressed extra hard on her pencil when circling Orville’s name.
Afterward, she passed through the exit door to find a long table set up nearby, with a number of creatures standing around it. “Good morning, voter!” a squirrel called to her, gesturing her over.
“What’s this?” Vera asked, sniffing the air above the table. The humble little breads smelled delicious.
“It’s Election Cake, of course!” the squirrel replied. “Oh, maybe you’ve never had to vote in Shady Hollow before, Vera. This is a tradition in all the towns up and down the river. We have a cake committee for each ward, and we get together to bake these little cakes. We sell them only on an election day…and you aren’t allowed to buy one until you’ve left the polling booth.”
“Now that’s an incentive I can understand,” Vera said, glancing at the line forming behind her as folks left the polls and stepped right up to the cake table, eager to be rewarded for their civic duty. The cakes were redolent with spices—cinnamon and cloves and nutmeg, and the sweet aroma of molasses under them all. “How much?”
“Twenty-five cents, please,” the squirrel told her. “Enjoy!”
Vera took her cake, wrapped in a red gingham cloth napkin, and smiled. She fully intended to enjoy her cake.
The polls closed at six in the evening, and the town residents left their businesses and schools and returned home for a hearty dinner, for the temperature took a sharp plunge as the sun set, and the chill in the air strongly encouraged a creature to bundle up and find a warm place to relax.
Vera and Lenore got together for a meal at Joe’s Mug. It was packed, as folks gathered to eat and chat and guess at the results of the races. Vera was too nervous to eat much of anything, and she wondered over and over again if she ought to have done something differently. Should she have told Orville not to run? Should she have quit her job to direct his campaign? Should she have a piece of pumpkin pie, and if so, should she have it with vanilla or maple ice cream? It was all very fraught.
Then a rabbit opened the diner door. Though folk had been coming and going constantly, now they all turned expectantly.
“Results are in!” the rabbit cried out, scarcely slowing down as he delivered the message to each business. “Results are in! The mayor will read the results out in the town square at nine o’clock!”
“Welp, that’s it. Let’s get moving so we can get close to the stage.” Lenore ruffed her feathers out, then smoothed them down.
“Oh, I’m not sure I can listen. I’ll stay here,” Vera said.
“Nonsense. You’re an intrepid reporter, you can’t be spooked by a little tension. And anyway, Orville’s got this.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I never had a doubt. Now come along, Vera, or I’ll tell your beau that you were going to desert him in his hour of triumph!”
“Now that’s just mean.”
“Yes, I know.” Lenore cawed with delight, and Vera was reminded of just why she and Lenore got along so well.
A large crowd had gathered in the town square, chattering excitedly. This was Shady Hollow’s most interesting race in several years, and folks were not going to wait until the results were published in the Herald to be read tomorrow. They wanted to know now.
The mayor read off the results, in reverse order of their importance to Vera.
“The winner of the comptroller position is Nancy Chitters…again. Congratulations, Nancy.”
“The race for town clerk goes to Mariana Beckenbauer… We look forward to your service, Ms. Beckenbauer!”
Polite applause followed each announcement, but it was clear folks were waiting for the big finish.
“And, finally…” The mayor paused to take a long sip of water, and Vera ground her teeth at the obvious tease.
“Get on with it!” someone yelled from the crowd, and a general roar confirmed the sentiment.
“All
