Free The Fight for Kidsboro by Marshal Younger

him and grabbed the pipe out of his mouth. “Oh, come on. You think they’re all lying?”
    â€œPardon me for raining on your victory parade, but it sounds suspicious,” he said as he grabbed the pipe back. “I think I should investigate.” I guess he figured he was on a roll, detective-wise.
    â€œI’m not paying you.”
    â€œI know that. I’ll do this one for you on the house.”
    I rolled my eyes. He had never liked the new law. I assumed this was his way of trying to prove it didn’t work. He picked up his magnifying glass and hat.
    And as he opened the door, someone started screaming.

8

    BAD JUSTICE
    T HE SCREAMING WAS COMING FROM Jill’s house, which was next to Scott’s. Jill was pointing her finger in Marcy’s face, and Marcy wasn’t backing away. They were both yelling at the same time, listening to nothing but themselves. Others were gathering around to watch the fight, but Marcy and Jill didn’t see them. All they were seeing was red.
    â€œI never should’ve hired you!” Jill shouted.
    â€œI wish I’d never asked you to!” Marcy replied.
    â€œFine. Then go ask Corey for a job. Start picking through our trash cans. I hear he needs a decorator for his kitchen!”
    â€œIf I’d known what a jerk you’d be for a boss, I would’ve done that to begin with.”
    â€œ I’m a jerk? You’ve been my employee for three weeks and you may have just bankrupted us!”
    â€œYou take this dumb newspaper too seriously.”
    â€œWell, thanks to you, that might not be a problem anymore.”
    â€œI hope it does go bankrupt. At least you’ll be human again.”
    This was too much for me to stand back and watch. I felt responsible for some of this, and the verbal zingers were getting way too personal. I stepped in. “Hey, hey. Wait a minute.”
    â€œGo away,” Jill said to me.
    â€œI’m quitting this town,” Marcy said.
    â€œMarcy—” I said.
    â€œNo, wait. I’m not quitting yet. I’m gonna stick around long enough to vote you out of office, then I’ll quit.” She stomped away.
    Jill turned away from me and headed back into her house. I debated going in the other direction and letting her cool off, but I wanted to defend myself now. I opened the door. She was sitting at a table with her head resting on a stack of papers—the issue in which Corey was misquoted.
    â€œJill …” I whispered.
    â€œ You’re the cause of all of this!” she shouted without looking up.
    â€œYou two will work this out.”
    â€œShe was a good friend, Ryan. I slept over at her house when we were in kindergarten ! I’ve never fought with her like that.”
    â€œThat’s why you’ll be okay.”
    â€œPlease! Let me call a city council meeting!”
    â€œIt’s not the law, Jill. The program is working. We just need to work out a few of the kinks.”
    â€œYou’re putting the town before friendships.”
    â€œI’m not, I—”
    Her head popped up as if it were attached to a spring. “Then how come I just lost one of my best friends?” She brushed her hair away from her face. Her eyes watered like she might cry, and she stared at me, waiting for an answer to this unanswerable question. She breathed in sharply. “There are things that go on outside these woods, Ryan,” she said.
    â€œI know,” I replied.
    â€œThen maybe you should stop being so much of a mayor and just be a kid.” Jill laid her head back down on the stack of papers.
    â€œI’m sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say, so I turned and left.
    The crowd that had gathered to see the cat fight between Marcy and Jill had not yet dispersed. They all looked at me, searching for some look on my face that would tell them what had happened. Scott ran up to me.
    â€œWhat’s going on?” he