Free Fete Worse Than Death (9781101595138) by Claudia Bishop Page A

“Besides, Carol Ann’s been looking to buy an Escalade and when she called me up and said the TV people were headed this way…I guess maybe I made a mistake. I guess I’m sorry, Mayor, about the things they said about Mrs. Mayor.”
    Dookie nodded to himself, sat back, and folded his hands in his lap.
    Brady edged around the table and sat down. “I know you folks aren’t exactly glad to see me, but I was hoping you’d give me a chance to say my piece.”
    “If you think you got a place on this steering committee, you got another think coming,” Elmer said.
    “Now, Mayor, let’s not be too hasty about this. I can bring a lot to this committee. You may be aware that there are several factions in town that haven’t been happy with the way the fete has been run so far. I’m offering myselfas a neutral party. We’ve all got a stake in the fete’s success and I’m in a pretty good position to listen to both sides in a fair and honest way.”
    Elmer looked at Quill. “He’s in, I’m out.”
    Althea and Dookie looked at her, too.
    “You’re chair,” Althea finally said, with the air of urging a reluctant puppy outdoors. “We’re leaving the decision up to you.”
    “Hm,” Quill said, in a decisive way.
    “It’s not that I could even think of taking Adela’s place. We all know how much she contributed to the success of this event. And I’ll tell you right up front, I’ve given up this idea of moving the fete away from Hemlock Falls. It’d be like taking it away from Adela herself, and everyone in town knows how much we owe her. She is,” Brady said, with passionate sincerity, “one of the best things that’s ever happened to this town. You’re a fortunate man in your marriage, Mayor.”
    Elmer’s eyes filled. He sniffed.
    “Now, no one can ever fill her shoes the way they should be filled, but I’d like to offer my services. In my own small way, I want to help. I’m willing to take on the hours and hours of responsibility until Adela is cleared and can join us once again.”
    Quill looked at Elmer’s miserable face. She thought of the hours and hours (and hours) of responsibility involved in getting the fete up to speed. “I’m sorry, Brady”—and no one but Myles knew just how sorry she was—“but I think that any changes to the committee right now might be misunderstood.”
    Brady’s smile vanished. For a moment, he looked mean.“You’re kidding me. How the hell are you going to manage it? No offense, Quill, but your administrative skills aren’t exactly world-class. Everybody’s got a lot of money tied up in this thing. You sure you’re up to it?”
    “I think so.”
    “Well, I don’t, and neither do a lot of concerned citizens. We were pretty sure you guys were going to turn us down…”
    “Who’s we?” Quill asked.
    “Concerned citizens,” Brady repeated impatiently. “So I’ve been authorized to request that the committee hire a professional to take over.”
    Althea raised her eyebrows. “A professional?”
    “An event organizer.”
    ~
    “Yep,” Brady said briskly. “You need an event organizer. Best thing you could do. Bring a professional in.”
    Elmer mopped his eyes with a not-very-clean handkerchief, blew his nose and said, “What?”
    “We even have a couple of suggestions.” Brady dug into his sports coat pocket and produced a slip of paper. “Event organizers. Three of them. Take your pick.”
    Elmer looked around the office with a bewildered expression as if expecting to find an event organizer under Quill’s chrysanthemum-patterned couch.
    Althea reached over and took the paper. “One’s in Buffalo, one’s in Rochester, and one’s in Syracuse. Which is closer, Quill?”
    “Syracuse.”
    “You have a Syracuse phone book here? Or better yet, let’s try your laptop.”
    Quill rose, went to her desk, and sat down. “I’ll do an Internet search. If we can find somebody to step in, that’d be terrific.”
    Althea nudged Dookie. “A miracle,