Carpe Diem, Illinois by Kristin Oakley

Author:Kristin Oakley [A., Kristin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Little Creek Press
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

“Brendan, do you know where Mayor Evans is?” Leo asked, weaving around the diner’s empty tables. “Shit!” he cursed as he whacked his thigh on one of them. Pain pulsed through his leg. “It’s after seven. She’s not in her office. I drove to the Inn. Her car wasn’t there. The concierge wouldn’t let me in the front door.” He limped up to the counter. “Brendan?”

The teenager opened a bag of decaf coffee and poured it methodically into the coffee maker.

Leo gritted his teeth as the teen picked up a mug and began wiping it out with a nearby cloth. “Brendan!”

The teen slammed the mug down, shoved the cloth into it and then looked at Leo. His eyes were small slits, his mouth an angry gash. “Why the hell should I tell you?”

Leo slumped onto the nearest stool, not surprised by the young man’s retort. He had seen the trampled flowerbeds and the sidewalks littered with cigarette butts, crumpled Styrofoam coffee cups, plastic lids and chewing gum. He knew a press rampage when he saw it.

Leo rubbed his leg, debating what to say. Before leaving for Carpe Diem, he had stopped by his apartment for a quick shower. It refreshed him, but glancing at the mirror he saw blood shot eyes underlined with dark circles that only a long, deep sleep would cure. He threw on a clean, severely wrinkled cotton shirt and dusted off what grime he could from his jacket. He neglected to dry his mop of hair. He knew he looked like hell, but he didn’t care.

As if on cue, Apologize by OneRepublic piped through the restaurant’s sound system.

“I didn’t write the article,” Leo said.

“Right.”

“Dammit it’s true!” He hoped this declaration would be enough. Brendan glared at him. “Someone hacked into my computer.” He hesitated. “I think I know who.”

“Who?”

“I can’t say--”

The teenager scoffed.

“--until I’m certain. Which is why I need to talk to the mayor.”

Brendan’s scowl deepened.

“I told people I was doing a story about small towns and the Carpe Diem Fall Festival. That wasn’t entirely accurate.”

The clerk moved as if to go.

“Wait, let me finish, please.”

Brendan stopped, though he continued to glare.

“I came to Carpe Diem to investigate how your town operated without schools. At first, I was skeptical, then after spending time with Quinn and seeing what this community is capable of, I started to change my mind. But I still had a lot of questions. I would never submit an article until I’d answered those questions. That’s not my style.”

Brendan turned toward the back doorway.

“Ask my editor if you don’t believe me!” Leo shouted, desperate. “He’ll tell you I’d rather miss a deadline than sign my name to a half-assed story.”

The teen hesitated then turned around. “The mayor’s at the Community Center. She’s called an emergency town meeting.”

“Thanks Brendan. I really appreciate it.” He got up off the stool. “Wait, did you say ‘town meeting’?” His pulse quickened.

“Yes. Go in the back entrance,” Brendan said, “To avoid the press.”

Great, press. Leo limped out of the diner.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.