Mayor Higgins looked down at a stack of papers. “There have been two complaints brought against you, Nash. One for inappropriate conduct and favoritism, and the other for harassment.”
My gut twisted. The way she read those out made it sound like I was a creep.
She looked up at me. “These are very serious charges.”
I laced my fingers on my lap. “I agree. And I’m sure once you investigate, you’ll realize they can’t be substantiated.”
The mayor leaned back in her chair. “I’m glad to hear you’re confident of that.”
One of the older men on the council, Peter Tolle, studied Lawson and me. “I am, too. Goodness knows Dan McConnell is nothing but trouble.”
“But,” Mayor Higgins cut in, “we can’t afford even a glimmer of impropriety.”
Lawson cleared his throat. “That’s why we have procedures for these kinds of things. I was present for both alleged incidents and can testify that there was no behavior that warranted these charges.”
“You’re also his brother,” another woman on the council, Henrietta White, said. “And this Adam Westchester has a stellar reputation.”
My fingernails dug into the backs of my hands to keep from saying something that would come back to bite me.
Lawson kept a neutral expression, but I knew it cost him. “That may be the case, but he has also been accused of domestic abuse on a number of occasions.”
Mayor Higgins straightened in her chair. “You have proof of this?”
“Two cases were settled out of court, and the other never went to trial. But we have a statement from Madison Byrne about his abuse.” Lawson slid a piece of paper across the table.
The mayor scanned the sheet. “I’m sorry to hear about this. Did she press charges?”
I shook my head. “She didn’t want to deal with the public spectacle that would cause. But she agreed to us giving him an informal warning.”
Mayor Higgins’ lips thinned. “Very little of this is something we can use to prove he might be trying to cover up a crime. Three cases that were never seen to completion and a statement by the accused’s ex doesn’t say much.”
I bit the inside of my cheek.
Lawson straightened. “It shows a pattern of behavior.”
The mayor held up a hand. “Nash also shouldn’t have been anywhere near Adam Westchester when it came to investigating something that had to do with his girlfriend.”
“She wasn’t my girlfriend at the time,” I interjected.
Mayor Higgins sent me an exasperated look. “Your close friend, then.”
“Mayor, this is a small town. If my officers couldn’t investigate something they had a personal tie to, nothing would get investigated,” Lawson argued.
“That’s pushing it a bit,” she replied with a sigh. “We’ll look into all of this. But we have to do a thorough investigation.”
“I understand,” I said, trying to keep my voice even.
Mayor Higgins shuffled her papers. “I’m afraid we’ll have to suspend you while that investigation is conducted.”
And just like that, the rug was pulled out from under me.
39
MADDIE
I stareddown at the text on my phone.
Nash
