Page 36 of A Cobbled Conspiracy
“It is. But that’s not the worst part.” Sarah’s expression darkened. “They insinuated that if she doesn’t accept, they’ll make it impossible for her to operate. Building inspector visits, permit delays, utility ‘complications.’”
“They can’t do that,” Penny said, though his voice lacked conviction.
“Can’t they?” Sarah pulled out her phone and scrolled through what looked like notes. “Adelaide joined Paula for breakfast and started making calls right from my café. Turns out Mr. Gates' hardware store got cited for three code violations yesterday—violations that weren’t problems when he passed inspection last month. The health department showed up at Tang’s Tea House for a ‘routine inspection’ that felt anything but routine. And somehow, Mrs. Henderson’s application to renew her license has been lost twice in the city clerk’s office.”
"They have insiders." I felt the familiar surge of anger that had been driving me since this all began. “And they’re using the system against us.”
"They paid people off from our own community?" Penny's soda hit the table with a sharp clink, his face crumpling as if someone had slapped him.
“That's what Adelaide believes,” Sarah said. “She asked me to help spread the word—she's organizing a town hall meeting tomorrow night at the community center. Seven PM. She mentioned organizing protests. Peaceful demonstrations, maybe some media attention.”
“That could backfire though,” Jake pointed out. “Make Vertex and whoever’s behind them escalate their tactics.”
“Or it could put public pressure on the city to investigate the sudden surge in code violations and permit problems,” I countered. “Hard to claim it’s coincidence when there’s a clear timeline.”
“Will you come?” Sarah asked.
Jake glanced toward me and Penny, as if seeking confirmation.
“We’ll be there,” I said as Penny simultaneously declared, “of course we’ll come.”
“Do you think Mr. Steele and Mr. Harrington would come?” Sarah said, then paused thoughtfully. “Though I guess that might be complicated with Mr. Steele still technically working for Vertex? I mean, before his arrest…”
The question hit me like a cold splash of water. In all the relief of getting Dominic home and the focus on community crisis, I’d somehow not fully processed what his employment situation meant. He’d been suspended pending the investigation, but now that the charges were dismissed…
“I honestly don’t know,” I admitted. “We haven’t really talked about what happens with his job now. The charges were proven false, but after everything that happened…”
“I don’t blame him one bit if he doesn’t want to go back,” Sarah said. “His attorney, Miss Morrison did an amazing job with his case—proving those documents were forged. Maybe she and Mr. Harrington could be persuaded to help? They obviously know how to build a case.”
Penny nodded. “Having professional legal help would be huge. Adelaide’s smart, but she’s not a federal prosecutor.”
If Dominic did attend the town hall meeting, would that create some kind of conflict of interest?
"I'll talk to them about it," I said.
“Sounds good.” Sarah stood, gathering empty sandwich wrappers and stuffing them into the brown paper takeout bag. “After tomorrow night’s meeting, I think we’re all going to bebusy. We’ve got Vertex to deal with, and then the Centennial Celebration coming up…”
Penny signed. “It’s a lot.”
"We'll make it work," I said, despite having no concrete plan for how we'd actually pull it off.
After she left, the three of us sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, processing what we’d learned. Finally, Jake spoke up, his voice thoughtful. “We should probably get back and fill in the others, right?”
“Right,” I said, standing and beginning to put away the photographs and leather samples. “Dominic and Blake will want to know what’s happening.”
If they don’t know already.
Back at Blake’s penthouse, we found Dominic and Blake in the living room, reviewing legal documents spread across the coffee table. They looked up as we entered, Blake’s expression immediately sharpening when he saw our faces.
“What’s happened?” Dominic asked, standing and moving toward me with a purpose that suggested his protective alpha instincts had kicked in the moment he caught the tension radiating from my scent.
“Just a bit of a crisis,” Penny said succinctly, settling into one of the leather chairs. “Vertex has apparently renewed their efforts in full force. They’re specifically targeting Winslow’s Pharmacy.”
“The pharmacy located beside your shop?” Blake asked.
“That's the one,” I confirmed.
Penny and I filled them in on everything Sarah had told us—the money they offered Paula coupled with the veiled threat of what would happen she didn’t accept it, the sudden surge in code violations and permit problems, Adelaide’s town hall meeting at the community center.