Page 136 of Nightshade

“You got it,” Lampley said.

“Copy that,” added Ramirez.

Built by William Wrigley Jr. in 1929, City Hall was a sprawling one-story structure that featured the same mix of Art Deco and Mediterranean Revival design elements that the town’s signature Casino had. The trio had to navigate a warren of hallways and helpful arrows to the mayor’s suite of offices, all the while attracting the attention of passersby with their gun belts and badges. Along the way, Stilwell pulled his phone and tapped out a quick text. He sent it just as they got to a set of dark wood doors with the seal of the City of Avalon carved into them.

They proceeded through. In the foyer of the mayor’s suite, twin desks were occupied by female gatekeepers who looked like a formidable mother-and-daughter team. Matching looks of shock spread on their faces when they saw the firepower that had arrived. The elder gatekeeper spoke first.

“Is something wrong?” she asked. “Is this an evacuation?”

“Not really,” Stilwell said. “We just need to see Mayor Allen.”

Her eyes dropped to her desk, where she apparently kept the printout of the mayor’s daily schedule, and she began to shake her head.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t think you—”

“No, we don’t have an appointment,” Stilwell said, cutting her off. “Is he in the office?”

“He’s with people at the moment. I may be able to squeeze you in this afternoon if you can tell me what—”

“That’s not going to work.”

Stilwell moved between the two desks and headed for the next set of double doors, which he knew led to the inner sanctum. He had been in the mayor’s office exactly one time previously. On his first day on the job on the island, he had been summoned there for a meet-and-greet, during which Allen made it clear that he was in firm and permanent control of the town, while Stilwell was a mere carpetbagger who served at his pleasure and convenience.

“Excuse me,” the elder gatekeeper said. “You can’t just go in there. The mayor is—”

“Busy,” Stilwell said. “Yes, I know.”

He kept going, and Ramirez and Lampley followed. Stilwell pushed through the doors, opening both wide, and entered the spacious office. There was a desk to the left and a seating area to the right. Allen was sitting in a chair on the right; another man sat on a couch to his left, and a third stood in front of an easel with an artist’s drawing of what looked like a small hotel or apartment building.

The man by the easel abruptly halted his presentation and looked frightened. Allen turned to see who had entered and immediately jumped to his feet.

“Stilwell!” he barked. “You can’t just come barging in here like some kind of—”

“Douglas Allen,” Stilwell said loudly, shutting down the mayor’s protest. “You are under arrest. Do not resist, and place your hands behind your back.”

Stilwell signaled Lampley and Ramirez to move in and cuff Allen. Lampley hesitated as though they might be making a mistake, but Ramirez didn’t. She moved toward Allen, who put one hand up to try to hold her off.

“What the fuck is this, Stilwell?” he yelled.

“You have been indicted by the Los Angeles County grand jury on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and obstruction of justice,” Stilwell said calmly. “If you attempt to resist, you will be taken to the ground. Put your hands behind your back and surrender peaceably.”

Embarrassed by his hesitation, Lampley now moved toward Allen, passing Ramirez, and grabbed the mayor by an arm in an attempt to turn him around for cuffing. Allen shook him off and raised a hand to point at Stilwell.

“This is you,” he said. “You trumped up this whole thing.”

“Cuff him,” Stilwell ordered. “Now.”

Lampley forcibly took hold of Allen’s arm again and spun him around and into the back of the chair he had been sitting in. He snapped a cuff over one of Allen’s wrists and went for the other arm.

“You’re hurting me!” Allen yelped.

“You’re resisting,” Stilwell threw back at him.

With Ramirez helping, Allen’s other arm was pulled back and cuffed.

“Put him in the chair,” Stilwell said.

He looked at the two men who had been in the meeting. Their eyes were wide, and the color was draining from their faces.