Chapter 30

When Jason returned,I gave him back his chair, and with a few flicks of the mouse he overlaid the parcel grid on the geographic area I'd selected. "Huh. This parcel number was recently requested in a different search. Are you with the federal government?"

"Yes." As postmaster, I was indeed a federal employee. Hopefully he wouldn't ask what branch.

"In that case, I'll give you a printout of the information for this property. Do you want the full report or just the owner's name?"

"The full report, please."

Jason tapped a few keys. A printer started up with a whirr in a room behind us. He left, and retrieved the report. He handed it to me and we both glanced at the wall clock. It clicked from three fifty-nine to four. "How about that," he said. "Right on time."

"Thanks, Jason. You've been a big help."

I made my way back down the hall to the lobby as he followed, carrying a ring of keys. I had the information I'd come for, so it was worth it if I got a little damp.

I waited under the building's roof overhang, and Elle's white Jeep pulled up a few minutes later. I folded the report to keep it from getting wet as I dashed to the car. "All set?" Elle asked.

"Yes." At the red light, we waited to turn onto the highway. I glanced down at the rolled-up report in my lap and was tempted to peek. The light changed and Elle accelerated through the intersection, splashing water like a speedboat cutting through waves.

"I've got about a dozen details to clear up for Edith and Josie's wedding this Sunday," Elle said. "But I was able to pick up the dresses Edith and Josie ordered for you and the other bridesmaids."

I frowned. "I thought I was minding the guest book."

"Oh, sorry." Elle slanted me a mischievous glance. "That was the gateway commitment. Once you said yes to that, Edith upgraded you to bridesmaid."

"What!" I'd been in a wedding or two through my twenties and it was something I'd enjoyed. "Do you know how hard I am to fit? Let's not forget how tall I am."

"It's a pretty dress. Maybe you'll even be able to wear it again sometime."

"That's what they always say. Is the wedding even still on? This weather's horrible and I thought you were holding it outside."

"I called Josie yesterday to confirm. She claims since everyone who's coming is local, it shouldn't be a problem, and the hotel has an indoor celebration center we can use if it's raining. Don't forget the rehearsal's on Saturday."

"Okay. But what about shoes? Those are even harder to find in my size."

"Any kind of black heels you already have should work with the gown." Elle dodged around a puddle the size of a small pond. "I'm sorry if this was an ambush. Edith said she wants her most special people close on the big day."

I softened at that. "I guess it's fine if you already got the dress and it fits. Hey," I said. "You never got to finish your story about what happened to you at Schofield. You want to talk now, or do you need to focus on driving?"

"I can walk and chew gum. Let's see how far I get driving and flapping my jaws." She grinned, a mischievous expression on her pretty face. "Where was I? Oh yeah. This clueless lieutenant colonel was assigned to take over the lab. He was fine at first, pretty much letting us do our jobs. But one night when I stayed late working on a project, he came in and asked if we could have a drink. I told him I didn't socialize with senior officers, especially married ones."

"Let me guess, he claimed he wasn't happily married."

She nodded. "Seems you've seen this movie."

"I'll bet most women over twenty, and some younger than that, have seen some version of it."

"Well, it didn't stop there. The guy alternately badgered and flattered me nonstop. One day at lunchtime when I was the only one who hadn't gone out to eat, he came in, cornered me, and put a hand on my boob. In the middle of the day!"

I had to blink several times to regain my vision as black spots circled in my peripherals. Elle's story was getting under my skin as I flashed back to the congressman's moves on me. I'd had to fight him off, and that's what had led to my "exile" and sideways career change to Ohia.

Elle glanced over at me. "Are you okay? You seem spooked."

"Remember I told you I had a story about why I ended up postmaster of Ohia after being in the Secret Service?"

"Oh no! Not a similar thing!"

"Sadly, it was. Powerful men don't like to hear ‘no.' But finish your story, please."

"I went to my commanding officer and told him I was being harassed. He begged me not to file a complaint. He said he'd had five complaints on his watch, and a sixth could mean the end of his career."

"What'd you do?"

"I let it ride for another couple of weeks. But then ‘BLC,' that's what we all called him, for ‘Bootlicker Lieutenant Colonel,' gave me a lousy performance review for my work in the lab. Totally unfair and inaccurate." She breathed out a gusty sigh as the wipers labored to keep up with the waterfall on the windshield. "I told my CO that it was him or me. If he didn't do something I was going to break chain of command and go over his head with my harassment complaint. But by then, it seemed as if I was just trying to get even for the bad review."

"Same movie, different actors."

"I was three months from the end of my posting at Schofield, but in the end I agreed to leave quietly with an honorable discharge and severance package. My CO knew a guy who knew someone at the Hawaii State Parks office who owed him a favor, and I was offered the house in New Ohia until I could find more permanent digs. They put in a good word for me at the hotel, too, and I got the job."

I forced my clenched hands to open and turned to give Elle a smile. "In my case, things ended well. I wouldn't have seen myself being happy in a place like Ohia, doing a job like the post office, but I am. Maybe you'll land on your feet, too."

Elle had the kind of smile that lit up dark places. "I already have. Turns out I'm darn good at event planning, and it's such a relief to have low stakes worries like whether someone's party napkins ought to be peach or ecru." She squeezed the steering wheel tighter. "And I'm going to use those feet I landed on to win a marathon next."

"I believe you," I said. "Want to know how the New Ohia development came to be a state park? I had a role in it from the first day I arrived in Ohia."

"Seriously?" Elle's big brown eyes flashed with interest. "We've got time. Tell me everything."

So I did, and that took most of the drive home.