“Maybe…” Preston’s words drifted off.
* * *
A few days later
“Andersons for Andalusia, can we count on your support?” I handed a flier to a woman walking out of the grocery store.
“I thought he got hurt.” She took the flier and stared at it.
“Hudson did, but he’s not the only Anderson that cares about this town.” I smiled and pointed at Preston’s name on the flier.
“Interesting.” She put the flier in her purse. “Yeah, a little change would be nice I guess.”
“Thank you—tell your friends!” I waved as she walked away.
“Do you have a permit for these fliers?” A booming voice startled me, and I turned around to see Sheriff Tate.
“I’m sorry, what?” I tilted my head to the side.
“Mayor Stevenson passed a new ordinance this morning. All campaign fliers have to be approved by City Hall before they can be distributed.” He folded his hands across his chest. “So, do you have a permit?”
“No…” I shook my head back and forth. “What kind of ordinance is that anyway?”
“The kind that will get you ten days in jail.” He reached for his handcuffs and grabbed my arm.
“Keep your hands off me!” I pulled away.
“Resisting arrest too?” He chuckled under his breath. “You do that again and I’ll have to use my baton before I put these handcuffs on you.”
“Fucking asshole.” I stopped fighting and let him lock the cuffs around my wrist.
Preston gave his press conference and announced his intention to run for mayor. He did a good job hinting that there was more to Hudson’s accident than what the news article revealed, but it didn’t have the kind of impact we hoped. Only a few people showed up for the press conference itself, and the local newspaper buried Preston’s campaign announcement in the middle of the Sunday paper while Mayor Stevenson got a front page exclusive outlining his plans to revive the economy in Andalusia. We really were fighting against all the odds and none of them were in our favor. I shouldn’t have been surprised that Mayor Stevenson passed an ordinance to stop our latest attempt—passing out fliers at public locations. I didn’t expect him to do something a brazen as toss one of us in jail though. Sheriff Tate made a big spectacle out of arresting me, leaving me standing there on the sidewalk while he turned on the lights—blared the sirens—and then finally loaded me in the back of his car.
“It’s not going to work you know.” I leaned forward. “You’re going to be up for reelection too.”
“You keep quiet.” Sheriff Tate adjusted his mirror so that he could see me. “Otherwise I’ll make sure you get a little police brutality before I lock you up.”
“Sounds about right—considering what your boss did to Hudson.” I leaned back against the seat and snarled.
“You’d think a warning like that wouldn’t have been ignored.” Sheriff Tate hit the gas and started driving towards the jail.
Holy shit. He just admitted it. They think they’re freaking untouchable.
I didn’t like having to keep quiet, especially after what Sheriff Tate said, but I didn’t feel like taking a beating before I ended up behind bars. I bit my tongue and glared at Sheriff Tate as he hauled me into the police station, took all of my things, and made me change into an orange jumpsuit. The only kindness he showed me was letting me change in private. My request for a phone call was denied immediately. He took me down a hallway to the only jail cell in Andalusia, pushed me against the bars hard enough to make me cry out in pain, then shoved me into his personal cage. The door slammed shut and he left me there all alone after a few more verbal threats. An hour later he returned to let me know that the judge had agreed that I would be spending ten days behind bars. I didn’t even see the inside of a courtroom or get a chance to plead my case. Sheriff Tate took a shit on the justice system just like Mayor Stevenson had taken a shit on the entire town.
Hudson and Preston have to be going out of their minds, but do they even know where I am?
“So you’re the girl that decided to violate my new ordinance…” I heard a chuckle and then Mayor Stevenson came walking down the hallway.
“That ordinance was bullshit and you know it.” I walked up and grabbed the bars.
“Maybe, but I wanted to talk to you and it seemed like a good way to make sure I had your undivided attention.” Mayor Stevenson pulled a chair over and sat down.
“I don’t want to hear anything you have to say.” I shook my head back and forth.
“Too fucking bad.” He shrugged. “All you can do is listen.”
“Fine.” I glared at him and felt my jaw clench.