Eat Crow (Cheap Thrills 6)

He spent most of his time in Austin instead of at the Governor’s mansion but made himself available to everyone—no matter how big or small a person was. His speeches were televised worldwide and played a huge role in an increase in tourism to Texas.

My favorite speech of his was something like:

“I’m just a normal guy from Austin, standing here, offering myself to the whole of Texas. I grew up in a beautiful house, sure, but I grew up with reality around me. Life, beauty, and the heart and soul of Texas are right around me every day, and that’s something I hold close to my heart. I’ve worked for years for Austin, and I’m dedicated to our beautiful state and everyone in it. I’m one of you, I’ve listened, I’ve made plans for what I’ve heard, and I’m ready to put those plans into action. Test me, I won’t fail you.”

Hell, I had a huge dislike of politics, but even I liked the guy, and so far he’d lived up to his word and then some. Even more bizarrely, senators and representatives from different parties even liked the guy because he didn’t favor one over the other.

If ever politics had been more confusing to us all, it was with Ned Dahl, the average Austin Joe, as he was known. Reporters joked that he was going to be the next president, but Ned always looked horrified at the prospect and swore he had zero intentions of even considering it.

His heart was in his home state, and that was who he wanted to work for. He went gung-ho for the small towns in the state, too, proving he was here for all of us, not just the bigger cities.

The funny thing was that his home in Austin was like Elvis’s Graceland now. People went to take photos in front of it or leave messages for him on the gates. Last winter, he’d even sent out coffee to visitors and some reporters who were covering a story about something he’d done. I was a firm believer in the actions of people proving who they truly were, and that’s what’d done it for me with Dahl.

That didn’t mean I wasn’t confused and shocked by his interest in what was going on here, though, regardless of any link he had to residents.

Alex started chuckling beside me. “I’m amazed you hadn’t heard by now. Ned’s daughter married a Townsend not long ago.”

“That poor, poor bastard,” I groaned, tipping my head back. “He’s done so much. Why would life

load that on him?” Then something hit me. “Oh, shit, he’s going to end up hating us and bulldoze the town, isn’t he?”

All three of them burst out laughing.

“From what we’ve heard, Ned might be as insane as them underneath it all,” Judd murmured. “When he heard what was happening here, he offered to come and get Hurst in on the planning to resolve shit.”

Alex’s laughter cut off, and even though I hadn’t been laughing, I sobered at this as well.

“We don’t even joke about that shit, Judd,” Alex clipped. “Last time he got involved, he was hiding in the bushes, waiting for that businessman who terrorized one of our residents.”

“Heard about that,” Kap snickered. “We all came in the next morning and said how grateful we were to be Townsend free.”

Both him and Judd burst out laughing again, and I couldn’t help saying what I said next.

“You laugh now, but there’s talk of one of them becoming mayor once Kirkwood’s out.”

Judd’s mouth had been open as he laughed, but it shut with an audible click of his teeth meeting together. “The fuck you say.”

“No joke. People think they’d be good for the area.”

Both P.T.P.D. members shared a nervous look before Judd asked a question that said it all. “Which one?”

“Could be Jack,” Alex shrugged. When both men visibly relaxed, he added, “But people are pressing for Hurst.”

“Fuck,” Kap groaned, his pained expression matching Judd’s. “The man’s awesome and does a lot for people, but him as mayor?”

Before we could agree or disagree, Judd’s phone started dancing across the table, a siren noise screaming out of it. “Sorry,” he muttered, picking it up and looking at the screen. “I sleep like the dead, and if my volume isn’t all the way up for my alarm, I miss it. I usually turn it down to normal during the day, but I kind of slept through it this morning, so I didn’t have time.”

Interestingly enough… he didn’t answer the call.

Then it made a noise again, and his blank expression changed when he saw the screen. “Looks like we’ve got news. Lord Kirkwood—” Had I said yet how much I hated that fucking name. How much of a dumbass do you have to be to call your kids King and Lord? “—isn’t at his home or his business, and his employees say he rang in to say he was taking some time off for personal reasons.”

Yeah, this was something we’d also found out on our way here this morning. We’d know that Lord Kirkwood was the owner of the construction company responsible for the development of thirty-one houses being built in Piersville.

Property prices in the bigger cities had pushed people into moving to smaller towns, so we’d hit a bit of a population and housing boom over the last three years. What we’d discovered was that this most recent development had received building permits quickly—having been fast-tracked by none other than Dirk Kirkwood himself, with King's legal assistance.

“I think we need to get a warrant to check the construction site,” I suggested, an idea occurring to me. “If you own buildings that no one lives in or goes to without your knowledge—like say, a building crew—where would you hide someone the police are looking for?”

Judd’s wise eyes narrowed on me. “Can’t say I’ve ever been in that situation myself, but it seems a building site might not be a bad place for it.”