Even Loretta left her game to look.
R&R used obscenities they weren’t supposed to use while Loretta was present.
Jax simply flung a cue against the wall and walked out.
“All those towns are racially diverse.” Loretta studied the ratios of ethnicity on Evie’s list. “Why is that bad?”
“Because, turnip, races are often tight in diverse districts. If the machines are fixed, they can reliably swing a close race away from an up-and-coming candidate like Ward to an established candidate already in office, like Clancy. And worse yet, all the investors in DVM are white.”
Roark added the crowning touch. “And DVM would only give the insider knowledge to their base. Which means, all these tiny white town councils with insider info can flip an electoral race toSwenson.”
“As in everything, qualification means nothing. It’s always the Man with the money and clout,” Reuben said with disgust, retreating to the abandoned Pac-Man machine.
Seventeen
Looking unusually bleak,Evie stood in the open doorway of the empty carriage house.
Still fuming with fury over wealthy bigots, Jax halted beside her. Unused to Evie being anything but cheerful and upbeat, he tried not to dump his anger on her. “What’s wrong?”
“Besides the world being a terrible place? I’m never gonna have a Miata.” She crossed her arms and glared at the cavernous wasted space.
OK, that was an interesting leap. “You could easily make car payments from the money Loretta’s trust pays you.” He ought to know. He was the trustee.
She cast him an ugly glare. “Loretta isfamily.I can’t take money for taking care of family. I use it for things she needs, although I’m probably stretching the truth with paying the grocery bill. But she needs you and the guys in her life, so I’m calling that expense fair. The rest goes into her savings.”
He ought to appreciate her generosity in taking in a kid she hadn’t even known existed, but Jax came from a commercial world where one got recompensed for their labors. “You’re being paid what the boarding school got. It’s meant to cover rent, food, school activities, uniforms, entertainment, salaries, and profit. You’re entitled to your fair share. Buy the damned car.”
“I don’t pay rent. I’m the caretaker and get Great-Aunt Val’s house free. I could earn money by renting out her carriage house—or moving all the crap stored in the bedrooms out here and renting them. But I’m still not earning my way. I probably should go back to school.”
So that’s why she looked glum. Evie’s ADHD made school difficult. “Online classes might be easier. You could wash the car, bake cookies, and listen at the same time.”
She finally laughed. “Washing the car and baking at the same time might be a challenge even for me. And I don’t have a car. Do they have online classes for being a detective? Talking to ghosts isn’t getting me far.”
Feeling better that he was able to make her laugh, Jax reverted to his usual pragmatism. “Being a detective is mostly tedious, dirty snooping unless you’re a cop, and then it’s dangerous. You need to be available for Loretta. There probably isn’t a lot of profit in ghostbusting. Use the allowance you’re receiving to turn the place into a B&B. Take gardening classes and do something with the yard. There has to be a better use for your time than solving crime. That’s what the police are paid to do.”
“Take up knitting, maybe?” she asked, narrowing her eyes. “Do you really think I could spend my days puttering around the house—especially when we know the powers-that-be are stealing elections? Maybe I should run for council.”
Understanding her angry need too well, Jax took her hand and squeezed it. He didn’t want to argue. He wanted to throw her over his shoulder and head straight for the nearest bed. At least she didn’t yank her hand away. Evie wasnota stabilizing influence, but holding her hand kept the moment real. Her fingers weren’t manicured and silky but warm and strong.
He studied the carriage house interior. “Granny flat. Add insulation, wiring, plumbing, walls... You’d have a whole new house, with room left for a garden shed. You don’t need a garage for a car anyway. How often does it snow?”
“Money, zoning, and what the heck would I do with two houses?” At least she was looking at the space with a thoughtful frown instead of an unhappy one.
“Consider remodeling as an investment, use Loretta’s money, and any rent you collect can go back in her account after deducting an appropriate fee, if that makes you happy. Good tax dodge for her trust. And I looked into zoning a few months ago, remember? Afterthought has none. It would have interfered in Mayor Block’s development plans. And I could rent it from you. That way I’d be here to help with Loretta when needed.” And he’d have a private bedroom instead of one off the kitchen with people coming and going all the time.
“I’d have to ask Aunt Val.” She contemplated the tall rafters. “You never know, she might want to store horses and a carriage again. But the place is tall enough for a storage loft. We could haul all the junk out of the bedrooms and R&R could have real rooms.”
Not unless Evie was spending her nights out here... But that was a discussion for another day. “Give your aunt a call. We both know people in construction. It doesn’t have to be done overnight, but it seems a waste to let it sit here empty while you bemoan a car you don’t even need.”
“Wait until you’re rich enough to buy another Jag, big boy. We’ll hear what you have to say then.” Dropping his hand, she spun on her heel and marched back to the house.
She wasn’t arguing with the idea of him staying here. He’d have to make what he could of that for now—while he pondered who might be the least crooked authority to call about the voting machine fraud that had probably got his father and his partner killed.
How did one go about implicating a presidential candidate in possible voter fraud and murder, especially without evidence?
Delicately, very delicately.
* * *