Page 124 of In the Shadows
Ronan drove her to the town hall on a Saturday morning, the February air cool and damp. She'd been quiet on the ride over, the manila folder in her lap, her fingers tapping against the edge.
"You don't have to wait," she said as he pulled into a parking spot. "This won't take long."
"I'll wait."
She looked at him for a moment, then nodded and got out of the car.
He watched her walk up the steps of the building where she'd worked for years, where she'd found the evidence that brought down Warren Caldwell, and where her father had filed surveys before someone decided he knew too much. She moved differently now. Not the tense, guarded walk of someone carrying a secret. Something looser. Something that looked almost like peace.
She disappeared through the front door.
Ronan leaned back in his seat and waited.
His phone buzzed. Caleb.
Sentencing next month. You going?
Yes.
How is she?
Running for town council.
Seriously?
Filing the paperwork right now.
Good for her. That town needs someone who gives a damn.
A pause. Then:
You okay?
Ronan considered the question. Three weeks since the verdict. Three weeks of quiet mornings and long walks and conversations that didn't have to be about evidence or trials or Warren Caldwell. Three weeks of learning what a life looked like when you weren't fighting for something.
Getting there.
That's enough. Stay in touch.
Ronan set the phone down and watched the town hall doors.
Lila emerged twenty minutes later.
She was smiling—not the careful, public smile she wore at community events, but something smaller and more private. She jogged down the steps and got in the car.
"Done."
"How does it feel?"
"Terrifying." She buckled her seatbelt. "Also good. Mostly terrifying."
"Patricia's endorsement will help."
"If I don't completely fall apart before then." She rubbed her temples. "I have to give a speech next week. At the Rotary Club. Thirty people staring at me while I explain why I should be trusted with actual responsibility."
"You testified in front of a federal jury."
"That was different. I was answering questions. Someone else controlled the conversation." She dropped her hands. "This is just me, talking, hoping I don't sound like an idiot."
