Page 24 of Something’s Brewing

General laughter followed.

“I think we could use more shaded seating,” Chloe added. “Especially near the music stage. People were frying like walleye in a fish shack.” Everyone nodded.

“I had someone ask about an art walk addition next year,” said Paige, flipping through a notepad. “Local artists lining the sidewalks, maybe some interactive stuff for kids.”

“Love that,” said Alexis. “Maggie will too. And a cooking demo. Someone asked me why we didn’t have a chili cook-off or pie contest.”

“Why would anyone want to eat chili on a hot, humid day?” Chloe asked. “However, I’m all for a pie contest.”

Madison jotted a few notes in the margin of the agenda, smiling at the quick wit and easy camaraderie. These weren’t just passive townspeople—they were sharp, observant, and deeply invested in their community.

Alexis leaned forward. “On a less festive note, I had another charge show up on my ledger yesterday—an ‘expedited inspection’ for a site visit I was never told about.”

Emma frowned. “Again?”

“You too?” Paige asked.

Madison straightened. “Wait. You’ve all had extra inspection fees? I visited the mayor on Monday and paid the inspection fee Garrett received. There is something going on.”

Rosie nodded. “Last month, my niece’s food truck was hit with a same-day invoice she couldn’t appeal. She paid cash so she could keep it running through the festival.”

“I had one for the loading dock reno,” Chloe added. “Morty said it was standard.”

“But there’s no paper trail,” Alexis said. “I asked the county. There’s no formal permit change. I know of at least two home builders in the area who also received invoices for a drive-by inspection. These are added expenses we can’t absorb in our sometimes-tight budgets—especially when we don’t know about them ahead of time. The contractor I asked said the inspector was from a ‘temporary compliance unit.’ ”

Madison’s instincts perked up. She set her notebook down slowly. “Did he give his name?”

“No,” Alexis said. “But when I asked, he said he was told that Mayor Benson would have the invoice record.”

“Except Morty doesn’t exactly return phone calls, and he’s conveniently in a meeting whenever I’ve stopped by,” Paige muttered.

Elsie nodded. “The last time I left him a message about the school crossing light, he texted back a shrug emoji.”

Madison looked around the table. “Are any of these charges documented officially?”

Paige shook her head. “Not that I’ve seen.”

Madison’s voice was calm, even. “Then they’re not real permits.”

Rosie raised a brow. “You’re sure?”

“I’ve seen plenty of fast-and-loose tactics,” Madison said. “This smells like a back-pocket scam—just enough official language to scare people into paying.”

“We never had drive-by inspections when I was mayor. Never even heard of them.” Elsie said.

“So, what do we do?” Alexis asked.

Ruth leaned toward Madison. “You used to handle this kind of thing, right?”

“More or less,” Madison said carefully. “But yeah. I know how to read a bad pattern.”

“Are you thinking what we’re thinking?” Paige asked.

Madison smiled slowly. “That maybe Deer Creek Falls has a funding leak no one’s patched?”

Elsie sat back, pleased. “Garrett should miss meetings more often.”

“Don’t tell him that,” Chloe said, grinning.