Garrett allowed himself a small smile, set down the carburetor, wiped his hands on a rag, turned to face the pastor properly. " Appreciate you coming." " Appreciate you calling. Been wondering how you were doing out here." William took another sip of coffee, grimaced again. "
Alone." " Working?" " Not talking to anyone." " Been managing." " Managing isn't living, Garrett." "
Didn't call you here for a sermon." William raised both hands, peace gesture. " Fair enough. What did you call me here for?" Garrett told him all of it.
Evelyn's struggling up the wheelchair ramp, Sarge's instant protective reaction. The notice for property seizure, the two men at Evelyn's house, Wade Kimball, the 43 families, the sheriff who was Wade's brother. William listened without interrupting. His face got harder as the story went on. By the end he was gripping his coffee mug tight enough that Garrett could see white knuckles. "
Wade Kimball," William said quietly. " Yes, I know about Wade." " Dorothy said he's got a reputation." " Reputation." William laughed.
No humor. " That's one word for it. Predator would be another. Vulture, parasite. Pick your metaphor.
Wade Kimball has been bleeding this town dry for 12 years, and I've watched it happen. Watched good people lose everything. Watched families torn apart. Watched three men put guns in their mouths because the shame of losing their homes was more than they could carry." " You tried to help." "
I did what I could. Counseling, food bank, church discretionary funds to help with small emergencies. But Garrett, we're talking about debts in the hundreds of thousands. The church doesn't have that kind of money." " Nobody in Ridgmont does, except Wade."
William set down his mug. " I've tried going to authorities. State Attorney General's office. FBI. Every time, same answer, need more evidence, need victims willing to testify, need proof of federal crimes.
And every time I get close to finding someone brave enough to speak up, Wade gets to them first. Threatens them, pays them off, makes them disappear." " Evelyn said seven of the 43 committed suicide." William's eyes went distant. " I buried four of them." "
Good men." " Veterans. People who'd served their country and came home and thought they were safe. Thought the system would protect them." " They were wrong."
The garage went quiet. Outside a motorcycle went past, not a Harley, something Japanese, higher-pitched engine note. Sarge's ears tracked it until the sound faded. " I need names," Garrett said. " The other victims, the ones still alive, the ones still in Ridgmont.
People who might be willing to testify if they knew they weren't alone." William looked at him carefully. " You're really going to do this." " Take on Wade Kimball." " Don't have much choice.
He's coming for Evelyn's house in five days." " And after that?" Garrett shrugged. " After that, he'll find someone else. And someone else, until someone stops him." "
Why you? Why now?" Garrett thought about how to answer that, about Kate's voice in his head, about Sarge's instant certainty that Evelyn needed protecting, about 20 months of choosing not to care because caring hurt too much. " Because I'm tired," he said finally. " Tired of watching good people get crushed.
Tired of doing nothing. Tired of being the kind of man who turns away when someone needs help." William studied him, reading something in Garrett's face that Garrett hadn't put into words. Then the pastor nodded slowly. " I can get you names, addresses.
But Garrett, most of these people are scared. Some of them signed NDAs as part of settlement agreements. Some of them are still paying Wade reduced amounts just to keep their homes. Asking them to testify is asking them to risk everything all over again. I know.
And if Wade finds out you're organizing against him, he'll come after me. I know that, too. He won't just come after you. He'll destroy you, your home, your savings, your reputation. He'll make you wish you'd never heard Evelyn Brennan's name.
Garrett met the pastor's eyes. Let him try. Something shifted in William's expression. A decision made. He reached into his cardigan pocket, pulled out a small notebook similar to Garrett's, spiral-bound and worn, flipped through pages covered in neat handwriting. "
I keep records," William said quietly. " Every family that's come to me for help, every conversation about Wade Kimball, dates, names, amounts owed. I told myself I was documenting for the day when someone finally did something. Started to think that day would never come." He tore out three pages, handed them to Garrett.
22 names, 22 addresses, 22 brief notations about circumstances and current status. " These are the ones still in Ridgmont," William said. " Still alive, still struggling. Most of them elderly, all of them ashamed. But maybe maybe if they see someone willing to stand up to Wade, they'll find courage, too."
Garrett took the pages, folded them carefully, put them in his shirt pocket. " I'm going to need more than courage," he said. " I'm going to need someone who understands the law, someone who can build a case that'll stand up in court, someone who knows how to navigate the legal system when the local law enforcement is compromised." William smiled, actually smiled. " You need Douglas Merrick." "
Who's Douglas Merrick?" " Former federal prosecutor. Retired here about 8 years ago, bought a little house on Elm Street, keeps to himself mostly. But before he retired, Douglas put away white-collar criminals for 23 years. Fraud, embezzlement, racketeering.
He knows federal law inside and out." " Why'd he retire here?" The smile faded. " Lost his son, Benjamin. Good kid, 28 years old.
Got caught up with a loan shark in California. Different man, same game as Wade. Benny couldn't pay. The shame of it, the debt, the failure, the disappointment he thought he'd caused his father, it was too much. He killed himself."
Garrett felt something cold in his chest. " Douglas knew what happened, knew, blamed himself for not seeing the signs earlier, for being so focused on his career that he missed his own son drowning in debt. He retired 6 months after the funeral. Moved here to get away from memories. But I think" William paused. "
I think he also moved here hoping to find redemption, hoping to help someone the way he couldn't help Benny." " Think he'll help us?" " I think if you tell him what Wade's been doing, if you show him those names, if you give him a chance to stop another family from going through what his went through." William nodded. " Yes, I think he'll help."