Red Tape (11 page)

“Stop worrying. You won’t have to sell your house. They will have to give you the back pay when you’re proven innocent. You could also sue them for wrongful arrest. Did you know that Tex is going to testify at your trial on your behalf as well?”

“No, I didn’t know that. I haven’t talked to him since I was arrested. I didn’t want to put him in an awkward position by calling him. He hasn’t called me either.”

“He may not have called you, but he is keeping tabs on you.”

“I’m still worried.”

“Hey, if all else fails, I’ll tell everyone I witnessed Officer Williams whip out his junk and ask you to suck it. Then when you said ‘no,’ he charged you with stealing money.”

“That would be perjury.”

“It was just an idea.”

“Thanks anyway.”

“At least you got a quick court date and this will be over soon.”

“I think my lawyer pulled some strings. Have you heard anything more about the safety paper?”

“No, nothing, but you said the State was on furlough until today.”

“Is it me, or do you think it’s convenient that I’m gone and now you’re gone, so that no one is there that would have details about the safety paper?”

“What are you saying? You think there’s a connection?”

“I’m not sure. It’s a random thought I had.”

“That’s a pretty serious allegation. Did you tell anyone that?”

“Who would believe me and not chastise me if I was wrong? I don’t want to get myself into any more trouble than I am already in. I think I’m going to let sleeping dogs lie on this one. I have a baby to worry about and what people did or didn’t do at the municipal building doesn’t matter much to me any longer. My only hope is that I can find a reasonable job somewhere, without all this drama, and move on with my life. I’d be perfectly fine if I never had to set foot in Sunshine again.”

“But you love Sunshine.”

“Used to.”

“Your parents still live there. I still live there.”

“Which means I don’t have a choice but to go there from time to time, but I still don’t like it. I have a bad taste in my mouth.”

“Bitter.”

“And you’re not?”

Bonnie took my hand from across the table. “You’re just stressed about all this. I promise you, everything is going to work out—for
both
of us. It always does.”

“Thanks for being a good friend,” I told her.

Chapter 13

Four and a half weeks had gone by without much news about Sunshine. I was busy spending lots of time with my daughter. She was crawling, babbling, and eating baby food. She always put a big smile on my face and she certainly took my mind off my impending case. Whenever I thought about the possibility that I could serve jail time for a crime I did not commit and be torn away from my sweet baby girl, I would become so overwhelmed with emotions that I would sob uncontrollably. I know Mr. Schubert said that jail time was not likely, but from time to time, my mind pictured the worst-case scenario.

Over the past several days, I had been working with my attorney on my defense. He did his best to convince me that I would win the case. September 25
th
came before I knew it. It was a beautiful Indian summer type of day without a cloud in the sky. The vacation crowds were mostly gone. It was the type of day where you wanted to take off and relax on the beach with a good book. Relaxing with a good book was in the cards for me; it was my court date.

I had given myself Montezuma’s Revenge from my anxiety about the case. Bonnie was on her way to pick me up. I hoped I’d be able to stay out of the bathroom long enough to get to the courthouse and then long enough to get through the trial. My parents had taken Mandy overnight. They thought it would help me to get some rest, but I wasn’t able to catch any sleep. My case was being heard at ten a.m. I was meeting my attorney at nine to go over any last-minute details.

I heard a knock at the door. Bonnie walked in, looked me up and down, and said, “You look green.”

“I don’t feel so well,” I said.

She sat me down on the couch, went to my cupboard, and took out some meds. She poured me a glass of water, handed me a couple of pills and told me I’d feel better in a little bit.

The case couldn’t be heard in Sunshine’s Municipal Court, as it was considered a conflict of interest. We had to go to a court outside of the county in a town I wasn’t familiar with. Bonnie plugged the address into her GPS. I couldn’t even pay attention to where we were going, there were so many worries running through my head.

We arrived at the courthouse at eight thirty and we were greeted by my parents at the main entrance. My dad was holding Mandy. My mom immediately gave me a huge hug. I saw my attorney parking his car. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. My dad hugged me and I kissed Mandy on the cheek.

We pushed through the main doors to the courthouse. The courtroom was immediately in front of us and there was a hallway leading to the left with several wooden benches. Court was already in session. We all walked down the hallway and took a seat to wait for our turn.

Bonnie and I went over our testimonies with my attorney. Mr. Schubert felt we were as prepared as we were going to be. I had the jitters and was trying my hardest not to show my emotions. I told myself to be strong over and over again. It felt like the longest wait of my life, then they finally called my name.

We all entered the courtroom. The room was much larger and much nicer than Sunshine’s courtroom. It was set up movie-theatre style with cushioned green fabric seating. The dais was finished in a dark cherry wood and there were tables in front of the dais to the right and to the left of the judge’s chair.

My parents took a seat in the back with Mandy, I assumed so they could make a quick exit if she acted up. Bonnie had a seat in the first row. Mr. Shubert motioned for me to take a seat at the table on the left side. He sat next to me. My nerves had gotten the better of me and I could barely remember the court proceedings. I recall the bailiff announcing, “All rise. Judge Caton presiding.”

I couldn’t recite exactly what was said during the trial, but Bonnie and Tex testified on my behalf saying that I routinely took large bills to the bank for change. There was a sworn statement from the former municipal clerk read into the record about how making change for the daily cash drawer was a regular duty for the employees of the clerk’s office.

Officer Williams and Mayor O’Donnell had been called to testify for the prosecution. I couldn’t look at them while they were on the stand. I had a different feeling toward them at that moment and it was the opposite of admiration. I felt they were both very harsh in their words toward me. I truly believed the mayor was out to get me after hearing some of what came out of her mouth. I remember thinking how two-faced she was. Nice to me in person, then plotting behind my back to get me out of her way.

When both sides rested, Judge Caton ruled from his bench. “Not guilty.”

I blew out a sigh of relief, cupped my hands over my face, and started to cry. I could hear my family, Bonnie, and Tex cheering. I found it almost hard to believe—justice had prevailed. I wanted to run over to my parents and Mandy and hug them all, but I had to wait until the Judge finished talking. He said, “The prosecution has not met its burden of proving that Ms. Alton was guilty as charged. Ms. Alton you are free to go.”

I turned and gave my attorney a big hug. “Thank you, thank you!” I whispered to him. I ran over to my mom and dad. I hugged them both together, with Mandy in the middle of us. I took my daughter from my dad’s arm and kissed her little chubby cheeks.

I saw Mayor O’Donnell pass by me. We all watched as she blew out of the room in a huff. I couldn’t help but give her a dirty look. Tex and Bonnie came up to us. My parents hugged them both. I couldn’t stop thanking them. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be off the hook.

My attorney negotiated with the town council for my return to work on October 1
st
, along with full payment for the time I was on leave. I was dreading returning to work. There was a part of me that felt disgusted by the mayor for doing this to me and I didn’t want to see her ever again. There was another part of me that was eager to get back to work to show her that she hadn’t broken me.

* * *

There was a chill in the air and it was drizzling. The weather prediction was for rain the entire day. Mandy woke me at five thirty in the morning. I liked that she was starting to sleep a little later. I fed her breakfast and put her into her Pack ‘N Play while I showered. I took extra long in the shower, letting the warm water run down my body. I was procrastinating since I wasn’t looking forward to going back to that hellhole I called work. I decided I would suck it up and go back because I had to. I needed the money, but I was only going to stay until I found another job.

I had brushed up my résumé and started to keep an eye out for leads. Municipal clerks’ jobs were few and far between. It wasn’t customary for clerks to switch jobs quickly. I would basically have to wait for someone to retire or die. Being in the newspapers, accused of a crime I didn’t commit probably wouldn’t help me land a job either.

Bonnie thought I should sue the town for wrongful arrest. I wasn’t sure about that. I didn’t have tenure yet. If I sued Sunshine, I was sure to be out of a job in shortly over a year when my three-year appointment expired. Although, if Mayor O’Donnell won next month’s election, I might be out of a job, anyway, since she would probably lobby the council members to get rid of me. At the end of my appointment, they had the option of letting me go for no reason. Bonnie believed the mayor would win the election and I’d be out on my derrière so I should sue anyway. Her argument was compelling because the mayor had been in office for almost twenty years, so there was no reason to believe she wouldn’t be voted in again. I also wasn’t sure if suing the town would be frowned upon by other municipalities where I might be seeking a job. Would they be understanding or would they not hire me, out of fear that I’d sue them too? I was sure that if I sued, prospective employers would Google my name and see newspaper articles about the case. I supposed I should wait for November’s election to be over before I made a decision.

I dropped off Mandy at my parents’ house and drove over to the municipal building. I sat in the car for a few minutes, not wanting to go inside. I slid out of my car and opened my umbrella. I reminded myself to keep my chin up. The first employee I encountered was Lorraine Paso. She had frizzy, over-processed hair and to say she was obese would be kind. I had heard from Tex that they had amended her title from “Acting Clerk” to “Aide to the Mayor” since I was returning to work. I found it funny that they let Bonnie go, claiming budget cuts, but found money for a mayor’s aide. Bonnie definitely had a case if she sued.

“You must be Lorraine,” I said with a forced grin. I extended my hand to shake hers as I sized her up. I took an instant dislike to her. Probably because she was a friend of the mayor, who was not on my list of favorite people. I knew I shouldn’t have played that game—the one where friends of my enemies become my enemies, but I was very bitter and not quite over what had happened to me yet.

“Chelsey, I presume. Let’s make a deal. You stay out of my way and I’ll stay out of yours.”

Rude!
I changed my mind. I didn’t dislike Lorraine because of Mayor O’Donnell. I didn’t like her because she was offensive.

“Fine by me, Lorraine. Let me just get to the point. I have been out of the office for quite some time. I need to be brought up to speed. How is the election coming along?”

“I really haven’t done anything with elections. Bonnie was handling all of that.”

“So, in the past month when Bonnie wasn’t here, none of the election work has gotten done?”

“That’s what I said.”

What a witch,
I thought. I turned and went into my office without uttering another word. I was sure that there was a lot more that didn’t get done in the past month other than elections. I got to work right away on the piles and piles of papers sitting on my desk. I didn’t know why I expected an employee with no experience to have completed some of this work before my return. I couldn’t imagine what Mayor O’Donnell was thinking when she hired this woman with no experience, then fired the only person left who knew how to handle the multitude of tasks this office did on a daily basis.

Throughout the day, I noticed Lorraine was loud and obnoxious to all our residents. She
was
ugly, just like Bonnie said, but not because she wasn’t very attractive; it was because of her rude personality. If she had been a regular hire for my office, I would have taken the time to train her on customer service. Since she would likely run back and tell the mayor anything I said or did, I opted to keep my distance.

Late in the day, I came across the salary resolution for Lorraine, which was approved at a previous council meeting. I almost soiled my pants. They were paying her over $120,000.00.
Who the heck gets paid that kind of money and doesn’t know the job, doesn’t do any work, and is rude to customers?
I didn’t think it was possible to feel more nauseated by Mayor O’Donnell or Sunshine, but I did. I made a copy of the resolution and stuffed it in my purse.

At four thirty, I closed up shop and dialed my mother to let her know I’d be a little late. I had to make a stop. I drove over to Bonnie’s house. She was in the middle of making dinner.

“Hey! This is a nice surprise!” Bonnie said. “I’m cooking lasagna; do you want to stay for a bite?”

“I’d love to, but I have to go pick up Mandy. I only have a few minutes,” I told her. I reached into my purse and pulled out the salary resolution. “Maybe this is all the proof you need that they didn’t have budget issues when they abolished your position.” I handed her the paper.

Bonnie took a few moments to read it. Her eyes got real wide. “I should be mad that they are paying her so much money when they were paying me next to nothing, but this just made my day! Wait until my attorney gets a load of this!”

I smiled. “Wild, isn’t it? I mean, the mayor claims there is no money for a guard to make people go through metal detectors daily, no money for an alarm system, no money for any safety precautions, but she found plenty of money to create a job for her buddy.”

“And now they are going to have to find plenty of money to pay me when I sue their pants off!”

“I gotta go; I’ll see you soon,” I said as I walked down her driveway back to my car.

“Thanks, Chelsey!”