Carl took one look at Turner when the younger man came in around ten that morning and bit back a curse. “What in the world happened to you?”
“Someone around Finley Creek doesn’t like my particular type of politics.” Turner was bruised, with a nice shiner on his left eye and a few stitches in his lip. “You’ll need to be the public face for a while.”
“Who did this? Did you report it? What did they say?”
Turner hesitated. “Last night. It’s related to that corruption ring going around now. I’m supposed to keep my nose out of things and focus on getting all the power and water back on. Stay out of their way, and they’ll stay out of mine. At least that’s what the message on my cell said this morning.”
Carl bit back another curse. This was getting serious, then. Richard used to get threats like that every so often. Carl never wanted to think about it, but he was almost certain the previous mayor had given in to those kinds of demands. In exchange for other favors when it was necessary. Richard probably hadn’t had much choice, considering the world of corruption they’d lived in during that time.
They were just now on the tail end of that, hopefully. If Turner and men like him could keep cleaning up Finley Creek day by day.
“What does the TSP have to say about this?”
“They’re working on it. They aren’t too happy with the reports of people getting intimidated on the streets. Elliot Marshall is working on it.”
“In the meantime—”
“Watch our backs. Get things done. No one is going to tell me what to do when it comes to the benefit of my city. And no one is going to play these games with the people of Finley Creek.” There was real passion, real zeal in the boy’s words.
It had Carl worried. Turner was just one man. Anything could happen. It had to the Marshall family all those years ago. Murdered in their own home when the father had tried to fight corruption in the TSP. Turner’s own aunt had been murdered under mysterious circumstances, as well.
Turner was just one man. And he’d already become a target.
“What do you need me to do, son? You don’t have to do this alone.”