pushed a button on her earpiece, listening to someone.
duPluie: I have Mayor Lopez on the line now. Hi there, Mayor. Thank you for taking our call.
Mayor: No problem, Murielle. I love the Smoothie Factory, and I’m happy to talk about how healthy I feel now that I’ve been having a smoothie every day.
duPluie: Are you aware, sir, that the ingredients in those smoothies are creating a dangerous situation in the ocean? One that’s affecting the aquatic life, and could very well hurt our community?
Mayor: Uh, I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Murielle.
Dario: Sure you are, Mr. Mayor. Because you’ve made promises to people in exchange for their help with this illegal activity.
duPluie: Mr. Mayor, what do you have to say?
There was the sound of a click.
“It seems we’ve lost the mayor. I’m sorry, folks, but you have my word that WLEO will follow this story.”
Meredith’s bodyguards were inside the store now, pushing Dario and Murielle duPluie out. Dario kept recording.
Once on the outside of the crowd, we could see Murielle duPluie on the video. She faced Dario squarely. “How did you know that stuff?”
“I would never reveal my sources.”
“Good answer. What’s Channel Nine paying you as an intern?”
“Uh…”
“I’ll double it.”
“Um. I, uh…”
“Fine. I’ll triple it. You drive a hard bargain, kid. You work for me now. I want to see everything you got. Let’s get out of this heat and back to my office. We’ve got a story to blow the lid off of.”
Sixty-Two Stella
Storeroom, Nifty Gifty
June 25 (Continued)
The storeroom door opened, and there stood Dad. “What the heck is going on?”
“How did you find us?” Josie asked.
Dad held up his cell phone and showed us our dots. “There’s an app for that, you know?” Then he said, “Let’s go.”
“Dad, we can explain everything,” I said.
“No time, Stell. I have a pal at the police station. He’s a detective. You’re gonna tell him everything.”
“Everything?” I asked.
“Everything, Stella,” he said. “It’s all gonna be fine. Trust me on this.”
Josie and I walked out of the stuffy storeroom.
“Girls—”
I expected something comforting. Something empathetic. Something helpful. “Yeah, Dad?”
“Those hats look ridiculous.”
Sixty-Three Stella
Police Station
June 26 (Continued)
There’s a knock on the interview room door.
Santoro reaches his long arm over but can’t quite reach the knob, so he gets up. I see Gregory on the other side.
“Morning, Counselor,” Santoro says.
Gregory looks right at me. “How you doing, Stell?”
“Okay?” I say.
He nods and smiles at me. It’s a don’t-worry-about-anything smile. Then he says to Santoro, “Let’s talk.”
Santoro nods.
As he’s leaving, Gregory tells me, “I told your mom not to worry, but call her, okay?”
“I will.”
Sixty-Four Stella
Police Station
June 26 (Continued)
Dad, me, and Josie are eating breakfast in the cafeteria when Santoro sits next to us with a cup of coffee. He says, “Sorry that took so long. You can go.”
“Thanks, Jay,” Dad says.
Gregory walks up behind Santoro. The two shake hands. “Ready?” Gregory asks us.
We’re so ready.
“You girls were very helpful to the police tonight,” Gregory says as he holds the police station door open for us. “I heard everything. Santoro let me listen through the interview room speakers on my drive here. And I was on the phone with both of your moms all night.”
Overhead an airplane dragging an advertisement for Moe’s Raw Bar and Karaoke flies by.
“You were?” I ask.
“Of course, kiddo. We were all watching out for you.”
“Thanks, Gregory,” I say, and I hug him around the waist, because he’s so much taller than me. Suddenly his name doesn’t sound so stupid.
“You can always count on me,” he says, and he ruffles my hair. It’s goofy, but I like it. Maybe the change that came when Gregory married Mom hasn’t been all bad.
Just then Laney pulls up in Dad’s truck. “Need a lift?” She slides over and lets Dad drive.
Gregory opens the door for us, and Josie hops in. “Enjoy the rest of your summer,” he calls in to her. To me he says, “I convinced your mom that this isn’t a strike, but please stay out of trouble, Stell.”
“I will.”
“See you, Gary,” Gregory says to my dad.
“Sure. Thanks again.”
“Anytime.”
Gregory walks away, and I’m about to get in after Josie when a voice calls to us, “Wait. Can I grab a ride?” It’s Dr. Rodney.
“Of course,” Dad says, and Dr. Rodney slides into the back seat between me and Josie.
I hear Murielle duPluie on the radio. “Dad,” I say, “turn it up.”
“Murielle duPluie here with the Whalehead news from the Jersey Shore. I’m in front of the police station, where Stella and Josie Higley