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That was the advantage of having friends in many places. Friends like Dan Goory, or even Chase Kingsley, Hampton Cove’s next chief of police. Chase would be able to keep that nosy parker girlfriend of his on a tight leash, and so would her editor Dan.

He looked up with a touch of annoyance when his secretary walked in, and announced that his niece was there to see him.

“Send her in,” he growled. Fiona was a sweet girl, and he had big plans for her, but she was also one of those high-maintenance women who needed a lot of attention. He hated high-maintenance women, or giving his attention where it wasn’t due.

“Fiona, darling, how nice to see you,” he said, his frown easily morphing into a smile.

Her face was a thundercloud, though. She clearly wasn’t her usual radiant self.

“I quit that lousy job you gave me, Uncle Dirk. I hate it. Hate it!”

She was in foot-stomping mood.“You quit the police station job? But why?”

“People kept pestering me about that stupid werewolf. It was horrible. They were badgering me and harassing me and I just lost it. So I told them I quit—and I did!”

“That’s all right, darling. You don’t have to do anything you don’t like.”

“I know. So now what do I do?”

“Um… You could help out here in Town Hall? Join my administration?”

“You know I hate typing, Uncle Dirk. Don’t you have a fun job instead?”

“Sure, um…” He thought hard. “Something fun… like what?”

“Well, I could oversee the construction of the new town hall. That would be fun.”

He’d been planning to raze the old town hall to the ground and erect a completely new building, state-of-the-art, with an entire floor devoted to himself and his legacy.

“But you don’t know the first thing about construction, honey, or architecture.”

She waved an airy hand.“I’ll learn on the job. How hard can it be?”

“Well…”

The door opened again, and this time Vesta Muffin came charging in.“I know what you’re up to and I won’t stand for it!” she announced.

“Oh, get lost, you horrible woman,” said Fiona, but Dirk silenced her with a gesture. “What can I do for you, Vesta?” he asked, always remembering these people were his voters, and he needed to appease them.

“You’re trying to buy up all the land south of Garrison’s Field. What are you up to? Huh? I’ll bet it’s nothing good!”

He laughed what he hoped was a careless laugh.“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Vesta. Honestly I don’t.”

“Victor Ball said you bought up his land, and several of his neighbors. So what’s your game, huh? A new shopping mall? Housing tract? Factory? Spill, you spineless weasel!”

“Uncle Dirk, do you want me to throw her out?” asked Fiona. “Cause I will.”

But before he could respond, the door flew open again, and Marge Poole walked in, waving some kind of document.

“I know what you’re up to, Dirk. You and Jock Farnsworth and Jerome Winkle! You’re rezoning the land around Garrison’s Field as an industrial zone, aren’t you? Destroy all those nice woods and get rid of all of those small farms and turn them into factories! You can’t do that—it’s illegal!”

“Um… I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about, Marge,” he said, starting to feel a little hot under his collar all of a sudden.

“I have it all right here,” she said, slapping the document down on his desk. “It’s the contract you signed with Jock and Jerome to rezone the entire area, probably netting you millions in the process.”

“How did you get this?” he asked as he picked up the contract. “It was in my safe.”

“Your safe was broken into last night, I’m not sorry to say, as well as half a dozen other safes.”

“Oh, my God!” said Dirk, horrified. This was a disaster!

The door flew open again, and Brady Dexter barged in.“I’m so sorry, Mr. Mayor,” the bank manager said, visibly distraught, “but I’m afraid the bank was burgled last night. Criminals got into half a dozen safes, one of which was yours, unfortunately. They’ve absconded with their entire contents. I thought I’d tell you personally.”

Dirk sank down onto his chair. This wasn’t happening.

“Do you want me to throw all these people out, uncle?” asked Fiona. “I don’t mind.”

Dirk didn’t respond, but merely stared at the door, half expecting it to fly open again, and then it did!

Alec Lip came barging in, followed by Chase Kingsley and Odelia Poole.

“You’re under arrest, Dirk Dunlap,” said the Chief, “for aiding and abetting the kidnapping and false imprisonment of Grace Farnsworth and Fabio Shakespeare. Jock has confessed everything. How Grace overheard a phone call between you, County Executive Jerome Winkle and her husband last week, about turning Garrison’s Field into an industrial zone, and threatened to expose you. So you locked her up until the necessary paperwork was all taken care of, and she couldn’t stop your little scheme.”

Detective Kingsley had walked up to the Mayor, and now ordered him to stand, then outfitted his hands with a pair of handcuffs. Dirk wrinkled his nose, and Chase said,“Chicken dung, in case you were wondering. And you should see the other guy.”

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