CHAPTER THIRTEEN H: THE MAYOR’S DECISION
Inside the tent, Mayor Celia Warren was listening to two advisers argue about the schedule.
One wanted the ceremony to proceed without interruption.
The other insisted that the newly discovered service hatch made the original program misleading.
Nora entered only after the aide invited her.
The mayor turned from the table.
“Miss Bennett, I understand your mother was involved in the rescue.”
“She was the person who opened the hatch,” Nora replied.
“That is what several witnesses say.”
“Are you questioning them?”
“I’m trying to distinguish testimony from findings.”
Nora felt her face grow warm.
“So am I.”
The mayor motioned toward a chair.
“I’d like to hear what you actually want from today.”
Nora remained standing.
“I want the people who were in the building to be heard before the town thanks someone for saving them.”
The mayor folded her hands.
“The ceremony was planned months ago.”
“The truth didn’t arrive on your schedule.”
One adviser looked offended.
The mayor did not.
She asked Nora whether Walter was prepared to speak publicly.
“He is,” Nora answered.
“Does he understand that some people may challenge his memory?”
“He has been challenging it himself for twenty years.”
The mayor studied her.
“That’s an unusual answer.”
“It’s the honest one.”
Nora explained that Walter remembered Ruth opening the hatch but could not identify the person who locked the main door.
She described June’s recollection of the children being told to wait and Beatrice’s account of the missing keys.
She also explained that Leonard Calder could describe the aftermath but had not witnessed the actual rescue.
The mayor listened without interrupting.
When Nora finished, she looked toward the old hall.
“Elliot believes his father’s reputation is being attacked.”
“His father’s reputation is not the only thing that matters.”
“I agree.”
“Then why is his name on the banner and my mother’s name nowhere?”
The mayor looked down at the printed program.
Nora waited while she turned a page.
Finally, the mayor asked her aide to bring in the event coordinator.
Aaron entered with his clipboard pressed against his chest.
“We are changing the speaking order,” the mayor told him.
He looked startled.
“The guests have already arrived.”
“They can wait five minutes.”
The mayor pointed to the program.
“After the opening remarks, we will acknowledge the inspection and invite firsthand witnesses to speak.”
Aaron hesitated.
“Mr. Voss won’t like that.”
“He is welcome to express his concerns.”
“Will we still unveil the commemorative display?”
“Not today.”
Nora stared at the mayor.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
The mayor looked at her steadily.
“I don’t intend to ask this town to applaud a story while we are still learning what happened.”
Nora had expected an argument, not a decision.
She felt a brief rush of relief followed by an unfamiliar responsibility.
“Please don’t make Walter the only person who has to speak,” she said.
“Who else is here?”
Nora named June, Beatrice, and Rachel.
The mayor asked whether they were willing to speak.
“Some are,” Nora said.
“Some are still deciding.”
“Then nobody will be forced.”
Nora thanked her and turned toward the exit.
The mayor called her back.
“Miss Bennett, you should know that a corrected plaque won’t resolve everything.”
“I know.”
“People may still disagree about Grant Voss.”
“I know that too.”
The mayor nodded.
“Then we’re starting from the same place.”
Nora stepped outside into the damp air.
The banner was still hanging over the chairs.
Its words had not changed.
For the first time, however, she knew the program beneath it had.
