Making the Rent the Hard Way - 40

Introductions were made, then Rocky got down to business.

"With Farnham out of the picture, we have to explain why, and get rid of the people he managed to put in place on the city council and elsewhere."

"The why is easy enough," Gino said. "Tell the truth. From what you all have told me, you've already notified the news outlets about what he was trying to do. This will put a finish to that story. You don't have to go into detail. Just say he tried to eliminate Luca and Cade and he was killed in the process."

"I disagree," one of the other shifters said, Jack by name. "We can't prove Farnham the man is dead, since he died in his wolf form. Let the public think he's on the run to escape prosecution for" —he looked around—"for what? What could he be arrested for?"

"Rigging elections, to start with," Rocky replied. "Him and the shifters who ran without revealing that they weren't human. That's illegal under the laws put in place many years ago, soon after we first let the humans know we existed."

"That works," Gino agreed. "However, can you establish as fact that those men and women are shifters?"

"I can," I said, getting nods from Luca and Rocky. "People, humans and shifters, know I can tell which is which." I modified that. "At least, some of them do. Enough of them that they'll back me up when I point a finger at Farnham's stooges."

"That's a start." Gino frowned. "Since you can do that, why haven't you?"

"Until a week ago, I had no idea what was going on. I have to meet someone face to face—or be in the same room with them—to know what they are. I'm not into the political scene, as it were, so that never happened."

"All right."

"Now, we have to get the news out that Farnham's on the run, and prove it," Orchid said.

"I think the proof will come when he doesn't show up at the restaurant or any of the social functions he makes it a point to attend," Luca told her. "It'll take a few days for people to realize that's happening, but eventually they will—once we've let them know why he's not around anymore."

"The next thing we need to do is make certain Dexter Tipton's name is removed from the ballot," Rocky said. "He's got a press conference scheduled for tomorrow morning. You have to be there, Cade."

"No, he doesn't," Luca said adamantly. "That would put him right in the line of fire from Farnham's cronies, even though Farnham's not here anymore. Hasn't Cade been through enough already?"