Lucky Charm (Reverse Fairytales Book 2)(56)
“Don’t. There’s a possibility it isn’t your informant. If my ex-stepsisters got wind of him, there is a good chance they leaked this themselves. I’m actually amazed it took them so long.”
“Are they anti-Magi?”
“No, they just like money and power. Seeing me living in the palace must be killing them. I haven’t seen them in years, but that won’t stop them. This is their one shot at fame, and they are going to make the most of it.”
“What shall we do about it?” I asked.
Cynder thought for a minute. “Ignore it. It will go away on its own eventually.”
“The people will want to know the truth,” I reminded him. “They will expect a statement from me.”
“Any statement you give will only add fuel to the fire. You don’t know these women. They are power-hungry. You talk about them at all, and it will validate their claim. They’ll say you are lying.”
“But I’m not lying. They have no proof, no wedding certificate.”
“They won’t care. Even bad publicity is publicity to them, and they’ll milk it for all they are worth. I honestly think it’s better to leave it well alone and let the flames die out. If you don’t bite back, they will get bored eventually.”
I couldn’t help but wonder what damage they’d do in the meantime, but I let Cynder have his way. I didn’t know these women, and he did. If he said they were ruthless, then I believed him. I’d be monitoring the papers, though. I wasn’t about to let two crazy women mess up everything I was working towards.
The next day, I headed to Silverwood’s main police station with Leo and Daniel. The whole force knew we were coming and, apart from a few key staff members manning the reception desk, they had all crammed into the biggest conference room in the building. Even with the huge capacity, it was standing room only.
The second in command, who’d taken up the mantle in the two days since Grenfall had left was a jovial middle-aged man with the unlikely name of Copper. Jason Copper. I briefed him fully before seeing the rest of the staff, and he seemed more than happy, to have Leo come into the force. Jason was a man I took to straight away. With one of those faces that had a permanent smile, he was more than happy to accommodate us. Even better, was the fact that he agreed with us on a lot of key issues regarding the Magi. He told us how he’d repeatedly spoken to Grenfall over the past few years about the Magi and had been shot down at every turn. After an hour-long meeting with him, I decided that he and Leo should work together. If Leo liked him as much as I did, he’d eventually get the chief of police position to himself once Leo had finished what he was there to do.
I looked at the faces looking up at me with great expectation and knew that this was going to be one of the most important speeches I ever gave. These men and women were Silverwood’s backbone. As they were on the front line, so to speak, they dealt with Magi and non-Magi and the problems between the two communities on a regular basis.
“Good morning,” I began. “As you are no doubt aware, I terminated Mr. Grenfall from his position of Chief of Police a couple of days ago.”
There was a cheer. It seemed that Grenfall was as unpopular with his staff as he was with me. That would make things easier.
“For the next few weeks, Your second in command, Sergeant Copper will be taking his place. His title from today onward will be Acting Chief of Police. Alongside him will be Mr. Leo Halifax. As you are probably aware, Mr. Halifax is my brother-in-law, but he is also a trusted member of my staff.
“Mr. Copper and Mr. Halifax will be working together in the coming weeks to streamline the police force. I want to assure you that your jobs are all safe and there is no need to panic. If you are happy in your current position, then there is no need for that to change.
“However, we are looking for some people to step up for a new task force. This task force will be dealing with highly privileged information regarding Anti-Magi groups. I can’t say any more than that now, but application forms will be left by the door for you to pick up if you think this is something you might be interested in. Anyone can apply, but only the best will be picked. There is a hefty bonus plan for those who get the job.
“Mr. Dean Wentworth, another of my advisors at the palace, will be in charge. Some of you may already know him. The positions that are left vacant by those moving up to the new task force will be filled with people from outside the force. A recruitment drive for Magi to join the force will be trialed starting this week. If there is anyone here who doesn’t like that or will not be able to work alongside the Magi, please leave now. Take your coats as you won’t be welcomed back.”
I waited for someone to leave, but apart from a few grumbles, no one did.
I took a deep breath. So far so good! By the time the people cleared the conference room, I was feeling a whole lot more confident. No one had openly complained about me hiring Magi, and I’d even managed to find a couple of people who would look into Cynder’s sisters for me. They’d been on the front of all the papers again, and despite Cynder’s reassurance that it would just go away, I wasn’t so sure.
Leaving Leo and Dean to begin their new jobs, I headed back to the palace. A quick session with Xavi and her crew had me ready for my interview with Marybelle. After the scandal with Cynder had broken overnight, I’d decided to cancel the big interview on the stage with all the leading newspaper reporters and TV stations, and just invite Marybelle into the palace. I didn’t have the energy to deal with an excitable crowd on top of everything else, and so the palace gates would remain shut to the public this week. When I looked out of one of the front windows of the palace, I could see that, despite the cancellation, people had still turned up for the show.