A Gala Event by Sheila Connolly

telling us you got railroaded?” Seth demanded. Meg thought he sounded angry. Why?
    Aaron glared at him. “What the hell are you, an attorney?”
    â€œNo, I’m a plumber, and a builder, and a town selectman. You came here, remember? I didn’t go looking for you.”
    â€œI came to thank Meg, not butt heads with you. You want me to leave, just say the word.” Aaron was actually showing some emotion, which was a first since his arrival.
    â€œEnough!” Meg said loudly. “Both of you, shut up.” Luckily for her they did, because she had no idea where she was going with this. “Aaron, I appreciate that you came here to thank me. I’m glad I found you alive, because I don’t want to think about the alternative. But I’m not sure how we ended up arguing about this, or what you think we’re supposed to do now.”
    â€œNothing,” Aaron said. “Not one damn thing. You go back to your lives, and I’ll try to figure out what I’m supposed to be doing with mine now.”
    â€œAaron, do you believe you were responsible for the fire?” Meg said softly.
    He gave her a long look. “I’ll admit I did some stupid things when I was a kid, but I never wanted to hurt anybody. I never wanted to kill anyone or anything. Hell, I’d takespiders outside and let them go. I never kicked a dog in my life. I want to believe that under all the tough-guy stuff I was a pretty decent kid, and I probably would have straightened myself out, if I’d had enough time. Am I wrong to want to believe that?”
    â€œI don’t think so. I don’t know you well enough to judge whether it’s true. When you got out, why did you come to Granford? What were you hoping for?”
    â€œI don’t know. I thought maybe being in the place might jog my memory. Or maybe I should say a final good-bye and put the town behind me—I never had a chance to do that, after the fire. The town looks pretty much the same, but there’s nothing left of the house, just a field with a bunch of shiny new houses on it. And like I said, I went to the cemetery. I wasn’t in any shape to go to the funerals after the fire, so I needed closure, I guess. To make sure it was real. That they’re gone.”
    â€œYou aren’t on some sort of crusade to prove that you’re innocent?” Seth asked, but at least his voice was calmer.
    â€œIf I am, it’s only for myself. Nobody else cares. I’m not looking to sue anybody, or get lots of publicity. I’d just like to know what really happened that night. If I did what they say I did, I’m prepared to live with that, and I’ve already paid the price. If I didn’t, then somebody’s guilty and they got away with it. But it’s not your problem.”
    Meg and Seth exchanged rueful glances. If—a very large “if”—they decided to help Aaron Eastman, it wouldn’t be the first time they’d been sucked into someone else’s problems, Meg thought. And Granford had seemed such a peaceful town—until she had scratched the surface. She was not as naïve as she had been when she arrived, but what did they owe Aaron? They didn’t know him. But wasn’t there some kind of weird popular myth that if you saved someone’s life,you were responsible for them forever after? Who’d made that one up? She did not feel responsible for Aaron’s well-being, mental state, future employment, or anything else. She had fed him, and she might offer him a place to sleep for one night, or maybe two. And that would be the end of it.
    Gail, quiet until now, spoke suddenly, startling Meg, who had all but forgotten she was there. “Aaron, you never explained what you were doing at the Historical Society. Why were you there? What were you looking for?”
    Aaron leaned back in his chair and rubbed his face with both hands. He looked tired, which wasn’t