I’d liked Jessi Novo, the woman at reception. I’d recognized her name from somewhere but hadn’t been able to place it. I was too tired right now to dig through my copious notes. Seemed like she was friends with Owen, but I couldn’t hold that against her. He could certainly put on the charm.
I decided to get up and take a quick shower. Feeling fresher, I got back into bed and let the warmth of the room and the coziness of the quilt seep into me. I closed my eyes and tried to rest.
The shrill ring of my phone made me jump. That particular tone warned me it was my editor Pam, one of the few numbers that bypassed my do-not-disturb setting.
I took the risk of letting it go to voicemail. Pam called again immediately. Shit.
Groaning, I sat up and grabbed my phone from my jacket, which I’d draped over the end of the bed. “Hi, Pam.”
“How was the meeting with the dirty sheriff?” she asked, not bothering with a hello. I cringed at what she’d called Owen, even though I’d called him plenty of worse things to his face.
“There was a hitch. But I’m working on it.”
“I hope so. Because we’re paying for your little jaunt to podunk Colorado. If you don’t have something to show for it soon, I’m pulling you back.”
I bit the inside of my lip, holding back the tirade I wished I could unleash. She really was awful.
“I witnessed a murder last night,” I said.
There was a pause. “Youwhat?”
The media conglomerate that owned theDenver Dailyhadlaid off a huge chunk of our staff in the last few years. They’d shrunk our print edition to Sundays only, with most of our content published on the website. Pam had replaced my former editor. I wasnota fan. Pam often said that nobody wanted real journalism from our paper. They wanted infotainment. Little slivers of reality wrapped up in a shinier, more exciting package. Maybe that was the path of news in general these days, but I wanted my work to mean more than that.
If I’d had the option, I would’ve left theDailymyself. But I’d had some dings to my reputation in the past. The better papers and news sites I’d applied to had been encouraging, but wary.
Because the subject of my biggest story had been my father, and it had gotten very messy.
I gave Pam a few details about the Tucker murder. Nothing more than would be in the official police report.
“My God, Gen, are you all right?”
The concern in her reply surprised me. But it was a relief. “I guess I am pretty shaken up.” I pulled the quilt around my shoulders again. “It was terrifying.”
“Of course. Were you the only witness? Or…”
“Yes. I gave my statement to the sheriff. But you see why he cancelled our original interview. He’s got a murder investigation to deal with. And he’s concerned I could be in danger. He wants me to stay put here.” I almost mentioned the video as well, but I didn’t have clearance from Owen to make it public. Pam would insist that I send it to her. The last thing I wanted to do was jeopardize the investigation.
“That’s wild. Are you at the hotel you booked originally? The one in Hartley?”
“I am. It seems all right so far.”
“Then stay there. Having you in Hartley gives us an insideedge on this murder story. Why didn’t you call me earlier to let me know?”
Internally, I groaned. I had figured she would say that. If Ihadn’ttold her, she would’ve fired me for sure. “I was busy giving my statement. I haven’t done much ofanythingyet.”
“It’s lucky I called, then. This is much better than the original story you pitched. A murder beats a complicated corruption conspiracy any day. I know you love those, but long-form articles don’t hold anyone’s attention. I want to break this story, and I want exclusive content. When can you get me something?”
I squeezed my eyes shut. A migraine was brewing. “I could write up a short piece, but I need to check with Sheriff Douglas first. I’m not sure what his office is keeping confidential, and?—”
“This is the same sheriff you think is corrupt? You don’t trust him anyway. I don’t get why you’re suddenly so concerned about his opinion.”
“Because I still need him to talk to me. I can’t alienate Sheriff Douglas and his whole department.”
“I don’t intend to sit on this just so somebody else can steal the story out from under us.”
I scrambled for an excuse that would hold her off. “Very few people here know that I’m the eyewitness. Sheriff Douglas wants to keep this under wraps as long as possible. Just give me a chance to talk to him. Get an official comment. And then we can publish with as much as I’m able to share.”
“Fine, but I want an update later today.”
