Apples For Vinegar by R J Fournier

Author:R J Fournier [Fournier, R J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-05-18T22:00:00+00:00

ELEVEN

It had been five days since Delyth met with Robert, and she was beginning to doubt he’d follow through with his promise of more information about Keir Foley. His refusal to identify himself or give her his contact information only added to her suspicions. And without proof, there would be no story.

She didn’t believe it would have anything to do with the Ajnabee murder. All the other suspects they’d interviewed seemed intent on pointing the finger at someone else, muddying the water so they could slither through the weeds undetected. If Robert wanted to divert suspicion toward Foley, it was strange he’d do it by bringing up a kidnapping that happened three years before.

Yet, unless Robert was forthcoming with some amazing info, she might forever toil writing obits and weather reports. She was counting on him to incriminate Foley in something else, something illegal or, at least, unethical. Now, it seemed even that slight hope was dwindling.

All week she’d answered her phone with equal parts hope and dread. When it turned out not to be the call, initial relief resolved into disappointment only to be replaced by anticipation that the next call would be him, the cycle repeating each time the phone rang. Until Friday when she picked up and Robert’s calm, smug voice asked, “Are you ready for our call?”

“What? Now? I thought you were going to give me time to arrange for an interpreter to be here.”

Robert laughed. “Don’t worry. My person will call you tomorrow at one.”

“Tomorrow’s Saturday, my day off. It’d be suspicious if I came in.”

“You can say you’re investigating a story. Isn’t that what reporters do?”

“It’s clear you don’t know how newspapers work, especially for the low woman on the totem pole.”

“Okay. He’ll call you at home.”

Delyth didn’t want to give him her cell number, the only personal number she had. She realized it wasn’t any more risky than his knowing her work number, knowing where she worked, knowing what she looked like, but her reaction was not rational. Fearing it would lead him to say they should drop the whole thing, she asked, “Could I call him instead?”

He hesitated for a second, although it felt more like a full minute to Delyth. “We can do that. Do you have something to write down a number?”

She read the number back. “I’ll have to tell him you’re the one who gave me his number. What name should I use?” She thought it a clever way to learn his last name.

Except he responded, “He’ll know what the call is about,” then hung up.

Not willing to be so easily thwarted, she pressed the Caller Identification button then Talk. After a single ring, she got a robotic woman’s voice saying, “We’re sorry. The number you dialed is out of service.” Then a dial tone.

It had to be working: he’d just called her on it. He could have blocked her office number on some clever app, so she took out her cell phone and dialed. The same out-of-service message. She looked up the number on a reverse directory.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.