Matters of State (Corps Justice Book 17) by C. G. Cooper

Author:C. G. Cooper [Cooper, C. G.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: JBD Entertainment, LLC
Published: 2020-10-18T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Forty-Six

SPRINGER - OLD ORCHARD BEACH, MAINE

Springer was getting tired of these old, small towns where everyone knew everyone. He wondered if in the old days it used to be easier for journalists. If you lived in a small town, you wanted to be known in a big town. Pulitzer got him nowhere, and he wasted hundreds of dollars before someone pointed him in the right direction. But the direction went to a small farm that was no longer a farm. It had been redeveloped into one of those starter home communities, one where half the front yards were overgrown, and the other half were well tended. Small children played in playgrounds and backyards, and any whiff of the scent that Springer had had coming to Maine was now gone.

Daniel Briggs had spent time in this town and made something of a name for himself with whatever underworld characters had been here at the time. If they were still here, he couldn’t find them. Now, it was looking more and more like this was a bust of a trip. At least he had enough money for a nice room on the beach.

He found a dealer with some decent stuff. Not like the stuff he got in D.C. or New York, but it was decent enough for Maine. He decided he’d enjoy his night. He treated himself to a couple of bumps, grabbed a six-pack of Narraganset from the gas station down the street, and walked the beach. It was mostly locals for a season on the wane. There was an old woman peddling bracelets who looked like she was closing up shop.

He was bored and figured he should at least do some digging. Not that he thought it would get anywhere. His mind was spinning and he had to talk to someone. The old lady would do.

“I’ll be back tomorrow,” she said as he came closer.

“Have you lived here long?” he asked, picking up one of the signs for her and folding it and handing it back.

She eyed him cautiously. “Lived here most of my life.”

“Have you always worked on the beach? I love your work, by the way.” He didn’t give a damn about bracelets and paintings, but she brightened, as he knew she would.

“This was just a habit that I picked up from my granddaughter.”

“Does she live in town, too?”

“No.” The woman looked wistfully down the beach. “No, she moved away a long time ago to L.A. To become an actress. I haven’t seen her in two years.”

“That’s a shame. Pretty town here. Wish I could stay longer. Say, what did you do before this, before your hobby?”

“I was a teacher, thirty years. I used to volunteer at the church, too, but I’m sure you don’t care about that.”

But he did. The little tinkling of curiosity banged in the back of his mind. It was a long shot, but still a shot. “You don’t happen to remember a pastor? He’s on an old farm. I think there was a red top on one of the buildings.

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