ONE IS THE DEADLIEST NUMBER: A Purrs and Personality Types Mystery by Hadley Hartwell

Author:Hadley Hartwell [Hartwell, Hadley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2025-09-23T00:00:00+00:00

Wesley had no intention of waiting. After class, he sped to the newsroom, his windshield wipers working overtime to dispel the rain.

Editor-in-Chief Reilly sat in a tiny swivel stool at the long table, hunting-and-pecking his way through an article. Hunched over a laptop, he looked like a well-fed vulture, too large for the furniture.

“What happened at the press conference?” Wesley demanded, shaking the wet off his shoes and cardigan. “Why didn’t Shawna ask questions or use the research I gave her?”

“Hello, Wesley, how are you? Staying dry?” Reilly asked calmly. “You of all people should know that just because it wasn’t in the paper—yet—doesn’t mean it’s all we have. Shawna said she needed more time to sort through the information she got yesterday, and I’m giving it to her. Friday’s issue will be dedicated to the trolley.”

Wesley looked at his boss then. Really looked. The older man’s oxford shirt was askew—he’d skipped one of the buttonholes, making the whole thing lopsided. Wrinkles covered the garment.

It was one thing for Wesley to dress like a slob to undercut his looks, but Reilly didn’t abide sloppiness. During his correspondence days, embedded in the military, Reilly had picked up the habit of ironing his shirts daily.

To indicate he wasn’t fighting Reilly anymore, Wesley sat beside him.

Reilly sighed and closed his laptop. “I hadn’t planned on saying this today, but based on your reaction, I think I’d better. This was a test.”

“For whom?”

“You. I’ll be retiring at the end of the year, and I want to hand the reins to you.”

Wesley’s heart gave a lurch. “It’s too soon for that.”

“You had to have known when I made you managing editor that I was preparing you to succeed me.”

“Eventually, maybe. Not yet.”

“Here’s my dilemma. I need to know that A) you can delegate, B) you’ll be patient and not rush your staff, and C) you’ll nurture new talent.”

“You’re too young to step down.”

“I became the editor when I was about your age,” Reilly reminded him.

Because you didn’t have a choice, Wesley thought. You inherited it.

“You’ve had three years to learn the ropes, and I believe you can do it. But I can’t leave the paper in your hands if you think it’s better to be fast than accurate.”

“I don’t! But realistically, it’s Wednesday, and by the time Shawna’s article runs on Friday, it’ll have been almost a week since the explosion. That’s too long for our readers to wait for the most basic information, especially when foul play is suspected.”

“Would you rather we falsely smear people’s names in the meantime?”

“No, but... Hold on. Did the sheriff ask you to wait again? Are you sitting on something explosive? Wrong choice of word, but is that what’s going on?”

“What’s ‘going on’ is I’m giving Shawna the time she requested to write the best article she can write.”

Since when does the staff have that much sway over deadlines?

“Are you really retiring?” Wesley asked. He bit his thumbnail while he waited for Reilly to answer.

“That’s up to you. Because

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