The Forever Game by Jeffrey James Higgins

Author:Jeffrey James Higgins [Higgins, Jeffrey James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black Rose Writing

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Edna raged across the newsroom and burst into Harry Willard’s office. It had taken her four hours and a hundred dollars to have her car towed and another two hundred for a taxi back to Barnstable. She was in no mood to deal with Harry or anybody else, but the story had become personal, and she would not let it go. She slapped two pieces of paper on his desk.

Harry looked up. “What are those?”

“Receipts for a tow truck and taxi. That son of a bitch slashed my tires while I was trying to get an interview.”

“Where?”

“After I left Cuttyhunk. I visited Forever Technology, but they wouldn’t let me past the security guard.”

“Dammit, Edna. You’re not on that story. I was crystal clear when I told you to write about the antiques fair.”

“You never told me to stop looking at Forever Technology. I covered the Sarah Smith and Thomas Locke deaths, and I’m doing a standard follow-up. You remember those, right? Journalism one-oh-one.”

Harry stabbed a finger at her chest. “Don’t lecture me about journalism. I’ve been in this business thirty years, and I don’t need some New York hack coming in here and treating me like a high school editor. I warned you Bryce Hastings could destroy this paper if he wanted, but you didn’t listen.”

“Really, Harry. You’re going to have a heart attack.”

“Now, the voicemail I received from Richard Barrington makes sense.”

“Who’s that?”

“Senior counsel for Forever Technology. He left a message about an hour ago. I’ve got to call him back and explain why one of my reporters thinks his company is involved with murder, in two deaths the police ruled as accidents.”

“My police source told me Locke’s death is suspicious. They’re investigating it as a homicide.”

Harry raises eyebrows. “That’s confirmed?”

“Off the record. For now.”

Harry leaned back in his chair and massaged his forehead with his thumb and forefinger. “Dammit. Why are things never easy with you? Why can’t you just cover the damn stories I assign you and make everyone happy.”

“You want me to ignore a homicide investigation? Aren’t those the stories that sell papers?”

“Obviously, I don’t want you to ignore a homicide. If the police are investigating, report the facts. But that does not mean you can libel Bryce Hastings or his company.”

“I’m not accusing—”

“They can bury us in litigation. They can scare our advertisers away. Hell, Hastings could buy our paper from Mrs. Worth, fire us, and sell our equipment at auction.”

“You know something stinks here. Companies like Forever Technology don’t move to Cape Cod. A scientist with a one-sixty IQ does not accidentally walk off the edge of a cliff on a sunny day. Expensive yachts don’t blow up by themselves. They’re up to something, and I’ll find out what.”

“No, you won’t.”

“So, you’re dropping the story and pretending nothing happened?”

“I’m not dropping anything. I’ve been a newspaperman my entire adult life and I’m not walking away from suspicious deaths, but since you can’t seem to follow directions, I’m taking you off the story.”

“Like hell you are.

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.