“Daisy, you have the full report almost finished,” Shane said the next morning. We were working at the kitchen counter in Victor’s apartment.Victor had sent me a single text since he left for work, telling me the police now had the video I had taken. They promised to keep Victor updated on the case.“I put in a lot of hours working on it,” I said. “It has been a passion project.”“It shows. You should get full credit for this story,” Shane declared. “With this much of the work already done, there’s no reason to share the byline with me.”“It’s too long for newspapers. I need a shorter version,” I said. “But online platforms and magazines may run the entire report.”Shane sipped the coffee I made for us. “Condensing it will be tricky, but I’m confident you can do it with very little help from me. You are a natural reporter and a fine investigator.”I blushed. “Thanks. I enjoy doing both, so my career is moving in the right direction.”He patted my hand. “Definitely. Now let me advise
While Victor and I went to his apartment and packed, Findlay made us all the reservations we would need to have a magical long weekend together.Then we traveled two hours north to the city of New Ripon. Even though Denhurst was older and our capital, New Ripon was larger and flourished on tourist dollars.It had everything from some of the world’s best restaurants, museums, and art galleries to an amusement park and zoo.The city was bustling on this warm Thursday evening. I was fascinated by all the activity and people as we drove to its center, and Victor pulled in front of The Covington, New Ripon’s most exclusive five-star hotel and restaurant.A valet took care of the car while a team of hotel staff promised to have our luggage in our room when we arrived.It was exciting to look around the opulent lobby while Victor checked in at the front desk. The white carpets were plush, the walls covered with red silk, and the ceiling dripped with sparkling crystal chandeliers.Then we wer
Why would a stranger follow and take photos of Victor and me? It didn’t make sense. Besides Findlay, who knew we were in New Ripon?I had to know.Trying to keep my eyes on the man with the buzz cut, I followed him away from the dining room and through the lobby.It looked like he was heading for the main entrance, but when I got there, he was gone. I went outside onto the sidewalk and saw no sign of him.The sidewalk wasn’t crowded. I could see a block away in both directions. How did he disappear so quickly?The hotel doorman was talking to the valet in front of the entrance. Maybe they saw the man or knew who he was.“Excuse me,” I said to them. “Did you see a man a little shorter than me with a buzz cut come out of the hotel?”“No, ma’am,” the doorman said without looking at me.“I saw him.” The valet pointed down the street. “He jumped into a car that was waiting down there. Another man was driving when it took off in the other direction.”“Have you ever seen either of them befor
I had to listen to Shane’s message again. I couldn’t have heard what I thought I did.“Hey, Daisy, my publishers are eager to publish, distribute, and promote your article and report. Call me. There’s a lot you need to do before it goes to print.”I slipped into the bathroom to call, but before I could dial Shane’s number, Victor appeared in the doorway. He was awake and had heard the message.“Congratulations, sweetheart.” He kissed my cheek, and I returned to the bedroom to dress before returning Shane’s call.Shane answered on the first ring, and his excitement was contagious.“They want you to pose for a photo shoot and have someone do your bio,” Shane said. “They are excited by the project, Daisy. I’ve never known them to want to promote a story or a writer this much before.”“That’s great,” I said. But a photo shoot? And a bio? What could I say about my life that would be interesting?“Are you coming back to Denhurst today?” he asked.“Yeah, we’ll be home this afternoon.” I had
I was listening to the police talk to Victor. They were saying things like, “He was shot point blank with a nine millimeter,” and “Do you own a handgun, Mr. Klein?”“Yes, I do,” Victor replied. “It’s locked in a special hidden safe in my bedroom.”“What is it?” a cop asked.“It’s a nine millimeter,” Victor admitted. “But I haven't fired it since the last time I visited a range months ago.”“We will need to borrow it for tests,” another cop said.This couldn’t be happening. Did they think Victor shot the buzz-cut guy?One cop studied his notes. “And Mr. Klein, you admit you were looking for the dead man, a Mr. Phillip Harter?”“Yes, I hired a friend of mine who’s a Private Investigator to find him,” Victor explained. “Phil Harter was following Daisy and me while we were on vacation. I wanted to know who hired him.”“And now he’s dead outside your apartment,” another cop said and rolled his eyes.It did look bad, and it was about to get worse.“Miss Wilson, you found the body, right?”“
I slept a few hours that night, but I sprang out of bed at dawn and ran out for a copy of the Denhurst Gazette.I forced myself not to look for the story until I returned to the apartment. My hands were shaking when I sat at the counter and spread the newspaper in front of me.It was on the front page above the fold!Then I looked at the photo below it, and my head spun. It was a photo of me coming down the main staircase at Alex’s mansion.The caption read: Daisy Wilson, coming down the grand staircase at her father’s mansion. I looked good, but the headline made me cringe.I made coffee and sat down to read the article. The editor had made no changes to my copy. Every word of the article was there, precisely as I had written it.Except for my photo and the caption, I was pleased. I poured myself a cup of coffee and waited for Victor to wake up. I couldn’t wait to show it to him.He beamed with pride when he saw the newspaper. “You are amazing. I’m glad you insisted on doing the stor
“No, Daisy, you need to stay in the apartment with the doors locked,” Victor insisted.“I’m not waiting here and letting you face that mob alone,” I said. “I’ll help you talk to them. Together, we may be able to calm them.”Victor put his hands on his hips and shook his head.“I mean it.” I wasn’t letting him go down there alone. “I’m going with you.”Victor tossed his hands in the air. “Stay beside me. Don’t wander away.”We went downstairs and out onto the sidewalk together. But the police had arrived, and the crowd was broken up and leaving.“Thank you,” Victor told the sergeant in charge of the group of police officers. “Your quick response is appreciated.”“Thank you, Mr. Klein,” the sergeant replied and smiled at me. “Thanks to you and Miss Wilson, my children have a chance to get a good education.”“We’re glad to hear that,” I said. “It’s past time for everyone to be judged on their merits and not by what class they were born into.”Victor suddenly pushed me behind him as an an
I didn’t understand. “Talk about what? I just want to read the paper while I drink my coffee.”“That’s the thing, sweetheart.” Victor stood and crouched next to me. “You need to be prepared for something in the morning papers.”“You’ve got me worried,” I said. “Tell me what you’re talking about before I make it worse in my mind.”Victor sighed and took my hand. “There are several letters to the editor in both The Denhurst Chronicle and The Denhurst Gazette. The authors of the letters are twisting events to make you look bad.”My heart leaped in my chest. “Let me read these letters.” How bad could it be?Victor handed me a copy of The Denhurst Chronicle. I started to open it to look for the letters to the editor, but they were splashed across the front page.“Why would they print letters to the editor on the front page? I mumbled. But the letters were there, exactly where my article had been published a few days ago.Bracing myself, I began to read.“This is outright slander!” I cried.