Authors: Melody Snow Monroe
“Chicken, chicken, chicken.”
She chuckled. “I can’t do anything about it. I’m not the boss.”
“Bok, bok, bok.”
“What do you want me to do? Even if I did a full-fledged investigation on Burger Haus’s filth, I couldn’t get the story past my boss.”
“Suit yourself, but in my world, covering evidence is tantamount to lying. That’s about the only thing that turns me off. Someone’s on the other line. Talk to you later.” He disconnected.
Well, that was abrupt.
Uh-oh.
Did he really mean it about the lying? Was he saying that he would never be interested in her if her boss never ran controversial stories? It wasn’t her fault. She’d tried to do something, and it didn’t pan out.
Whatever
.
Once she finished making the story politically correct, she leaned back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. So far, other than the Tanner fire and the domestic violence call, nothing deserved to be aired.
Wanting to give one more try to connect with Rhonda’s mom, she dialed the Indiana number. There was no answer, so Jessie left another message just in case the woman missed the first one.
She spent the rest of the morning reading downloaded police reports for something to investigate. Nothing really caught her attention. Her cell rang. The caller ID said it was Shane.
“Good morning.”
“I was wondering if you’d like to join me for lunch.”
She hadn’t eaten any breakfast, and she was starving. “I’d love to.”
“Pick you up in fifteen minutes?”
“Great.”
The last time she’d seen him, he’d kissed her. She jetted into the ladies room, fixed her hair, and reapplied some lipstick. Not wanting to keep him waiting, she rushed outside. The day was perfect. The sun was out, and the temperature was a wonderful seventy-five degrees.
Shane pulled up to the curb in his truck and got out. “You look nice. Ready?”
“Yup.”
He held open the door. Men in Denver didn’t have as nice manners as Shane and Cody. “Where are we going?”
“To one of my favorite places. It’s a throwback to high school. I hope you’ll like it.”
As long as Shane was with her, she’d be happy.
He pulled into Burger Haus.
Or not.
No way she’d go in there.
He got out and opened her door. She held up her hand. “I don’t think this is a good place.”
His brows furrowed. “Why?”
“It’s dirty.”
He scratched his jaw then pulled his phone from his pocket. She thought he was going to do a search for another hamburger place. Instead he pressed the record button.
“So tell me, Jessica McCallister, why don’t you want to eat at the Burger Haus?”
Damn them. She wanted to wipe the smirk off his face. He and Cody had ganged up on her. “I’m a vegetarian.”
He burst out laughing. “Since when?”
Two seconds ago.
“Last night I saw a special on how much steroids and hormones are fed to our farm animals.” She thought that was a nice catch.
“I know for a fact they have good salads.”
He was determined to get her to say on tape that this place was a walking code violation. She wasn’t going to let them intimidate her. “Great. Let’s go.”
Chapter Five
What were Shane and Cody trying to prove by ganging up on her? That she shouldn’t give in to the pressure of big money? Rich men like them wouldn’t understand what it was like to be poor. Cody’s talk about lying was probably just a smoke screen to get her to act more responsibly.
At first she’d avoided doing the story, but in the end wished she’d been able to. Maybe Cody would step up to the plate and finish the job. Places like the Burger Haus needed to be held accountable.
No sooner had Shane dropped her off than her phone chirped. She read the text message.
Hope you had a good lunch. Any interest in joining Shane and me for the Labor Day festivities in town?
The guy didn’t quit. She might have pretended to be mad, but her body was excited. So excited in fact that a shiver of delight raced up her spine and ratcheted up her energy. She sat up straighter. The fact she was being escorted by both of them implied they were taking pity on the relative newcomer. She figured this wasn’t a date, but she’d take what she could get.
She texted back.
Sure. When? Where?
The response came back immediately, which implied picking up the phone would have been quicker, but it was nice to keep the conversation private. He texted back asking if she wanted to meet him at his place at 10:00 a.m. Monday morning.
That worked for her. She’d have all weekend to mentally prepare for the emotional assault of being sandwiched between two yummy men. She was typing the response when the cell rang. It was Cody. Maybe he, too, realized speaking would be easier.
“Hey, I was just responding.” She kept her voice low, but the excitement and cheer leaked out anyway.
“Shane just got notified that the lab report came back from the ashes at the Tanner house. Apparently, it revealed something. He wants to tell us both. Can you meet at the Eatery right now?”
The coffee shop was halfway between his work and hers. “Sure. I’m on my way.” She might be able to grab some real food. While the salad tasted fine at Burger Haus, she couldn’t enjoy even one bite.
Fortunately, at KRPT, she didn’t need to check out every time she left the office. As the crime reporter, they understood that she had to act on leads at a moment’s notice. She got to the Eatery after Cody but before Shane.
Cody stood when he spotted her, and her heart sped up. Dressed in a tailored blue suit, he looked more handsome than any man had a right to. Instead of asking why the smart attire, she kept her mouth shut and looked for the waitress. Jessie seriously needed an infusion of caffeine.
“So, did Shane give you a clue what the ashes contained?”
“Plastic.”
His one-word response implied he was still thinking about how she should have fought for what was right. He’d wanted her to expose the dirty burger joint. That was easy for him to do when he had money and didn’t have to worry about losing his job. He owned the damned paper.
She returned her mind to the fire. Too many options occurred to her. Before she could voice any of them, the waitress came over with her pad in hand, and Shane bustled in. He was dressed in jeans and heavy work boots, and his muscles bulged under his tight T-shirt. Her nipples hardened looking at him.
Not cool.
Not being able to control her reaction to these men might get her into trouble.
Jessie ordered a large mocha cappuccino and a bagel. Both men ordered their coffee black. Figures. That was why they had abs. In Denver, she made herself hit the gym at least twice a week. When time permitted, she jogged three miles. As soon as she got more settled in her job, she’d try to eat more nutritionally balanced meals and join a gym.
The word
plastic
registered, and she looked over at Shane. “Cody said you found plastic in the ashes. Do you think it came from tie wraps?” She was sticking to her theory that the Tanners had been tied up.
“It’s possible.”
Her pulse sped up, and she hadn’t even had her caffeine yet. “Does that mean this could have been a murder?” She held up a hand. “Wait. Wait. Would you mind if I bring in my cameraman and interview you?”
“I have no problem with that.”
Excited she’d get to do another real interview with one of the town’s two heroes, she called Scott.
“I just finished up a shot. We did a number at the zoo. I’ll be right over.”
She disconnected and faced Shane. “My cameraman will be here momentarily. I appreciate your willingness to do an interview.”
“I’ll only state the facts.”
“Works for me.”
Finally, the waitress came by with their drinks and a bagel. Jessie was so hungry she inhaled the small meal and drank as much of the hot liquid as her tongue could tolerate.
Five minutes later, Scott rushed in with the camera on his shoulder. A hush fell over the Eatery.
“I’m ready,” he announced. His red hair stuck out at odd angles as if he’d walked through a wind tunnel.
Plates clattered and chairs scraped. “Maybe we should take this outside where it will cause less of a commotion.” The sound resolution would be better, too.
They motioned to the waitress that they’d be back. She smiled and nodded.
Outside, she straightened Shane’s T-shirt, pretending that she wanted him to look perfect on camera. Not that he needed straightening in any way. She just wanted to touch him.
Scott did his white balance act then handed her the microphone. She stood next to Shane and did her usual introduction. “Can you tell us what you found out during the investigation?”
He pulled out the report. “Behind the deceased’s bed, I collected some ashes. Most of the residue was wood and paper, but some was plastic.”
“Were you able to determine what type of plastic?”
“The plastic matches the type used in tie wraps.”
This was the best part. “Are you saying that the Tanners might have been restrained to the bed, and that’s why they couldn’t flee the blaze?”
Her palms moistened as she searched his unreadable face. The man certainly was cool under pressure. Speaking on camera didn’t seem to bother him one bit.
Shane looked straight into the lens. “I’m not a detective. I only present the facts. I can’t prove that the plastic residue positively came from tie wraps. Nor can I conclude that the Tanners were restrained.”
Damn
. “But you suspect it.”
Give me something to work with.
His lips hardened. “Given the analyzed ashes were behind the bed and directly below where the hands would have been, it’s possible. A jury would have to decide.”
“So where does that leave us?”
“I was unable to detect the use of an accelerant, so I can’t positively say it was arson. What I did find was a cigarette on the bed, which seems to have started the fire.”
She waited for him to mention about the cough suppressant in their systems, but maybe that was a fact the police wouldn’t want to get out.
“Was the fire deliberately set in your opinion?” She wanted him to state without a doubt that the Tanners had been murdered.
“I’m unable to determine that at the moment.”
Well, crap
. “Thank you, Mr. McKee. This is Jessica McCallister for KRPT news.”
Scott flipped off the camera and took back the microphone. “I’ll check with Walt and then get this up online.”
She smiled at the best cameraman she’d ever had. “Thanks.” There wouldn’t be any balking from Walt. No corporate sponsor was involved in the Tanner case, thank God. “I’ll write something up as soon as I get back. Let’s hope Walt deems this newsworthy enough to put it on the 5:00 p.m. news.”
Once the interview was over, the three of them went back into the café and sat down. Her coffee was cool to drink, and she needed it to wet her mouth. “Given your report, do you think the police department will investigate?”