Chapter 6 BRYCE
brYCE
“Smug bastard,” I muttered, shuffling papers on my desk as I looked for my notepad. “How dare he come in here and threaten me? How dare he—ahh! Where is it?”
The notepad I’d been searching for was nowhere. Not in my car. Not at home in a basketful of unfolded laundry. Not on my desk, which was now a total mess.
I kept different notepads for each of my stories, a place where I could make notes so I didn’t forget anything. Pink was for birth announcements. Black for obituaries. Red was for the Fourth of July rodeo and festivities. And the yellow one was for Amina Daylee’s murder.
The last time I’d seen it had been yesterday morning. I remembered making a note against the steering wheel in my car that Amina’s middle name was Louise. Her daughter lived in Denver. I’d written it all down so I wouldn’t forget, then tucked the notepad into my purse with the others.
Retracing my steps, I’d come right into the newspaper after that.
I’d dumped everything from my purse onto my desk to organize it as I worked through my various stories in progress.
I’d been in the middle of wrapping up a piece for Sunday’s paper.
It was a no-brainer—the schedule for Clifton Forge’s Independence Day weekend celebrations.
I’d had all of my notepads right here by my keyboard, the red one open as I’d typed, when—
I shot out of my chair. “That asshole!”
Dash had to have taken it. The thing couldn’t have just disappeared, and I’d looked everywhere. But how had he known it was the right one? Shit. He must have seen it at the motel when I’d been talking to Cody.
Luckily, the notebook held nothing I couldn’t remember. The act of writing down my notes was usually enough to commit them to memory. And most of the information in those pages had already been printed.
Still. I was mad. “Gah. I can’t believe he did this.”
“Who did what?” Sue looked over her shoulder at my outburst.
I huffed and sat down. “An asshole thief stole my notepad right out from under my nose.”
All because I was so distracted. Distracted by the danger that surrounded him and the allure of discovering all his secrets.
“Sorry, dear.”
“It’s my own fault,” I muttered, giving her a nod to return to her work.
It was definitely my fault.
Dash had leaned in close and his smell . . . God, he smelled good. The spice of his cologne mixed with the summer breeze was a heady combination. Under the spell of that scent and his unwavering hazel glare, I’d feared for a split second that he’d kiss me. That I’d kiss him back.
Then I’d feared he wouldn’t.
He’d probably swiped my notepad when I’d been staring at his mouth.
Damn him. I’d dropped my guard and he hadn’t hesitated to take advantage. Dash must be feeling the pressure if he’d resorted to petty theft.
We both knew I was winning. I held more aces than he had kings at the moment, but the game was about to take a turn.
Tomorrow was Draven’s arraignment, and unless the judge decided the sixty-year-old man was a flight risk, he’d be out on bond tomorrow. As soon as Draven was free, Dash would have an inside source.
So to keep my edge, I’d need to push harder and dig deeper. What I needed was another scoop, to find another person like Cody Pruitt who’d spill because he had a personal grudge against the Slater family.
But who?
The door from reception opened and Willy walked inside, heading straight for his desk across the aisle from Sue.
He pushed his sunglasses into his thinning blond hair, revealing dark circles under his eyes.
It was nearly noon but with his rumpled clothes, he looked as if he’d just rolled out of bed.
“Hi, Willy.”
He lifted a hand as he sat, leaning deep into his chair. “Morning. Hey, Sue.”
“Hi, Willy. Rough night?”
“Might have had one too many beers.”
At that, the door opened again and George rushed through, his arms overloaded with loose papers and the briefcase trapped underneath an elbow about to slip free. He made it to his desk just in time to dump everything on top as his case crashed to the floor. “Hey, guys.”
“Hi, George.”
Everyone else exchanged greetings as I sat back and watched, me the newcomer to the team. For once, the room was full. Everyone was here except for Dad because, per Mom’s demand that his twenty-day work streak come to an end, he was taking the day off.
“I don’t think we’ve all been in the same room since last month’s staff meeting,” I joked.
Willy sat upright, his shoulders tense. “Lane said I didn’t have to keep regular hours.”
“That’s fine by me. I was just making an observation. Work when you want.”
“Oh. Okay.” He slumped again. “Thanks. I don’t like mornings much.”
“What are you working on?” I asked.
He rifled through the shoulder bag he’d brought, hauling out a notepad. “I haven’t typed it up yet but you can read it.”
“Yes, please. I’d love to.” I stood and went to his desk, taking the pad from his hand.
It didn’t take me long to read the article, even in Willy’s scratchy handwriting. The words sucked me in and by the end, I had a smile on my face.
“This series is going to be incredible,” I told him, handing back his pad. “Nice work.”
A blush crept up his cheeks. “Thanks, Bryce.”
Willy was doing a five-week piece on the life of railroad transients. He’d spent the better part of a month this past spring getting to know a handful of individuals who’d passed through Clifton Forge courtesy of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway line that ran along the edge of town.
This week’s column was about a woman who’d been a railroad hitchhiker for seven years.
Willy’s words had painted her nomadic life in vivid detail.
Hard because there were no luxuries like daily showers.
Brutal at times when food became difficult to come by.
Wistful with its ultimate freedom. Happy because she lived the life of her choosing.
The story was intriguing, the writing flawless. Willy’s talent was the reason Dad gave him free rein when it came to pitching ideas. Whatever he wrote, our customers devoured.
Willy knew his audience well, maybe because he’d lived in Clifton Forge his entire life and there wasn’t a soul in town he didn’t know.
An idea slammed into my head. Maybe Willy could help me keep my lead against Dash.
“Can I ask you a question?” I perched on the edge of his desk.
“Shoot.”
“I was hoping to get an early look at an autopsy report, the report for the woman who was murdered at the Evergreen. But when I stopped by the county coroner’s office this morning, they had a note on the door that they were closed.
If I wanted to get ahold of the medical examiner, who would that be? ”
“Mike,” Willy said. “Just give him a call. He’ll help you out.”
“Even for an ongoing investigation?”
Autopsies were public record, but when an investigation was involved, they weren’t released until the prosecutor permitted it.
“He might not let you read the whole report, but he’s given me rundowns before just so I could include some details in a story. Besides, never hurts to ask.”
I grinned. “Exactly.”
One thing Dad had taught me early on was that asking for information was free. The worst-case scenario was you’d get shot down with a no. I already knew that would be Chief Wagner’s answer.
But maybe this Mike would be a bit more open to sharing.
“I’d love to ask Mike.” I stood from Willy’s desk. “Except I don’t know Mike.” Nor did I have his phone number.
Willy whipped out the phone in his pocket without a word, punched at it for a second, then held it to his ear. Five minutes later, the two of us were in my car, driving to the coroner’s office.
“Thanks for coming along,” I told Willy as he lazed in the passenger seat.
“It’s all good. Kinda curious to see you in action. The stuff you’ve been writing about the murder is good. Damn good. Best work I’ve seen since your dad’s.”
“Thanks.” I smiled over the steering wheel at maybe the best compliment I’d had in a decade. “Your work is impressive too.”
“Glad you think so. I, uh . . . I really love my job. I can come in more . . . to the office. If I have to.” His fingers fidgeted on his lap.
Willy had always been jumpy and skittish in the office. I’d just assumed he was like that all the time. Maybe he was to a degree. But he was also nervous about his job. That with me on staff, Dad wouldn’t need an additional reporter.
“I don’t care when you come into the office, Willy. As long as you keep writing the great stories you’ve been writing and handing them in on time, you’ll always have a spot at the Tribune.”
He nodded, keeping his eyes out the window on the buildings that streaked past. In the reflection, I saw a faint smile.
It didn’t take us long to get to the medical examiner’s office, which was located across the street from the small hospital in town.
Willy led the way to a locked door, knocking on the wire mesh that covered a square glass window in its face.
We waited for a few minutes, longer than I would have stood there alone, until finally the door pushed open and a man waved us inside.
“Mike.” Willy shook his hand. “This is Bryce. Bryce, meet Mike.”
“Nice to meet you, Mike. Thanks for doing this.”
“You bet.” His voice was hoarse. The dark circles under Mike’s eyes matched Willy’s.
Despite the pungent smell of chemicals within the sterile space, the stale scent of alcohol wafting off his body nearly made me gag.
“I owe Willy one after he drove my ass home last night. Had one too many after our pool tournament.”
I nodded and breathed through my mouth. “That’s nice.”
“What can I help you with?” Mike asked.
“The coroner’s office is closed and—”
“Those guys.” Mike scoffed and rolled his eyes. “You know, I bust my ass getting reports done and sent over to them. They take their sweet time actually getting them processed. Whose did you want to see?”
I braced. “Amina Daylee.”