“Sounds good,” she said. “Can we use the conference room as our base for now?”
“Sure. I’ll post a reserved sign on the door to keep the other reporters out. Good work. And Logan, thanks for this,” Sheraton said.
“Thank the Creswell’s. They’re footing the bill,” Burrows said.
Sheraton scratched the back of his head. “Yeah. I don’t feel right about that while this paper reaps the rewards. Let me see what we can do on that front. I’ll talk to the publisher about helping there. Maybe we can cover half the cost or something.”
“I’m sure they’d appreciate whatever can be arranged,” Burrows said.
Quinn looked at her watch, not believing it was already lunchtime. Where had the morning gone? “Anyone up for a sandwich before we tackle anything more?”
“Sorry. I have another case to work on,” Burrows checked his messenger bag and handed her one more file folder. “You might want this as well. I’ll check back tomorrow. The Wolf Agency guy should be here by then.”
“Who?” Quinn said.
“The bodyguard I called my military buddy about.”
“I told you I don’t need anyone,” Quinn said.
“And we say you do,” Sheraton said and motioned for Burrows to go ahead and leave with his hand. “I told Logan to make the call before we even came to your place this morning. Maybe I should have told you then, but like I said, I won’t have you working on this story and putting yourself at risk unless you have someone watching out for you.”
“Fine,” she said. “But I don’t like it.”
“I’m recording your objection. Go order your lunch to be delivered. There’s lots of work to be done.”
She saluted him and left the conference room.
Grimm foundthe Altoona Observer a little before one o’clock, parked, and went inside. He’d never been in a newspaper office before, only seen what one looked like on television programs or in movies, so he didn’t have much to go on. Several desks filled the space, people bustled about going from one desk to another and there was a cacophony of voices that filled the entire space that made him wonder how anyone got any work done. The fact that he had walked through the door, and no one seemed the wiser set him on edge. Lovell would be all over a person as soon as they opened the door at the Wolf Agency.
He caught the eye of a very attractive brunette eating a sandwich, and she dropped it into the open Styrofoam container, her mouth falling open. She stood, staring at him.
Now, she’d noticed him.
It was at that moment that others in the newsroom noticed as well, and there was a hush that swept through the building like an ocean wave. A slender man in his early forties wearing tan slacks and a short-sleeved plaid button-down shirt with no tie approached him.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
“I’m looking for Quinlan Moynahan.”
The man crossed his arms over his chest. “And what do you want with Ms. Moynahan?”
Protective. That was good. Maybe the reporter wasn’t in such a desperate situation as Kenneally’s report suggested. “Logan Burrows asked me to come meet her.”
A smile crossed the man’s face, and he extended his hand. “You must be the bodyguard. Logan said you’d be arriving by tomorrow. You got here sooner than expected. I’m Sheraton Baker, editor of the Observer and Ms. Moynahan’s boss.”
He shook it. “Xavier Stallings, but my friends call me Grimm.”
“Nice to meet you, Grimm.” The man turned. “Quinn, come here.”
To his surprise, the brunette who’d been dumbstruck by his entrance came forward, and her boss introduced them. “Quinn, this is Xavier Stallings otherwise known as Grimm, your protector. Behave yourself.”
She glared at her boss.
“What Sheraton is referring to is the fact I don’t feel I need a bodyguard.”
“I’ve read the report, and I disagree with you, ma’am. If you’re getting death threats, that’s more than enough of a reason to have a protector.”
“Listen, Xavier, you might think you’re every woman’s savior who you’re assigned, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to be mine,” she said and turned and walked away.
