AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Damn the Portman woman for not thawing on giving her an interview. And damn Calder in general. Double damn Calder.
She was still furious over last night’s rejection and wanted to scream when she thought of all the trouble she’d gone to and then had gotten nothing in return.
Calder hadn’t even become angry enough to make a good fight out of it. And she knew he hadn’t been asleep when she’d knocked on the guest bedroom door. She’d heard him tossing and turning all night.
But never one to let her personal life get in the way of her work, she grabbed a tablet and pen and began jotting down the nitty-gritty of what her snitch was telling her.
“They’re behind a closed door as we speak,” Green said.
“Elle Portman and who else?”
“The homicide detectives, Compton and Perkins.”
“Fabulous,” Shauna grumbled. Throughout the investigation, that pair had been excessively tight-lipped.
“They’re there at your precinct?”
“Yeah, that’s how I know.” He took a breath, then whined, “Why don’t you break up with that rich asshole? What’s he got that I don’t?”
“A full head of hair.”
“Hey, that hurt.”
“What time did she get there?”
“The Portman woman? Five minutes ago.”
“Thanks for calling me so soon. It’s a good tip. Call me back if you learn more.”
“Natch.”
“And I’m the only one you’re giving this to, right?”
“I wouldn’t cheat on you, sweetheart.”
“Thanks, Billy. I owe you a beer.”
“You always say that, but you never come through.”
“If I get Elle Portman to grant me an interview, I’ll buy you two beers.”
“Someplace dark and private. Wear a skirt.”
“Goodbye.”
She clicked off and looked thoughtfully at the sketchy notes she’d taken on the scam story. The news director had promised her a week’s worth of promotion and a prime-time broadcast slot.
But old people getting screwed out of their pensions because of their own stupidity didn’t excite her.
She pushed back her chair and reached for her shoulder bag.
“I don’t understand.” Elle looked at Compton and Perkins in turn. “I’m happy to cooperate. I want to. But I’ve told you everything I remember. You have it all recorded. Why did you ask me to come back and go over it again?”
Compton had called her last night, asking if she would return today for yet another interview. She hadn’t specified the reason for it except to say that it was “important.” As before, Elle hadn’t felt that it was optional.
Compton said, “First off, thank you for coming. We realize that it interrupts your workday. It’s also an emotional drain each time you’re asked to recount that day.”
Actually, her workday suffered more from writer’s block than this interruption.
