from, eh? One that people can look at on their computer?”
She rolled her eyes.
“I told him I’d set one up in my spare time,” he continued. “He thinks it’s a waste of time, but I told him, the internet’s changing everything. He still thinks the idea of a website is that people can print it out to read on their porch.”
“Tell me about it,” Jane replied. “We’ve been going through records of Caitlin Somers’ digital life. Social media, email, that sort of thing. I’m not that much older than her, not much more than a decade, but I already feel like I don’t understand how kids do that kind of thing. Alex and I figured we might -” She stopped suddenly, as if she’d caught herself just in time. “Well,” she added with a smile, “there I go, almost shooting my mouth off and giving information away to a handsome journalist.”
“Perish the thought.”
“I’ve got to get back,” she added, getting to her feet and brushing crumbs from her lap before dropping the sandwich wrapper into a nearby bin. “Alex wants us to go and talk to Joe Baldwin at the hospital again. He’s hoping that somehow Joe might -”
“You’re doing it again,” Jack pointed out.
She sighed, before miming zipping her lips shut. “Habit,” she added, leaning down and planting another kiss on the side of his face, enjoying the aftershave again, before taking a step back. “It’s gonna be a while before I remember that I can’t just unload on you at the end of a hard day at work. Why’d you have to become a journalist, huh? Why couldn’t you become something boring, like… a pharmacist, or a bookseller?”
“Well, you’re stuck with me now.”
She paused, as if there was something else on her mind, something she couldn’t quite get out. “And Jack,” she said finally, clearly feeling uncomfortable, “about your boss. Don’t let Mac influence you too much.”
“Influence me?”
“Don’t put him on a pedestal.”
“Of course not. He’s a pretty cool old guy, though. There’s a lot I can learn from him.”
“Maybe,” she replied, “but… Just be yourself. Mac’s not…”
He waited for her to finish.
“Not what?” he asked finally.
She opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out.
“Don’t you like Mac?” he asked.
“I’ve never met him,” she continued. “I just think you should trust your instincts rather than letting him sway you, that’s all.”
“I’ll try to remember that,” he said with a frown. “Any other vague comments you want to make before you head back?”
“I love you,” she replied, turning and heading across the town square.
“Love you too, honey,” he said with a smile, watching as she walked away. Just as he was about to get to his feet, however, he spotted Jane’s notebook on the bench next to him, and he reached out to pick it up. For a moment, he was about to open it and take a look, before stopping himself just in time. There was probably plenty of useful information in there, things he could use to knock out five stories for Mac in under an hour, but while the temptation was great, he just couldn’t bring himself to betray his wife. With a sigh, he got to his feet and hurried across the square.
“Hey!” he called after Jane. “Honey, you forgot this!”
I
Today
With the sound of the shower running in the next room, Jack sat in bed scrolling through the emails on Jane’s phone. He glanced at the door a couple of times, to make sure there was no chance of her walking in on him, before continuing his search, finally opening a message from Alex.
“Third autopsy ordered,” he whispered, reading out loud. He frowned. “Third autopsy? Why the hell are they running a third autopsy on Mel Armitage?”
Closing the email, he scrolled down a little further before opening another from Alex.
“Hermitage House,” he muttered. “What’s Hermitage House got to do with anything? It’s just doss house for people who can’t
She rolled her eyes.
“I told him I’d set one up in my spare time,” he continued. “He thinks it’s a waste of time, but I told him, the internet’s changing everything. He still thinks the idea of a website is that people can print it out to read on their porch.”
“Tell me about it,” Jane replied. “We’ve been going through records of Caitlin Somers’ digital life. Social media, email, that sort of thing. I’m not that much older than her, not much more than a decade, but I already feel like I don’t understand how kids do that kind of thing. Alex and I figured we might -” She stopped suddenly, as if she’d caught herself just in time. “Well,” she added with a smile, “there I go, almost shooting my mouth off and giving information away to a handsome journalist.”
“Perish the thought.”
“I’ve got to get back,” she added, getting to her feet and brushing crumbs from her lap before dropping the sandwich wrapper into a nearby bin. “Alex wants us to go and talk to Joe Baldwin at the hospital again. He’s hoping that somehow Joe might -”
“You’re doing it again,” Jack pointed out.
She sighed, before miming zipping her lips shut. “Habit,” she added, leaning down and planting another kiss on the side of his face, enjoying the aftershave again, before taking a step back. “It’s gonna be a while before I remember that I can’t just unload on you at the end of a hard day at work. Why’d you have to become a journalist, huh? Why couldn’t you become something boring, like… a pharmacist, or a bookseller?”
“Well, you’re stuck with me now.”
She paused, as if there was something else on her mind, something she couldn’t quite get out. “And Jack,” she said finally, clearly feeling uncomfortable, “about your boss. Don’t let Mac influence you too much.”
“Influence me?”
“Don’t put him on a pedestal.”
“Of course not. He’s a pretty cool old guy, though. There’s a lot I can learn from him.”
“Maybe,” she replied, “but… Just be yourself. Mac’s not…”
He waited for her to finish.
“Not what?” he asked finally.
She opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out.
“Don’t you like Mac?” he asked.
“I’ve never met him,” she continued. “I just think you should trust your instincts rather than letting him sway you, that’s all.”
“I’ll try to remember that,” he said with a frown. “Any other vague comments you want to make before you head back?”
“I love you,” she replied, turning and heading across the town square.
“Love you too, honey,” he said with a smile, watching as she walked away. Just as he was about to get to his feet, however, he spotted Jane’s notebook on the bench next to him, and he reached out to pick it up. For a moment, he was about to open it and take a look, before stopping himself just in time. There was probably plenty of useful information in there, things he could use to knock out five stories for Mac in under an hour, but while the temptation was great, he just couldn’t bring himself to betray his wife. With a sigh, he got to his feet and hurried across the square.
“Hey!” he called after Jane. “Honey, you forgot this!”
I
Today
With the sound of the shower running in the next room, Jack sat in bed scrolling through the emails on Jane’s phone. He glanced at the door a couple of times, to make sure there was no chance of her walking in on him, before continuing his search, finally opening a message from Alex.
“Third autopsy ordered,” he whispered, reading out loud. He frowned. “Third autopsy? Why the hell are they running a third autopsy on Mel Armitage?”
Closing the email, he scrolled down a little further before opening another from Alex.
“Hermitage House,” he muttered. “What’s Hermitage House got to do with anything? It’s just doss house for people who can’t
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