asking? Especially in...” She lowered her voice. “Especially in front of the kids!”
“Come on,” Stuart replied, waiting eagerly for more juicy details, “just tell us something ! Is it true that her eyes had been cut out and -”
“No!” Jane said firmly.
“What about her tongue? I heard he ate it and -”
“No!” Jane said again, before turning to her husband. “Do you see how this is already turning into some kind of big frenzy? I can't talk about it, so let's just shut the conversation down, yeah?”
“Are you kids finished?” Jack asked, turning to them.
“I want to know more about the dead woman,” Stuart replied. “Everyone was talking about her at school today, and there are all these gross rumors. Mum, don't you think you have a duty to inform the public and tell them the truth, including all the gory details, so that the gossip doesn't spiral out of control? There might be a maniac out there, and we need to know how to avoid him!”
“Nice try,” she replied. “If you've finished eating, you may be excused. Go do your homework.”
“But Mum -”
“Homework,” she said firmly, pointing toward the front room. “Now!”
Sighing, Stuart took his plate and set it on the counter, before making his way through.
“You too,” Jane told Oliver.
“I don't have any homework,” he replied.
“Then go and bug your brother.” Sighing, she swirled some more pasta onto her fork and waited while Oliver left the room.
“Okay,” Jack said a moment later, “they're gone. Now you can fill me in on a the details.”
She shook her head.
“Jane!”
She turned and scowled at him.
“There's something to be said,” he continued, “for an open and honest police force that actually informs the public about what's going on. Stu's right, you're going to be feeding the rumor mill if you don't set the facts out. It's already started with the kids, next it'll be the whole town.”
“And this has nothing to do with you wanting more salacious detail to fill the pages of the paper tomorrow? You're not eying the stat-counter on the website and wondering if you could get even more hits?”
“Not at all. I'm asking as your husband, not as the Morning Herald 's editor. We're both public servants, in a way.”
She rolled her eyes.
“We have a duty to the community,” he continued.
“I can't tell you anything that hasn't already been announced,” she replied. “Jack, please, I have to let Alex control the flow of information.”
“Is there going to be a second autopsy?”
Ignoring him, she continued eating.
“Did you get into her email, social media and phone records yet?”
No reply.
He sighed. “Do you have anything to link it with other incidents?”
Again, Jane remained silent and focused on her food.
“So it's not true that the wounds on Mel's body match the wounds on Caitlin's from all those years ago?”
Finally, she turned to him. “What?”
“There's a rumor going around.”
“Spread by who?”
He shrugged. “I can't comment on the source of the rumor.”
“Come on, Jack,” she replied, “you always said you'd never try to leverage our marriage to get stories for your paper. I'd really appreciate it if you'd stick to that agreement right now.”
“Okay,” he replied, “here's a deal. I'll just throw some ideas out, and if they're wrong, you tell me, but if they're right -”
“I'm full,” she said suddenly, leaving half her plate full as she got to her feet and headed to the door. “I should help the kids with their homework.”
“Jane -”
“It's not a game,” she replied, stopping and turning to him. “None of it is. You said you wanted to pop back to the office after dinner, so... Just go do that, okay? You might as well set your final copy, because you won't be getting any more info from me. Not unless it's released officially through the office, so just stop trying, seriously. You won't manage to wear me down, you'll just piss me off.”
He
“Come on,” Stuart replied, waiting eagerly for more juicy details, “just tell us something ! Is it true that her eyes had been cut out and -”
“No!” Jane said firmly.
“What about her tongue? I heard he ate it and -”
“No!” Jane said again, before turning to her husband. “Do you see how this is already turning into some kind of big frenzy? I can't talk about it, so let's just shut the conversation down, yeah?”
“Are you kids finished?” Jack asked, turning to them.
“I want to know more about the dead woman,” Stuart replied. “Everyone was talking about her at school today, and there are all these gross rumors. Mum, don't you think you have a duty to inform the public and tell them the truth, including all the gory details, so that the gossip doesn't spiral out of control? There might be a maniac out there, and we need to know how to avoid him!”
“Nice try,” she replied. “If you've finished eating, you may be excused. Go do your homework.”
“But Mum -”
“Homework,” she said firmly, pointing toward the front room. “Now!”
Sighing, Stuart took his plate and set it on the counter, before making his way through.
“You too,” Jane told Oliver.
“I don't have any homework,” he replied.
“Then go and bug your brother.” Sighing, she swirled some more pasta onto her fork and waited while Oliver left the room.
“Okay,” Jack said a moment later, “they're gone. Now you can fill me in on a the details.”
She shook her head.
“Jane!”
She turned and scowled at him.
“There's something to be said,” he continued, “for an open and honest police force that actually informs the public about what's going on. Stu's right, you're going to be feeding the rumor mill if you don't set the facts out. It's already started with the kids, next it'll be the whole town.”
“And this has nothing to do with you wanting more salacious detail to fill the pages of the paper tomorrow? You're not eying the stat-counter on the website and wondering if you could get even more hits?”
“Not at all. I'm asking as your husband, not as the Morning Herald 's editor. We're both public servants, in a way.”
She rolled her eyes.
“We have a duty to the community,” he continued.
“I can't tell you anything that hasn't already been announced,” she replied. “Jack, please, I have to let Alex control the flow of information.”
“Is there going to be a second autopsy?”
Ignoring him, she continued eating.
“Did you get into her email, social media and phone records yet?”
No reply.
He sighed. “Do you have anything to link it with other incidents?”
Again, Jane remained silent and focused on her food.
“So it's not true that the wounds on Mel's body match the wounds on Caitlin's from all those years ago?”
Finally, she turned to him. “What?”
“There's a rumor going around.”
“Spread by who?”
He shrugged. “I can't comment on the source of the rumor.”
“Come on, Jack,” she replied, “you always said you'd never try to leverage our marriage to get stories for your paper. I'd really appreciate it if you'd stick to that agreement right now.”
“Okay,” he replied, “here's a deal. I'll just throw some ideas out, and if they're wrong, you tell me, but if they're right -”
“I'm full,” she said suddenly, leaving half her plate full as she got to her feet and headed to the door. “I should help the kids with their homework.”
“Jane -”
“It's not a game,” she replied, stopping and turning to him. “None of it is. You said you wanted to pop back to the office after dinner, so... Just go do that, okay? You might as well set your final copy, because you won't be getting any more info from me. Not unless it's released officially through the office, so just stop trying, seriously. You won't manage to wear me down, you'll just piss me off.”
He
Similar Books
