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- 01/30/2022
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Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
Timothy - 89. Chapter 89
That evening, while Stephen read the results from his scans, I read the newspapers. There was an article in Thursday edition welcoming Edith Stevens home from Canada. There was a brief bio and a comment about her family. Her older sister worked for the DA, which must have been the leak. I’ll bet she wrote letters to her sister telling her about the town news.
I wondered if that was what Rich wanted me to see. I took two cups of coffee and went to the basement. “Stephen, read this.”
I watched as he read the article in the newspaper. “Does Rich know this?”
“I assumed he does. He told me to read the newspapers and then to call him.”
“Why did he want you to read the newspaper when he could have told you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Have you read all of the papers?”
“No”
“Maybe you should. There may be other news he wanted you to read.”
“Have you checked your scans?”
“I’ve just started.”
I started to read the newspapers more diligently. I even read the ads and orbits, and I found nothing. I was getting ready to stop reading when I noticed a column I had never read. It was a column where local people could express their views or comments. I was never interested in those columns as I always thought they were a sounding block for gripes and grievances. So I started to read them. There was a piece about how vicious rumors have torn our peaceful town apart. I thought, what vicious rumors? Is that what Rich wanted to talk about.
“Stephen, there is a comment in an opinion column that the town is being torn apart by vicious rumors. I’ll bet that is what Rich wants to talk about.”
“You don’t think one of those rumors concerns you and Bruce?”
“I don’t know. Could the DA’s secretary have told someone about my lawsuit against Bruce?”
“How would she know unless Judge Howard said something to the DA and he said something his secretary overheard.”
“Maybe she did say something, and that is why those people were picketing your home.”
“I’m going to call Rich.”
I went to the kitchen with the papers and called Rich. “Rich, I’ve read the papers my dad brought up, and I saw the article concerning Bruce’s sister-in-law working for the DA. I suppose that was the leak.”
“What else caught your attention?”
“There was an article in the Opinion section concerning someone’s comment about our town being torn apart. Is that what caused the picket of my Mom and Dad’s home?”
“Yes, the name was fictitious; Bruce’s parents wrote it.”
“Can you prove that our house was picketed because of this article?”
“No, if the article was more specific and had mentioned your name. You could write a rebuttal.”
“I need to think about that. If I decide to write an article, I’ll let you know. Anything happening in the DA’s office?”
“Not to my knowledge. If we had a copy of one of her letters, then I could confront the DA.”
“Keep me in your loop.”
“You can read about it in the paper.”
Now I have to subscribe unless Dad sends it to me. Heading down to the basement with the coffee pot, I wanted to tell Stephen what Rich had said. Walking into the basement, “Tim, I found something.”
Pouring his coffee, “What did you find?”
“I found a comment about an American that was denied entrance into England for not having a passport. I think this is Bruce, and he probably was in such a hurry to leave he forgot his passport.”
“So that means he’s back in Canada.”
“Yes, but he doesn’t have a passport. Since he didn’t have it when he left, his wife evidently packed everything and relocated to her mother and father’s home.”
“So he’s in jail in Canada.”
“Evidently”
“I should call Rich and let him know.”
I phoned Rich, and he didn’t answer so I left a message.
Thirty minutes later, Rich called me, and I told him what Stephen had found. “Rich, this is your chance for a scoop.” I didn’t realize when I told Rich that I had signed Bruce’s death warrant.
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Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
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