Alone in the Dark by Karen Rose Read Free Book Online Page A

possible, he supposed. It had always been possible. He turned to Deacon Novak. ‘Am I free to go?’ he asked formally.
    Deacon blew out an annoyed sigh. ‘Yes, you are free to go. Just don’t get yourself killed. Faith likes your family, and I’m finally starting to feel like they might not totally hate me.’
    Marcus nearly smiled. ‘Maybe not totally.’ Not at all, really. Deacon Novak had a charm that had thrown his family off balance, making them laugh in the midst of their grief. He had a way of making Marcus’s mother, brother, and sister smile even on their very worst days, and for that Marcus would be forever grateful. Faith had been a tireless source of emotional support after Mikhail’s murder, blending into the O’Bannion clan so seamlessly that it almost seemed she’d always been around. Getting close to the cousin they’d never known was the only good thing to come from the last nine months.
    That, and meeting Scarlett Bishop, who was still scowling at him. ‘Seeing as how you make your living digging for news, should we expect to see Tala’s murder in the headline of today’s Ledger ?’ she asked.
    ‘No. Today’s printed edition has already gone to press.’
    ‘What about the online edition?’ Scarlett asked, her disapproval clear.
    It made him wish he could promise her anything she wanted, just to erase that look from her face. But he wouldn’t lie to her. ‘I guarantee someone else will run with the story as soon as Tala’s body hits the morgue. Wouldn’t you rather we publish the truth first?’
    She tilted her head slightly, her eyes gone speculative. ‘How much of the truth do you intend to tell?’
    ‘Are you asking me to hold back details, Detective?’
    ‘Would you, if I asked?’
    He should be offended. Conceptually, her request went against everything a newspaperman believed in, but Marcus was no ordinary newspaperman. He’d used the Ledger to punish evil ever since he’d taken the helm five years before. His investigative team followed normal news leads, but often took on special projects – exposing the lies of abusive men and women who’d managed to evade punishment by Children’s Services or the courts. Men and women who’d hurt their families and would go on hurting them unless they were stopped.
    His team didn’t always play fair, and from time to time they’d acquired information in ways that crossed the legal lines. But they did so to protect victims. They knew they couldn’t save the world, but they could positively impact their little corner of it.
    Honoring Scarlett Bishop’s request wouldn’t be that different from his status quo. But he didn’t want her to know that, so he shook his head. ‘It’s unlikely. It would depend on what you wanted me to hold back. I want that girl’s killer found too, but I do have a responsibility to report all of the news. Not just the news you approve. What detail were you wanting to withhold?’
    ‘The location of the park where you met, the shell casing we found, and her last words.’
    It was exactly what he’d expected her to say and exactly the details he’d already planned to omit. ‘That’s three details.’
    She ignored him. ‘You may print her photo and where she was killed.’
    ‘All that?’ he drawled. ‘Am I allowed to quote myself as an eyewitness?’
    ‘That’s up to you,’ she said. ‘I thought you might want to keep your involvement on the down-low.’
    He did, but he knew it was too late for that. ‘That’ll be hard to do, given that I’ll end up in your police report. I’ll end up front-page news in my competitors’ papers.’
    ‘I can’t keep you out of the report. Sorry.’ She did look a little regretful, actually. ‘I could lock it down, but too many people saw you here.’
    ‘Then it’s already out there,’ he said mildly. ‘I’ll do no harm by including it.’
    Regret vanished, annoyance taking its place. ‘Then please make sure the photo of Tala that you use is from