Chocolate Covered Murder by Leslie Meier Read Free Book Online Page B

smiled in triumph. She knew she had him. “Just you try explaining that to the Junior Women’s Club. They think their annual bake sale should be a first-page story.”
    â€œRight,” said Ted, studying his list. “Moving along, we’re going to do a special supplement for the Love Is Best on the Coast weekend. There will be special rates for advertisers, an events calendar, and a story. That’s where you come in, Lucy. I want a big feature on a couple, an older couple, who’ve made love last. Don’t be afraid to pull out all the stops—I want this to be over-the-top romantic.”
    â€œLike one of the fiftieth-anniversary couples?” They often ran stories about such couples, usually accompanied by then and now photos. “The Crabtrees were in the paper last week.”
    Phyllis was chuckling. “You mean the Crabby-trees? They were duking it out at the Quik-Stop the other day.”
    â€œDefinitely not the Crabtrees,” said Ted. “We want a cute, loving couple, not the Bickersons. Maybe even an old couple who fell for each other years ago but married other people, but then their spouses died and they found each other again. They reconnected.” Ted was beaming, he really liked this idea.
    Lucy didn’t. “How in heck am I supposed to find this adorable couple?”
    Ted shrugged. “Ask around. You’ll turn up something, you always do.”
    Lucy chewed her lip thoughtfully, trying to come up with a suitable couple and, much to her surprise, coming up with a few names that she scribbled down.
    â€œThat’s it, ladies,” said Ted, with a satisfied nod. “I think we made some good progress this morning.”
    â€œHold on,” said Lucy, remembering the conversation at Jake’s. “I’d like to do something about illegal drugs and youth. Have you seen the court report lately? There’s a big uptick. We could follow up on your interview with the governor’s wife.”
    Ted shook his head. “Trust me, Lucy. That’s too big for us. We don’t have the manpower or budget to do an investigative report like that.” Before Lucy could protest, he swiveled his chair around and reached for the phone on his desk.
    Disappointed, Lucy shoved her chair under her desk and stood, tapping her fingers on the chair back. She didn’t want to write puff pieces, she wanted to tackle important issues, but she knew that Ted was struggling to keep the paper afloat. Maybe he was right to focus on promoting business, at least for now. She pulled out her chair and sat down, studying her list of loving couples.
    She’d jotted down a few notes when Phyllis’s husband, Wilf, came in, holding the door for Ted, who was leaving. Wilf was the mail carrier and he set the day’s delivery, bound with a rubber band, on the counter. “Hi, sunshine,” he said, with a wink.
    Phyllis blushed and smiled at her husband as if they were still honeymooners. “Hi, yourself.”
    Too bad she couldn’t write about them, thought Lucy, but she knew Ted would never go for it. He’d cite journalistic ethics, conflict of interest, or something. Lucy didn’t buy it. She figured he just wanted to make her job harder.
    â€œHi, Wilf,” she said, glancing at her list. “You know everybody in town, right?”
    â€œAnd their dirty secrets,” he said. “Only the trash haulers know more about folks than me.”
    â€œYou’re just the man I want,” declared Lucy, explaining her assignment to him. “So tell me, do you think the Wilkersons, over there on Bridge Street, would be good subjects?” The Wilkersons had recently announced their fiftieth wedding anniversary and had even renewed their vows.
    â€œI can’t really say—people’s mail is confidential. Postal regulations.”
    â€œHow about a yes or no answer?”
    â€œOkay. No to the