Gin Jones - Helen Binney 01 - A Dose of Death by Gin Jones Read Free Book Online

Binney now. We’re divorced.”
    “ Oh, yeah,” he said. “I read about it in the Boston Globe . I’m Geoff Loring, by the way, and I work for the Wharton Times . If I’d been covering your divorce, I’d have been more even-handed, given you a fair shake, showed your ex for the bastard he was.”
    Helen was tempted to simply ignore him, the way she ‘d always done with the more annoying members of the press corps surrounding her husband. The rest she’d been polite to, while still not making any on-the-record statements. She’d actually liked quite a few of the regulars, the ones who truly cared about the people they interviewed or were extraordinarily insightful. But she’d known better than to trust them with anything she didn’t want plastered across the front page of a newspaper or website.
    He was blond and had a nice smile in an otherwise bland face. It couldn ‘t have been too many years—ten at the most—since he’d been writing stories for the local high school’s paper instead of the grown-up edition. He didn’t seem like one of the vengeful, vigilante reporters who enjoyed wallowing in human misery. It was more likely that he just had an over-sized ego, which was almost a pre-requisite for the job these days. He just wanted a story that would get him a front-page by-line, maybe picked up for syndication, to validate his opinion of himself. In a small town like Wharton, he probably didn’t have that many opportunities for a story that would appeal to readers across the state. The governor’s ex-wife was automatically front-page material, at least for the local paper, so she was going to have to deal with Loring as long as she lived here. There was no point in intentionally antagonizing him. At the same time, she couldn’t let him think there was any chance she’d give him some sort of inside story about the governor. He’d never leave her alone if she held out the least little bit of encouragement.
    “ My ex-husband wasn’t a bastard,” she said flatly. “We just wanted different things for the remainder of our lives.”
    “ Right.” Loring’s hand strayed to his smartphone, obviously tempted to take notes. “I heard you had a vacation house here. I suppose you’re just staying here while you decide what to do next?”
    “ It’s a lovely little cottage,” Helen said with intentional vagueness. Where was Tate, anyway? How long did it take to fill out a few papers and ask for hearing? She glanced at the counter, where he was still chatting with the clerk.
    Loring either didn ‘t pick up on her disinterest or pretended not to. “Perhaps I could stop by the cottage sometime and have a chat.”
    “ I don’t have anything to say to the press.”
    “ Sure you do,” he said. “Just because you’re not the state’s first lady anymore, that doesn’t mean you’ve got nothing interesting to say. I’m sure the local citizens would love to hear your opinions.”
    “ I believe the weather has been unusually mild recently,” she said. “Is that what you had in mind?”
    “ I was thinking more along the lines of discussing why you’re here in the courthouse today.”
    She might not want to antagonize him in ways that would reflect badly on her husband, but she didn ‘t care whether he liked her or not. “I’m trying to get people to leave me alone.”
    He laughed, believing, like everyone else, that she was joking. “Are you planning to get restraining orders against everyone in town?”
    “ If necessary,” she said. “Excuse me while I go ask my lawyer to amend the paperwork.”

C HAPTER THREE
     
    The reporter didn’t try to stop her from joining Tate at the counter. By the time Helen had signed the application for a restraining order, and turned to leave the clerk’s office, the reporter was gone. She doubted she’d scared him off permanently, so she wasn’t surprised to see him waiting for her when she entered the courtroom.
    Helen had attended a few high-profile