Twenty-Five Years Ago Today by Stacy Juba Read Free Book Online

was different from the other newspapers and news broadcasts.
Associated Press picked that one up."
    He cocked his head. "What's with the
questions? You planning to go after my beat?"
    "I'm curious about what you do."
    "I'd hate your job, everyone dumping work on
your desk and funeral directors calling you every five minutes.
Hey, you busy this weekend?"
    "Actually, I am," Kris lied. "It was nice
having lunch with you, though."
    Bruce scooped his mirrored sunglasses out of
his jacket pocket and flashed a confident smile. "We'll do it
again."
    Back at the office, delivery drivers piled
newspaper bundles into vans. Carriers waited in cars parked along
the sidewalk. Snow dusted the pavement and frosted the trees, the
sloping branches a tangle of bark and ice crystals. Kris hated
January and February, the purgatory after the holidays and before
spring.
    Diana Ferguson died in the winter, her body
dumped in a garbage bag like trash and thrown against the frozen
ground.
    Kris pulled off her jacket and headed
straight for the bookshelves. Within seconds, she had found the
street listings. According to the directory, Irene Ferguson was
retired. Her daughter, Cheryl Soares, lived in Fremont and was a
sole proprietor. So she had given up teaching. Michael Soares, a
sales rep, resided at the same address.
    She would try Cheryl first, but Kris wouldn't
mention Diana, not yet. She would do what Dex, Bruce and Jacqueline
insisted was important.
    She'd build a rapport with her source.
    During a lull in the newsroom, Kris called
the Chamber of Commerce and discovered that Cheryl owned the
"Treasures in the Aisles" bookstore. She dialed the number.
    "Treasures in the Aisles," said a soft mellow
voice.
    "Could I speak to Cheryl Soares, please?"
    "This is Cheryl."
    Kris's heart leapt to her throat. Blood
drummed in her ears, drowning out the police scanner, Dex and Bruce
arguing about a car accident, everything but ...
    "This is Cheryl," the woman repeated.
    She was talking to Diana Ferguson's sister.
Kris blurted the cover story she had mentally rehearsed.
    "My name is Kris Langley and I write for the Fremont Daily News . We're doing an article about small
bookstores that compete with big chains. I was wondering if I could
stop by sometime and talk to you about it."
    "You mean for an interview?"
    "Right. For the business page."
    "Forgive me," Cheryl said. "You caught me
off-guard. The local papers have printed my calendar items about
events at the store, but no reporters have come out. Are you
looking to do it this week?"
    "Would Wednesday or Thursday be okay?" Kris
asked.
    They settled on Wednesday afternoon.
    "Thanks for your interest," Cheryl said.
"I'll look forward to it."
    Kris hung up and raked a hand through her
bangs. She was going to meet Diana Ferguson's sister. And interview
her for a story that would require Jacqueline’s approval. She'd
gotten herself into a mess, no question.
    She'd take that risk. Cheryl Soares didn't
know it yet, but her sister's case was about to be re-opened.

     

Chapter 5
     
    25 Years Ago Today
    A proposal is made to build a town
swimming pool in Fremont .
     
    K ris huddled in her
parked Toyota, staring at the red brick building, a former mill
with separate entrances for a florist and frame store. The faded
paint looked like an eraser had swept across it, flaking off the
crumbled chips.
    She opened her narrow reporter notebook. If
she wanted to investigate Diana, she had to carry out this charade.
It was too late to switch strategies now.
    A bell tinkled as Kris stepped inside the
shop. She lingered near a metal stepladder resting against the
plaster wall. Books lined aisles and aisles of wooden shelves. She
inhaled their musty scent.
    "Are you Kris?"
    She hunted for the source of the voice. A
slight woman crouched on an Oriental rug, pulling paperbacks out of
a cardboard box.
    "Yes. You must be Cheryl?"
    Smiling, the woman wiped her fingers on a rag
and straightened. She wore a checkered black and white