Chapter 1
Haley Huntington paced around the cramped office filled with two wooden filing cabinets overflowing with old articles that no longer interested anyone. A wooden desk that had once belonged to Maxwell Combs kept the filing cabinets company. “Hurry up...” Haley patted a yellow pencil against her arm as she paced.
Maxwell Combs had retired from thePine Snow Gazetteat the age of ninety-two. The old geezer, as Haley called him, had kept her from becoming the star of the newspaper. Now that the man was retired, Haley had full control. Greta Prater, a snotty old bag of wrinkles in Haley's view, owned the newspaper. The woman was older than dried thyme and rarely bothered to check in on Haley. Greta liked to travel and spend money. When Maxwell Combs left the scene, Haley was put in charge, and that's exactly what she wanted. No roadblocks. Absolute control.
Yes. The power of the press was a weapon that no one could withstand.
A minute later, Brad Huntington opened the office door with a weary hand. He hated it when his sister got into one of herinvestigativemoods. “Snow is coming down harder.”
“Who cares? Just tell me what you found out,” Haley demanded in an urgent voice. She hurried over to Brad. He was wearing his green and brown Chief of Police uniform that, well, looked a bit on the tacky side. Brad was a little plump around the waist, which didn't help add any appeal to the uniform. “I want facts!”
Brad removed his muffler hat, revealing grayish-brown hair, and shook his head. The man made Haley think of Hoyt Axton. “Well, Haley, I called out to Los Angeles and spoke to a Detective Maddening.”
“Oh, this is going to be good!” Haley began rubbing a pair of cruel hands together. “Spill the beans.”
Brad frowned. “Why are you so determined to ruin Candy's life, Haley? The woman is sweeter than apple pie. She's never harmed anyone and everyone in Pine Snow thinks the world of her—”
“Candy Baker is a piece of rotten candy that I can't stand, that's why,” Haley snapped at her brother. “She didn't deserve to win the lottery. She's...she's just a thorn in my side. Now, tell me what Detective Maddening told you!”
Brad's frown deepened. “Sandy Winchell was abused growing up. Her parents were arrested on numerous charges. Why the girl was never taken away from them and put into protective custody is beyond me.” Brad walked over to Haley's desk and tossed down his muffler hat. Sandy was also being stalked. Nathan Branch is now in custody, but he won't be in custody forever.”
“Nathan Branch? Who is that? I want answers!”
Brad shook his head. “Nathan Young Branch...age twenty-two,” Brad continued in a slow voice. “Nathan Branch has been arrested on numerous charges. But he was released without bail back onto the streets each time he was arrested.”
“What's Nathan Branch in jail for this time?”
“He ran out of a business that sells surfboards holding a weapon. He ran into a couple of cops,” Brad explained. “Haley, Sandy worked at the business in question. The owner of the business said Sandy had left a few minutes earlier, just in the nick of time, it seems. Nathan ran into the business screaming for Sandy and then promised to find her and hurt her.”
“Oh, really?” A hideous grin touched Haley's face. “So, Candy just happens to be harboring a girl who has connections to a psycho?”
“A girl who was abused growing up by two people who never should have been allowed to have children, a girl who probably just wanted to be loved. Girls like Sandy Winchell sometimes fall for lying wolves and only realize the truth after it's too late.”
“Don't defend her,” Haley scolded her brother. “I met Sandy in the grocery store. She's no good.” Haley began pacing back and forth. “Candy just so happened to hire Sandy Winchell? Yeah, right. And the moon is made of cheese.”
“Haley, Candy was running an ad in a national travel magazine that can be found online as well as ordered as hard copies,” Brad informed Haley. “Candy ran the ad because she—”
“Needs help building her dumb little island. Yeah, I heard the story, Brad,” Haley rolled her eyes. “Boy, are you dense.”
Brad frowned. “I'm the Chief of Police. Don't forget that, Haley. And don't forget that before I became the Chief of Police, I worked as a cop in Brooklyn. You're just a small-town busybody!”
Haley's face turned redder than a cayenne pepper. “Don't make me smack you.”
“I'll arrest you for assaulting a police officer!” Brad pointed a hard finger at Haley. “Detective Maddening said he would dig deeper into Sandy Winchell's past for me. He called me right before I left the station to come here. Do you want to know what else the man found out?”
“Tell me!” Haley snapped.
“At the age of fourteen, Sandy tried to drown herself in the ocean, but a lifeguard saved her. She spent six months in a mental hospital and then was sent back to her parents. Detective Maddening told me that the doctor who took care of Sandy wrote that the girl completely blocked out many traumatic moments in her life.”
“Oh, cry me a river.”
“Sandy is a fragile young woman who has been through a great deal of trauma, Haley.” Brad pointed at Haley again. “We grew up being loved by two very decent people who always made sure we had food in our stomachs and a roof over our heads. We attended church every week and were taught right from wrong. Some kids aren't as blessed. Some kids end up on the streets before they reach sixteen.”
Haley rolled her eyes. Brad was always such a soft cushion who cried a river of tears for a dead ant. Haley was hard and tough. She demanded facts, not emotion. Emotions were for fools. “Let's stick with the facts, Brad. Candy Baker just so happens to hire someone who was being stalked by a crazed person. Nice cover.”
Brad shook his head in disgust. “There's no cover, Haley. Sandy applied for a job and Candy hired her.”
“Sure—”
