Haley winced. Rita was right. She scratched the idea of contacting the dangerous crime family. “Good advice, but there are still ways. Perhaps I'll start writing articles that will...shake things up some. I'll start writing articles filled with questions that can be supported by your findings.”
“Leave me out of this,” Rita warned again. “I'm already on probation. One more strike and the FBI will send me out onto the street. I'm only helping you because I like to break the rules and because I despise my boss.”
“Understood.” Haley continued to tap her desk with the pencil she was holding. “You won't be mentioned in any of my articles, but I will add the meat you put on my plate to my articles.”
“Just as long as you don't mention me,” Rita demanded.
“You have my word,” Haley promised.
“Yeah, I know I can trust you. You're just as mean as me.” Rita grinned. “That's why we're best friends. We understand each other.” Rita checked the time. “Look, my lunch hour is almost over. I have to get back to work. I'm on file duty today as punishment. I better go.”
“Okay. I'll talk to you soon, and hey, thanks. You really filled my stocking full.” Haley put down her phone with a gleeful hand. “Oh yes, even though Thanksgiving is close, it's Christmas I want to ruin. Candy, your stocking is going to be filled with coal this year.”
Haley cracked her knuckles and then focused on an old computer that was more or less a dinosaur. No matter. The computer still worked and had a decent writing program attached to it. “Yes, Candy, this Christmas, the Grinch is really going to make all these people cry.”
Before Haley could start writing, the door to her office opened, and Brad appeared. Haley scowled at him. “I got a call from an Agent Morris at the FBI. This agent has been assignedto monitor your friend Rita. It seems that your friend is on a blacklist.” Brad folded his arms together. “Your friend just violated many federal laws by accessing three secured databases that are off-limits to her. She used a passcode that didn't belong to her.”
Haley tensed up. “I have work to do.”
“Your friend, Haley, will be out of a job before tomorrow. Agent Morris listened to the phone call the two of you just had. I was outside in my jeep the entire time.” Brad eyed Haley with disgust. “I was allowed to hear the entire conservation. What I heard, Haley, you're lower than low.”
“I'm a woman who is sniffing out a story that will push me into the fast lane!” Haley angrily stood up from her desk. “So what if Rita broke the rules. Hey, we both know the risk. If she gets canned, so be it. We're not marshmallows. What's important is that I have the facts.”
“You have nothing.”
“Oh really?” Haley folded her arms together. “Brad, can you honestly stand there, as a cop, and tell me that Candy's situation is merely a coincidence? If you listened to the conversation Rita and I just had, then you know that everyone is connected to a crime family...AKA: The Mafia!”
Brad continued to stare at his sister with disgust. Unfortunately, he had no substantial response. Deep down Brad had to admit to himself that it did seem a little coincidental that Candy had involved herself with a group of people who were involved with the mafia in one way or the other, except for Peppermint and Betty. Of course, Peppermint and Betty could have connections to the mafia. Only further digging could discover more facts. Brad wasn't willing to grab a shovel and start digging. Or was he? Haley was determined to use the information Rita had given her to harm Candy. Maybe Brad would continue to dig into the frozen, hard ground in order todiscover facts that would save Candy. “Haley, if you write articles that cause harm, I will shut down this newspaper.”
“You have no power.”
“Yes, I do,” Brad snapped. He finally lost his cool. “The information given to you was done so in an illegal manner. Therefore, if you publish the information, you will be breaking the law. Not only will I shut down this newspaper, but the FBI will place you under arrest. I had to literally beg Agent Morris not to drive to Pine Snow and arrest you! Do you realize what kind of trouble you could have been in? Agent Morris went easy on you because I promised to rope you in and keep you under lock and key. If you refuse to do as I say, I will let the man arrest you. Maybe that would be best!”
Haley studied her brother's tempered eyes. She saw a hard truth flaring through the air. Brad wasn't lying. An anxious fear gripped Haley's heart. She had not considered the hard facts. Rita had broken the law at Haley's request. Haley was in hot water. But so what? She had the power to destroy Candy Baker and make it big! But was throwing a few measly articles at a loaded beehive worth risking her freedom? Prison wasn't an impossibility.
“Look, Brad, Candy Baker is a criminal. I'm going to expose her, one way or the other.”
“Agent Morris assured me that if you write a single article that connects the FBI to Candy Baker, you will be arrested without question,” Brad warned. “People will want to know where you got your information from, Haley. Questions will be asked. The FBI doesn't want that kind of heat.” Brad took a step forward. “Proceed at your own risk. But know this: If you try to harm Candy Baker, you will be the one who ends up in prison, not her.”
Haley gulped before she could stop herself. Brad meant business. So much for using the power of the press. “You're acop, Brad! You know Candy is up to no good! Help me take her down! Our town could be in trouble! Your job is to protect the citizens of Pine Snow!” Haley yelled out in desperation.
Brad glared at his sister with hard eyes. He had to admit that the situation out on the island was precarious. But what could he do? Candy Baker had broken no law. On top of that, the woman had won the biggest lottery in America. Candy had enough money to own Pine Snow. Even if the woman was breaking the law, which Brad doubted, what could he do? Pine Snow was a small, poor town. “I doubt Candy is a dangerous criminal, Haley.”
“You're so dense.”
“I agree that it is strange that everyone out on the island except for three people are connected to or have connections to the mafia. But I'm sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation. Dad taught me to never accept anything at face value. He also taught me to investigate a matter very thoroughly before drawing any conclusions.”
“Dad was dense...so was Mom.” Haley scowled. “I was happy when they moved to Florida.”
Brad shook his head. “Haley, I'll be the one to get to the bottom of this mess. In the meantime, you better not write one single word about this situation or even mention it. Is that clear?”
Haley had no choice but to say yes. “I'll find a way to expose the truth, Brad, in the end...somehow,” she finished with a sour promise.
“Why do you hate Candy so much? What did the woman ever do to you?” Brad demanded.
Haley sat back down and began tapping her pencil against the computer. “Candy is going down, Brad, one way or the other. Now get out of my office and let me think!”
Brad sighed. He had warned his sister to back off. There was nothing else he could do except his job.
