Writing today was easier than ever"mostly. Now and again, it became harder because I was more invested in this story than in the words I churned out all the time about hair dryers. However, it was easy in the sense that this time, I could write from the heart. No research required.
A phone call interrupted my thoughts. The fact that I even heard the ringing noise must have meant I was getting tired. When I glanced down at my office line, I saw a blinking number six. Six messages? How had I missed six phone calls? No doubt this was Layla, worried about my mental state. If I didnt answer, shed like send Madrina popping in here, and we didnt need that.
Hey, Im fine, I said. Keep your undies untwisted.
The voice on the other end of the line cleared its throat. It was a distinctly male voice. I didnt know my undies were in danger of being twisted in the first place.
I laughed, sitting back in my chair and kicking my feet up on the edge of the desk. Chief! What brings you to call The Witch Weekly? I thought it was Layla. Do I get that exclusive interview with you yet?
Have an exclusive dinner with me and well see.
Ooh, very romantic. I like when you talk business like that.
Theres a lot more where that came from.
I shook my head, grateful for the distance of a phone line between the two of us. If he could see the goofy smile lighting up my face, I might just be mortified.
In the few days since the incident at the Reynolds household, wed remained friendly. We hadnt had that second date yet, since both of us had work to catch up on, families to see, and bruises needing rest.
Finally, with Laylas help, wed been able to put something on the calendar for tomorrow. I was surprised by how excited I was for the occasion. b.u.t.terflies in my rib cage jolted to high alert, and I found myself humming and thinking about tomorrow evening as I strolled down the halls during breaks at work.
So, whats eating you? I teased. You know Ill see you tomorrow.
We found it!
You found it? I hesitated, hoping against hope he had an answer for me.
Even after the cops had taken Trisha away and locked her up, we still hadnt been able to figure out what Reynolds had intended to hide in the secret chamber within the piping of his bathroom. He had blamed the whole thing on Hank, saying the construction guy had put it in there without his knowledge.
n.o.body believed him, but since Hank was dead and we could find anything else to prove Reynolds was guilty of anything at all, we had to leave it be. Besides the one blueprint at Hanks house, there was strangely little doc.u.mentation regarding the deal between Hank and Reynolds. If the latter still had the contract, it was locked up somewhere we hadnt yet found.
Weve arrested Reynolds, the Chief said. Though thats just the type of the iceberg. Reynolds was trying to get into the business of fencing stolen goods to high priced buyers.
What did he have on him?
You know that story you wanted to write?
What are you talking about? I asked, exasperated. Get to the point! What did he have?
He had the gems stolen from the Museum of Magic on him!
No!
Yes.
I blinked. I can hardly believe it.
You solved two cases in one, my dear.
I didnt solve anything, that was all you.
He laughed softly. Shall we call it teamwork?
Lets call it what it is, I said. Teamwork.
This doesnt solve everything, the Chief said, turning businesslike once more. Id venture so far to say it opens up a new can of worms. Weve arrested Reynolds and taken him into the station, but we havent found the thieves who stole the gemstones.
That sounds like another case for Team Chief & Rosie.
Arent you busy trying to save the newspaper? Shouldnt that be taking up your time?
They go hand in hand. You know, an article about a jewel thief might go a long way in getting the readership up.
What are you working on right now?
You can read it when it comes out in a few days, I said, blushing as I read the t.i.tle of the article plastered across my screen. The first post is due tomorrow, and the next few will be published through the end of the week. At the end of next week, well know whether or not I have a job.
If anyone can pull it off, you can.
What I didnt tell him was that the first post had already went live. The article was due tomorrow, but Id gotten an email from Anderson right before the phone call. Id sent him the article for editing and review, but apparently hed liked it so much that hed pressed the Publish b.u.t.ton to the online blog a day early.
I wasnt ready to read the post, let alone send it to the Chief. He could read the article in the privacy of his own home. I didnt want to know about it or hear about it, otherwise I might just die.
So youre going to catch a thief now, I said. What happens to Reynolds?
As far as we know, this was his first offense. h.e.l.l be in prison, but its likely well be able to strike a deal with him to get him to talk; its the thieves we want at the end of the day.
And Crazy Dan?
He didnt do anything wrong, not that weve been able to find. Trisha admitted to stealing his car, and she confessed to doctoring the bottles of wine to set off Hanks allergic reaction. Sh.e.l.l be in prison for a long, long time. As for Dan, his biggest offense is anger-management, which weve recommended he get checked out by a professional.
It had turned out that Dan had walked over to his neighbors house the night I was. .h.i.t by the car. Theyd played video games the entire evening, and he hadnt even noticed his missing car.
Trisha had followed me around during the day, shed admitted, in order to find out who else Id been looking into as suspects. When she saw my interaction with Dan, shed figured out the perfect plan. Get rid of me, and make it look like a knee-jerk reaction from Dan when shed hit me with his car.
The one problem? She underestimated Madrina. Trisha didnt get rid of me, shed only made me more upset, which in turn got the Chief upset. Shed led us straight to her own downfall.
Say, the Chief said. I know Im going to see you tomorrow. But is there any chance you could squeeze in date number one and a half tonight? Ill buy you a pretzel.
I hesitated, my breath hitching in my throat. The thought of moving forward with this whole dating idea"for real, not for the premise of an article"scared me. But as I glanced at my newly published, hot off the presses headline, I knew what I had to do. Id love that. Are you free now?
Epilogue.
A Girls Guide to Falling in Love.
This week, reporter Rosie Shaw went undercover to find the answer to question women are asking everywhere"how does one fall in love?
The following series of blog posts will detail Rosies every effort to find her soulmate. Throughout the entire process, sh.e.l.l be doc.u.menting her journey every step of the way. Stay tuned for the first article coming tomorrow In the meantime, she wants to leave you with this: Sometimes, falling in love isnt about going undercover. Sometimes, falling in love is being open to opportunities. Its about saying yes. And its about being yourself.
*Rosie Shaw*
The End.
Authors Note.
Dear Readers, Thank you so much for taking the time to read the story! I hope you enjoyed it. If you feel inclined to leave a review on Amazon, I always appreciate them. Thank you, and best wishes for a happy New Year!
Sincerely, Sofia.
end.