A Reason To Breathe Read Free

every journalism students dream when they entered college, hardcore, knuckle-cracking pieces.
    Looking ahead for my exit into Gunnison, I saw the flashing lights of the Sheriff’s truck on the side of the road. As I drove past, he was exiting his vehicle that was pulled behind an abandoned car, and it occurred to me if I did investigate this killer, I might just run into the Sheriff again . Damn that might not be a good thing.  Something told me he wouldn’t take kindly to a “scavenger” nosing around in his business. Somehow I’d pissed him off and put a huge bulls-eye on my head, so I decided for now I’d keep my investigation to myself lest I ruffle the Sheriff’s feathers even more. “Well, Jennifer, you wanted to be an investigative reporter, time to prove you can do it, it’s put up or shut up time.”
    I took my exit into Gunnison and headed for the paper, deciding there was no time like the present. Taking the turn onto Main Street, I pulled into the parking lot near the Times building and grabbed my stuff. I jumped out and headed for the door that would take me to my desk, so I could start my research on this killer . Forget the Sheriff, forget your boss, do this for you, prove you’ve got what it takes. Pep talk in place, I fired up my computer and got down to the business of serial killers.
     

 
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Two
     
    Just Jack
     
     
     
           “Jennifer, did you see the Baptist Church has a bake sale on the 30th?”
    Looking up from my computer, I nodded my head in the affirmative and went back to my research of well-known serial killers. I wanted to see what made them tick, what the police had done to catch them, and read the stories from the journalists who’d helped catch them. Searching through the killer’s names, I stopped on the BTK killer who’d terrorized my home state of Kansas from 1986-2004.
    The killer collected trophies? Grabbing my spiral and making notes from the article, I felt, rather than saw, a presence behind me.
    “Ms. Stewart, didn’t we already discuss interfering in my investigation?”
    Closing my eyes to the sound of that voice speaking inches from my ear, I dropped my pen, and swiveled quickly to the monitor and turned it off. I looked up into those crystal blue eyes and froze. Before I could respond, Bob, my editor, took notice of the Sheriff and approached.
    “Sheriff, to what do we owe this pleasure?”
    “Just checking to make sure Ms. Stewart understood the gravity of the situation, Bob. I don’t need some reporter going off half-cocked printing allegations that haven’t been substantiated. But seein’ as she was hard at work disobeying my order, looks like I need to restate, again, we do not know what we are dealing with, and any stories leaked by the press will not go unnoticed by my office.”
    Bob looked at me, exasperation clear in his eyes, and then turned back to the Sheriff with his good ole boy smile.
    “Sheriff, Mrs. Stewart hasn’t been assigned to investigate this story. Any ideas she had were put to rest this morning.”
    I felt heat hit my face, god this is embarrassing. I took a deep breath and turned away so they couldn’t see my face. I was mortified at being reprimanded in front of the Sheriff. If I ever hoped to further my career, I would need good standing with his department. I knew I needed to bite my lip and suck up this slight, but having been slapped on the hand like an errant child, it stoked my temper.    
    “See to it she keeps her nose out of it in the future.”
    “I can assure you she will keep to her articles about the host of exciting adventures to be had in our fair county.”
    Standing quickly, I’d had enough about keeping to my place. I grabbed my purse, stuffed my bag with my articles and notes and then turned to them both.
    “You’ll excuse me gentleman, the air of oppression is a little thick right now, I’m sure I have a bake sale I need to see to.” 
    I heard a chuckle from Lorraine