Death Vetoes The Chairman (Lizzie Crenshaw Mysteries Book 7) Read Free Page B

to go and see, things I’ve always wanted to do, but never dared, because I felt guilty about having a life while Dorothy was locked away in the nuthouse, and my daughter was gone. Having you working with me at the newspaper was definitely an eye opener, too. You always have fresh new ideas about things we can do to make the paper more up to date.”
    “I didn’t think you noticed.”
    Dale took a long drink of water before commenting. “I noticed more than you think I did, Lizzie. You care about the paper, about the type of stories we tell, and you care about the people who work there. That’s not my style. Since you and Jake took over, circulation has picked up and so has the ad revenue.”
    “A lot of the credit goes to Jake,” I replied. “I just followed his lead.”
    “Maybe at first. But my spies tell me that you handled yourself just fine, and you learned things pretty quick.”
    “I really think you need to be talking to Jake about this, Dale.”
    “Lizzie, stop selling yourself short,” Dale said sharply. “Jake is more a money man. He knows what to say to get someone to spend money. He was raised in that world. He doesn’t understand how to treat people with kid gloves, or how to take people’s feelings into account before writing a story. Whatever story is going to sell the most papers, that’s what he’s interested in. It’s like you said during the Norwell investigation: we shouldn’t write a story without knowing all the facts. Our job is to learn the truth, the whole truth, and print that. We’re not going to ruin someone’s life. That’s what you care about, and that’s the way it should be.”
    I rubbed my face. “This is crazy.”
    “Possibly.”
    Picking up my glass, I took a drink of Dr Pepper, which was flat and watered down from the melted ice. “Jake isn’t going to be happy about this,” I replied, putting my glass down on the coaster.
    “Probably not.”
    “Are you sure about this? About selling me the paper?”
    He nodded. “I’m sure. It’s time. I want to go salmon fishing in Alaska, walk around the Louvre in Paris, maybe even go to the Holy Land. Whatever I decide to do, I’m going to enjoy myself. Maybe I’ll write a book about my travels. Who knows?”
    I rubbed my right thumb back and forth across the palm of my left hand, something I did sometimes when I was trying to make a big decision. “There has to be some ground rules laid out, Dale. I don’t want there to be any misunderstanding about what my responsibilities will be at the paper. If he finds even a tiny loophole, he’ll walk right through it.”
    “I’ve had the same thoughts, and I’ve got some things written down,” he said, putting Mittens on the floor as he stood up. “Grab a notepad and pen. We’ll sit at the kitchen table and work this out.”
    “Shouldn’t we include Jake in this discussion?”
    “I went by his house earlier, but he wasn’t there.”
    “I haven’t seen him much since the fiasco last Saturday night.”
    “Do I even want to know?” Dale asked.
    “Evening gown, a guy who got too grabby, and a well-placed knee. That about sums up that night.”
    “I don’t need to know any more than that, thank you very much. You let me handle Jake. Pour yourself a fresh Dr Pepper, Lizzie. You’re about to become a business owner,” Dale said, leading the way into the kitchen.
    Me, a business owner? This can’t be a good idea, right?

Chapter 3
    I met Dale at the bank on Monday morning. The plan was to gain access to Debra’s account and safe deposit box, and transfer the funds into my personal account. I was thinking about keeping the deposit box, if possible. It would be a good idea to have a rainy day fund.
    When we walked in, I was surprised to see Angel Ramirez manning the front desk. “What are you doing here?” I said as I bent over and gave her a hug. “Shouldn’t you be at home or at the hospital already?”
    She laughed. “I wish! But this little baby girl is