Valley of the Lost Read Free Page A

The idea had failed when it turned out that there wasn’t enough lifestyle in town to gather advertising revenue.
    That might change once the Grizzly Resort began building. Word around town said the resort partners had the huge advertising budget necessary to attract investors as well as persuade the citizens of Trafalgar that the resort would be good for their town.
    In Meredith’s opinion, the latter was a long shot indeed. The citizens of Trafalgar were legendary for their opposition to anything that smelled of corporate money or government interference. But the resort promised top-of-the-line boutiques, quality restaurants, high-flying clientele, and Meredith was all for it.
    “I want tomorrow’s paper to have the full story,” Joe said. “Front page, at least half the page, devoted to this. We don’t get enough unusual deaths in Trafalgar, so I want to squeeze this one for all it’s worth.”
    Meredith registered her boss’ idea of ‘enough’ deaths. But it wasn’t her place to suggest that he pretend to have some sympathy.
    “You got it.” She got to her feet and turned toward the welcome sight of the door.
    “You’re pals with Constable Smith, I hear.”
    Truth be told, in school Meredith Morgenstern and Moonlight Smith had hated each other. They’d been bitter enemies, facing off across the gym floor or into the mirrors in the girls’ bathroom. Recent events had done nothing to reconcile the newspaper reporter and the police officer.
    “Yeah,” Meredith said. “We go back a long way.”
    “Great. Squeeze that for all you’re worth, will you.” He turned toward his computer monitor. He shook the mouse and the Star Wars screensaver disappeared.
    All Meredith wanted in life was to land a real job at a real newspaper and get the hell out of this hick town.
    “Half the front page. Tomorrow,” he said. “Or I’ll know the reason why.”
    ***
    “What the hell happened to you?”
    Andy Smith paused in the act of pouring himself a cup of coffee and stared at his daughter.
    “Please, Dad. Don’t make a fuss. I had an argument with a doorknob.”
    Lucky looked up from the stove. The edges of the blue plastic spatula she held in her right hand had partially melted years ago. “I’ve heard that one before,” she said. “From the women down at the shelter. Almost every one of them, when they first arrive.”
    “You mean someone hit her,” Andy said. “Is that it, someone hit you?”
    Smith dropped into a chair. She’d dared to sneak a look at herself in the mirror as she brushed her teeth, and guessed how her parents would react. The swelling had spread up to her nose and into her cheek. The purple and yellow color did nothing to distract from the effect. She’d carefully checked out each tooth. Fortunately they were all firmly fixed in place.
    “You should see the other guy,” she said.
    A vein throbbed in her father’s neck and his eyes began to bulge. He clenched his fists. “He should be strung up in the town square. What kind of a bully hits a woman?”
    “I am not a woman. I am a police officer. Calm down, Dad. It’s not a big deal.” Her face hurt like hell. If she hadn’t known that her parents almost prayed for the day she’d come to her senses and quit the police service, Smith would throw herself into her mother’s lap and cry for sympathy.
    Andy passed her a cup of coffee. “What are you doing up so early, anyway?”
    “Like I could sleep.”
    Once the coroner had arrived, signed the paperwork, and allowed the body to be removed, and Winters had told Andy to take his wife home, and Ron Gavin and his partner were hard at work examining every inch of the forest floor behind the women’s support center, Smith had been sent back to the beat, while Evans stayed to keep curious bystanders at bay.
    To Smith’s surprise, the rest of her shift had been uneventful. Apparently everyone had had enough excitement for the day seeing a female cop belted in the mouth and hearing that