Read Online 6 Death Takes The Blue Ribbon by Teresa Watson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Teresa Watson
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call me doll. Where are you?” I replied.
“I’m at the office, why?”
“I’ll be there in a few minutes. In the meantime, pull out your Rolodex and find a criminal attorney.”
“Are you being arrested?”
“No, I’m not. Just do it. Make sure it’s someone who can handle a murder case.” As I hung up, I noticed a gold Cadillac pull up and park behind T.J.’s patrol car. Andrea Martin got out, opened the passenger door and took out a covered dish. As she walked up the sidewalk, T.J. and Gladys came out the door, passing by Andrea as they headed for his car. She stared after them with her mouth hanging open.
Fifteen minutes later, I was sitting in the office I shared with Jake. “I really appreciate this, Stephen. And you’ll be here in an hour, correct? That’s great. Give my best to Marilyn.” He listened for a minute and laughed. “That sounds great. I’ll see if I can scrounge up a date. See you soon.” He hung up. “Okay, I have the best criminal attorney in Dallas County coming down in an hour. Is that fast enough for you?”
“That will be just fine, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now you want to tell me why I just agreed to sit through one of the most boring dinners known to man?”
“Gladys Norwell has been taken to the sheriff’s office for questioning.”
“Son of a…are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure. I was right there when T.J. showed up at Iris Griswell’s house.”
Jake grabbed a yellow legal pad and a pencil, and started making notes. “Did he put her in handcuffs right in front of you? What did she say? Did she resist arrest? What exactly are they arresting her for? What about the evidence against her? Do they have a strong case?”
I just stared at him, at a total loss for words for a minute. “You are unbelievable, you know that? I’m just…I don’t know what to say.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“Totally bad. You haven’t changed one bit, Jacob Mathias. All you can think of right now is getting the scoop, all the gory details. What about the woman whose life has been turned upside down?”
“You mean the woman you hate with a passion?” Jake sneered.
“You’re right. Most of the time, I can’t stand her. But she needs people on her side at the moment, and I was raised to treat others the way I want to be treated. I may not be able to kill her with kindness, if you’ll pardon the pun, but I can certainly do my best to make sure she isn’t railroaded for something that I strongly believe she didn’t do.” I stood up. “And if you can’t handle that, then maybe you need to go back East where you belong, where that kind of cutthroat attitude gets you places. It’s not going to fly down here, and that is not what this newspaper is going to stand for. And if Dale were here, he would say the same thing.”
“Oh, I am here, and I do agree,” Dale said from the doorway of the office.
“What are you doing here?” I said, surprised to see him.
“You know I never miss the county fair,” he said. “I got into town last night, and heard about Harold. What exactly happened?”
I started to answer him, but Jake jumped up, came around the desk and stood by us. “I’ll tell you what happened. We have the hottest story of the year literally dropped into our laps, and the woman you left in charge has gone soft. She wouldn’t let me talk to Gladys last night, and now she won’t let me do a story about the woman being taking in for questioning! She even got me to call a criminal attorney for the murderess…”
“Alleged,” Dale and I said.
“Fine, alleged murderess. She,” he growled, pointing at me, “is killing this newspaper.”
Dale looked at me. “Did you really get him to call an attorney for Gladys?”
I nodded. “I knew he had connections. I certainly don’t know any criminal attorneys.”
“Well, she’s got you on that one,” Dale said to Jake, who just glared at both of us. “And Jake also has a
“I’m at the office, why?”
“I’ll be there in a few minutes. In the meantime, pull out your Rolodex and find a criminal attorney.”
“Are you being arrested?”
“No, I’m not. Just do it. Make sure it’s someone who can handle a murder case.” As I hung up, I noticed a gold Cadillac pull up and park behind T.J.’s patrol car. Andrea Martin got out, opened the passenger door and took out a covered dish. As she walked up the sidewalk, T.J. and Gladys came out the door, passing by Andrea as they headed for his car. She stared after them with her mouth hanging open.
Fifteen minutes later, I was sitting in the office I shared with Jake. “I really appreciate this, Stephen. And you’ll be here in an hour, correct? That’s great. Give my best to Marilyn.” He listened for a minute and laughed. “That sounds great. I’ll see if I can scrounge up a date. See you soon.” He hung up. “Okay, I have the best criminal attorney in Dallas County coming down in an hour. Is that fast enough for you?”
“That will be just fine, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now you want to tell me why I just agreed to sit through one of the most boring dinners known to man?”
“Gladys Norwell has been taken to the sheriff’s office for questioning.”
“Son of a…are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure. I was right there when T.J. showed up at Iris Griswell’s house.”
Jake grabbed a yellow legal pad and a pencil, and started making notes. “Did he put her in handcuffs right in front of you? What did she say? Did she resist arrest? What exactly are they arresting her for? What about the evidence against her? Do they have a strong case?”
I just stared at him, at a total loss for words for a minute. “You are unbelievable, you know that? I’m just…I don’t know what to say.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“Totally bad. You haven’t changed one bit, Jacob Mathias. All you can think of right now is getting the scoop, all the gory details. What about the woman whose life has been turned upside down?”
“You mean the woman you hate with a passion?” Jake sneered.
“You’re right. Most of the time, I can’t stand her. But she needs people on her side at the moment, and I was raised to treat others the way I want to be treated. I may not be able to kill her with kindness, if you’ll pardon the pun, but I can certainly do my best to make sure she isn’t railroaded for something that I strongly believe she didn’t do.” I stood up. “And if you can’t handle that, then maybe you need to go back East where you belong, where that kind of cutthroat attitude gets you places. It’s not going to fly down here, and that is not what this newspaper is going to stand for. And if Dale were here, he would say the same thing.”
“Oh, I am here, and I do agree,” Dale said from the doorway of the office.
“What are you doing here?” I said, surprised to see him.
“You know I never miss the county fair,” he said. “I got into town last night, and heard about Harold. What exactly happened?”
I started to answer him, but Jake jumped up, came around the desk and stood by us. “I’ll tell you what happened. We have the hottest story of the year literally dropped into our laps, and the woman you left in charge has gone soft. She wouldn’t let me talk to Gladys last night, and now she won’t let me do a story about the woman being taking in for questioning! She even got me to call a criminal attorney for the murderess…”
“Alleged,” Dale and I said.
“Fine, alleged murderess. She,” he growled, pointing at me, “is killing this newspaper.”
Dale looked at me. “Did you really get him to call an attorney for Gladys?”
I nodded. “I knew he had connections. I certainly don’t know any criminal attorneys.”
“Well, she’s got you on that one,” Dale said to Jake, who just glared at both of us. “And Jake also has a
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