Chapter 5

Sheriff Bert Thomas walked into The Middletown Gazette building and greeted its only occupant. Janice Cooper was typing on her computer.

She was the reporter, editor, printer, and distributor of the local newspaper.

The old sheriff got along well with Janice. He had seen her grow up in a broken home where she had to fend for herself. Her parents argued all the time until they finally divorced.

Janice’s father disappeared after the divorce, and her mother didn’t care much about her.

Another person who liked Janice was Marcus Carter, the descendant of Middletown founder. They both had strong tempers and didn’t socialize much. Janice had been Marcus Carter’s source of information on local events since she took over the town’s paper years ago. In exchange, he made regular donations to The Gazette.

The short list of people who liked Janice ended with her half-sister, Rain, and her husband Rolf. Janice had donated bone marrow to save Rain’s life and had earned their eternal gratitude in the process.

“Good morning, Ms. Cooper. How are you doing today?” the Sheriff greeted her.

Janice barely lifted her gaze from the screen. “Good morning, Sheriff Thomas. I’m doing fine. Thanks for asking. A cup of freshly brewed coffee?”

“No, thank you. I’m trying to stop. Upset stomach.”

Janice nodded absent-mindedly.

“What can I do for you? Did you bring me some news for the next edition? I still have a couple of empty columns to fill.”

“My sister’s dog ran away again.”

Janice rolled her eyes. “Your sister treats that Chihuahua as a human baby. Even dresses him in baby clothes. There should be a law against it.”

Janice laughed at her joke, but Bert Thomas’ face remained serious.

“There is something else, isn’t there? What’s going on?”

Bert Thomas cleared his throat, and said, “We found a boy at the bus station. He was asking people how to get to The Middletown Gazette to talk with Janice Cooper.”