Free Devil's Food Cake by Josi S. Kilpack

door. “Please let me in,” she said, but it was more a demand than a request. “I came all the way from Denver to talk to Mr. Ogreski and everyone is treating me like any other stringer hungry for a story. Besides, I’ve already got the story—or most of it anyway—that’s not the problem. What I want to understand is why it ended like this.”
    Sadie felt the familiar surge of excitement course through her. Jane had a story before the shooting! And she’d had a meeting no one was supposed to know about with the man who was now dead on the hotel stage.
    Go home, a voice said in her mind. It sounded a lot like Pete’s voice, which may have been why it was so easy for Sadie to push it away. “What do you mean, you’ve got the story?”
    Jane narrowed her eyes slightly, as if taking Sadie’s measure. “Well, for one thing, Thom’s still here.” She nodded toward the building behind Sadie.
    “What?” Sadie asked. Thom was still at the hotel? How would Jane know that? Though why had Sadie assumed he wasn’t there?
    “They rented a black Camry from the airport Hertz last night,” Jane said, her eyes fairly twinkling as she imparted this knowledge. “It’s in the lot, but the police are still looking for Thom, right? Without a car, he couldn’t get far, especially in the snow. And, quite frankly, the man can’t even tie his own shoes these days, let alone escape the dragnet this town has dropped over him.”
    Sadie was stunned. Jane knew the time and place Thom and Mr. Ogreski had rented their car? Did she get that from Google too?
    “What do you mean Thom can’t tie his own shoes?”
    Jane shook her head. “Oh, come on, that’s old news. Thom’s had a serious drinking problem for the last few years. It’s why he rarely does events anymore.”
    It wasn’t old news for Sadie. “Is that the story you had?” she asked, reviewing in her mind how Thom had looked that night. She admitted he did seem . . . worn out and anxious, but his agent had just been killed right in front of him. Thom was a drunk? No. Sadie didn’t see how that could be true. She didn’t want it to be true. She wanted Thom to be the man who had overcome his tragedies, not fallen victim to them.
    “Oh, no,” Jane said with emphasis. “What I’ve got is way better than that, I assure you. But the alcoholism does factor in.” She looked at the cake in Sadie’s hands. “Do you need help with that?”
    Sadie glanced down at the cake box she’d forgotten she was holding. There was a thin layer of snow on top of the cardboard. She was grateful for the turn in conversation because it gave her an excuse to move forward and think about what Jane had said.
    “I need to get this cake in the car,” Sadie said, still skeptical of this reporter but willing to take her offer of assistance. Jane stepped aside to let her by.
    Jane followed her while Sadie transferred the cake to one hand so she could type in the door code and unlock the car, careful to shield the number pad from Jane’s eyes. One could never be too careful. Once Sadie had unlocked all the doors, Jane pulled the back door open and made a dramatic bow.
    “Thank you,” Sadie said as she leaned in, positioning the box squarely next to the other one on the backseat. She took her time, thinking about what to say once she returned to the conversation. With the cake box properly placed, Sadie stood up to ask Jane another question about the story, only to find herself once again alone in the parking lot. She looked to her right and her left. No one was there.
    “Jane?” she asked.
    The slightest movement by the back of the hotel caught her eye—the kitchen door falling closed.

Chapter 10
     

    As soon as Sadie entered the kitchen, she scanned the room for Jane. The woman only had a few seconds’ head start. However, Andy made a beeline in Sadie’s direction. She had no choice but to give him her attention though she continued to look for the rogue reporter.
    “I got most of