Free Ring Around the Rosy by Roseanne Dowell

would
react the same way.” He stroked her arm, comforting her, smiled, and offered
encouragement. “Come on. Relax. Tell me about it. What did he say?”
    She stared at him. He understood.
Ernie, the hard-nosed editor. This bald-headed, chubby little man with his
gruff manners really looked concerned. He understood.
    “Nnnothing.” Fear tore through
her. “Just one word, tonight. I have to call the police, tell them...”
    “Give yourself a minute,” Ernie
said. “Compose yourself, calm down. Here, drink some more water.”
    This was a side of Ernie she had
never seen, didn’t know. He gruffly passed out the assignments, only
occasionally offering encouragement, and not offering much hope of a decent
assignment. She felt invisible most of the time. Under his rough exterior was a
warm human being.
    “You’re off this assignment
permanently. If you hear about another murder, stay home. Hill’s on it. You
don’t need this kind of hassle. It’s too dangerous.”
    Susan’s eyes blurred with tears.
She forced back anger at showing such weakness. Her usual calm reserve had
disintegrated ever since that first phone call. “You can’t, this is my story.
I’m his contact,” she insisted. “I’m okay, honest. It just threw me for a
minute.”
    Ernie shook his head. “I don’t
know, Susan, I don’t like you in this position. What if he turns on you? Let
Hill write the next story, we’ll see what happens.”
    Arguing with him proved useless,
but if Hill didn’t get to the next crime scene, she was doing the story, no
matter what.
    “Hill’s name goes on the next
story, no matter who writes it.” Ernie continued, as if he read her mind.
    “That’s not fair,” she protested,
but Ernie held up his hand, palm out.
    “I know it’s not fair, but let’s
just see if he makes contact with someone else if their name is on the byline.”
Ernie started to walk away, stopped, and came back. “By the way, Hill’s going
to interview you about those phone calls.” He left, not giving her a chance to
answer.
    She stood up, leaving her story
unfinished. Tears spilled down her cheeks.
    She raced to the washroom and
chewed herself out for acting like a silly school girl. Throwing cold water on
her face helped compose her. She took a couple more deep breaths. She had to
finish the science story and call Dave.
    Ernie would do what he wanted. No
one could change his mind, and acting like a weak, frail woman, who cried about
everything, wouldn’t help the situation. Not that it mattered. If he really
thought she’d stay away from the crime scenes, he had another thought coming.
No way was she ignoring this case. Dan Hill could pound salt for all she cared.
    Not going to let Hill to interview
her either. She shook her head and looked around the large office. Her
colleagues lowered their heads when her gaze met theirs.
    It could be one of them.
    She didn’t know most of them other
than to say hello, couldn’t even remember most of their names. They had permanent
jobs on the paper, staff writers.
    She called Dave. He didn’t want
her to go home.
    “What does it matter?” she asked.
“He seems to know where I am, anyway.” She couldn’t stay away from her
apartment.   Bella and her clothes were
there. Her life centered there. No, she wouldn’t stay away.
    “He doesn’t appear to be after me,
anyway,” she argued with Dave. “That’s my home, and I’m not going to allow him
to change my lifestyle — then he wins.” Her old stubbornness returned.
    Dave gave in after lecturing her about
keeping the shades drawn, the doors locked, and not letting anyone in but him.
He’d meet her there later.
    “And, Susan,” he said, “remember
be observant, be careful.”
    A warm sensation filled her
insides. He really acted like he cared about her. Determined not to let the
killer affect her daily life, she went out to her car, only to find another
rose on the dashboard. She had forgotten to lock the car. She looked