A Dangerous Affair

A Dangerous Affair Chapter 53

Stephanie and Tom entered the office, bumping into Brick who was just coming out of his office. He looked from one to the other with a puzzled expression.

“What’s wrong with you two?” he asked, shocking them both with the question and irrationally making them wonder how on earth he knew what they’d been doing.

Brick thought that they looked sheepish and wondered what they were keeping from him.

“Nothing,” Tom replied defensively.

“Why are you both in early?” Brick asked. Stephanie let out a sigh of relief.

“Just keen to start working on another story Sir,” she smiled.

“Hmm, well glad to see that your minds are so firmly focused on work,” Brick replied sarcastically. They both stared back at him blankly. “Well?”

“Sir?”

Brick groaned and ran a hand over his head. “Don’t you have some work to do then?”

They both jumped into action. “Yes right, to work,” Tom said, following Stephanie to her desk. Brick watched them for a moment and then shook his head before disappearing back into his office.

Stephanie ensured that Brick was out of sight before dialling Samantha’s telephone number again and waiting for an answer. After a couple of minutes no one had picked up so she sighed and replaced the receiver.

“Something’s wrong,” she concluded with a frown. “She seemed keen to speak to us before.”

“Maybe this number is bogus and someone’s sending us on a wild goose chase.”

“Stalling us,” Stephanie added, folding her arms.

Moments later Brick put his head around his office door.

“Stephanie, You’re needed in here,” he said, surprising her. She looked briefly at Tom before joining Brick in his office.

“Someone on the phone for you,” he said, handing the receiver of his phone over to her.

She took it hesitantly, suspecting that it might be Samantha and hoping that Brick didn’t realise that it had anything to do with the Carlton story.

“I can’t stay on the phone for long,” came the nervous voice on the other end after Stephanie had identified herself. “Can we meet?”

“Where?” Stephanie replied, reaching for a pen and paper.

“There’s a small park about five miles from the country club, I’ll meet you by the bridge there in an hour.”

“What’s the name of this park?” Stephanie asked quickly.

“Morewood, I have to go,” Samantha replied in a panic, hanging up the phone.

Stephanie replaced the receiver and faced Brick who was looking expectantly at her.

“That was a contact of mine,” she lied, “She could have information for a good story. I’ve arranged a meeting.” Brick narrowed his eyes at her but nodded. “I’ll take Tom along if that’s okay with you Sir, since he now has no story to work on,” she added.

“Take him. It’ll keep him from getting on everyone’s nerves. But let me know about this new story when you come back eh Stephanie.”

She smiled. “Of course.”

oxoxoxoxoxo

“I wonder how much she will give away, Carlton is her father in law after all and she also seemed to be quite intimidated by him from what we overheard,” Stephanie pointed out as she leant against the side of the small wooden bridge running across the stream.