Chapter 37
Only 90 minutes until press time for The Register. Guy paced in his tight office space, trying to digest the news Mindy had just delivered.
She returned to the office 20 minutes before and gave Guy a full report. It was so thorough and marked with details that he wondered if she might be interested in being a reporter. After all, he was about to have an opening. Her work in gathering information at Cal's apartment was a full three pay grades above making coffee.
When Mindy arrived at Cal's apartment, she found Kelly's car in the parking lot with two smashed in side windows. Broken glass littered the adjacent empty parking spaces.
Cal's front door was wide open. The wood around the door handle splintered in several directions. Even the back door was open. And in between? Chaos.
Books, newspapers and magazines strewn across the floor. Chairs lying on their side. A smashed TV, likely as a parting gesture of good will. Cabinets were open. Smashed dishes covered the kitchen floor.
"Cal? Kelly? Are you guys here?" Mindy timidly called, hoping to not hear a sound as she maneuvered through the wreckage. She didn't.
She ventured upstairs and saw more of the same. It was as if Cal's bachelor pad had developed a stomach bug and vomited. At least she hoped the second floor was the work of intruders and not an indication of Cal's sloppy housekeeping.
After Mindy swept through the house to ensure there wasn't a clue for where Cal and Kelly might have gone, she found nothing that made much sense. Only an open shed door and what appeared to be fresh black motorcycle tracks on the neighboring patio. But there was nothing definitively linking the two.
Guy felt helpless. He wanted to help out his reporters but had no idea what to do. The sheriff's deputies sure weren't going to offer any help. And at this point, for all Guy knew, they were the ones who did this to Cal and Kelly. But he had no idea where to start to help. The best thing he could do was stay in his office and get out this week's edition of The Register. If he lost his job, he might lose his credibility. He would likely be dismissed as a disgruntled employee trying to find a way to get back at his employer. That would all make finding an outlet to run Cal's story all the more challenging.
So he sat at his desk and continued editing. And prayed.