Chapter 14: Wreckage
7:11 P.M.
West Lake Street
Officer Jim Tanner called my cellphone and gave me a photo lead for the Independent. “There’s a car accident on West Lake Street that might interest you, guy.” It sounded gruesome, but such leads came with my job. The Independent thrived on menial stories and paid my bills. “Beth Harriday is already on the scene.”
Leave it to Beth to be at the wreckage, always the top-notch reporter. I loved her ambition and work ethic, and didn’t want anyone else to be my sidekick. Had I not been queer, she would have been one of the top women I would have preferred dating, but maybe Francine wouldn’t have approved of such behavior, keeping me as her own.
“I’m on my way,” I told Jim. “Thanks for the lead again.”
“You owe me a pizza and beer. A kiss wou
