10: Ads Pay the Bills, by Cadlin

MURDER AND MAYHEM AT CHERRY CREEK

EPISODE

10

BY: CADLIN

 

 

 

Ads Pay the Bills

 

 

    Ron Jackson stomped out the front of the Cherry Creek Times building with all the refined petulance of his nineteen and one-half years. He could not believe the idiocy (and that was the only possible word for it), of his boss. Right here in front of him, in the very center of town was the biggest hard news story to have ever hit Cherry Creek.

   

    There was Judd's pickup with the feet of Colonel Faulk's statue sticking up through the roof. And Deputy Beau's squad car smashed into the rear end, lights still flashing and siren slowly moaning up an down.

 

    And if that wasn't enough, out on the street the Fire Department's new pumper and the county ambulance crashed up together in a tangle of metal and hissing steam.

 

    That was enough news to run even a city newspaper for a week. But to top it all off, rumor was all over town that Judd had found a dead body out at the lake.

 

    And what did that idiot editor Trotter tell--in fact order Ron to do? Go take a picture of a new icebox at Fat Sally's diner!

 

    "Scooter," Trotter said in that boring flay voice of his. "Writing stories about things that everyone in town already knows all the details about doesn't sell papers nor pay the bills. You take this Argus rangefinder camera and get on over to Fat Sally's. I want a picture of her new cold box. Make sure she's in the picture. Mrs. Abbey buys lots of advertising and that's what keeps this paper afloat."

 

    Geesh, crimeney! Can you believe it?

 

    And that stupid name--Scooter. What kind of name is that for an aggressive young reporter. Scoop Jackson was what Ron kept asking everyone to call him. That's how his mom and dad greeted him when he came home every night. "Mother, Scoop Jackson, ace reporter's home for his dinner!" That's what his dad said every night.

 

    Ron crossed the walk and climbed onto his Moped scooter. Why did that dim witted, washed-out Trotter keep calling him scooter? What kind of name is that for an ace reporter? Ron started pedaling the Moped, the engine caught. He rattled and pop popped off towards Fat Sally's.

 

    Except that he was going out to interview Mrs. Abbey, Ron would probably have thought of quitting Trotters two-bit newspaper. In Ron's virginal nineteen and one-half year old mind, Mrs. Abbey was as close to a goddess as any mortal woman could be. Ron knew Mrs. Abbey was a phtography buff. He was hopping she'd be impressed with the new Argus Super 75 range-finder camera that Trotter had bought for him.

 

    For some reason, Ron could never get the focus right on the old Speed Graphic camera. Eldridge Trotter had Doctor Burnett examine Ron's eyes. He said the boy's eyes were fine. So whatever was keeping Ron from focusing the large-format Speed Graphic camera was something other than his eyes.

 

    That didn't really surprise Trotter. It was just one more thing about Scooter that'd he'd make allowance for. So he bought him the new range-finder camera. Looking through the view finder, you saw two images. Turning the focus slowly brought the two together. Trotter figured even Scooter could manage that.

 

    Back inside the Cheery Creek Times building, Trotter turned away from the front window, rounded the end of the counter and sat. He glanced at the blue penciled layout sheet for this week's paper. With the room he'd already allotted for the story and picture of the new cold box at Fat Sally's, and his front page editorial excoriating the new rock-a-billy music the kids were playing, he had about six column inches left open. He figured that would be more than enough for the great vehicle crash and dead body stories.