Expose! Read Online Free Page B

Mumbai.”
    “They’re called funeral directors, nowadays,” I pointed out.
    “Not on my watch,” growled Wilf. “The Gipping Gazette is a traditional newspaper with traditional values.”
    “How about this for a headline—GRAVESIDE GUERRILLA’S: GREED OR GRIEF?” I said, warming to my theme.
    “Good idea, young Vicky. Let’s have a full report. Get to Plymouth. Find these guerrilla undertakers. Get photographs. Take them to lunch if you have to. See how they get their business.”
    “Internet,” said Edward.
    “A lot of the elderly don’t have computers,” I said.
    “Don’t you think it strange that old Fleming should hire someone like that?” Annabel chipped in. “Sounds a bit fishy to me. Wasn’t Scarlet only in her sixties? What if her old man knocked her off?”
    My thoughts exactly! Blast! I knew I should have spoken up.
    “This is not the Plymouth Bugle , Annabel,” Wilf said coldly. Thank God I hadn’t spoken up! “We don’t want to start rumors. Dougie Fleming and I went to school together. He’s a decent chap. I was an usher at their wedding.”
    Annabel turned a lurid shade of beetroot, which clashed horribly with her Nice ’n Easy natural copper red hair. Wilf really disliked her and it showed.
    “You can help Barbara in reception, Annabel,” Wilf said. “Once you’ve gone home and got dressed properly.”
    “Actually, I’m not going to be in the office much,” Annabel said quickly. “Am I, Pete?”
    “That’s right,” Pete said. “She’s working on a big story.”
    Wilf swung round to Pete and gave him the full force of his good eye. “And you think she’s got something?”
    “That’s what she told me,” he said with a shrug.
    “Facts? Photos? Evidence?” Wilf swung back to Annabel. “Well? What is this big story?”
    “I’d rather not s-s-say,” she stammered.
    “We work as a team or not at all,” Wilf said.
    “I just don’t want to put anyone in danger,” Annabel mumbled.
    “I suspect Annabel has an informer to protect,” I suggested.
    Annabel shot me a grateful smile, “Yes. That’s right. I do.”
    Wilf merely grunted, turned on his heel, and left the room.
    “Right, let’s get on with our bloody day.” Pete’s face was grim. “Annabel, this scoop you are working on had better be good.”
    “Oh, it’s good, all right.” Annabel gave a smirk. “It’s not really a scoop, I’d say it was more of an exposé.”
    I wasn’t worried about Annabel’s so-called exposé. It was totally obvious she was lying to get out of fielding phone calls with Barbara.
    We got to our feet. Annabel gave her dress a self-conscious tug and turned to me. “Vicky, can I talk to you somewhere private? It’s really important.”
    As I followed her into the ladies’ loo, I suffered a flash of intuition. I immediately guessed what was so “really important.”
    Annabel was still desperate for her elusive front-page scoop. With two nationwide exclusives to my name, she had become increasingly devious in her attempts to steal my thunder. Twice, I caught her following me on assignments and once she even tailed me to the dentist on my day off.
    Annabel was going to try to muscle in on my investigation. I was sure of it! Fat chance!
    I’d soon put her straight.

4

    “Honestly, I am not going home to change,” Annabel said from behind the locked toilet door.
    “I really can’t hang around,” I said. Call me prudish, but I hated conducting conversations in the ladies’ loo.
    “Wilf is so transparent. It’s obvious that he fancies me. Men are like that. The meaner they are, the more they like you.” There was a rustle of toilet paper. “Did you know that seventy-five percent of sexually transmitted diseases are caught from toilet seats?”
    “No, I didn’t. What’s so important?” To distract me from her ablutions, I took a closer look at the pale beige Gucci bag that Annabel had left on the wooden chair next to the hand washbasin. To my surprise, it was a