Tangled Vines Read Online Free Page B

winced at that and complained, “What is it with you guys? Why do you always pick out nicknames that refer to some part of the body? Here it’s Legs. In St. Louis, they took one look at my hair and started calling me Red.”
    â€œVery unimaginative,” Larry said to Rory. “But that’s St. Louis for you.”
    â€œAnd Legs is more imaginative, I suppose,” she mocked, enjoying the exchange and the camaraderie. It kept her sharp, yet relaxed her, too.
    â€œIt’s sexier.” Rory grinned.
    â€œI’ll tell Donna you said that.” Kelly made the threat with a straight face and only the faintest gleam in her eyes.
    â€œGeez, don’t do that,” Rory protested, then started digging in his pocket. “I’d better call her while I got the chance. Rory Junior’s been dealing her fits. He’s cutting teeth.”
    He headed into the hospital. Kelly watched him dodge an arriving ambulance, and thought back to his compliment on her instincts. She wasn’t sure that’s what it had been. Getting some tape on the pickets had seemed merely logical.
    They were already at Central Park doing a remote for the “Live at Five” report. It was part of the station’s summer campaign to celebrate New York. Periodically the newscast was done partly from the studio and partly on location somewhere in New York. Previously they had used the Bronx Zoo and Shea Stadium in Queens. This time, the site had been Central Park, with Kelly and the weatherman on hand, and the remote had gone off without a single glitch.
    While they were tearing down and packing up, Rory had started chatting with one of the security officers. In passing, the guard mentioned that pickets were gathering at the Tavern on the Green restaurant in the park. He was headed there as soon as the TV people were packed up and gone.
    When Kelly climbed into the station wagon to ride back to the studio, Rory relayed the information to her, treating it as a bit of interesting gossip.
    Kelly suggested immediately, “Why don’t we swing by since we’re this close? We don’t have to get to the studio right away.”
    If Kelly had taken the time to analyze her reasons for suggesting it, they would have been sound ones: Melcher was a controversial figure in New York politics; rumors abounded that he had his sights set on the governor’s mansion; and his ultraliberal views had inflamed the state’s conservative element. All of which meant State Senator Dan Melcher was an ongoing story, with the potential to become a major one in the future. Tape of the protest could be useful file footage for some later, in-depth story on the senator even if it didn’t prove to be sufficiently newsworthy on its own.
    As producer, Brad Sommers could have vetoed the idea, but he shrugged an indifferent “Go ahead.”
    Rory and Larry loaded the camera and sound gear into the station wagon and climbed in with Kelly and the driver. Taking Center Drive, they made the swing around to the Tavern on the Green restaurant.
    Two dozen protesters, most carrying placards, milled in front of the building, kept away from the entrance by a mounted patrolman and two park security officers. Just as they arrived on the scene, a police cruiser pulled up and two more patrolmen stepped out to join the others.
    Any hope the officers had of persuading the protesters to voluntarily end the demonstration died the instant the group saw the television crew drag their equipment from the wagon. Kelly dug a notebook, pen, and her press credentials out of the shoulder bag that served as a repository for a small clutch purse, her work notes, makeup, hair spray, and assorted paraphernalia. She spotted a patrolman conferring with a harried-looking man in formal dress near the restaurant entrance. With pad in hand, Kelly approached the pair. Neither looked particularly happy to see her.
    â€œHi. I’m Kelly Douglas with