{"id":1774,"date":"2019-03-06T13:24:49","date_gmt":"2019-03-06T18:24:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/read.whitefire-publishing.com\/?p=1774"},"modified":"2022-08-10T13:55:36","modified_gmt":"2022-08-10T17:55:36","slug":"riptide-rumors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/riptide-rumors\/","title":{"rendered":"Riptide Rumors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Riptide Rumors

The Legacy of Sunset Cove Series \u2013 Book 2 <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

by Melody Carlson<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\nIf the Tide Doesn\u2019t Change, Who Will Pay the Price?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As autumn of 1916 descends upon the once-peaceful town of Sunset Cove, Anna McDowell has great hopes that the excitement of the summer will be over, now that a few of the key players in the rum-running ring have been arrested. But with a daring jailbreak getting the town in a dither again, she knows that the danger hasn\u2019t passed for anyone in her coastal hometown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a mayoral election keeping tensions high and the authorities busy searching for those behind the jailbreak, Anna has plenty to keep the newspaper busy. But when her sixteen-year-old daughter begins making noises about leaving high school and abandoning dreams of college, Anna realizes that prohibition isn\u2019t the only thing she needs to be worrying about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How deep does the root of corruption run in their town? As she digs deeper, Anna is forced to put the concerns of her own heart on hold in an effort to save some of the people dearest to her.\n\n<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t

Chapter 1<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Mid-September 1916<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anna McDowell felt slightly sickened as she hung up the telephone.\nFor the past few weeks, life had grown relatively peaceful in Sunset Cove. Most\nfolks in town had begun to breathe easier, and as editor in chief of the Sunset Times<\/em>, Anna had focused most of\nthe news stories on the upcoming election. But everything changed in the course\nof one phone call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d Virginia, the\nlongtime receptionist, looked over the tops of her glasses, studying Anna curiously.\n\u201cWhat did Chief Rollins have to say?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBad news.\u201d Anna glumly shook her\nhead. \u201cAlbert Krauss broke out of the county jail early this morning. Rather,\nhe was broken<\/em> out. Apparently he had\nhelp.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh dear.\u201d The older receptionist\nfrowned as she set the morning mail on Anna\u2019s desk. \u201cMrs. Krauss must be on\npins and needles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s already informed Clara and\nsent police protection. He feels it\u2019s possible that Albert could return to\nSunset Cove.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPoor Mrs. Krauss.\u201d Virginia\u2019s brows arched.\n\u201cWhat about the Krauss boy? Did he escape with his no-account father?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, thank goodness. That would\u2019ve\nbeen disastrous. AJ\u2019s trial is next month, and he\u2019s been cooperating with his\nlegal counsel. And Randall feels hopeful he can get a reduced sentence. But not\nif AJ escapes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho do you think helped Mr. Krauss?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe chief suspects some of the\nrumrunners are behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat seems pretty risky, busting\nhim out like that. You\u2019d think they\u2019d be worried about getting caught\nthemselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat might\u2019ve been their\nmotivation.\u201d Anna picked up a pencil and spun it between her fingers as her\nmind started to spin a story. \u201cI suspect Albert\u2019s buddies were worried he might\ntalk. Might turn over state\u2019s evidence against them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAha.\u201d Virginia nodded. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot just about the rum-running,\nbut possibly about Wesley Kempton\u2019s murder too.\u201d Anna sighed. She still ached\nto think of the reporter\u2019s tragic death. Poor Mac had been devastated by the\nnews. Even though they\u2019d all observed Wesley\u2019s running with the wrong crowd, Anna\u2019s\nfather still partially blamed himself. Mac had tried so hard to mentor Wesley\nover the years\u2026practically treating him as a son. But, as Anna had pointed out\nmore than once this past summer, Wesley made his own choices. He\u2019d refused to\nheed their warnings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo perhaps Mr. Krauss wasn\u2019t the\nmurderer after all,\u201d Virginia\nmused. \u201cAnd maybe someone out there didn\u2019t want him revealing who was truly responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s exactly what I\u2019m thinking.\u201d\nAnna slid a paper into her typewriter. \u201cPlease send Jim in here on your way\nback to the reception desk. I want him to cover the jailbreak story in time for\ntomorrow\u2019s edition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWill do.\u201d Virginia nodded, and, as\nshe slipped out, Anna began to type a new editorial piece to go into the\nSaturday paper. She glanced at the clock, realizing she was cutting it close to\nmake these changes in time for press. She was just starting her second\nparagraph when Jim came in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just heard the news,\u201d he said.\n\u201cWant me to handle it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d She looked up. \u201cDefinitely\nfront-page stuff. Get everything you can, and if you need any help, let me\nknow. I just want to finish this editorial first.\u201d She quickly told him about\nher speculation regarding the motivation behind the jailbreak. \u201cThat\u2019s partially\nwhat I\u2019m writing about now. But see what you can find out at city hall and\naround town as well as the county jail. And let the typesetters know we\u2019re\ngoing to make some changes before the end of the day.\u201d She pursed her lips. \u201cIn\nfact, tell them to move the current front page back. We\u2019ll fill the new front\npage with this and related stories.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m on it.\u201d Jim clapped his hands\ntogether. \u201cMight make for a long day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know.\u201d She forced a sad smile. \u201cBut\nI feel like we\u2019re doing part of this for Wesley\u2019s sake. I know he made his\nmistakes, but he didn\u2019t deserve to be murdered. Anything we can do to figure\nout who\u2019s behind it is time well spent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCouldn\u2019t agree more.\u201d He reached\nfor the doorknob. \u201cI\u2019ll check in with you in a couple hours, let you know how\nit\u2019s going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Jim left, she returned to her\ntypewriter. The last time she\u2019d written an opinion piece about the consequences\nfor prohibition breakers was right after Wesley\u2019s murder. She\u2019d gone after it\npretty hard then, but for the past couple of weeks, she\u2019d tried to editorialize\non less disturbing topics, as well as some uplifting ones. Now it was time to\nremind the good citizens of Sunset Cove of the dangers of lawbreaking. Oh, she\nknew there were varied opinions on prohibition, and as editor in chief, she\ntried to honor those voices by allowing them space in the \u201cLetters to the\nEditor\u201d section. But tomorrow\u2019s editorial would express the position of the\nnewspaper in general. Her father would approve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anna had just finished her piece\nwhen her daughter burst into the office. \u201cI just heard about Mr. Krauss\u2019s\nescape from jail,\u201d Katy said with wide eyes. \u201cA policeman came by the school to\ncheck on Ellen. She\u2019s pretty shaken up and scared.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPoor Ellen\u2026and Clara too.\u201d Anna\nlooked at the clock. \u201cWhat are you doing out of school at this hour?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLunchtime.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, yes. Of course.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI told Ellen that she and her mom\nshould move back to Grandmother\u2019s house. And I even called Grandmother from the\nschool office to let her know they might need a safe place again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI expressed similar concerns to\nChief Rollins.\u201d Anna laid her piece aside. \u201cHe assured me that he\u2019s aware. He\nalready sent Collins down there to keep an eye on things with Clara.\u201d Anna\ndidn\u2019t admit that she didn\u2019t fully trust Clint Collins. Sure, he could be quite\ncharming and everyone knew he was next in line to replace the chief when Harvey retired next year.\nBut the more she\u2019d become acquainted with Collins, the more she suspected his\ncharacter. Yet, the chief appeared to trust him. Perhaps she was too\njudgmental.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe policeman escorted Ellen home\nso she could check on her mom,\u201d Katy said. \u201cI suggested they both gather up their\nthings and get over to Grandmother\u2019s as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood thinking.\u201d Anna smiled at her\ndaughter. Katy would be seventeen soon, but she\u2019d always seemed older than her\nyears. \u201cSo, how\u2019s school going?\u201d Anna knew that Katy was disappointed in the\nacademics of the small-town school. They\u2019d discussed it at length over dinner\nlast night, but Katy had remained firm. She did not want to return to Portland\nto finish her high school education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFunny that you mention that,\nMother.\u201d Katy\u2019s blue eyes twinkled. \u201cThe principal, Mr. Johnson, took me aside\nthis morning. He suggested that I might want to take an equivalency test. He\nsaid it\u2019s pretty difficult, but that I could get my high school diploma early if\nI pass it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWould you really want to do that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m thinking about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anna frowned. \u201cWould that sort of\ndegree meet college requirements?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Katy looked away. \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, that is an interesting idea.\u201d\nAnna didn\u2019t want to sound impatient with her daughter, but she was eager to\ncheck on Jim and turn in her editorial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course, Ellen doesn\u2019t want me\nto do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s understandable. But as much\nas you love Ellen, you can\u2019t plan your life around her, Katy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know that.\u201d Katy scooped her\nnapkin from her lap and put it on the table by her plate. \u201cAnd speaking of\nEllen, I promised to meet her at Grandmother\u2019s house. I better get over there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anna nodded. She was still slightly\namazed that her mother had not only reentered their lives, but appeared to have\nbeen welcomed by almost everyone in town. Including Anna\u2026but only after Lucille\nmanaged to prove herself by helping Clara and Ellen. Still, Anna was not as won\nover by her flamboyant mother as Katy and Mac. But at least they were on\ncordial speaking terms now. To be honest, Lucille was steadily growing on her.\nIt was rather nice to have a mother\u2026even if she was a bit eccentric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anna was about to take her opinion\npiece to the typesetters when Jim entered her office. \u201cI\u2019m afraid I agreed to\ntoo many tasks.\u201d He quickly explained his dilemma. \u201cI scheduled an interview\nwith the jailer who was on duty when the break occurred. He lives just outside\nof town, and his wife told me to come by at two. But then I got an appointment\nto speak with Albert\u2019s cellmate at the county jail. But the visiting hour is at\ntwo as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhich one do you want me to take?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He rubbed his chin. \u201cWell, I\u2019m not\nsure a woman would be very welcome inside the jail. So you probably should talk\nto the jail-keeper. His name\u2019s Tom Gardner. He works the night shift. According\nto his wife, he doesn\u2019t usually get up until around three, but she was willing\nto wake him earlier for me.\u201d He handed her a slip of paper. \u201cHere\u2019s the\naddress. It\u2019ll take you about forty minutes to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go home and get the Runabout\nand a quick bite of lunch, then I\u2019ll be on my way.\u201d Anna reached for her hat\nand satchel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBe careful out there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe chief is concerned that Albert\ncould be hiding out in town.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know. I\u2019ve been wondering if he\nmight try to get supplies or money or even a boat from his business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPolice are posted around the docks.\nBut if Albert sees them, he\u2019ll probably lay low or look for another\nopportunity. And you know that he\u2019s not very fond of you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s putting it mildly.\u201d She\ngrimly shook her head. She knew better than anyone how much Clara\u2019s husband\ndespised Anna\u2019s \u201cinterference.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo watch out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She nodded. So much for breathing\neasy in Sunset Cove now. But she didn\u2019t really mind. Excitement was always a\npart of a reporter\u2019s life, and, although she didn\u2019t like taking unnecessary\nrisks, she did like the adventurous side of her work. She would hate to imagine\nSunset Cove returning to a sleepy little coastal town with nothing beyond the\ngrange meetings and bridge club to report on. Apparently that was not going to\nbe a problem just yet.<\/p>\n\n\n