FanStory.com - Story Timeby davisr (Rhonda)

Background
Years after a fire took her parents lives and devastated her home, Echo works at a small town newspaper as an investigative reporter. Very soon, her past and present are destined to collide.

Summary of the book so far:

Young Echo Jones is overlooked by First Responders as she hides in a wheat field during a house fire. Both parents presumed dead, she escapes into an ancient forest behind her home. Alone and afraid, she meets up with a young boy from mysterious origins that tends to her while searching for help.

20 years later, Echo is working for a newspaper called the Taylorville Sun. Among other duties, she investigates a serial killer who has now struck in her small town.

End of last chapter:

"And, how many times do I have to tell you that a good investigative reporter does more than report news," Claude continued, "she creates news and then writes about it?"

"I'll keep that in mind, Mr. Baker, but I'm pretty sure our serial killer doesn't need my help with his crimes. Besides, I was just getting ready to leave. Remember, I have to cover the opening of the new Super Whatever-it's-called, today?"

Brian, Claude's son, spoke up. "You mean the Super Claude Mart?" he said. "As much as you've talked about it opening for the past six months, Dad, they might as well name it after you."

"Look, just because you're my oldest son..."

"And your resident photographer and typesetter."

"And my resident photographer and typesetter, doesn't give you the right to have a smart mouth."

"No," Brian said, "that I inherited from you."

Claude couldn't suppress a chuckle. "That's fair. Well, the real name is Super Handyman, Echo, and it promises to be the most brilliant hardware store in the whole state of Georgia. Make sure you get the name right in your story."

"If you feel so strongly about the place, why don't you cover the opening personally?" Echo asked.

"Me? I'm too busy trying to run the universe. That's why I'm sending my best investigative reporter."

"Your only one."

"That, too."

New Chapter:

Claude patted her on the shoulder. "Just be sure you make Super Handyman the one place on earth everyone wants to visit."

"I'll make it sound like our own slice of Hollywood," Echo said, "Every handyman, kid or dog within 100 miles will be desperate to get there."

"That's the spirit." Claude clapped his large hands audibly.

"Just curious, why are you so concerned about a hardware store, anyway? Are they paying us that much for their ad?"

"Actually, they bought a full-page spread, but there's more to it than that. Taylorville hasn't had a new business of any worth open in 10 years. As a business owner myself, I'm hoping they're bringing commerce to our town that may start a trend."

"Of what sort?"

"More businesses here means more people in town and that means more newspapers sold. Easy formula."

Echo squinted her eyes as she searched for the simplicity, but gave up. It was a small town where anything new was newsworthy. "Okay," she said. "I guarantee to give it my all. Also, I'll drop by and interview Bessie Johnson about what she saw the night they found the body."

"That one hit a little too close to home." Frankie Lawrence, Claude's older sister, leaned back in her creaky chair to join the conversation. "Atlanta needs to keep its criminals within its own city limits. We frown on dead bodies in our town."

"I suspect they frown on dead bodies in Atlanta, too, Frankie." Echo smiled at the older woman. Though slight in stature, Frankie commanded a great deal of respect around the newspaper, "but still, I don't like what happened any more than the rest of you."

Sara Beth, the fifth person in the room, squeezed into the conversation. "Why don't you get your Forest Boy to help you find him? Isn't he supposed to know everything?"

Sara Beth was, aside from being annoying, the most glamorous member of the newspaper staff. Even though her writing ability was lukewarm, she had been raised in Taylorville and her family was well connected. She had an innate sense of fashion and an unnatural zeal for gossip.

"Lay off her about her imaginary friend," Brian said. It wasn't that he preferred taking up for the "outsider" over a homegrown beauty, but he was always the defender of what was right; that and he loved to argue.

"Well, she's the one who's always going on about her secret boyfriend she met in the woods. I'm not the nutcase here."

"You're the one who keeps bringing it up. I only mentioned him once," Echo said, "and only then because you asked how I survived in the woods for two days alone when I was a kid."

"And the reason why you shared any of that with us in the beginning was...?" Sara Beth continued.

"Because I was delirious from being awake for three days reporting on the bank standoff in Marietta," Echo replied, "and I can't tell you how much I regret having said anything at all about him."

"I think it was a great story," Frankie interrupted. "It almost made me want to be there. I could see you sitting by a fireside with an enigmatic stranger who rescued you from disaster. All very romantic, if you ask me."

"Well, I think it was silly," Sara Beth said.

"And I never said he was my boyfriend, Sara Beth. I was five at the time. Just because you see every encounter with a male as a possible romantic fling, doesn't mean I do."

Brian burst out laughing. "Good one."

Sara Beth snorted in a most unladylike way. "Well, you'll have to admit the possibility of such a person existing is pretty remote. Come on, a boy walking on tree limbs to bring fish he caught by hand. How crazy is that?"

"Forget about Theo." Echo threw her hands up in exasperation. "You're the one who needs to grow up."

"Oh, he has a name now, does he? This is getting better all the time. And what kind of name is Theo?"

Echo shook her head and picked the things off her desk she would need for the interviews. There was no sense trying to reason with Sara Beth. "I'll be back when I get my information."

"Okay, but remember I need the stories by Monday morning," Claude said.

"Both?"

"Yes, and seriously, be careful about the articles you're writing on the serial killer," Claude said. "These guys often fixate on one particular paper and start bringing the story closer to them."

"Are you saying it's my fault a woman got killed here in Taylorville?"

"No, Honey, he's only trying to tell you to watch out," Frankie said. "You started writing that series about a month ago and then next thing we know, there's a dead body in our county. We just don't want you to become his next victim."

"Lots of other papers have been writing about him, too." Echo said. "He's the biggest news for miles around."

"I know," Claude said, "but I think you've probably done a better job of getting inside his head. You know how it kills me to give you a compliment, but you're a very talented writer."

"Thank you," Echo said. Claude was right; he wasn't one to throw praise around needlessly. "I'll be careful, and I'll have those stories to you by Monday morning."

"Great."

"Oh and don't forget the Christmas party tonight," Frankie reminded her. "Bring a date if you have one."

"I don't, unless Brian wants to take me."

"Brian has a date," he answered, cutting his eyes over at her and winking, "but I can probably find you an old college buddy if you're desperate."

"I'm not," Echo winked back. "I'd rather bring the serial killer."

"You can bring Forest Boy," Sara Beth chuckled.

"Get a new line."

Echo slipped through the office door, letting it close behind her with a bang.