Page 40 of Vanish From Sight
She gave a cheeky grin as she strolled back to her desk, unable to hide her amusement. She was just about to take a seat and eat lunch when Maggie called to her.
“Lena.”
Her head swiveled.
“My office.”
Lena’s eyes darted to Carl who was still in the break room. His eyes widened and he put a hand over his mouth as if to indicate she was in trouble. She scowled then swallowed and wiped away some food that had landed on her black skirt. She cursed under her breath, snatching a napkin off a co-worker’s desk to work out the mess on her way over.
“Yes?” she asked.
“Close the door.”
She could tell by the edge in Maggie’s voice that she was in a foul mood. It was unusual for her. She was for the most part a pillar of strength both in the office and in the community. Her no-nonsense attitude and fierce dedication for truth had seen her rise in the ranks from a reporter to co-owning the newspaper. Maggie had seen the changes, felt the challenges, and encountered most of the pitfalls common to reporting news. She had been editor for over thirty years, and everyone in the town knew her by name. Regardless of her age, she was a formidable figure, with short-cropped hair that was a shocking white and piercing forest green eyes that seemed to penetrate. Although she liked to convey a tough exterior, Maggie had a kind heartand deep love for those around her. But cross her, and hell had no fury like hers.
She’d been through a lot. Five years ago, her husband, Jason Coleman, the mayor of High Peaks, had been killed in a car crash up in the mountains. The case had yet to be solved. It remained open with signs pointing to Jason being deliberately driven off the road. The loss of her husband had hit Maggie hard, and she’d thrown herself into her work to distract herself from the pain.
Perhaps that’s why she was so adamant about solving cases, leaving no stone unturned and ensuring that whatever crossed her desk was given due diligence.
Nervously Lena tried to recall if she had said or done anything that might have given Maggie cause for concern.
“If it’s about Carl…”
“It’s not.”
Maggie motioned for her to take a seat, and Lena’s palms started to sweat. She began speaking before Lena had even settled. “I want you to keep working on the dog theft story.”
Lena frowned slightly. “But I told you. That was resolved. The police found him.”
Maggie’s expression darkened. “That was one of many. Take a look.” She turned her monitor and showed Lena a slew of emails she’d filtered that went back several years, incidents of missing dogs. Lena scanned them and realized she was right — there were too many reports for it to be a coincidence. She wondered what had changed to cause a spike in thefts. “We’ve been getting these emails for a while, Lena. I just haven’t had the manpower, time or resources to dedicate to it, but with Carl here and the public demanding answers, I think this is just as important as a missing woman.”
Lena leaned back in her seat, regarding her. “Is everythingokay, Maggie?” she asked tentatively, sensing she was more frustrated than she had ever seen her before.
Maggie sighed. “No, not really. We’re dealing with a lawsuit from a former employee we fired a few years back for harassment. It was a little before I took you on. In fact, you ended up filling his spot.”
“No wonder you were keen to hire me.”
“Anyway, I guess he’s not done dragging this newspaper’s name through the mud. He’s seeking compensation, and it’s turning into a nightmare. I’m sorry. I’m not usually like this but...”
Lena felt a pang of sympathy for her. She had always been a tough but fair boss and it was clear the lawsuit was taking its toll on her.
“Well if you fired him, you must have had good grounds.”
“It’s not about winning, Lena. He knows that. This is punishment. The cost of paying for lawyers to fight in court is going to be a drain on the company. Between me and you,” she said, glancing over her shoulder and bringing up two fingers within a few inches of each other, “the paper is this close to closing.”
“But the website. The lead generation.”
“All of it I’ve appreciated,” Maggie said. “But it’s not enough. The world is changing too fast. The way people consume media is different. The older generation of people who would buy a copy are either dead or dying off. The rest are going elsewhere. And advertisers, who for many years paid to keep the lights on, are going with them. They can get better advertising results elsewhere. Weekday circulation has fallen by 17 percent and Sunday readership by 14 percent. If the trend continues, they say a third of newspapers will be gone by 2025. Newspapers are closing at roughly two a week. We just don’t have the numbers we once did.”
Lena nodded.
Maggie blew out her cheeks. “That includes reporters. At one time that room out there would have been crammed full. Folks typing away, answering calls, the buzz was electric. That’s why I got involved. It was exciting.” She looked down at the report. “That’s why I’m trying to change things up. Bring out a story that few others are paying attention to, in the hope it might hit a nerve with readers and make them see that theAdirondack Daily Enterpriseisn’t just another newspaper but it’s the heartbeat of this region. That it cares for the people beyond providing weather, sports scores, obituaries, and local news that few give a damn about.”
Lena took a deep breath and let it out. “I’m sorry to hear that. If there is anything I can do to help…”
Maggie looked back at the monitor and smiled gratefully. “There is. Dig into this dog theft story and generate some leads. It would be a huge help. We need something big, something positive to balance out the negativity in this region.”
“All right. I’ll see what I can do.”
