Page 5 of Vanish From Sight
“Interesting style,” he said, noting it wasn’t the run-of-the-mill kind of rope but was bright blue with flecks of orange and other colors in it. Noah noted the amount of work that had gone into wrapping the waist and legs. It was tight, all on top of her clothes. Overkill for someone trying to take their own life.
Noah lifted his eyes, his gaze landing on a young couple huddled together near the front of a cruiser. The girl was crying, her face buried in her boyfriend’s chest.
“They the ones who found her?”
Ray glanced out. “Yeah. Caitlin Dowling. Billy Crawford. A couple of tourists from Albany. They are renting an Airbnb for the weekend on the north side. A quick getaway. They were out for the evening on the lake. They spotted the body and called 911. Crawford said he wanted to show his girlfriend the lady of the lake.”
Noah cut Ray a glance.
“I know. I know. But it is what it is.”
The lady of the lake was one of the many stories that had worked its way into the region’s history. The death was true, the ghost story, debatable.
“That will be a memory they won’t forget,” Noah said.
“That’s for sure.”
“Did they touch the body?”
“Only with the oar.”
“Were they the only ones on the lake?”
“That we know so far. We’ve got officers canvassing the surrounding area, questioning home owners and businessesaround the lake and trying to gather what information they can.”
“Check the department for reports of a missing person.”
“We’re looking into it,” Ray replied.
“I’ll contact County and see what they have.” Noah looked back down at the victim, wondering who she was and how she came to find her way into the murky depths of High Peaks Lake.
3
Saturday, November 19, 9:45 a.m.
Crime sold almost as much as sex.
Lena Grayson sat at her cluttered desk, pecking the keyboard as she wrote the story that wouldn’t hit the print newspaper until the following day. She was surrounded by stacks of papers and files, and in front of her was an oversized coffee cup with the remnants of a second pour. Although she usually took the weekends off, the news never stopped at theAdirondack Daily Enterpriseand that morning was no different.
Timing was everything.
Whoever got out the news first received the lion’s share of hits and ad revenues, but that relied upon tips. Most of their sources didn’t come from law enforcement; the cops liked to stay ahead of the media and only utilize them when they thought it could benefit a case.
Until Lena had arrived at the newspaper two years ago, theADE was old school. There was nothing on their website to motivate people to send in tips. She was quick to remedy that by arranging with one of the local diners to offer a free coffee to anyone who sent in a solid tip. Maggie had laughed at it. Said it wouldn’t work. Days later, she ate her own words and the local diner was overrun.
Now the only problem they had was being one of the first in the region to get the news out. So much had changed since she’d gotten involved in journalism. With the birth of social media, everyone with a phone could take a photo or video or tweet out a message, and within an hour, thousands would know.
Newspapers were going the way of the dinosaurs and with it the revenue of the print newspaper. Few people wanted to shell out the money when they could load up the internet on their phone and get the news on-demand as it happened.
Lena knew if they didn’t evolve, they’d all be out of a job. That’s why she’d been urging the newspaper to update their website, offer financial incentives for tips, and create a way for readers to request coverage of stories that weren’t getting enough attention. It was a chance to generate original content that could only be accessed through an online subscription or purchasing a paper. Still, it was a hard sell and she was already starting to rethink the future of her career. Maybe she could go it alone as a freelance journalist. Others she knew had. At least that way she wouldn’t be tied to one region and she could cover whatever she wanted and for whoever she wanted.
“I’m pretty sure I recall you saying that Noah used to work too much,” Maggie Coleman said, grinning from across the room.
Not taking her eyes off the screen, Lena typed at a feverish pace. “Maggie, we received the tip late. If I let this slide until Monday, it will be old news.”
“I admire your drive, Lena, but you don’t have anything toprove. You’re not on probation and this isn’t the big city. Remember, folks here move at a snail’s pace.”
“Doesn’t mean I have to.”
