Page 35 of Forged in Dusk
I take another sip of my coffee, looking at my laptop screen. I’m almost done with the story about the need for sponsors for the Backpack Of Dreams program in the Sacramento School District. I like it. It will help the children get some basic school supplies for the under-income children.
The boss David only grunts when I turn in the stories, but the good thing is that he doesn’t return them with any grammatical errors or finds any weakness. I’m happy that he does allow my content to be included in the edition. That makes me very happy; at least he’s not ripping me a new one.
I set the paper cup on my desk, and I continue typing to finish the story. I cross my arms on the desk, leaning in to read my story.
Yeah, me!
I’m done.
I click on the send to the boss with a huge, satisfied smile. I’m happy here, and I know that soon I’ll be writing the investigative stories on the City Beat.
“Claudette,” David yells from his office door, waving his hand.
Oh my.
My heart skips a beat, and I push off the chair, nodding.
“Yes, David,” I say, walking towards him.
“In my office,” David gruff, unyielding voice.
He walks around the big metal desk, sliding onto his chair. He leans back, grasping the armrest looking at me through the narrow slit of his lowered eyelids.
I follow him inside, standing in front of his desk, trying to appear confident, with no fears.
Yeah, I know that my work is good.
“Claudette, have a seat,” David huffs, lifting his chin pointing to the chair.
I nod, walking the few steps to sit on the chair, resting my hands on my legs. I look at him, waiting for him to talk, smiling.
“Claudette, I’m assigning you to shadow Lucy Arbor and assist her in the investigation of the recent homicides.
Lucy requested an assistant since there are so many cases every night in Sacramento, and she cannot get to them all; therefore, we are not informing the community of what is happening here.
I want to get more than just reporting another homicide; I want you to look at the evidence. Is there any connection between the unusual bites and blood at the scenes? We need to know who could be killing all of these people. At first, it appeared to be women but recently, men have been killed.
I’ve been impressed with the stories you have written, and by no means does this mean that you have been promoted into that position. However, this is an opportunity to show me what you have in investigative reporting. Do you have any questions? If not, connect with Lucy,” David says, leaning on his desk, staring at me?
Oh wow, this is exciting; it’s my opportunity to show him that I am an excellent investigative report.
“Is Lucy aware that you’re assigning me to be her assistant,” I ask, wide-eyed?
“Of course, I advised her that I was going to assign you, so get gone,” David huffs, waving his hand.
“David, no worries. I’ll talk to Lucy,” I say, smiling.
“Right, get on it,” David huffs, leaning back into his chair.
“Thank you,” I say, pushing off the chair.
I walk slowly to my desk, taking short steps as my mind races, which seems to me that I’m sort of in a daze, numb with excitement.
The magnitude of the assignment hits me, taking my breath away. I look on the employee roster to look for Lucy to connect. I hope that we can work together; I only want to be an asset.
I locate her number, and I call her.
“Hello, Lucy speaking,” Lucy says.
