Dead Ringer Read Online Free PDF Page A

and the other
anchors at the station to her office.
    Kendall
dropped her purse onto her neatly organized desk. She'd hired a painter after
she'd gotten the job and had had them paint the walls a soft mauve. She'd
brought in artwork, a few plants, and an Oriental rug. Instead of using the
fluorescent light above, she relied on the two floor lamps and a desk lamp. The
office had gone from sterile to cozy.
    Her
news director, Brett Newington, appeared in her doorway. "What brings you in so
early?"
    Chiseled
features, thick blond hair, and a toned body gave him a boyish charm, which had
been what had caught her eye a couple of years ago. They'd started dating and
they'd been incredible at first. They seemed to fit so well together. Then her
mother had gotten sick with cancer. Kendall had given up her apartment and
moved into her mother's house to care for her. Brett had resented the time
she'd devoted to her mother and Kendall had suddenly discovered chiseled
features and nicely tailored shirts weren't enough.
    She'd
broken it off with him. At first, he'd seemed relieved and had even gone on to
date other women. Lately, however, he'd been making noises about getting back
together. She'd been doing her best to ignore them.
    "Tying up loose ends."
    He
looked suspicious. "Then you didn't hear."
    "About?"
She took off her coat.
    "There's
a report of a murder in the east end. Body found at Alderson Development's
River Bend Estates' site."
    "Who
was killed?"
    "So
you really haven't heard?"
    Brett
thought she'd gotten wind of the story and had arrived early so she could cover
it. Smart man. If she had heard, she'd have done just
that. "Who was murdered?"
    "I
don't know. Some woman."
    Some woman . Some woman who had a name and a
life that was now over.
    Nearly
dying last summer had changed the way she approached stories. They were more
personal now. She felt for the people involved more. "She must have a name."
    Brett
shuffled through the papers in his hands as if searching for an answer. "Not
yet. Unidentified at this hour."
    She
could have been some woman last summer. "I want to cover this," she
said.
    "No.
I need you here behind the desk. I'm going to send Ted."
    Hearing no made her want this story more. "I've not been in the field for weeks
and even you said research shows viewers like it when I go on location.
Besides, I can do a better job on this than Ted."
    Brett
scratched his head. "Viewers like seeing you at powder puff events like the
tree-lighting downtown. They don't want to see you slogging it out at a murder
scene."
    "Let's
face it, they'll all tune in when they know I'm covering the story." She hated
to admit what she said next. "I've not covered anything hard since last summer
and they'll all want to know how I'll react. Think of the ratings."
    Ratings. It was the magic word. "Why
this story?"
    She
couldn't explain what she didn't understand herself. "I'm really good at this,
Brett. You and I both know this."
    He
studied her. "It's hard to say no to you."
    "Oh,
please. We both know you would if you thought it wasn't a good idea. And it's a
great idea."
    He
grinned. "Okay. Take the story."
    Kendall
ignored the flutter of nerves in her stomach. She moved to a small closet and
removed a pair of worn hiking boots she kept on hand for rough terrain. The
land around River Bend was raw and covered with snow. "Call Mike and have him
warm up the van. I'll be out front in five minutes."

    Allen
watched her move through the cold, her head tucked low against the wind. She
shoved slim hands in the pockets of her large dark overcoat. Her snow boots
were damp and muddy and the scarf wrapped around her neck was soiled at its
edges.
    It
saddened him to think she had to work so hard to get through life. She
struggled so much.
    So bravely.
    He
also knew she was lonely and afraid. He'd seen her crying by her bedroom window
the other night. His heart ached for her. She was adrift in the world. She
needed her family.
    She
deserved more , just