Page 43 of Royal
Chapter 11
Royal
Grayson had read my text but hadn’t responded. That was typical Grayson, though, and I didn’t think much on it. He’d text me back eventually. And it wasn’t like I didn’t deserve a little bit of silent treatment.
I still couldn’t believe I’d done that to him; used him for sex before kicking him out of my bed. I wasn’t that type of guy. That night, I’d been overwhelmed—wanting him but not wanting him—and it was like someone else had taken over my body.
“Royal? You with us?”
I focused on Rick. “Yeah. I’m good.”
Currently, I was in a staff meeting with the news director.
Each work day, I arrived at the station around one-forty-five and immediately went into a meeting with him, the producers, on-air crew, and the co-anchor to discuss the plan for the evening. After Beth’s death—and while I’d been on paid leave—the weekend anchors had filled in for us, but since I was back at work, we’d officially hired a new woman named Michelle to be my co-anchor.
I already liked her a million times more than Beth. But, of course, I kept that to myself.
“We should cover more of the FBI story,” Rick said. “It’s an on-going investigation, and even if we don’t have new information, we need to mention it at least. Keep the people informed.”
“I have some interesting intel,” Michelle said. “After doing some digging, I found out that the killer places flowers on the victims’ bodies when he displays them.”
My insides coiled. Information like that wasn’t something Grayson or anyone on the case wanted the public to know.
“The police think the killer is killing people because of their perceived vanity,” Michelle continued, tapping a pen against her palm.
“How did you come by this information?” Rick asked.
“Talked to one of the officers,” she answered.
By the smile on her face, I would’ve wagered everything in my savings account that she did much more thantalkto the officer.
“Oh, we should give the killer a name,” one of the producers said. “People love that. Like the Zodiac Killer, the Chessboard Killer, and notorious psychopaths of that sort.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” I said.
Rick shot me a glare. “And why not?”
Even though I was no longer a suspect, Rick still didn’t like me. Honestly, he’d never warmed up to me ever since he took over the director’s spot. Rumors had floated around the station that he’d been fucking Beth, which was why her boyfriend had dumped her, and the fact I’d fought with her the night she died had made Rick—and a lot of other people at work—suspicious of me.
“It’s information the public has no reason to know,” I responded.
They voted against me, so it would be aired anyway.
Rick assigned me and Michelle the stories we’d discuss on the broadcast and told the reporters what their segments would be. Since I was opposed to the reveal of the killer’s signature, I was going to cover the story on a festival that would be held in Addersfield the following week.
Ever since Declan had filmed a movie here, the town had flourished from it. New businesses had opened up, and Addersfield had considerably grown. People treated it like a hidden gem that’d finally been uncovered.
To me, my hometown had always been special. A little magical, even. Everyone else was seeing it now, too.
The location was perfect for the festival, with its gorgeous lake, mountains, thriving downtown area, and surrounding countryside. Some of the hottest bands and solo artists were going to attend, as well as a few celebrities, not all of whom had been named yet.
Around three o’clock, I grabbed a late lunch while I had a break before I went on air. The station was smack dab in the middle of town, so I ordered a grilled chicken salad from one of my favorite nearby bistros and ate it in the back room.
I was reading world news articles on my phone when a text came through.
Grayson:I want to talk to you again too. Even if it’s just as friends. I miss you.
I stared at his last three words, my heart feeling as though it was about to combust. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to hang out with Gray more. Once the killer was caught and the insane case was closed, we’d have all the time in the world to begin rebuilding our friendship from the ground up.
