Killing Kate: A Novel (Riley Spartz Book 4) by Julie Kramer

SOT))
PETS DESERVE EQUAL LAW.
    Wrapped in the same story, Kate Warner became the Channel 3 poster girl for Minneapolis murders. Her face appeared next to Buddy’s in a nicely produced split screen effect. I spoke about Kate being the girl next door, and Buddy being every dog.
    I tagged the piece out with the traditional call to action.
    ((RILEY LIVE))
AUTHORITIES WANT JUSTICE FOR
ALL THE CITY’S HOMICIDE VICTIMS,
IF YOU HAVE INFORMATION ABOUT
KATE’S DEATH OR ANY OF THE
OTHER CASES CALL MINNEAPOLIS POLICE.
    Once the piece was ready to air, Noreen watched as I dialed Chuck’s number from a special cell phone registered to a post office box we kept for our investigative unit. This way, phone calls or mail couldn’t be immediately connected to the station. If Nielsen ever scanned Chuck’s bills, my call wouldn’t attract attention.
    When he answered my call, I assured him that even though there hadn’t been a break in the case, Channel 3 was keeping Kate’s murder in the news.
    “This way, if anyone out there knows anything, Chuck, it might take the heat off you.” Or might land him in jail, though I was careful not to share that thought.
    As he thanked me, I reminded him that if the time came when it made sense for him to do a camera interview, we’d be there to tell his story.
    Then I repeated the information about that night’s newscast: “Remember, Chuck, the story about Kate will be on Channel 3 at ten o’clock.” Ends up, he was in the backyard and didn’t have a pen handy. “Don’t worry, Chuck, I’ll call a few minutes before airtime and remind you.”
    My boss winked.
    And the next morning, the overnight ratings had us leading our competitors by a point. Usually we trailed by three points. We’d hoped to tighten the viewer gap, or at least keep our lead-in audience from eroding, but a swing this size was unexpected. And I knew the other network affiliates would be trying to analyze what happened, before dismissing it as a statistical fluke.
    Some of the gain undoubtably came from dog lovers, because the Buddy angle had been heavily promoted during the network prime-time shows. And there was still some curiosity from viewers eager to see if I could hold myself together during a live shot.
    But Noreen and I both knew Chuck Heyden’s finger on the trigger of his invaluable remote was what fired the shot heard around the viewing area.
    Noreen praised the entire newsroom staff during the assignment meeting, never once mentioning the name Kate Warner. Then she hauled me into her office and made it clear this hushhushscheme was going to be a continuing strategy “for however long it lasts.”
    “Riley, we need to find another reason to mention Kate Warner’s name in the news tonight. So start looking.”
    I didn’t have to look long before a story landed on my lap, or rather, my laptop.

CHAPTER 16
    L aura didn’t say anything, just opened the door a crack to the house where her sister died. Her face was as white as if she’d just heard the word “homicide.” For a second, I thought she’d changed her mind and wasn’t going to let me in.
    No answer when I called last night to give her a head’s up about the Kate follow-up, and also to check whether the biohazard clean-up had been completed. But today I got a frantic call that she needed me immediately. Because I was under orders to keep alive the story of Kate’s death, I had no problem leaving the station.
    Laura handed me an envelope with Kate’s name. “Look what I found in the mail.”
    The postmark and return address indicated it had been sent from New York City. Inside was a sizable check dated a few days earlier. Bigger than my paycheck. Even bigger than the number on my W-2 tax form at the end of last year.
    Piles of cash in the back of a closet or under a bed often mean trouble. Trouble with drugs. Or sex. Certainly trouble with the IRS. But checks are generally good clean income, though Laura’s face showed no glow of having won a