Murder Takes the Stage by Amy Myers

girl apologized.
    â€˜With Ken Winton’s death, I expect. That’s why I’m here.’
    The girl grimaced. ‘You’re right. It’s not good having to report the murder of one of our own, especially Ken.’
    â€˜I can imagine just how much,’ Georgia said sympathetically, and then explained who she was and why she was here.
    The girl considered this. ‘You’d better talk to Will Foster. He’s the editor. I’m only Number Two, limping in a long way behind. Cath Dillon,’ she introduced herself.
    She led the way through the glass door to where Will, who looked scarcely older than Cath, was at his desk staring gloomily at his screen. ‘Georgia Marsh is here about Ken. She met him a few days ago.’
    Will looked interested. He waved her to a fold-up seat that just fitted in between his desk and the partition wall, and Cath took another to complete the cosy threesome as Georgia repeated her story.
    â€˜Ken told us about his scoop,’ she ended hopefully. ‘He said it would be out on Friday.’
    â€˜Would have been,’ Will said gloomily. ‘He was going to send it over today. We weren’t expecting much. We’ve heard the story before. Always the big one next time. The lion roars, but out trots a pussycat.’
    That was a blow. ‘He seemed sure enough,’ Georgia nevertheless persisted.
    â€˜I wasn’t holding the front page.’
    A setback this might be, but it was also a relief. If the scoop had been only in Ken’s mind, it could hardly have been the reason for his death, and some of the turmoil inside her relaxed.
    â€˜He must have meant it this time,’ Georgia replied. ‘My father and I were considering the Watson case as our next full-length book project, and Ken was eager to help. After he’d published his scoop. It was in his interests to publish quickly, and he was keen to get involved.’ Was that true? She had a sudden doubt. Could Will Foster be right? Ken had been eager, but in hindsight it had been a nervous excitement, suggesting what he’d like to be doing rather than what he could do. ‘He’d never let you down on producing copy, had he? Did he email his copy in?’
    â€˜No to the first; he was reliable at least. Yes to the second.’
    â€˜But obviously he didn’t this time. Could he have typed the story on the computers here?’
    â€˜Nope. I checked,’ Cath said. ‘We’re doing a big feature on him, of course, and it would have been good to use his story, scoop or no scoop. But I can’t get at his home computer – even if it’s still there. It’s an official crime scene, because of the break-in. I’m waiting for his daughter to give me the all-clear.’
    â€˜I’ve met Christine. It must be very tough for her.’
    â€˜She’s a trouper though. She’ll help if she can,’ Cath said. ‘We’re going to make a big thing of Ken having been Micky Winton’s son, and the Watson murder.’
    Georgia felt more hopeful. This could spark public interest back to the point where interesting details might emerge from the woodwork. Would that make or mar the case for Marsh & Daughter entering the scene? She had a stab of guilt at this self-interest when Ken’s death was so recent and could have been due to the same cause.
    â€˜I suppose he gave you no idea of what the scoop might have been? Though I realize,’ Georgia added hastily, ‘that you couldn’t tell me what it is.’
    Will grinned. ‘No. But I can tell you his pet theory was that Tom Watson did not commit suicide. He just disappeared off the radar and created another life somewhere.’
    â€˜Is that really possible?’ Even if it was, it seemed low-key, and only reproduced what Cherry Harding believed. Unless, of course, Ken had actually discovered a line on what that other life had been. ‘Did he have evidence for