Disclaimer: Of course I don't own these characters just borrowing them for my own, and hopefully your, enjoyment
The four friends were sitting in their usual booth, at their usual diner, having their usual after having just left another crime scene.
"We know these crimes are connected. If I don't break the story someone else will, you can't keep it under wraps much longer." Cindy said, pretty much stating the obvious.
"We aren't ready to officially call them connected yet." Lindsay said exasperated.
Cindy attempted her own laser vision, "Well then do it unofficially."
Lindsay shot a look to the other two group members, who were trying desperately to stay out of the fight. "Look, these three men have nothing in common."
"Except that they all skirted the system. I did the stories on each one of them, outlining their crimes only to have to write about how they got off on technicalities two weeks later. And now they are all dead and they have nothing in common?"
"So this is about you? You don't like printing retractions?" Jill said "you know we all had a stake in those cases."
Cindy gave her a that hurt look, "that is not what I meant and you damn well know it."
Claire finally broke in to defuse the situation, "we know these cases are related but what good does it do to put it out there. It's not like all the criminals are going to plead guilty so they don't get killed by some vigilante."
This made Lindsay smile, "it would be nice if they did." She turned and looked at Cindy. "The chief doesn't want the city to think that there is some nut job out there doing our job for us. "
"Don't you think if he knows you are on to him he might stop or mess up?"
"It doesn't matter what I think. At least not until I'm the chief."
"Fine" Cindy set a twenty on the table as she stood up, "I gotta go write my story." Lindsay grabbed her hand and looked at her questioningly. "Don't worry. It'll be some random guy killed by some other random guy." Cindy assured her.
As Cindy threw her bag onto her desk she heard her name bellowed from her editor David's office. She knew as soon as she heard it what she was going to be in for, what she didn't expect was for 'suck-up' Scott to be sitting in the office too.
"So what's the word on this murder?" David asked.
"Just your run of the mill killing." She thought she sounded convincing but she could tell by his look that he wasn't buying.
"Scott and I were talking about how it would be a pretty big coincidence if this wasn't connected to the other two. Considering how the DA's office let these guys walk and now they end up dead."
"They didn't let them walk. My sources say that they aren't ready to call them connected yet." Cindy had known this was going to happen and this was the story she had wanted to write all along but now she found herself defending her friends.
"Yeah well Scott is ready to run a story on how the DA's office dropped the ball. Considering DDA Bernhardt handled all three cases I think we can make a pretty good story."
"The DA angle is not the one to take. You're just going to piss a lot of people off." She was trying desperately to convince him. "I just need a little more time."
He motioned for Scott to leave. "I want to talk to you," he said to Cindy, "close the door. " She complied and sank into the chair vacated by Scott.
"I know you have some sort of relationship with Bernhardt and Inspector Boxer but you are supposed to be a journalist not a publicist."
That was a low blow, "I have gotten a lot of good, and I might add exclusive, information from them on past cases." She almost couldn't believe she was arguing against her story. "I am not going to burn them just so you can rush the story. And did I mention its the wrong story, this has nothing to do with the job that J.. DDA Bernhardt did on those cases."
"Scott is doing the story, and if you don't watch yourself he will be doing all the stories."
Cindy stood up, "are we done?" she stormed out of his office without waiting for an answer. She threw herself into her chair and glared at the smug look on Scott's face. Finally she pulled out her cell phone and dialed. "Just a heads up, you are going to get reamed in the morning edition." She flipped her phone shut.