Chapter Six

The Buzz Wire offices were quiet except for the tapping of a single keyboard. Beth sat in front of her computer, scrolling through the seemingly endless lists of World War I pilots. How many could there be? she thought tiredly. Planes had only been in existence for fifteen years! Nevertheless, she kept looking.

Beth wasn't sure she'd be able to search for Robert Ernst at first. Old Army personnel records were kept in St. Louis. While the database was online, one had to be next of kin in order to search it. However, in the electronic age, almost every self-respecting investigative reporter could hack into a government-run website, or so Steve had always told her. Once in, it became merely a matter of time until she found him.

"Ah, there you are," Beth said in relief.

"There who is?" came a voice from behind her.

Beth knew that voice. Josh. "No one," she said.

"Obviously, it's someone, or you wouldn't be here in the middle of the night looking for him," Josh observed.

Beth sighed. She really didn't have time to argue semantics with him; she needed to call Mick and let him know that she found the mysterious Mr. Ernst.

"Look, Josh, I --" she began.

Josh cut her off. "Are you still working on that Valhalla missing person's case?"

"Yes."

"I asked you not to."

"Yes, you did. Again," Beth said, exasperated. "It's my job, Josh. What am I supposed to do? Cover Britney Spears' latest accident?"

"It's dangerous. The cops found one of the missing people floating in the harbor. All of their blood had been drained."

That's two corpses now, Beth thought.

"I still don't see how that gives you the right to ask me not to pursue a story," Beth said.

Josh glanced down at the monitor. "Robert Ernst? Who's that?"

"A lead. Mick asked me to check him out," she said without thinking.

The look on Josh's face told she'd said the wrong thing. "Oh, Mick asked," he said, his voice laden with venom. "He asks you to jump through hoops and you don't bat an eye. I ask you to do a simple thing---"

"Now wait a second," Beth said. She was becoming angry now. "The difference between you and Mick is you're asking me to not do my job! Getting people the truth is important! Don't you understand that?" Beth conveniently forgot that Mick's entrusting her with the knowledge that he was a vampire caused her to not do her job all time. Still, she wasn't going to let Josh stand there and insult Mick.

"Fine, do whatever you want."

"No," Beth said. She took a deep breath. "I'm tired of you passive aggressive BS. If you have a problem with me, say so. Leave Mick out of it. Yell! Do something to show me that this relationship is worth saving."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't do this anymore, Josh. If you want me to pick between you and Mick, then I'm sorry, you really haven't given me a good reason to choose you." Neither has Mick, she reminded herself. Beth didn't know how Mick felt about her, but she had a pretty good idea.

"That's not what I'm doing."

"Yes, you are. Every time you make a big deal about me working with Mick."

"I don't trust him. There's something off about him," Josh said somewhat lamely.

You have no idea, Beth thought. "Well, I do trust him. The real question is do you trust me?"

Josh thought about that for a long minute. He wasn't blind. He saw the writing on the wall. He said, "I used to. But ever since you started hanging out with Mick…," his voice trailed off.

"Well, I guess I have my answer."

"Is this really happening?" Josh asked helplessly.

Beth sighed and looked at him sorrowfully. "Yeah. I never meant to hurt you, Josh. Believe me."

"I know." He turned towards the stairwell.

Beth called after him, "He's a good man, Josh. So are you."

Josh smiled ruefully and left. Beth sat back down at her computer and felt an overwhelming sense of relief mixed with sadness. It was true--she never intended to hurt Josh-- but at the same time she didn't feel nearly as bad as she thought she should. Did that make her a horrible person? No, she decided. Better to break his heart now before either said or did something they would regret later.

Mick stepped quietly into the newsroom. He had heard the entire conversation from the stairwell. A good man, Beth had called him. That was how she saw him. She told him that on many occasions, of course, but he had never believed her. But to hear her say it to someone else, Josh of all people…that was something.

Mick cleared his throat. Beth looked at him and smiled. "Hi," she said.

"Hey." Beth didn't know that Mick had overheard her conversation with Josh and Mick didn't offer. Beth thought it would be better to continue on as if nothing had happened, at least for now. But she had a feeling that a heart-to-heart with Mick was coming sooner rather than later. Right now, they had a vampire to catch.

"Did you manage to find Ernst in the records?" Mick asked.

"I sure did."

Mick looked down at the screen. As he scanned that list of names above and below Ernst, Mick realized why the missing persons' last names seemed so familiar. They were the same ones that were in his father's air squadron.

To be continued…