Read Vengeance is Mine - A Benjamin Tucker Mystery for Free Online

morning as I showered and dressed. I was just tying the knot in my tie when the quiet was interrupted by the sound of raised voices out in the great room. Roberta was delivering a tirade in Spanish, and I could only make out one word—Oscar. I walked out to find Roberta scolding Julie and pointing at Oscar, who was standing in front of her wagging.
    “What’s up?” I asked.
    Roberta huffed.
    “Oscar peed by the back door,” Julie said sheepishly. “I know, Ben, I should have let him out earlier. I’m sorry.”
    I scowled at her and winked. “I’ll clean it up, Roberta,” I said.
    Roberta pointed to me, then to Julie, and finally to Oscar. “You, and you, and especially you!” she said. “All useless!” She motioned for us all to get out of her way.
    Maggie, who had finished dressing, entered the room. “What’s all the commotion?” she asked.
    Oscar adored Maggie and tore off to greet her. He started off in the right direction, then zigzagged and headed straight for the large, antique oriental floor vase to the left of the fireplace.
    “Watch it! Watch it!” Maggie shouted, as he veered away from the vase and into her waiting arms. She picked him up and looked at me. “Jesus, Ben, that vase cost five thousand dollars, fifteen years ago.”
    I looked at the ugly vase. “I’ll bet it’s worth almost half that much today,” I said. Maggie stuck her tongue out at me, and Julie giggled.
    It was half past eight when I arrived at the channel fourteen news studios and checked in with the receptionist. A security guard escorted me to a makeup artist who did her best during the next fifteen minutes to make me look presentable. A few minutes later, I was on the set, nervously tugging at my necktie. It suddenly felt like a boa constrictor choking the life out of me.
    Sally Briggum, a pretty black haired woman in her early thirties, approached me and introduced herself. She reviewed the questions with me that she would be asking, while she tried to ease the terrified look from my face. The interview would be recorded and edited later. If either of us screwed up during the recording, there would be another take.
    We took our places, Sally in an overstuffed armchair, and me on the matching guest sofa next to her. There were three cameras: camera one was behind me to my right and aimed toward Sally; camera two was used to capture both of us; and camera three was focused on me. We both sat motionless for a few seconds, waiting.
    “Three, two, one,” and a small light illuminated on camera one.
    “Good evening,” she said. “I’m Sally Briggum. Welcome to Carolinians In the News . We are honored to have as our guest this evening, Benjamin Tucker, author of the bestselling true crime thriller, Deception . Welcome, Ben.”
    “Thanks, Sally. It’s great to be here.”
    “Ben, everyone is buzzing about Deception . How did you come to write about a cold-blooded murderer who avoided detection for so many years?”
    “It was timing and luck,” I said. “I was the lead investigative reporter when the Raleigh Herald closed three years ago due to declining circulation. I struggled to find a similar position, but nothing panned out right away, and I ended up with a lot of time on my hands. Anyway, the investigation of the Grimaldi killing in Holly Springs was still big news, and it captured my attention. I developed an outline for a manuscript, and the rest is history.”
    There were several retakes in the beginning. I sneezed in the middle of the third question and I fidgeted when I answered question five, but Sally was a pro and she had me relaxed and productive in no time.
    When the predetermined questions were finished, Sally moved to an ad hoc type of interview. She asked about the cursed mystery novel, but I brushed the question aside, saying I was still doing research. Later, Howard Price would have a cow when he heard that answer.
    “According to the social news,” Sally said, “you recently married Margaret