"Something's rotten in Denmark," Mindy Cooper announced. She looked around to see if anyone was listening to her but as usual the newsroom at the Schuyler Square Journal was about as lively as a picnic in a cemetery. She spied Bo, the combination copy boy/mail room attendant/maintenance man and occasional pinch hitting photographer in the corner of the room changing the toner in one of the printers. "Bo!"
Bo looked up at her suspiciously. "I don't have time to cover a story today. My sister's getting married and I have to be out of here by one."
"I'm not giving you an assignment. I want to run something past you," Mindy replied. "Did you notice anything about the air this morning?"
"I think they're spreading manure out on the Johnson farm," Bo said.
"No, it wasn't manure and it wasn't coming from any farm. It smelled like a combination of apple pie and something else I can't put my finger on but it was definitely a chemical." Mindy looked perplexed.
"So?"
"Well, where's it coming from?"
"What difference does it make?"
"Bo, you work for a newspaper," Mindy said patiently. "You're supposed to ask who, what, when, where and why to each and every circumstance in your life."
Bo stared at her. "If I did that, I'd never get anything done."
Mindy tried not to roll her eyes but once again it was painfully clear to her that she was the only person employed by the Schuyler Square Times who truly understood what journalism was all about and who had ever watched All the President's Men. "I think I'll take a ride out there."
"Where?"
"To the new chemical place. It's called Kutrate Kemicals and it's on the highway if anyone's looking for me."
"You think you're going to do a story on them?"
Mindy shrugged. "Why not? We don't have anything else to put on the front page of the paper tomorrow."
Bo went back to the toner. "Just be careful," he advised. "Sometimes you stick your nose in places where it doesn't belong."
Mindy gathered up her purse, making sure her camera was inside. "I'm just an intrepid girl reporter, Bo."
Bo raised an eyebrow at her. "Intrepid girl reporters have been known to end up with their brakes cut," he remarked ominously.
A shiver ran over Mindy but she ignored it. "You stick to your toner," she advised. "Leave the reporting to me and have fun at your sister's wedding. I'll see you later."
"I sure hope so," Bo replied.
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