"It's a dam Candy factory, Claire! You really think people are going to be interested in that?"
"It's huge news, chief!"
Claire, hands on hips, stood before the oversized desk of the Spring Gazette's editor, Mr Stone, a heavy set man with a huge, bushy moustache and what seemed to be an ever present frown. They were currently locked in a stare-down, with Claire's piercing, blue eyes fixed on Stone's own, twitching pupils. Stone seemed to be losing concentration, as he always did. He claimed it was because he was always too busy to get into an argument, but Claire knew the old guy had a soft spot for her.
"Fine!" Stone said, his face reddening. "Cover the dam factory story. What's so interesting about it anyway?"
"It practically sprung up over night," Claire explained, relaxing her posture. "That company has bought up property all over town. They seem to be banking on everything being a huge success, because there's stores opening everywhere. There's already six. We're a tiny town, why do they need all those stores?"
Stone shrugged. "Does seem a bit excessive, but people do like candy..."
"Do they really like candy this much though?" Claire asked.
"What am I? An expert?!" Stone snapped irritably. "You are sure there's nothing more interesting you could be covering?"
Claire sighed. "Chief, in the past week, the only other story you found me was one about a dog wearing a hat."
"People like that dog, Claire."
"Yes, chief, we all like the dog," Claire allowed herself a smile. "But it wasn't exactly newsworthy."
Stone sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I know, it's a small town and a slow news week...month...year..." He cleared his throat. "I know you feel like you're wasted here. Truth is, you are. You can do better, and I appreciate you staying on...for now. Okay Claire, see what you can find on. Who knows? Maybe the Spring Falls candy mystery will be front page news this time tomorrow."
"Thanks Chief!" Claire grinned. She turned to walk from the office, but Stone cleared his throat, causing her to turn back to face him. "What?"
"Don't cause any trouble," Stone said, wagging his finger. "I know what you're like. You're an instigator."
Claire smiled mischievously and adopted an innocent look. "Who? Me?" Stone chuckled as Claire ducked out of his office and into the corridor.
As Claire walked away, she was joined in the corridor by the office assistant, Lauren. Lauren had become a close friend since she started working at the Gazette, and Claire often ran story ideas by her.
"So, did he agree?!" Lauren asked, excitedly.
"Yep," Claire grinned.
"Oh my gosh," Lauren said, clasping her hands together. "You have to text me later and let me know how it goes."
Claire was pleased she had been allowed to do the story, she was certain there was something here. That factory and the oddly successful company behind it gave her a bad feeling. On looking into their past, she had found that the company had been founded twenty years ago as a small time candy shop in New York. They were moderately successful, but hardly in the big leagues. After the founder passed away, his daughter, Elena, had taken over, and at that point, she had somehow managed to turn around the company's fortunes. The shop in New York had been closed abruptly and the company had undergone a huge renovation and restructure.
Claire found it all very suspicious. Samples of the free candy had been sent to some select people in town, but apart from that, it was still not available for public consumption; that was, until tomorrow when the stores had their grand opening. It seemed like a hugely risky gamble to take; what if people didn't like the candy? Was this Elena so convinced of her business acumen and the quality of her product, that she was sure her new venture would be a success?
Claire returned to her desk and sat down, eager to get started. She hadn't mentioned it to Stone, but she already had a few leads...
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