main story should be,� Scott said.
I scanned the computer screen and located the
front page. �Okay, here it is. It says: �Local family
dies in fire. William A. Bentley, Matilda R. Bentley
and their four children died early Saturday morning
when their home burned to the ground. The fire
started at the rear of the home and completely
engulfed the house before the Glendale Fire
Department arrived. Cause of the fire is still under
investigation. The children's names are listed as
James, Luke, Richard and Cassie.� There�s no
mention of a Melissa anywhere, that�s weird.� I
couldn�t help but think of my own family trapped in
a fire and the thought terrified me.
�I wonder who Melissa J. was,� Scott said.
�She has to be their daughter� I mean she�s buried
right next to them and she has the same last name.�
�Maybe they didn�t realize there were five kids
until after the story was printed.� I said.
�It�s getting late, you�d better get going,�
Scott glanced up at the clock. He shut the computer
down.
�You�re right,� I picked up my gear and walked
into the front office.
Mrs. Travine looked up from the front counter.
�Remember to have your article ready by tomorrow
Jadee.�
Even though the Glendale Bugle was scheduled
to publish once a week, Mr. and Mrs. Travine
preferred to collect our stories piece by piece. They
said it gave them plenty of time to edit our stories
and find any fill-in articles or ads prior to putting the
paper to bed.
I smiled and nodded as I left for the night. My
thoughts wandered back to Melissa J., strange how
her headstone only had her date of death � nothing
else was inscribed on it. It didn�t say how old she
was or give the date she was born, so no one really
even knew her age.
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