Tossing restless through dreams filled with fires and warped images of Alex, she’d finally given up and soaked in a tub of lavender-scented bubbles. Even that, and a glass of Chardonnay, hadn’t quelled the uneasiness in her gut.She’d only been in South Kenton a couple of years, but had been a reporter since her first Barbie sat down with Ken and grilled him on his relationship with Midge. Hope had started a newspaper in middle school and uncovered the ham salad vs spam fiasco in the cafeteria. Her love of justice in journalism continued through high school with an exposé of sports teams’ budgets. It hadn’t slowed down in college where she’d garnered a Mark of Excellence award for standing up to the university in a series of articles regarding hiring/firing practices. So, yeah, Hope knew a thing or two about guilt and innocence. And there was something about what she’d uncovered that was niggling at her psyche, and it had nothing to do with Alex being her best friend.Hope had had every intention of setting it right when she’d shown up at the tavern to talk with Alex.
