The Disappearance of Emily: Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic Series Book 2 by Elizabeth Pantley (best books under 200 pages .txt) 📗

over the entire length of the building that gave it a jaunty, Hallmark, small-town feel. There was a white-painted bench set out front, next to a large pot of flowers, and a flag waving in the breeze. I loved it at first sight.

The bench was so welcoming, I took a seat there to wait for my father. It gave me an opportunity to absorb all the businesses surrounding my new workplace. I spotted a wide range of shops including a flower shop, a pharmacy, and an art gallery. There was a small park in the space between some shops, with a picnic table that looked like a great place to have lunch.

It was so quiet here. Nothing like the bustle of Seattle. I have nothing against bustle, mind you. But the peacefulness here was refreshing. It felt honest.

“Hey there, Hayden.” My father’s voice broke the silence. He sat down beside me on the bench. “Sorry I’m late.”

“Oh, are you late? I thought I was early.”

He looked at his phone. “Yep. I guess you are early, and so am I. He handed me a key ring with several keys on it and motioned grandly to the front door. “Welcome to your new kingdom. Ready to go inside?”

“Very ready!” I got up and unlocked the door, eager to step inside.

The newspaper office was so much nicer than I had expected. I was picturing an old-time printing press, black file cabinets, ugly yellow lighting, and messy brown desks. Clearly, I’ve seen too many old movies. I could thank Latifa for that. Instead, it was a bright, open space dotted with comfortable furniture and three clean, modern desks. Two of the desks were empty, but the third held a computer with several large monitors and a desktop printer.

It seemed a comfortable size for three or four people to work here. I assumed the editor was the only full-time person, but we hadn’t discussed that. How many people does it take to run a small community newspaper? I had no idea. But now that it would be digital, I suspected that I could manage on my own.

There was a wall filled with special wooden filing cabinets that had wide, shallow drawers that obviously fit the newspapers. Several bookcases held directories and research books.

There were photos displayed on the walls that appeared to be those from the paper. Gorgeous shots of the parks, waterfalls, shops, and the ferry. There were portrait-quality shots of the local people and events.

Large windows made up the entire front of the space, providing a splendid view of the shops across the road. The back appeared to have a bathroom and a door leading out to the alley behind the building.

The atmosphere hummed with years of memories and windows to the past. You could almost feel the history in here amongst the old papers, books, and the photographs. Soft ceiling lighting made the room glow golden, and I noticed beautiful, antique desk lamps on each working space. I felt the promise of future memories brewing. The space reminded me of a cozy library, one of my favorite places. I instantly felt at home.

“Is there an offset printing press in here?” I asked.

“No big equipment here,” my father answered. “We outsourced the print runs. Though since you’ll be fully online, you won’t need to worry about that.”

My father pointed to the newspaper filing drawers. “You’ll find the most recent year filed out here, and older years in the back room. As you can see, there’s also a wide variety of research books on local topics plus area maps and business information.”

That was very interesting, and an unexpected perk. As soon as he said that, I was itching to scan those shelves. And he did say maps. Perhaps I’d finally unravel the mystery of our exact location and learn the layout of the islands surrounding us.

Over the next hour, my father walked me through the office and chatted with me about the paper. He suggested I read through some recent past issues to get a sense of what news had typically been covered in the paper. Well, you didn’t have to ask me twice.

My father finished up the tour and description of the job and then left for another appointment. I had plenty of time before tonight’s family dinner to explore, and I fully intended to make the most of every moment. Putting my hands on my hips, I surveyed the room. It would take days to acclimate. Where should I start? I had a hard time deciding between the research books and the old newspapers, but I began with the last of the printed issues.

Precise labeling on the drawers was a good sign. Whoever had worked here before had liked things orderly.

The drawer with the final issues from six months ago was front and center. I pulled out the last few issues. The paper wasn’t printed in big-city size. It was more like an oversized magazine. The paper had been published monthly. The sections were specific and organized—news, local events, sports, community announcements, food, entertainment, real estate, deaths and births, and a spotlight feature of one resident or business. They sprinkled it with ads from local businesses and event notices. On my next visit here, I’d read through some issues and maybe take a few of them home.

This project was totally do-able, particularly since it would be fully online. I opened a note page and began organizing a checklist:

Create a website and subscriber sign-up page.

Contact businesses who advertised previously—ask for new ads.

Locate past subscriber list. Send an introductory note and sign-up info.

Reach out to local schools, theaters, groups, clubs, churches for community notices.

Find out if there is a local government office—Mayor? City council?

Notify local funeral homes and maternity wards/birth centers/midwives.

Get a list of all local businesses.

Create mock-up for online format; choose and announce first issue date.

Meet with Eleanor regarding expectations/update.

I knew that the set-up and the first few issues would be the hardest. Man, I wish I