Tonya Maitland sat on the bed of the small mom and pop motel situated over the bar. Newspapers, reports, and photos littered the bed. It was the only available workspace since the round table set in the corner contained the coffee maker, ice bucket, and a notebook of advertisements and local interests.
The place was worn, slightly smaller than her bedroom and bathroom back home, but it met her two major priorities – it was clean and it was cheap. As a freelance writer for a variety of small presses and online subscriptions, her budget was as close to zero as she could get it. If it wasn’t for the fact that she had a few other articles she had been working on and getting paid for, her accommodations could easily have been a tent on the beach.
She knew that Ruth had misinterpreted her intr
