"By now you’re probably as confused as I feel. Let’s clear some of that up. I’m Manny Bettencourt, aging journalist; hair that’s thinning and a waist that’s not. I’m also the editor and publisher of Inside Story, a crime magazine that’s read by most cops in the United States and millions of regular subscribers. They are readers who want the inside story, rather than the sanitized, watered-down reports in the mainstream media.
“I find it curious that journalists are expected to protect themselves with nothing more than a Reporter’s Notebook and the implied threat of major community pressure to capture anyone who kills a cop or reporter. A dead reporter’s spouse and children find little consolation in the thought that media pressure will eventually bring a killer to justice. That’s why I carry a gun.
“Because we deal with exposing murderers who have beaten the system, Inside Story magazine requires that all news reporters and editors carry handguns.
“It’s not the first time I’ve lost investigators to Evil and his best pal, Death. It’s still a bitch. Sorry for the language, but there’s just not another word that fits. Ah hell, this bourbon is even cloudier than my crystal ball.
“It’s funny, because thinking the case was evil was my first reaction when I saw the newspaper clipping…”
Watch for Burning Barrels in the months ahead.
