Extra Extra Read all About It

By D. E. Harrison

An unknown person is feeding a weekly newspaper information about the financial health of the State. They must print the story or someone else will. But no large newspaper would dare print it. The weekly bets the farm it is accurate. Its first every Extra addition is printed, and it must sell, or they are bankrupt. Their story is copyrighted, and no other paper has any information forth coming from the State.
A second and even a third Extra hit the streets and the State officials wonder how long they can keep it up. Where is the leak in the State?
The State officials were hoping to cover up this debt and be reelected to office for four more years. That would give them enough time to cover up all the over-runs and waste they have made.
Meetings are being held in McDonald’s party room with a lawyer, a computer billionaire, Jack an old, out of office state politician, and an unknown retired fellow not looking for a job of any kind.
The McDonald’s party goers invite the cub reporter from the weekly to join them in an election campaign to scare the State officials into being more responsible. They call themselves the ‘Good Guys.’
The weekly newspaper is sold to the cub-reporter. The Weekly’s building and her car are destroyed in a fire after a later Extra hits the street.
Can a third-party candidate even make it past the primary election for the office of Governor?
Will the Good Guys in their white cowboy hats ride in and save everyone and everything?

• Language: English
• Publisher: D. E. Harrison
• Release date: Aug 2, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463798690

D. E. Harrison

I am trained as a theoretical mathematician. I am an emeritus member of the American Mathematical Society for fifty odd years. I have lived in Seattle since 1967. I starting writing fiction after writing a family history.

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Extra Extra

Read All About It

By D. E. Harrison

Copyright 2001 by D. E. Harrison

Smashwords Edition

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Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1 The First Meeting in McDonalds

Chapter 2 The Weekly Newspaper

Chapter 3 How Miss Smith got to this Point

Chapter 4 The Extra

Chapter 5 Another Possible Extra

Chapter 6 A New Job?

Chapter 7 Another Extra, A New Candidate for Governor

Chapter 8 The Primary

Chapter 9 Seven Days Before the General Election.

Chapter 10 The Last Extra

Chapter 11 Training The Newly Elected People

Chapter 12 The New Governor’s First Press Conference

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Prologue

It is an unusually warm late April morning in a far northwestern State. The feel of spring is still lightly in the air, but the force of summer is starting to be felt. The early May flowers are out in all their magnificence colors.

The McDonald’s at the edge of town always has more flowers than any of the procedures provide. The managers’ first love is gardening, and he has started early in his private green house to have the late spring flowers already in bloom. He personally handles the gardening duties and he has been outside for the last half an hour working in the flowers.

He looks at his watch, ‘I better get back in and get these tools away in my car.’

The same pair of red-breasted robins is perched in the tree waiting patiently for him to leave. After he leaves, they will descend on the newly mulched and hoed soil feasting on worms.

He has been on the job since the breakfast menu went up on the board. It is nearing ten am. He heads for the rest rooms to wash his hands after removing the rubber gloves he always wears. At home, he likes to get his hands dirty.

Coming from the rest rooms, the changeover to lunch is the only thing on his mind. It is always a hassle at change over. People come in late and expect the breakfast menu. Seldom does anyone come in any longer and expect to order a hamburger at 6 am although it still does happen. Most of those just leave; the others complain that their requests; whatever it is, should be filled.

The manager sees the senior lead Jim and goes over to him. He always asks the same question when talking to the lead in preparation of the turnover. Just like, he has for these many years and more leads than he cares to remember.

The manager asks, Jim, are we ready to cut over? Has the breakfast food all been disposed of or placed back into refrigeration? Oh yes, is the party room clean and ready to go? I see we have an early scheduled party on the chart. They want breakfast served and no fancy hats or other party favors! Never saw any party like that before. On these last few days of school, we never see anything this early.

Jim nods, Yes sir. I set it up myself and their orders are now being completed. He is not here yet. But he has a lot of parties for his kids, though I have never seen one quite this early. He said the breakfast would be enough and no party items would be needed today. Oh, there is Mr. Brown now, and it is 9:55. I will go see if he needs anything else.

Business is normally slow at change over. Usually there are more employees than there are customers. It will take twenty minutes to get ready for the lunch crowd, and then it will be busy the rest of the day. No time to inspect the flowers until he leaves his shift.

At 9:57 am, Mr. Brown motions to an older man just coming through the outer doors over to the seat near the party room. Next a very attractive but overly dressed lady for McDonalds enters and walks directly to where the two men are sitting. A fourth man enters, and he is motioned toward the party room.

By the time the time the last man gets to the hallway leading to the party room, the other two people are in the room and Mr. Brown closes the door behind the late comer.

At exactly ten am, the changer over is made, the four last breakfast orders will be done in two minutes and delivered to the party room. All four people are sitting at one table in the party room. They are looking around the room at the pictures painted on the walls and the party napkins on the table with the plastic flatware.

Chapter 1 The First Meeting in McDonalds

The three men appear to be in their 40’s, 60’s, early 70’s and the woman appears to be somewhat more like a younger sister or daughter in age.

Tess O’Sullivan is in her late 30’s, but looks about 25, extra tall with a very modest heel, has natural deep red auburn hair down to her waist when it is loose. During business hours, it is in a rather tight bun on the back of her head. Her green eyes are offset by the usual bright green outfit she always seems able to find. This morning it is a business suit with a jacket. Her brown rim glasses are rather wide, but they are not needed, except for show. They highlight her high chiseled cheekbones and strong jaw line.

Behind those glasses is one of the shrewdest political minds in the country. She graduated from the Yale Law School and served as a clerk for two US Supreme Court Justices.

Since then she has joined a law firm, became a full partner, and then stared her own firm. Much to the chagrin of her former employers, most of their larger customers moved with her. She also hired most of the staff from her former bosses when their customer base left.

Her friends call her Tess after business hours. At all other times and places, she is known as Miss O’Sullivan.

Behind her back, her competitors and several very close personal friends have several treasured names for her; such as, red she devil, red witch, vampire, the other names are only thought of by her competitors.

The 40ish looking fellow is Peter Jones. He has a crew cut, trying to stay young. A self-made billionaire several times over, shrewd when it comes to computers, money, and organization. Always in a jersey crew shirt, sport pants and jacket. Except for a black-tie affair his attire most likely consists of a closet full of the exactly the same clothes.

His wife of twenty years and the three kids have a modest house in a nice neighborhood in the suburbs and they attend public school.

They agreed early on that the kids would have as close to a normal life as possible. The younger one of five does not understand wealth. The ones that are eighteen and sixteen know just how much money daddy has but are on a budget slightly less than most of their friends.

He sometimes takes the turn in driving to pre-School and tries very hard to be home for a family dinner every night.

Peter drives a four-year old car that he bought himself. His company provides nothing free for his executives. No free cars, no trips, no boats, no stock options, etc. But they have the same benefits as any employee, except their higher salaries allows them to purchase more stock options if they wish. Everyone in the company shares in the profits and for that reason through slow times, no one loses their jobs.

If one gets to work early, enough, they may park closer than those who show up a little later.

Peter’s car is seldom in any spot but the very first row. Their buildings are in the center of a huge parking lot. No parking stall is more than half a block to the covered walkways to the buildings. It does rain in this country somewhat. His friends and co-workers call him Peter, for all others it is Mr. Jones.

The 70ish looking fellow is Jack Brown. He appears to have seen better days. He has smoked too much, drank too much in his younger days. Though he has not imbibed in either for over fifteen years, the previous fifty-five years has taken its toll on his appearance.

The doctors tell him he is in good health for his age. His outward appearance is worse than what his insides really are. He uses this feature whenever necessary to obtain what he wants. Except his wife knows better, and rules him with an iron hand when he is at home.

Jack’s claim to fame is that he knows every political figure or their fathers that have been in the State for the last forty-five years. He has been in both bodies of the legislature, served on more commissions than one could count. Held, removed and created more boards, commissioners and other appointed offices in the State than anyone in history, one of the last true ‘good old boys’. He is owned more favors by more people than even he can remember. His business connections are to the old money and well-established firms that are over one hundred years old.

He is no longer active in local politics and the lure of a national office is no longer burning within him.