unfolding, as you newsies might put it.”
“The terminology is
“I think you’ll do this one.”
“So what do you want for it?”
“A lot less than you paid for the Space Needle. Are we off the record yet?”
“If that’s how you want it.”
I threw in a zinger, to test her dedication to the code. “Don’t take offense at this, but how do I know your word is good?”
She did take offense: she bristled in her chair, and for a moment I thought she might pick up and walk out. “I’ll tell you the answer to that, but you’re only allowed to ask it once. You can check me out with a phone call. I worked in Miami for four years. I went to jail down there over just this kind of stuff.”
“Really?” I said in my most-interested voice. “How long were you in?”
“It was only ten days. My paper made it a frontpage embarrassment for them and they were glad enough to see me go. I might still be there, though, if they hadn’t gotten their information from someone else.”
“That’s okay, ten days is long enough. At least you know the taste of it.”
“The taste, the smell, the color. It colors your whole life. But I’ll go back again before I let them make me betray…even you.”
“Hey, I believe you. In a funny way, though, it makes what I’m trying to do more difficult.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’m not quite ready to go on the record yet. But I can’t even explain the situation to you off the record without handing you a piece of my legal jam.”
“What kind of legal jam?”
“There was a crime done tonight. A bad one.”
“Did you do it?”
“No, ma’am, I did not.”
“Then…”
“I did some other stuff, stupid stuff that will not make them love me. If the cops don’t love you, you need something in your corner besides a motive, the means, and no alibi. You’d look good in my comer. But you need to know the risks.”
Warily, she said, “Can you tell me in general terms what happened?”
“Generally speaking, two people got killed. I’ve been busy all night destroying evidence and obstructing justice. They’ll almost certainly charge me with that, but at least I can bail out on it. That’s my magic word right now,
She let out her breath slowly, through her nose. I saw a slight shiver work its way across her shoulders.
“That’s it in a nutshell,” I said. “I’m still trying to figure out how to handle it. I need to do that before I can get into the story or tell you what I want from you.”
“I don’t think it’s a problem. I’m not legally obligated to tell the police what you tell me.”
“I can see a situation, though, where they’d call you in and ask some questions you’d rather not answer.”
“I’ll claim privilege.”
“And end up in jail again.”
“Maybe I’ll take that chance, if the story’s worth it.”
“The story’s worth it. But between the two of us, we may still have to dig for the end of it.”
She looked out into the rainy street, just now awash with the palest light of morning. I floated a hint of what I hoped she could do for me.
“I’m hoping you know a great cop in this town, or a DA with a real head on his shoulders. The closer you’d be to such an animal the better.”
“I’m not sleeping with anybody right now,” she snapped. “If I was, I sure wouldn’t use him that way.”
“You’re touchy as hell at five o’clock in the morning, aren’t you? You should learn to sleep better.”
“Janeway, listen to me. You and I may become the best of pals, but we won’t get to first base if you keep dropping insults on my head.”
“And we’ll never get anywhere if you’re one of those politically correct types who takes offense at everything. I’m no good at walking on eggs. Do you want to hear what I meant or sit there and be pissed off?”
“Tell me what you meant, maybe I’ll apologize later.”
