Final Breath

'Leah and Jared were engaged three weeks ago,' Sydney Jordan chimed in--over this image. 'They still haven't set a date yet...'

The picture changed back to Sydney in front of the restaurant again. 'The couple were discussing their wedding plans when they stopped in here at Thai Paradise for dinner late last Tuesday night.' The brunette reporter gave a nod over her shoulder. 'Jared and Leah had no idea that just down the street, parked in a stolen car, two men were hatching a plan of their own...'

It was jarring to see the TV screen suddenly filled with side-by-side police mug shots of the skinny, long- haired man and his stocky friend. 'Dwight Powell and Harvey Ray Loach were both convicted felons--career criminals--who met while serving jail time at California's Folsom State Prison,' Sydney Jordan explained in voice- over. 'Police were already searching for the duo in connection to a Portland convenience store robbery in which a twenty-three-year-old clerk was murdered.'

There was grainy footage--obviously recorded by the store's security cameras--of the robbery in progress. The two gunmen approached the counter with their guns drawn while a young, gangly clerk raised his hands and backed away from the register. Even at a distance, and even with the poor quality of the videotape, the boy looked scared. On the Edge or their Movers & Shakers correspondent, Sydney Jordan, had the good taste not to show the terrified young clerk casually--and mercilessly-- gunned down.

Sydney Jordan gave an account of what had happened at Thai Paradise that night. She briefly interviewed the busboy, Nuran, his face still bruised, and his sister, Sumalee. They still seemed traumatized. At one point--in the bottom corner of the screen--the camera caught a glimpse of the young waitress clutching Sydney Jordan's hand while she tearfully spoke in her broken English.

More airtime was given to Jared and Leah, who seemed like a sweet couple, very much in love. At one point during the interview, Leah started to cry. 'When I heard they planned to--to take us all into the bathroom and shoot us, I was just so scared,' she admitted.

Jared put his arm around her, and--on camera, at least--Leah seemed to gather some strength from him. Jared said he managed to stay focused and keep his head throughout the whole ordeal because Leah was there. She claimed the same thing about him.

Sydney Jordan stressed it was teamwork that enabled the young couple to overcome the two armed, murderous thugs.

Harvey Ray Loach was pronounced dead--from electric shock--at the scene. Dwight Powell was treated for a mild concussion and second-degree burns on his face and neck. The scalding tea had indeed temporary damaged his eyes, and he was blind for a few days. 'But my sources here say Dwight Powell should regain his sight in time to watch this broadcast from his jail cell at the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, where he's being held without bail.' Sydney Jordan announced.

The picture switched to Sydney, walking with the elder Wongpooms through the wreckage of their restaurant. Sydney Jordan was limping slightly. There were close-ups of broken chairs, and all the shattered plates and glass on the water-damaged carpet. The camera pulled back to show Suchin pointing and wincing at the mess. The older woman started weeping on Sydney's shoulder. The reporter gently patted her back. Her voice-over continued, 'Som and Suchin's insurance won't completely cover the cost of water damage, the destroyed aquarium and all its fish, as well as business lost while Thai Paradise remains closed for repairs.'

They cut to Sydney Jordan flanked by Leah and Jared, and about a dozen other people outside Thai Paradise. Everyone looked chilled to the bone, but they were smiling. 'That's why Jared, Leah, and several of their neighbors--all regulars here at Thai Paradise--have so far collected four thousand eight hundred dollars to help offset repair costs for Som and Suchin.'

'Oh, Thai Paradise is one of my favorite places to eat,' said one middle-age woman, in close-up. 'And they're really wonderful people, too.'

'My wife and I are regulars,' said a forty-something man with a baseball cap. 'It's the best Thai food around.'

Sydney Jordan turned to Jared and Leah. 'Some people might say you two have already done enough to help Som and Suchin and their restaurant. But I understand you don't intend to quit until you've collected eight thousand dollars for them.'

Leah snuggled up to her fiance. 'It's the least we can do for these nice people who have had us over to dinner so many times.'

The pretty news correspondent turned toward the camera. 'I'm Sydney Jordan--with two very special Movers & Shakers here in Portland, Oregon. Now back to you, Sloan.'

The picture switched to dapper, silver-haired Sloan Roberts at his news desk again. Seated beside him was his pretty blond co-anchor. 'Here's an update on that story since it aired last December,' Sloan said. 'Thai Paradise opened its doors again in early January. If you'd like to eat there, reservations are recommended. It's so popular, Som and Suchin plan to open Thai Paradise II some time next year. As for Jared and Leah, they've set a date and will be married in September.'

'Maybe they could have the reception at the restaurant,' chirped Sloan's co-anchor.

Grinning, he nodded. 'They're sure to get a discount. Thank you, Sydney Jordan--for that moving story. Stay tuned for more as On the Edge returns.'

A commercial for margarine came on.

The man in the Portland hotel grabbed the remote and switched off the TV. Funny, they reran Sydney Jordan's Movers & Shakers segment with Leah and Jared tonight. He'd started making plans for them shortly after watching that piece when it had originally aired six months ago. He'd been watching Leah and Jared for nearly a month now. He knew the old five-story apartment building where they lived in Portland's Northwest district. He'd learned how to get inside the place undetected. He'd acquainted himself with every inch of it--from the roof to the dark, dank recesses of the basement. He'd even broken into their apartment already, just long enough to study the layout and go through their closets to make sure they didn't keep a gun on the premises. Before making his clandestine exit, he'd left a calling card. He'd peed in their bathroom, left the toilet seat up, and hadn't flushed. He'd imagined Leah later bitching out Jared for being such a pig, and that had made him chuckle. Yet a part of him had wanted them to know someone else had been inside the apartment. Part of him had been daring them to figure it out. Last week, he'd been cocky enough to take risks like that.

But not anymore. He had to be very careful now that their Movers & Shakers segment had been recycled for On the Edge. Jared and Leah were in the limelight again, maybe not for long. But he had to pull back for a while, maybe even delay his plans for a few more days.

Turning away from the TV, he glanced down at the hotel's king-size bed, where he'd laid out his burglary tools--a collection of files, skeleton keys, and wires. He'd used them to break into Leah and Jared's building and their apartment. On the ugly maroon and hunter green paisley bedspread, he'd also set out a pair of gloves, a knife, and a 9-millimeter Glock handgun. And on the pillow was a neatly folded, lightweight, clear plastic rain jacket.

Everything he needed.

Just a few more days, he thought. He could wait. He was a patient man.

And then Sydney Jordan's friends, Jared and Leah, would be on the news again.

'You're clearly limping here in this scene,' the hotshot, twenty-something exec said. He had black, spiked hair, designer glasses, and a black designer suit--with no tie. He also had a Bluetooth phone attached to his ear. Leaning back in his chair at the conference table, he unclasped his hands from behind his head to point to the big TV screen for a moment. 'See what I mean?'

His assistant, a young East Indian man, worked the DVD remote control. With a flick of the button, he backed up the scene on the big-screen TV of Sydney Jordan assessing the wrecked restaurant with the Wongpooms.

'Yes, I'm clearly limping,' Sydney said tonelessly. 'It's from an old spinal cord injury, Brad.'

Brad was an image consultant the network had hired to review her work. He'd shown the old Jared and Leah story to a test audience, and Sydney had flown from Seattle to New York to hear the test findings. She still had some jet lag. Her hair was swept back in a ponytail, and she wore a blue sleeveless dress.

There was only one other person at the long conference table, a young woman in a power suit from the network's public relations department. She took notes and said nothing.

'Well, people don't want to see you limping, Sydney,' Brad said. 'The test audience was split right down the