“Do you mind?” she asked.
“What is that you’ve brought up there?”
“The story I’m working on.”
He squinted then noticed and smiled. “The Zodiac wannabe is old news. You’re fourteen months too late. He won’t go for that.”
“That’s not what I’m looking into.”
“No? Then what is it?”
She leaned in and switched off her computer. “Like I’m going to tell you. You said yourself it’s a cutthroat business.”
He wagged his finger in front of her face. “Ah grasshopper, now you’re getting it. Well played. But it’s not me you have to worry about.” He surveyed the other reporters. “It’s them. Those piranhas, they will eat you alive. I couldn’t care less what are you looking into. My paycheck will still be there even if this place goes under.”
He scratched the back of his neck slowly like a relaxed cat on a warm summer’s day.
Kelly put a hand on her hip. “Yeah, how so?”
“My aunt. The same one that Johnson is banging. She has strong ties in the city. Why do you think he’s interested in her? Believe me, it’s not for her looks. Though don’t go telling her that.” He winked. “Anyway, she promised me a job if things go belly-up here so come on, let’s hear your story. Maybe I can refine your pitch for Johnson. You know how he is. You don’t get more than ten seconds to make it sound exciting. If you bore him he will kick you out of that office so fast your head will still be spinning when you land.”
Kelly was reluctant but Zach did have a way with words and it was rare to see him get one of his stories shot down by Johnson. Maybe his aunt played a role in it, or perhaps he just had the gift of gab. Either way she couldn’t afford to screw it up. She bit down on her bottom lip then turned her computer back on and stabbed her finger against the screen. Zach peered over. “The mystery man? That’s your story?”
“You heard what Johnson said. Readers want someone they can get behind. There were a whole lot of people singing this guy’s praises when the incident at the island went down. And there isn’t one photo of him. Just a few grainy surveillance streams.”
“Ah, Armstrong I thought you had a better idea than that.”
Kelly screwed up her face. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Well you know it’s flawed from the get-go.”
She turned in her seat to face him, resting an elbow on the table and raking her fingers through her wavy dark hair. “How so?”
He sniffed hard and picked again at his gnarly looking teeth. “Well there is no information on him. Reports from sources are unreliable at best.”
“And you would know?”
“C’mon, give me some credit. You think you’re the only one who saw a diamond in the rough? I worked the story when it broke. I spoke with all of the witnesses. Many of the reports contradict themselves. We have him with blond hair, dark hair, five foot nine, six foot two, green eyes, blue eyes, wielding a sword, carrying a machine gun and even having superhuman speed.” He started laughing. “My honest opinion, it’s a case of mass hysteria. Nothing more than people suffering from trauma. They concocted some story of a guy who rescued them the same way folks in ancient Greece spoke of the gods coming to their aid. You’re wasting your time, Armstrong.” He looked down at the screen again. “So is that all you’ve got?”
“No, actually I found out more.”
“You did?”
“Don’t sound so surprised.”
He scoffed. “I’m not. Just curious.”
“Why, if I’m wasting my time?”
He hopped off the desk. “As strange as it might sound, I see myself in you. We’re a lot alike.”
“Zach, I don’t want to hear about your extracurricular cross-dressing.”
He laughed. “No, look, I remember what it was like being wet behind the ears and willing to do whatever it took to land my first break. Heck, I would have slept my way to the top. But I wouldn’t advise doing that, unless of course it’s with me.” He winked again and Kelly groaned. “Anyway, I should get back to it. But hey, if you ever want to chat about what you’ve found. I’m sure we can discuss it over drinks… what do you say?”
“I say, don’t hold your breath.”
She turned away and began organizing her desk. Zach laughed and she watched him out of the corner of her eye traipse away only to stop at the desk of another young female. Kelly turned her screen back on and brought up the article. She’d already sat down with several of the named witnesses. Even after all these months they didn’t deviate from their account of that night and by the expressions on their faces Kelly knew they weren’t lying. They had no reason to. These were reputable people holding down respectable jobs. What she hadn’t told Zach was that she’d had a local video company enhance the grainy footage that was released online in an attempt to get a clearer look at the mystery man’s face. She pulled up the email from them again and viewed the photo attachment. Even though it was clearer it still didn’t reveal his face. That’s why she never told him. He would have mocked her for it. Kelly sat there tapping her lips with one finger before bringing the article back up again. Even though Zach said he’d worked the story, it wasn’t his name that was on the article, it was a female by the name of Dana Grant. “Dana?” she mumbled.
She’d thought that chatting with her might give her some inroad. It was common for reporters to gather a lot of information but only cherry-pick the best quotes from witnesses. Was it possible that she had gathered key information that might reveal the identity of the mystery man?
Kelly had already been in contact with
