Rich added, “That’s all circumstantial. I can’t arrest him just on innuendo. My only option is to charge him with impersonating an officer. That will at least get him off the street if he has plans of doing something on the anniversary of the accident.”
“If you arrest him I will never see Gwen again.”
“Then what do you propose we do?”
“I have a plan. Bobby-go set up a press conference for tomorrow morning. You have a big announcement to make.”
Chapter 78
Friday night was idyllic for football. Heavy rains were predicted, but held off. Temperatures were October brisk, just a shade below fifty for the game between the undefeated Rockfield Mountain Lions and Newtown High.
The onslaught began immediately, with Rockfield returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Midway through the second quarter, Ethan’s troops had a twenty-one to nothing lead and were closing in on more.
I took in the sights and sounds. I noticed my father working the crowd like it were Election Day, in his first public appearance since Noah’s funeral. My mother was more subdued, huddled under a blanket in the bleachers, chatting with old friends. The band struck up a catchy fight song, drowning out the obnoxious shouts coming from the parents in the crowd. When my eyes got to the cheerleaders, I thought of Gwen, and how stunning she used to look in her cheerleader uniform back in the day.
The thought sobered me. I knew I had one shot to get her back. This had to work. The stakes were Gwen’s life, which meant it might as well have been my own life. The plan was based on Benson’s weakness-his heroic view of himself. You take my girl, I take your glory.
But I wasn’t naive enough to think that Benson didn’t have the upper hand. It no longer mattered if we were onto him-he held the ultimate equalizer in Gwen. He knew it, and I knew it. All I wanted to do was to level the playing field.
Halftime came with Rockfield being cheered off the field, owning a commanding four-touchdown lead. I made my way to the snack bar and shamelessly used my celebrity status to cut in line. It wasn’t that I was so desperately hungry, or on an ego trip-I was just strapped for time. The first step in the plan should be arriving in just moments.
On the way back to my position, I saw him. Working security detail for the game in his light gray police uniform was Grady Benson, or as he was known in these parts, Officer Jones. I held my stare on him, and could tell it made him feel momentarily uncomfortable. I was skilled at causing discomfort in others, which normally worked as an effective weapon in keeping people from sitting next to me on the subway. Benson turned and went on his way, diligently carrying out his police duties. I smiled at winning a small battle.
I returned to the meeting spot and waited. She showed up wearing a long black leather coat. It came down just above her high-heeled shoes, giving her a flasher look. Her big blonde hair shone so brightly it could have been used to light the field.
I cringed when I heard her voice, “Hello, John Peter.”
Chapter 79
“You look radiant as usual,” I greeted Lauren.
“Don’t try to butter me up, John Peter. If you invited me here because you want me to interview you, well, you are a dollar late and a day short.”
“Actually, I wanted both you and Cliff to come. Where is he?” I asked, letting the butchered saying pass without comment.
“He’s parking the car. Before he gets here, I just want to say that it’s very obvious the reason you asked us here was to beg for your job back. So I want you to know that I’m a team player, and I won’t stand in your way. I will do my best not to think less of you when I’m your boss.”
I began to choke on my hot dog. “I’m sure any man would be honored to be under you. And I’m sure many have been.”
“Your smarty-pants comments don’t work on me anymore, John Peter. The fact is, you thought GNZ would crumble without you. Between my reporting on the Kingsbury case, and our new edgier shows this fall, not only did we not miss a beat, but we found that old guys like you were making us stale.”
Rockfield didn’t waste any time in the second half, scoring on the third play to the roar of the crowd.
“I caught Todd Scott’s edgier show, the Todd Squad for Truth. Where’d you guys find him, the Mental Health Channel?”
“Make fun all you want, John Peter, but Todd is a revolutionary.”
“Sort of like Castro was.”
“You are just jealous that he’s not afraid to feed America the answers it starves for.”
“I guess if you can’t report the news, you might as well make it up.”
“You wouldn’t know cutting edge if it hit you in the head,” she replied angrily.
She might’ve had a point, but to be fair, I often did want a sharp cutting edge to stick in my eye when I was with her. I thought that should count for something.
Our stimulating conversation was interrupted by Cliff Sutcliffe, also stylishly overdressed for a high school football game. I was getting worried that he’d dropped Lauren off and hightailed it back to the city. Not that I could argue against the strategy, but I needed him here.
We shook hands like we were long lost friends. Lauren excused herself so that she could use the “ladies room.” Her acting hadn’t improved since the last time I’d seen her.
When she was safely out of earshot, Cliff began his spiel, “JP, I need you back. Even MSNBC has passed us in the ratings!”
“Ratings are overrated.” I said with a smug grin.
“You drive a hard bargain, but I’ll double the offer from last time.”
“I’m not coming back, Cliff.”
His face looked like a balloon that had been popped with a needle. “Then why was it so urgent for us to trek out to the wilderness tonight?”
“I started working at GNZ when I was seventeen. The place will always be part of me, and I hate to see it struggle. So I wanted to give you a scoop about something big going down here in Rockfield.”
“What big event could possibly take place in this Podunk town?”
“You mean like the brother of a certain celebrity journalist dying in a tragic accident last month?”
“I’m sorry, JP, I forgot to mention to you how sorry we at GNZ are for your loss.”
“The only thing you’ll be sorry about is if you don’t follow up on the lead I’m about to give you. Here’s the scoop-Noah’s death wasn’t a suicide. Do you remember those terrorists who put a bounty on me last year?”
His eyes grew wide behind his spectacles. “You’re telling me that Al Muttahedah killed your brother in an act of revenge?” he asked with a little too much excitement.
“No, what I was going to tell you is that when it’s revealed who was behind Noah’s death, it will be bigger than that.”
Right on schedule, Lauren returned. “So have you come to your senses, John Peter, and decided to come back to work for me at GNZ?”
When she realized that the answer was no, her face flushed with anger.
But before the tongue lashing commenced, Cliff spoke, “JP won’t be re-joining us at this time, but he offered us a lead on a big story.”
Her pouty look perked up. “How big?”
“Huge,” I said. I’d broken so many big stories over the years that they couldn’t completely dismiss me.
