by Lynn Ames
“You remember when you said you were willing to expose yourself as my lover for Wendy’s story?”
“Yes.” Jay drew out the word.
“And you remember that I was vehemently opposed to the idea?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Let’s just say it’s out of our hands.”
“Breathwaite knows?”
Kate nodded sadly. She gave Jay a rundown of the meeting, after which silence permeated the room.
Finally Jay murmured, “That son of a bitch.”
Kate, easily able to feel her partner’s agitation, rubbed her back gently. Seeing her suffer only strengthened her resolve. “Sweetheart?”
Jay sighed. “Yeah, love?”
“Let’s get him.”
Jay straightened up. “What do you have in mind?”
“I want to steal the story out from under Breathwaite’s nose—beat him to it.”
Jay raised her eyebrows.
“We need to make the announcement ourselves, honey, before he leaks it.” Before Jay could say anything, Kate added, “That’s the only way we can have any control over the story, love.”
Jay thought for a moment. “Okay. That makes sense. Tell me, oh great spinmeister, how do you propose to go about this?”
“Scoop,” regret was etched in every line of Kate’s face, “this could get really ugly. I think it’s entirely possible that he’ll try to attack your journalistic integrity.”
“Katherine Ann, I will not apologize for the story I wrote about you.”
Jay was defiant. “I disclosed everything to my editor at the time, and Trish stood by me then. I suspect she’ll stand by me now. In any event, The Cost of Commitment
you and I both know that the piece was as objective as it would have been had a stranger written it.”
Kate ran her fingers along the fine jawbone that she loved so much.
“I’m so sorry you’re getting dragged into this, sweetheart. I never meant for this to happen.”
“Shh, I know that, Kate. I told you before, I’m proud to be your fiancée, and it will be a relief not to have to hide that anymore.
Breathwaite has no idea what he’s in for.”
Kate chuckled. “That’s my tough girl.”
Jay kissed her lover lightly on the lips. “That’s me. I say bring it on!”
“I’m sure that’s exactly what the asshole will do.”
“So, what’s our plan?”
“Let’s start by bringing Peter and Barbara up to speed.”
“Barbara?” Jay asked, a little surprised.
“Yep. She may be ‘just’ a doctor, but she’s also got a brilliant mind and a gift for seeing all the angles.”
“Okay.”
“We’ve got to hurry, Jay. We don’t have much time.”
Less than half an hour later, the four met in Barbara’s nearby office.
It was not yet 6:45 a.m.
“Now you know what I know,” Kate said. “I wish like hell I could’ve gotten some hint of the scope of this thing, but Breathwaite didn’t bite.
So we’re no closer to finding out the rest of the pieces of the puzzle than we were before, and Breathwaite has new ammunition that he’s gleefully willing to use.”
Peter weighed in, “No. You’re wrong. We know that he’s getting more desperate by the minute, which tells us a lot.”
“Peter’s right,” Barbara chipped in. “For one thing, the escalation might indicate that he’s on a timetable—that he has to have you out by a certain date. For another, it seems to me as though the timetable is not his and he’s not the boss here. I know that might have been obvious to you before, but, as with all scientists, I like to see corroborating evidence.
Finally, I’ll go out on a limb here and say that whoever it is, it’s someone who wields a significant amount of power if it can make an essentially arrogant, self-important imp feel fear.”
Jay muttered, “You’re right. It is almost as if he’s running scared of something.”
“There’s certainly nothing subtle about his approach, that’s for sure,”
Kate added. “Okay, I take it back. We did find out some things of value.
Still, there’s too much we don’t know yet. We have to find a way to flush Lynn Ames
out the other players. We think Redfield might be one, but he’s not powerful enough to scare Breathwaite.”
“How do you suggest we go about finding the others?” Barbara asked.
Jay jumped in before her partner could answer. “Wait. Before you consider that, we need to focus on the here and now. What’s staring us in the face this morning is the immediate threat. We can turn our attention to Breathwaite’s cohorts after we deal with this.”
“Right, Jay.” Kate spared a loving look for her partner. “Within the next three to three and a half hours, Breathwaite will have had a chance to give the story to the tabloids, not to mention the Post and the News.”
“What do you recommend, Kate?”
She considered her options as she had any number of times over the course of the past couple of hours. “First, I want to call Wendy Ashton and give her a half-hour jump on the story. Then I think we should call a press conference, introduce Jay as my partner, explain that we are making the announcement at this time because we are proud of our relationship, tired of being hounded incessantly by the media, and because we wish to get this out of the way so that we can have some peace and move on with our lives without having to endure the type of scrutiny normally reserved for heads of state.”
Heads nodded around the room.
“What about timing?” Barbara asked.
“Talk to Wendy now, asking her to embargo the story until 9:00, then do the media circus at 9:30.”
“Explain the purpose of doing it that way, please? For those of us who don’t do this for a living.”
“Talk to Wendy first because she’s a lesbian, will handle the story with class, and because I owe her. 9:30 a.m. for the press conference because it gives assignment editors, who come in an hour in advance of their reporters, just enough time to get their folks scrambled out the door before any other events take place. Also, we beat the magic 10:00 a.m.
hour, which is when most print journalists in this town start their day.
Breathwaite will likely wait until then to make his phone calls, since he knows it’s mostly a waste of time trying to reach anyone in their office before then. Assignment editors, on the other hand, won’t wait—they’ll call their guys at home and tell them to get their asses in gear now. Not only that, but having Wendy’s story on the wire will make covering our press conference a must, since every other reporter will already be behind the eight ball.”
“And,” Jay chimed in checking her watch, “the timing still gives us a couple of hours to put everything in place.”
The Cost of Commitment
“Why not just put out a statement? Why do you want to face that media circus?” Barbara asked.
All eyes turned once again to Kate.
“Good question. If we put out a statement and don’t give the vultures an opportunity for photos, they’ll just keep hounding us everywhere we go until they get the shot they want. If we let them snap away at the press conference, that should satisfy them. I hope.”
“I’m sure you two have thought of this,” Peter piped up, “but you both have bosses that you ought to fill in before you go any further.”
The lovers looked at each other. Finally, Jay said, “You’re right, Technowiz. I better let Trish know what’s about to come down.” She sounded less than thrilled at the prospect, and Kate moved closer to wrap an arm around her.
“I’m so sorry, love.”
“No,” Jay said fiercely. “Don’t you dare apologize, Katherine. This is not your fault. The blame lies squarely with that two-bit troll.”
“She’s right, Kate,” Barbara added gently.
Looking at his friend, Peter said, “And you, my dear Katherine, have a commissione
r to face. Better get him up to speed.”
Jay looked dubiously from her lover to Peter.
Kate explained, “Honey, if the commissioner was involved, I’d already have been fired. Peter and I are as sure as we can be about anything that he’s clean.”
“Okay, I’ll have to take your word on that.”
Peter said, “Kate, why don’t you draft an advisory with the details of the press conference, and Barbara and I can fax it from her machine. Just give us your media contact sheet and we’ll send it out to the news outlets.”
Barbara added, “Then you and Jay will be free to take care of your respective bosses.”
“Thanks guys. That makes good sense.” She looked at her best friends and summoned her cockiest grin. “Well, this ought to be fun. See you in a bit.”
“Trish? It’s Jay. I hate to bother you at home, but I thought I’d better not wait.”
“What’s up? Are you so anxious for your next assignment that you couldn’t wait until I got into the office? You know I love your initiative and drive, but...”
“Very funny. You know I wouldn’t bother you unless it was really important.”
Lynn Ames
“I know that, kiddo, I was just trying to lighten you up a bit. You sound pretty strung out.”
“Well, it’s not every day that my relationship gets splashed all over the headlines and my professionalism called into question.”
“Slow down, Jamison. You lost me. What are you talking about?”
Jay explained everything that she and Kate had been through since Kate took the job with the prison system, including Breathwaite’s visit that morning.
“I wish you’d told me what was going on, kiddo. No wonder you’ve seemed a little on edge lately.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t really think it was your problem. Now, though, it seems more than likely that he’ll go after me professionally. He probably figures if he can push Kate’s buttons he can make her quit.”
“Will it work?”
“No,” Jay said quietly, knowing that Trish was thinking about Kate’s innate tendency to protect Jay without consulting her. “Kate told him to go to hell, came right home to tell me everything, and we planned the strategy together.”
“Okay, kiddo. I just don’t want to see you get hurt again.”
“I may well get hurt,” Jay said grimly, “but not by Kate. We’re going to take our relationship public before the jerk has a chance to do it for us.”
Trish whistled. “Wow, kiddo. Gutsy move.” She thought for a minute. “Smart, I think. It prevents him from having a role at the outset.”
“Right.”
“But I think you’re right. It doesn’t sound to me like he’s the kind of guy who’s gonna let that stand for very long.”
“Exactly. If the first day’s story is my identity, you can bet that day two’s headlines will be the timing of the cover story last May.”
“Mm. Makes sense.”
“Trish, I know you stood by me then, and I really appreciate it, but I don’t want to do anything to damage the magazine’s reputation.” The note of dejection was clear in Jay’s voice.
“I know that, Jay. Your integrity is one of the things I admire most about you. Let’s cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, you just focus on what you have to do this morning. I’ll have a conversation with the managing editor and we’ll come up with a plan.”
“Okay.”
“Chin up, kiddo. I’ll be rooting for you.”
“Thanks, Trish. You’re the best.”
The Cost of Commitment
Kate walked into Commissioner Sampson’s office and closed the door.
“You needed to see me, Kate?”
“Yes, sir. Thank you for making the time.”
“Sit down, sit down. How many times have I told you there’s no need to be so formal.”
Kate selected the chair closest to the door. “Sir, do you remember our conversation after the AP story came out?”
“Of course I do.”
“Well, as I told you then, there is a concerted effort going on to discredit me. Today the campaign is going to reach a new low.”
“How do you know?” Sampson made a show of looking at his watch.
“It’s barely 7:30 in the morning.”
“I know with a great degree of certainty that the plan is to release Jay’s identity as my partner to the tabloids today, sir.”
Sampson raised his eyebrows. “And you know this how?”
“I’d rather not say yet, sir. I’d rather focus on what I plan to do about it.”
“Kate, I told you once before, I want to know who’s responsible for all this. If you know something, I want you to share it with me.”
“Is that an order, sir? Because if it is, I will answer you, but I’d rather take care of today’s business first, if you don’t mind.”
The commissioner sighed. “Kate, I’m not going to force you to tell me what you clearly don’t want to share, for whatever reason,” he stared at her meaningfully, “but I like to keep control over what goes on in my shop. I’m sure you can understand that?”
“Yes, sir, I do. But I still don’t know enough yet to act on anything except heading off today’s disaster.”
“Okay. Tell me what you have in mind. And, by the way, before you go any further, let me go on the record as saying I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what, sir?” Kate looked puzzled.
“Sorry that Jay is getting dragged into this and that the two of you have to go through such garbage.”
“Thank you, sir. Have I told you lately that you’re an extraordinary man?”
Sampson laughed. “I think I would have remembered if you had, but feel free.”
“Most people wouldn’t be as accepting as you and the governor have been, sir,” Kate’s voice cracked with emotion, “and I can’t begin to tell you how much Jay and I appreciate that.”
“You’re welcome, Kate. Now, tell me what’s going on.”
Kate filled Sampson in on their plans for the morning. As she did so, he sat watching her intently, his fingers steepled under his chin.
Lynn Ames
When she had finished, he said, “All right. I can understand why you want to get out ahead of the curve. I’ll let the governor know—that will be one less thing you have to worry about.”
“Are you sure, sir? I mean, it’s my responsibility.”
“I’ll take care of it, Kate. You’ve got more than enough to worry about without having to do that also. I can assure you right now, though, that his reaction will be much the same as mine. We’re behind you 100
percent.”
“Thank you, sir.” As she stood and turned to leave, she added, “If you change your mind and we need to reevaluate my position here at DOCS, I’ll understand.”
“I won’t hear of it. Good luck, Kate. You’ve got a lot of guts. I wish you the best.”
“Thank you, sir.”
The Cost of Commitment
CHAPTER SEVEN
t 8:00 a.m., Kate and Jay rendezvoused once again at Barbara’s Aoffice.
“Everything okay, love?” Kate asked, as she shut the door to Barbara’s meeting room, where Jay was already seated at the table.
“So far, so good. Trish was very understanding, totally supportive, and willing to go to the managing editor for me to run interference.”
“That’s great.”
“Yeah, but I’m not so sure that Mr. Standislau is going to be quite as accepting and helpful about all this as Trish has been. He’s a pretty conservative, by-the-book kind of guy. If this goes down the way we think it will, the magazine’s reputation could take a hit for allowing a reporter with close ties to a subject to write the story.”
“Maybe. Did he know at the time what had happened?”
“I don’t know if Trish ever shared that with him or not. For her sake, I hope so. If this comes as a surprise to him—well, I sure don’t want to get her in trouble wi
th the big boss on my behalf.”
“I’m sure she knows that, honey. She sounds like a tough, smart woman. I’m betting she knows how to handle Standislau.” Kate noted Jay’s grim expression. “In any event, that’s not something we should be dwelling on right now. First things first.”
“Right,” Jay said with a noticeable lack of enthusiasm. “Today we let the wolves have at both of us. Tomorrow they can pick on my carcass.
On day three they can take aim at Time for good measure.”
Before Kate could respond, there was a knock at the door. Barbara stuck her head in.
“Ashton is here, ladies. She’s in the waiting room. Want me to entertain her for a bit?”
They both sighed heavily. “No,” Kate said, “I’ll be out in a second.”
Lynn Ames
As the door clicked shut once again, Kate crossed to where Jay was sitting, pulling her to her feet and into a hug. “I love you, Jamison Parker, and I would do anything to protect you. You know that, right?”
Jay looked up into her lover’s intense eyes. “I know that, honey. It’s just one of many things I love about you.” She stood on tiptoes and kissed Kate softly on the mouth. Pulling back she added, “I haven’t had a chance in all the excitement to say this, but I want you to know how very much I appreciate the fact that you let me be part of the decision-making process this time.”
Kate hung her head. “I may be stubborn, Jay, but I’m not stupid.”
Jay lifted Kate’s chin with two fingers, forcing eye contact. “Hey.
That’s not what I was trying to say.”
“I know.”
“I’m only trying to say thank you for overriding your protective reflex so that we could face this monster together. It makes me feel incredibly loved and special.”
“You are incredibly loved and special, sweetheart.” Kate captured Jay’s lips in a reverent kiss. “Stay here. I’ll be right back with Wendy.”
At the door, she hesitated, looking back at her lover. “Deep breath, baby.
Are you ready?”
Jay straightened up and assumed a no-nonsense pose. “Ready when you are, Coach.”
“Right. Back in a flash.”