by Harry Verity
Edward sighed.
20
The car wound its way around Graysmead, to the tall collection of towers at the very edge of town as the last remnants of daylight faded into the horizon. The car reached its destination a good few streets away from the estate. They didn’t want to draw attention to themselves. It was best to be discreet, to walk on foot, though it wasn’t as if they were expecting a visitor from The Michael O’Shea Show.
Inside, the talk turned quickly to the purpose of their meeting.
Tiffany was alone in her flat, lest her baby, left sleeping in its cot.
‘You didn’t make enough of an impact last time. It’s all about the impact you make. I can coach you. I can make you famous, rich beyond your wildest dreams but only if you play it my way. This time people will remember you…’
‘Tell me what I have to do…’
21
It was, to quote Mags, the shitstorm to end all shitstorms. Front page splashes across the board.
‘There’s a press conference at half nine,’ Violet said as she put down the phone, pointing to the screen from which the techie usually watched the show as it was broadcast.
‘Will Michael be there?’
Violet nodded. ‘And so will Liv but that looks like all the PR they’ll be doing; the newspapers and the TV stations aren’t interested in any more interviews. Most of them told me to get lost and that they’ll run what the hell they want, using more colourful language.’
‘That’s not great but I sp–’
Edward and Violet stopped; they could hear footsteps on the production gallery steps and sure enough several seconds later there was a knock at the door.
‘Do I have the right place? This is the Michael O’Shea Show?’
Edward went to open the door and in walked an elderly lady with a stern look on her face and a clipboard.
‘I am the director of the independent panel into standards and procedures,’ she explained. ‘I was told I would be allowed access to the filming of the show for a few days.’
This had been discussed at the meeting with Mr Griffiths the previous day but Edward had no idea that her inspection would begin so quickly.
‘Yes, of course,’ he said. ‘Can I get you anything? A cup of tea?’
‘That won’t be necessary.’
Violet and Edward paused. Suddenly it dawned upon them that their every move was to come under scrutiny. How on earth could they plan for anything if they were constantly being watched? And what to do now? Did they watch the press conference? Should they comment on Michael and Liv’s performance? In the end, they simply tried to ignore the inspector, pulled their chairs closer to the screen and began to watch the scene unfold before them.
Michael’s performance was, as usual, slick and heart-wrenching. Despite their refusal to interview him directly, the press had turned out in force and he posed for photos at the conference table with Mr and Mrs Butler, who were understandably beside themselves with anguish. What was nice was that the Butlers were not once critical of the show. In fact, they went to great lengths to talk about how much support they had received in the run-up to Jessica being sent off to Cornwall. At the end of the conference, the detectives dropped the bombshell that the disappearance of Minnie Jenkins was still being treated suspiciously, despite the voicemail she had left, and nobody was ruling out the theory that the two disappearances were related. Suddenly the room erupted with a scrum of questions and accusations from the reporters. In the end, Michael brought the conference to a close rather swiftly and walked out.
Edward gave Violet a knowing look but she did not return it, nor did they discuss the press conference at all. The truth was neither of them had any idea how to manage the unfolding crisis.
‘Look at this.’ Mags placed a stack of newspapers down on Violet and Edward’s desk. It was a sight, unlike Edward had ever seen. Pages and pages of coverage. The Lion lead with ‘O’Shea in Meltdown’ whilst The Owl, a highbrow broadsheet, questioned whether the television industry as a whole was regulated enough.
Edward flicked through the pages but one story caught his eye.
‘O’SHEA IN NEW TEENAGE SEX SCANDAL’
‘EXCLUSIVE: I FATHERED O’SHEA’S BABY’
Embattled TV Star Michael O’Shea is today being accused of failing to practice what he preaches as The Lion exclusively reveals he has been accused of fathering a baby with a teenage girl and cheating on his long-term wife Karen.
Twenty-year-old Tiffany Roe has claimed she had a secret romp with O’Shea when he came to visit her home town of Graysmead for a story that was never aired two years ago. The girl, who was initially dropped from the show for editorial reasons, but finally made it to air with her first appearance on the newly revamped O’Shea with her twin sister, said she confronted the besieged presenter about the issue backstage but now feels she has to speak out.
O’Shea regularly lays into cheaters on his show and has been known to describe parents who don’t pay child maintenance as ‘worthless scum’. He has also spoken out against older men who enter into relationships with teenage girls and has refused to fund his own brother’s trial for sex crimes against young girls.
Tiffany was eighteen at the time of the alleged affair, a few months older than Jessica Butler, the girl who police believe was abducted on her way to an eating disorder clinic after an appearance on O’Shea’s show.
‘I was young and naïve, I saw that he was off the telly and I wanted him.’
Michael and Liv returned from their press conference as Edward had finished reading the story. Braithwaite joined them soon after; the entire team was assembled, ready to attempt to find some way through the fog of chaos.
Edward knew he had to mention the story he’d finished reading but he knew better than to bring it up with Michael, so he discreetly passed the paper to Mags who glanced over it. Edward noticed the inspector, trying to get a glimpse of what Mags was looking over.
‘This is a mess, a FU…’ Mags started.
Violet cleared her throat and put her hand in the air. ‘This is the inspector from the standards committee.’
The inspector gave Michael a stern look. He at first seemed at a loss for words.
‘How long will she be here,’ he said.
‘I have been advised that I can have as much time as I require,’ the inspector replied. ‘Nothing less than a complete, transparent picture of how the show is put together will help me write my report. And I must warn you that if you attempt to obstruct me or restrict my access in any way then you will render my investigation redundant.’
There was a stunned silence across the gallery. Edward had no idea of how to proceed. They were being attacked on all sides. In the end, it was Braithwaite who broke the ice.
‘This story…’ he started, having clearly read it over Mags’ shoulder.
Edward could have banged his head on the table.
‘What story?’ came the inevitable response from Michael. So much for subtlety.
Mags sighed, heavily, and passed the newspaper across the table. ‘I assume it has no basis in fact?’
Michael scanned it for several moments. ‘I’m not even going to dignify that with an answer. That name though, wait a minute. Look at this.’ Michael reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. ‘Do you know what? Cancel her trip to Florida.’
Both Violet and Liv gave Michael the same stern look, trying to remind him of the inspector.
But he wasn’t having it. ‘Look…’ and he pulled out his mobile phone.
‘Tiffany Roe is one of many people who thinks she has the right to bombard me with abusive messages every day, all because she’s been on the show once and wants more attention, thinks she knows me, day after day, spouting lies and lies. And now the idiots at that paper…’
Violet cleared her throat and Michael trailed off.
‘Here…’ he said and passed the phone around so that Edward, Violet, Mags, and Liv could see what was on the screen. Amongs
t a torrent of abuse in the ‘blocked’ category, almost every other message was from Tiffany in various guises. Her usernames varied from Tiffany126 and Tifferz to BABYOSHEA but all of them described Michael as a hypocrite and made reference to the fact he owed her money for her baby.
Edward wondered why the girl had chosen this moment to go to the papers.
‘Oh, she won’t have been that clever. Either some scumbag journo or other will have trawled through all our guests or this would have been kept in a drawer for months until the right moment… for maximum impact.’
‘But if these allegations are simply not true why can’t you put out a statement to that effect?’ Braithwaite asked.
Edward could tell Michael wanted to launch into a tirade but he was resisting.
‘I’m not going to dignify her with a response. Why should I?’
‘You could do a paternity test,’ Braithwaite suggested.
‘Wait a minute. We’re still looking for shows to fill up for the rest of the week, aren’t we?’ Mags said.
‘Yes,’ Violet said.
‘So what if we turn this around,’ Mags said, ‘invite her onto the show.’
‘I just said that I don’t want to dignify her with a response, I don’t even want to put out a statement, let alone let a stalking maniac into the building.’
Liv stepped in. ‘But we could turn this into a story about the nature of the press. If you prove, live on stage, that she’s a liar then you get people at home to understand that the papers are trashing your name… think how it will play.’
‘And the girl?’ Braithwaite said. ‘We’d need to make sure that she was looked after, given the help that she needs when the show is over.’
‘I don’t give a flying fu–’
Violet talked straight over him. ‘So, this will be a show to illustrate the damaging impact of Tiffany Roe’s behaviour. It will examine how easy it is to make allegations sitting at home on a computer and to forget about the real impact that they can have.’
‘What she said!’ Mags piped up.
‘That’s settled then,’ Liv said.
It was long past six. The inspector had bid them all goodbye, thinking that the day was over, but it certainly wasn’t. Edward, Violet, Mags, and Braithwaite had all signed out through the front reception but had then crossed the road and had snuck into the garage compound. At last, they were free to let rip and come up with a course of action without fear of signing the show’s death warrant.
Michael’s iconic Jaguar car took up so much room in the garage that the group actually had to get into his car.
‘Look what we have been reduced to!’ Mags screamed.
‘Let’s try to keep our heads,’ Violet said. ‘We have a plan. A good plan.’
‘A plan? What plan could possibly fix this mess? They’re insinuating, implying, ALLEGING,’ and Mags placed her hands above her head and made emphatic quote marks, ‘that Michael is a paedophile, that he likes young girls. And let’s not forget about the reason we’re all here. They’ve hired that inspector to shut us down. It’s the same bitch that did the vote-rigging inquiry on Who Deserves a Million?’
Who Deserves a Million? was a short-lived reality show that a rival channel had produced a few years back. Contestants, unaware they were being filmed, would, over the course of several months, be presented with all kinds of moral dilemmas: an expensive watch might be left lying on the ground and only those who handed it in would make it through to the next round. In the final, the public had to vote for the person they thought most deserved to win a million pounds based on their performance in the previous tasks and a short three-minute video in which the contestants begged for the money.
After The Lion received a tip-off they ran an article suggesting the vote was rigged and the contestant who was to win the money was decided, prior to filming. The subsequent investigation found the network had indeed been rigging the vote: the producer of the show was sacked and only a heavily toned-down version of the programme – in which the prize money was substantially reduced and a panel of judges picked the winner – was allowed to be broadcast. In the end, the whole thing was shut down due to poor ratings.
Michael seemed remarkably calm. ‘I’ve done nothing wrong. Mags has sold me on the Tiffany paternity story.’
‘Okay,’ Violet said, ‘I appreciate we’re in a tight spot but we will come out on the other side if we have a good game plan. Getting Tiffany on to do a DNA test on her child is a very good idea. We also have a good angle that can help us demolish the claims one by one. The press and the channel will never get their way if we have the public on our side. Jessica Butler has probably run off because she doesn’t want to go through with the programme at the clinic. We could riff off that and talk about Michael’s disappointment but that it’s ultimately up to her, only she can help herself. The immediate issue we have is if Tiffany refuses a DNA test. If she’s lying why would she want to humiliate and expose herself live on television?’
‘Oh I don’t think getting her on board will be an issue,’ Michael said – Edward could tell that he’d been biding his time, his anger building. ‘Attention-seeking scum like her love the limelight, it’s what makes them tick, they’re so desperate, they’d even risk being humiliated. She’ll no doubt assume that, even if she is exposed, people will be interested in her comeback, how she reformed, all the usual sycophantic shit that comes with the territory. The reality is that people couldn’t give a toss about lowlifes like her, isn’t that right, Braithwaite? You’re the psychologist, the expert on these matters.’
‘She obviously has a mental disorder that would need to be treated.’
‘First-rate fucking nutjob, up for anything,’ Mags said.
‘Exactly,’ Michael replied.
‘H-hang on, hang on!’ Braithwaite said. ‘We have to be careful. Look what happened the last time we invited vulnerable people on the show.’
‘For the last fucking time, Braithwaite. We will give her the help. We’ll palm her off with whatever doctor she needs, give her whatever she wants. And make sure it’s twice whatever The Lion have offered her, which by the way is far more than she deserves, but only IF she plays ball.’
‘Right then, tomorrow we need to go and track her down. We will have to film an interview with her as well as her and Michael taking the swabs of DNA.’
‘Don’t go easy on her either,’ Mags said.
‘I’m afraid that might be rather difficult, what with the inspector. I would imagine that she would want to come with us. But,’ Violet explained, ‘perhaps we could avoid the usual way of doing things. If we go around trying to find dirt on her it won’t do our reputations any good…’
‘All right, fine,’ Mags said, ‘lay off the shit shovelling, just focus on her. It doesn’t really matter anyway, whatever she says we’re going to prove she’s a liar.’
It was getting late and the absurdity of the situation was taking its toll. They were having a work meeting, hours into the evening, in a parked car so they could avoid being overheard by an inspector they were supposed to be co-operating with.
‘I think we should go home and get some rest,’ Violet suggested. Mags too seemed to think sleep might make it easier to think clearly and so finally they all departed the car, leaving Michael and Liv to make their own arrangements home without being spotted by the press pack, a permanent fixture of the main road.
22
‘Today, we’re going to do things differently. I’m going to prove just how low some people are prepared to sink. Let’s take a look at what I’m talking about.’
The projectors lit up, the lights dimmed and a short film began to play. Frantic music played as the audience was reminded of The Lion exclusive: ‘O’SHEA IN NEW TEENAGE SEX SCANDAL’ intercut with fragments of an interview Edward had recorded with Tiffany and a short clip of Braithwaite taking a swab of Michael’s DNA. As the music reached its climax, a final tagline: ‘Two sides to every story, one test, one result.’
Michael, Liv, and Tiffany parried back and forth for several minutes.
‘Liv, you’ve known me for how long, in all that time, have you ever seen me so much as kiss another woman?’
She smirked and shook her head.
‘No, but that’s not what this is about. It’s not about whether you’ve been unfaithful and are you the father of this girl’s baby. We all know that’s not true, this is about Tiffany and why someone would choose to make such vile allegations. Her life has been a rollercoaster…’
‘You know, I’ve had just about enough of this. We had Tiffany on before, with her twin and the folks at home might have had some sympathy for her but why should they care about her now? She’s made vicious allegations against me and I’m going to prove it!’
The audience burst into applause as Michael took an envelope from the techie and vindicated himself.
‘Surprise surprise, I owe you nothing, love! Proven, right here, I am not the father of your baby.’
Tiffany had obviously braced herself for what was coming. ‘He’s lying! The test is rigged.’
‘Oh please!’
She bowed her head in shame but it was hard not to wonder whether she was acting, whether this was all part of her plan.
Michael relished in the triumph. ‘Isn’t the truth of the matter you were sleeping here, there and everywhere? And a whole host of people could be the father?’
The audience burst into rapturous applause and hollering.
‘See, ladies and gentlemen, she doesn’t deny it. It’s true, isn’t it?’