Whirlwind

45

Dallas, Texas

“That’s the one.”

Mark Danson was previewing his photos while he and Kate sat in his Jeep before leaving the Coopers’ flattened neighborhood in Lancaster. He angled his camera to show her his favorite frame.

“It’s an emotional image,” he said. “What do you think?”

There was Jenna Cooper standing among the ruins of her home cherishing her missing baby’s toy rattle.

“Yes, it’s strong,” Kate said.

Danson started the motor and, as they made their way to the expressway, he sensed Kate was still shaky from talking with Jenna Cooper.

“You were good back there,” he said.

“What d’you mean?”

“How you got the mother to talk when she was clearly pissed at you over the motel business. It was a good act.”

“‘A good act.’ What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know.”

“No, I don’t know.”

“Come on. In this business we gotta say or do whatever it takes to get what we need. Her husband was right, covering tragedies the way we do is part of our job.”

“Pretending to care isn’t how I do things.”

“It’s the name of the game, come on.”

“God, Mark. Do you really think I’m that callous?”

Danson shrugged and switched on the radio, tuning it to a country station. Kate turned to the window, retreated into her thoughts and confronted the truth.

Danson may be an oaf, but he was partly right. Covering tragedies involved invading and exploiting the privacy of people at the most painful times of their lives, and Kate hated doing it. She always reached inside herself to be as honest, compassionate and professional as possible.

But Jenna Cooper’s case was one of the most agonizing she’d ever reported on. Look at all Jenna had suffered: her baby’s missing, her home’s gone. How much more was that poor woman supposed to endure? And even more heartbreaking was Jenna’s belief that she was to blame.

As the city flowed by, her words echoed: I was holding him but I let him go. It’s my fault that I lost him.

That’s why for Kate this was more than a news story. Not because so much was riding on her internship with Newslead-it cut deeper, forcing her to face her own guilt over her little sister…pulling her back years to the accident when she’d gripped Vanessa’s hand…

…the cold numbing her fingers, felt them loosening, unable to hang on…until Vanessa slipped away…

I let her go.

It also forced Kate to face her guilt about her daughter.

She looked at her phone and traced her fingers over Grace’s sweet face on the screen. Oh God, how she missed her. She was horrible for leaving her. I’m so sorry. But there were no jobs for her in Ohio. They’d run out of money and options.

Kate didn’t know what the future held for them. She was giving this story all she had but it was taking a toll. She was exhausted and filled with remorse for thinking of herself. She accepted something she’d known since her first days as a reporter: when you covered tragedies, a piece of you died inside.

Not long after Kate had returned to the near-empty newsroom and started working on her story, Tommy Koop materialized at her desk.

“Hey, Tommy, where is everybody?”

He glanced around. “Chuck’s out. Dorothea’s running things for today. Be very careful.”

“Why?”

Tommy leaned in and dropped his voice. “She’s taken a few extra spoons of bitch in her coffee today.”

As Kate nodded her thanks for the warning, Dorothea summoned her to her office.

The news editor was at her desk, eyes on her monitor, eyebrows raised as she stared at the updated news budget list.

“I’m reading your slug line regarding today’s story.” She turned to Kate. “Is this the best you’ve got?”

“Yes. They’ve just discovered they’ve lost their home while they continue to agonize about their missing baby.”

“It’s tragic but a bit soft.”

“It’s not soft. And it’s exclusive. Did you see Mark Danson’s photos? They’re good.”

“Not yet. Couldn’t you find anything newsier, harder?”

“I contacted every source and official connected to the story-there’s nothing new so far.”

“What about the FBI? Any leads after the motel, any more new tips in their search for their persons of interest?”

“Nothing, they’re still processing the motel room. They’ve told me nothing so far.”

Dorothea’s eyebrows climbed a little more and she turned back to her monitor.

“Fine, we’ll have to go with this,” she said. “I don’t really need to remind you that the time on the internship is winding down. In a few more days, Chuck and I will have to make a decision on the successful candidate.”

“I’m aware of that.”

“Mandy and Roy will be assigned to help with coverage of the President’s visit. I’m sure we’ll find something for you.”

“But I thought Chuck wanted me to stay on this story to its conclusion?”

“Yes, that’s something I’ll discuss with him when he gets back from his meeting. That’ll be all, Kate, thanks.”