"More of a producer, really. Not like a newspaper reporter. It's different in TV news."
"Oh, I know. I watch every news program on the air. I always try to work the day shift so I can be home in time to watchLive at Five. It's a bit gossipy, but aren't we all? I don't care for the sixp.m. report – that's mostly business – so I fix my dinner then, and I watch theWorld News at Seven while I eat." She frowned. "I hope you won't be offended if I tell you your network's nightly news isn't all that good. Jim Eustice, the anchorman, I think he's funny-looking and sometimes doesn't pronounce those Polish and Japanese names right. ButCurrent Events is simply the best. Do you know Piper Sutton? Sure you do, of course. Is she as charming as she seems? Smart… sweet…"
If you only knew, lady…
Rune began steering toward the Boggs story, not quite sure how much to say. If Rune was right about Boggs's innocence, of course, she was pretty much calling Ms Figurine here a liar, and – come to think of it – a perjurer too. She opted for the indirect approach. "I'm doing a follow-up story on the Hopper killing and I'd like to ask you a few questions."
"I'd be happy to help. It was one of the most exciting times of my life. I was in that courtroom and there was this killer right there and he was looking at me." Miss Breckman closed her eyes for a moment. "I was pretty darn scared. But I did my duty. I was kind of hoping that after I came out of the courtroom there'd be all these reporters shoving microphones at me – you know, I love those microphones with the names of the stations on them."
"Uh-huh. Maybe I could set up my equipment?"
While Rune did that, Miss Breckman hoisted Courtney into her lap and rattled on nonstop. Bringing the little girl was a great idea – she was like a pacifier for adults.
When the portable light clicked on and the red dot on the Ikegami flashed, Miss Breckman's eyes took on an intense shine to a degree Rune figured they would never reach ringing up an American Express charge in Junior Sportswear.
Rune said, "Could you move over there." Nodding at a Queen Anne chair upholstered in forest-green needle-point.
"I'll sit wherever you like, honey." Miss Breckman moved and then composed herself for a moment.
"Now, could you tell me exactly what happened?"
"Sure." She told the camera about the murder. Coming home from shopping, seeing the men argue. The gun appearing. The muffled shot. Hopper falling. Running to the phone. Hesitating…
"You saw him pull the trigger?"
"Well, I saw this flash and the gun was right up against the poor man's body."
"Could you see what kind of gun it was?"
"No, it was too dark."
"And you couldn't hear what they were saying."
"No." Her head turned, eyes gazing into the courtyard. "You can see…"
Beautiful shot! Rune zoomed past her and focused on the cobblestones.
"… it's pretty far away."
Rune dug into her purse and pulled out a piece of paper. She looked at it then said, "The police report said you weren't interviewed until the day after the shooting. Is that right?"
"Uh-huh. The next night, two men showed up. Detectives. But they didn't look like Kojak or anything, though. I was kind of disappointed."
"You didn't contact them right away?"
"No. Like I told you, I was pretty shaken by the whole thing. I was scared. What if it was a drug killing? You know what you see on the news? Practically every day, mothers and children are being murdered because they're witnesses. But the next morning I saw a news report onWake Up With the News that said they'd arrested this drifter. Not a hit man or anything. So when the detectives came to me I didn't hesitate to tell them what I saw."
"It also says that the police asked you if you'd seen anything and you said, Tm sorry I didn't talk to you sooner but Idid see it. I mean, I saw the shooting.' And the detective asked, 'Did you see the man who did it?' And you answered, 'Sure I did. It was Randy Boggs.' Was that pretty much what you said?" "Nope, not pretty much at all. That'sexactly what I said."
Rune just smiled and resisted an urge to say, No further questions.
She suddenly felt a shadow over her didn't like the vibrations. Rune looked sideways to see what angel of death was hovering over her in the newsroom and found she was staring into Piper Sutton's eyes.
"Hi," Rune said.
Sutton didn't answer.
Rune's eyes skipped around the room, wondering why exactly the woman was frowning so intensely.
Rune said, "Guess what I've got." She touched the tape. "I talked to the witness and-"
The flash of anger was like a fast shutter on a camera. And so Fiene and brutal that Rune gasped. Then Piper Sutton regained control though her eyes were still cold. "You've got a little bit to learn about life." She seemed to swallow something at the end of the sentence, probably: young lady.
Rune began, "What did I-?"
Then it hit her – oh, shit. The London assignment.
"Nobody's forcing you to work for a network like ours." Now, the temper was once again on the move – the patented Sutton temper. It was rolling downhill, an avalanche, and Rune was about to get buried. "You have your choice. But if you're going to work here, goddammit, you've got to behave like an adult, or-"
"I was going to tell you about the London job. I'm sorry."
"-you can go pick up paychecks at some fucking restaurant!" The voice dropped threateningly. "I take you out to dinner, where you and that urchin of yours embarrass the hell out of me and I make you a proposition that no one your age hasever been offered before!" Now the screeching began. Rune blinked and sat back, her eyes wide. "And do you even give me the courtesy of an answer?"
Heads perked up Throughout the studio, no one dared look and no one didn't listen.
"I'm sorry."
But Sutton cranked up a few more decibels. "Do you even show me the respect you'd show a cabdriver? Did you say, 'Thank you, but I've decided not to accept your offer'? Did you say, 'Piper, could you please give me a few days to think about it some more?' No, you goddamn well didn't. What you did was say… zip. That's what you said. And then you went on your merry way."
"I'm sorry." Rune heard herself whining and didn't like it. She cleared her throat. "I got caught up in the story. I was going to tell you-"
Sutton waved her hand. "I hate apologies. It's a sign of weakness."
Rune wanted to cry but sat hard on the tears.
Sutton was speaking to the ceiling."Everything about this story has been wrong. I knew it was a mistake. Stupid of me. Stupid, stupid."
Rune swallowed. She touched the file. "Just let me explain, please. What happened was I talked to the witness."
Sutton smiled coldly and shook her head, exaggerating her lack of comprehension. "What witness?"
"The one who convicted Randy."
"Oh, sure, that explains your behavior." Sutton's sarcasm was thick.
"No I can prove that she didn't see Randy Boggs."
"How?"
"She's a real, like, newshound."
"A newshound? What the fuck is that?"
"She watches all the news programs every day. She didn't give any description of Boggs untilafter she'd seen him arrested on TV. When the-"
Sutton's hands raised like a martyr's. "What exactly are you getting at?"
"Listen. When the police showed up to interview her she said, 'I saw who did it and it was Randy Boggs.'"
Silence. Pin-resounding silence. Sutton gave a short bark of a laugh. "That's your proof?"
"You can't see into the courtyard clearly from her place – it's too dark. Miss Breckman saw Randy on thenews. She saw him being arrested. That's where she got the description – from TV. Otherwise, how would she know his name? She didn't describe him first. She said, right off, 'It was Randy Boggs.'"
Media circus…
Sutton considered this with a splinter of interest. But then she laughed. "Keep at it, honey. You've got a long way to go."
"But doesn't this prove that she's a bad witness?"
"A piece in the puzzle. That's all it is. Keep digging-"