I quickly scanned my mental checklist of what was going on this week and remembered Halloween, and not just Halloween, but also the dance. Brook Davis would not be happy when she heard I couldn’t go. I figured this was a great place to start Operation: Get the Community Behind Me. Was it mean to hang Pam out to dry? Maybe. Like I warned her new shark, they wouldn’t like how this turned out.
◊◊◊
Frank had arranged to have the press conference at a local hotel. I was surprised when he had several people there to help him. They had press packets with my prepared remarks, and someone had written up a bio about me. There was also a thumb drive with video and pictures of me. It was all part of the plan to spoon-feed the press our side of the story. I even noticed a whiteboard in the corner with a handwritten notice of free Wi-Fi. I knew from staying in hotels that that was above and beyond the norm.
“How much is the hotel charging us for the free Wi-Fi?” I asked.
“It’s not the hotel’s Wi-Fi,” Frank said.
I looked at my phone and saw ‘Hotel Lincoln Conference Room’ as one of the links for Wi-Fi access, without any security. My phone had automatically linked to it because it was set up to switch to Wi-Fi to save on my data usage—which was dumb because I got unlimited data.
“Send me a text,” Frank said.
I did, and he took me to a laptop at a desk staffed by one of his people. On the screen, it showed my text message. Then she made a few keystrokes, and all my recent text messages and emails appeared.
“Is this even legal?” I asked.
“Sure, why not? It’s our network. Everyone knows they shouldn’t use free Wi-Fi in a hotel,” he said and saw the concern on my face. “I promise we won’t do anything malicious, like clear out your bank account. I can do that just by sending you our bill.”
“I guess I don’t understand. And why does it look like it’s the hotel’s Wi-Fi?” I asked.
“Does it? I told them to name it by the location so we’d know where we captured the information,” Frank said, and then smiled. “Look. It’s one of our dirty little secrets. What it allows us to do is get a better feel as to who’s on our side or not, and why.”
“I don’t think I need to know more. I’m in enough trouble as it is,” I worried.
“That reminds me, I need to get you a VPN to protect you. There are both software and hardware solutions. I think you need the software.”
“A what, a VPN?” I asked.
“Virtual Private Network. It secures your computer’s Internet connection to guarantee that all of the data you’re sending and receiving is encrypted and secured from prying eyes,” Frank explained.
“Like you.”
“Yes, like me,” he admitted.
Frank had one his helpers take my phone and install the software needed on both my phone and tablet.
While that happened, the catering people set up a spread at the back of the room. I started to understand why it cost so much to handle a crisis. I was almost glad Range Sports had to pay for them nearly killing me because I needed the extra money. Clearly, if this went on for any length of time, I’d be broke.
I got my phone back, and Frank had me send another text. We checked, and this one didn’t display on their laptop. That is, it did show that I was logged into a secure VPN, but it also indicated that the message was encrypted; it couldn’t be read.
◊◊◊
When it was time for the press conference, I for the most part just read a prepared statement. Ms. Dixon handled most of the question-and-answer session, while Frank gave background and did a video presentation of who I was. Frank had a laptop set up on the table that his staff kept sending updates to. Ms. Dixon finished with a flourish.
“What concerns me is, in our fast-paced environment, a lot of harm can take place to damage people’s reputation before the facts are out,” Ms. Dixon said. “Rumor goes worldwide before truth has a chance to put its pants on.”
Ms. Dixon said she expected the case would be straightened out ‘in a matter of days, not weeks.’ She pleaded with the public not to leap to conclusions before all the evidence had been presented.
“We completely agree that the allegations are grave, but at this point, that’s all they are, allegations. A tremendous disservice has been done to this young man’s reputation, and whoever leaked the information should be held accountable. Many people will never look at my client the same way again, based solely on rumor and innuendo. Once the facts get out, you’ll see the alleged charges have no basis in truth.”
After that statement, Frank stopped the press conference. He promised the media they would have more tomorrow, and we were hustled out of the room.
We drove back to Tom’s offices and used the conference room. My mom and dad were already there. We invited Tom and Kendal to sit in on the debriefing.
“Today was the beginning. I think we accomplished what we wanted, and our message was well received,” Frank said.
“They destroyed the buffet,” I said to lighten the mood.
I for one was already tired of the drama. I knew if I could just sit down with Pam, we’d work it out. For Frank and Ms. Dixon, this was a job. For me, this was my life. I needed to take control of this and get what I wanted.
“I want a meeting. For me, this can’t end soon enough. I don’t think anyone believes the police investigation is going anywhere. This is simply Cal showing he can hurt me. I doubt Pam has any say in what’s happened to this point. If she and I could talk, we could solve this,” I said.
“Has it been confirmed that Cal is not representing Pam?” Ms. Dixon asked.
“Well, ah, I think so,” Tom said.
My mom’s head snapped around. If Tom had been wringing his hands, the effect would have been complete.
“Who does this firm represent?” Mom asked.
“David,” Tom answered.
“Are you sure about that? I think you need to be clear before you join any more meetings. You are cognizant of the ethical issues involved in something like this?” Ms. Dixon asked.
“Yes. I will personally talk to Roy and Don. They were supposed to talk to Cal today and remind him that we represent you. I’ve just not talked to them yet. And yes, I understand the ethical issues involved. I’ll do everything I can to help David,” Tom said.
“We know you will,” Dad said.
“So, what’s next?” Mom asked to get us back on track.
“I sent over the timeline of David’s whereabouts over the weekend. I walked Detective Kitchens through it and gave him contact information for each person he might possibly want to talk to. I also talked to Bev Mass,” Ms. Dixon said.
Bev was Harper’s mom and the state’s attorney for Cook County.
“Bev said she knows the state’s attorney here, Scott Mason. She’s met him at some of the state conferences and education sessions, so she’s personally acquainted. I guess the governor called her and had a long talk. While they can’t get involved directly, she did feel strongly enough that she called Mr. Mason and conveyed her and the governor’s concerns to him. Mr. Mason told Bev that he had to follow the law and see where the case leads him, which was what he had to say. What he’s now aware of is that you’re not a typical jock he can make an example of.
“I would expect that the investigation portion of this case should wrap up either tomorrow or Thursday. We should know by Friday if the state’s attorney decides to move further on this. I would suggest we try to have an initial meeting with Pam and her family Friday after we find out where we stand on the criminal side,” Ms. Dixon said.
“On the PR side, we had the press conference, and from our research the room was split,” Frank said. “The local press is in your corner. They’ve gotten to know you and your family and believe your story. The national and regional media see blood in the water and are looking for something to jump out at them that they can tear into and run with.