Part Twenty-Six
Stephanie Aronnax alighted from the elevator’s relative quiet to the noisy and hectic activity of the Daily Planet’s bullpen. Frazzled copyboys, their arms laden with files and photographs going to and fro, people hanging around a table with a large coffeemaker, a collection of odd coffee mugs and an assortment of glazed doughnuts chatting about football scores and sources. There was an insistent drone of TV monitors displaying various news channels and well-known talk shows. All this clamor and activity was unsettling after working in DMG’s dignified, hushed corridors. She walked, not certain which way to go, towards a ramp leading into the center of the chaos, hoping to locate one female journalist in particular.
Cutting through the cacophony of sound was the distinct clickity-click of a woman’s high heel shoes made from cheap materials. Behind her, a whiney voice grated on her eardrums like a dull razor.
“Lost?” The annoying voice said with an air of exasperation. As if it were everyday that Stephanie came to this particular newspaper bearing evidence to cripple if not destroy the international reputation of a media mogul who happened to be her former employer.
Turning around she saw a woman wearing a tight, blue pencil skirt with a matching sweater approach her. “Yes. Yes I am. Please, could you point me in the direction of Lois Lane’s office? We have a two o’clock appointment.”
The woman snorted derisively, an unpleasant sound and one which in a very unsubtle style telegraphed that she did not respect the investigative reporter. “No one on this floor has an office except Perry White, the editor. Lois went out to lunch; oughtta to be back in a little while. So, what’s your name?”
Uncertain as to whom this woman was, Stephanie was determined not to provide more information than necessary. “It’s … Clarice. Perhaps there is a place I can wait? A conference room or sitting area?”
The other woman looked her over and said dismissively, “Yeah, I guess Lolo would want you to be comfortable. I’m Peggy Becker.” She stuck out her hand, which Stephanie shook reluctantly.
“Lolo?” Stephanie said, clearly confused. A memory was tickling in the back of her mind, why did the name Becker sounded familiar? What role did this woman play at the newspaper?
Peggy smirked and said, “Yeah that was her nickname in Metropolis High School. She hates it, which is why I use it when she’s not around. Come on into the conference room and take a load off. Want somethin’ to drink? Coffee? Lemon with water?”
As they talked, Peggy guided the visitor to one of the back conference rooms away from the activity and noise of the bullpen. It was her plan to find out why this well-dressed woman was here. If the story was any good, her contact at Metro Post Times would pay serious money for it.
Once they were inside a small, windowless rectangle of a room which held a dusty conference table and four mismatched old, black leather chairs, Stephanie spoke up. “Excuse me Miss Becker, there’s no need for me to wait in this,” she looked around the cheerless space and said distastefully, “closet.”
“Yeah, but she won’t be back for at least an hour. Why don’t we sit down and chat about why you’re here? If you have to leave I can forward the information to Lolo. No big deal.”
Years of working within the corporate arena and learning about quid pro quo had taught Stephanie a thing or two, especially about deception and random gossip. This brash woman wanted information. What better way to get it than lull Stephanie away from the bullpen. Abruptly, like a cold spray of water on a hot day, she remembered why the name and face was familiar. Peggy was waiting outside the Lexor Hotel on Gregory and Lana’s wedding day. This was the Daily Planet’s gossip columnist.
Quicker than Peggy thought possible for a woman in her fifties, Stephanie had exited through the door and down the hallway. She was about to charge down the ramp when two women bolted out the elevator. The tall auburn-haired woman wearing a green suit spoke in gasps.
“This appointment had better be important! I almost broke my ankle running into this elevator; it has a mind of its own. No doubt Jason probably thinks we’re crazy!”
Another woman, slightly shorter and very attractive answered her companion. “Never mind, he’s used to me dashing out in the middle of a meal! Lunch will go on my tab. My two o’clock appointment might have left by now!”
Stephanie looked at the breathless brunette who nearly collided into her. Lois Lane was much younger than she imaged, but if Emma and Tina thought she was the precise person to write up an expose on Gregory Daae and Jasper Templar machinations … so be it.
“Excuse me, are …are you Lois Lane?” she asked.
Lois turned and saw an older woman very well dressed; coming down the corridor, not too far behind was Peggy Becker. “Yes? You are …?”
The woman standing before her had what her mother referred to as ‘bearing’ with fine bones yet strong features; she was the type of woman who people noticed, whether in a supermarket or a boardroom. She had chosen her clothing with care. The quality and tailoring of the dupioni silk burgundy pantsuit was several cuts above Lois’ own wardrobe. The short blonde hair and unattractive black glasses seemed at odds with the rest of her visitor’s outfit.
Yet for all her presence and meticulous grooming, Lois sensed a barely concealed anxiety … even fear.
Relieved, Stephanie said, “We spoke this morning regarding some material you might find useful. I am … Clarice, your two o’clock appointment.”
Peggy Becker slid up to the three women, her noisy heels announcing her presence before her voice did and said, “Lois! Great you’re here! I was just talking to Clarice until you and Catherine got back. Well, gotta go.” With that she raced down the ramp and back to her desk, thinking Lois would not imagine she was doing anything, but she was mistaken.
At the top of the ramp Catherine and Lois suspiciously eyed their soon-to-be ex-co-worker. Lois turned when she heard the visitor clearing her throat to draw the others attention to her and said,
“It’s good to meet you at last Ms. Lane, but as you can imagine I wanted to get this material to you as soon as possible. Can we sit down somewhere private and talk?”
“Turning her head back to Clarice, Lois said, “Sure, right this way. Thanks Catherine, we’ll talk later.”
Her friend was already headed towards the ramp. “Yes. Regarding that business matter we discussed over lunch? I’m going to handle it immediately.” With that said, Catherine nodded to ‘Clarice’ and departed down the ramp.
They walked to another hallway and into Lois’ favorite conference room, the one she always did research for stories that demanded a degree of privacy.
When the door shut behind them, Stephanie looked at the gleaming coffee server on the highly polished table, comfortable brown leather chairs and said with relief “My, this conference room is much better than the one Peggy showed me. It’s clean and has windows!”
Lois arched an eyebrow. “Peggy took you into the back conference room?”
Her visitor nodded, her voice a little tense, “Yes, I had the distinct impression she wanted to pump me for information. Now Miss Lane, why would a gossip columnist want to do that to someone she doesn’t know?”
“Good question, one that will be answered very soon. I could ask why Stephanie Aronnax, the Executive Assistant of Gregory Daae, CEO of DMG would want to see an investigative reporter. Especially wearing a disguise and under an assumed name?”
Stephanie wanted to let the lower portion of her mouth fall to the floor, but for the sake of her dignity, struggled not to give in to the impulse. “Impressive, Ms. Lane. Apparently, my friends were correct in recommending ‘The Hottest Team in Town’ to write this story. It is unfortunate that due to the TresAx scandal Mr. Kent could not be involved as well. But my precautions were necessary, if it got into Ms. Becker’s gossip column about my being here ….”
“Don’t worry, that TresAx mess will be taken care of.”
The older woman said with a little trepidation, “I sincerely hope so. From what I’ve recently learned, Mr. Daae is not a man to cross.”
“Which is why going forward ‘Clarice’ is your name. Sort of like a secret identity.” Lois had been controlling her eagerness since she saw Stephanie and recognized her. The names and photos of all of the major executives and their assistants in DMG were a critical part of her files.
The former administrative assistant sat down, the stomach nausea had returned in small waves, however she was determined to get things started. She reached into her heavy bag and removed a thick sheath of manila files and floppy disks. Carefully placing them on the table she said, “Mr. Daae is no longer my employer. I retired from DMG last Friday. Nevertheless with the able assistance of an ‘associate’, my departure was not, shall we say … empty handed. All of these files give a detailed story of stock manipulation, intimidation of key personnel in the New York Stock Exchange and innocent people bullied into handing over their shares of LexCorp stock."
“But there’s been no indication of this in the financial news circles.” Lois said, stunned.
“True, they have been methodical in covering their tracks. Mr. Gregory Daae is planning on a hostile take-over, using his shadowy second-in-command, Jasper Templar to do so. It is my hope that a story can be written exposing all of this corruption. From what I understand, Lois Lane and The Daily Planet can accomplish just that.” She looked up at Lois and saw it was the reporter’s turn to be shocked.
***
With the able assistance of Stacy, Jack and to a lesser extent Catherine, Lois turned the conference room into a command center. Stacy printed out all of Lois’ information which matched what Stephanie had brought. Once the materials were collated and dated they were arranged into separate areas such as Stock Fraud, SEC officials bribed, wire tapping and elderly stockholders forced to sell their LexCorp stock at lower than fair market value.
The list of SEC persons involved in this hostile takeover was mercifully few. Yet, their names also appeared in Lois’s investigation. All of them reported to Daae through Templar.
But another set of files showed names that were unfamiliar to Lois. These people also reported to Daae. The list that was known to Templar was a handful and they were all paid through a company called RoyalPoint.
Looking up from the folder marked RoyalPoint Lois asked, “Clarice, it obvious RoyalPoint is a shell company.”
She looked thoughtful and said, “RoyalPoint was started by Jasper. My associate says the five men whose names appear in that file are it’s only ‘employees’ one is a Certified Public Accountant and his assistant; the others are ‘muscle’. Templar uses both to make purchases of DMG stock. If I’m not mistaken, by the time of the Age of Napoleon exhibit opening night Gala, neither DMG nor LexCorp shall belong to their founders.”
Lois was surprised yet again. She muttered aloud, “That’s only two weeks away. Wait … Jasper Templar is working with Daae to acquire LexCorp, meanwhile Templar has his ‘own’ band of thieves and accountants to steal DMG from Daae?”
A sad, little smile pushed around the corners of Stephanie’s mouth. “Yes. That’s exactly what these papers, PowerPoint presentations and rough notes imply.” She dug into her tote and brought out a thick blue folder. This other file shows how LNN will report stories that will be detrimental to both Lex Luthor and Gregory Daae. Ironic isn’t it … using Daae’s purloined media empire’s influence against him.”
“But what about the companies joint coverage of the space station’s construction?” Lois was thinking of Janet Owens and all the months of training she was putting in to be a part of EPRAD’s journalist department.
“Oh, that’s another file. It goes on without interruption. LNN/DMG doesn’t need the original owners for that to continue; besides it’s a money maker. ”
Lois’s eyes grew wide at the sound of that statement; she and ‘Clarice’ were going to be here for awhile. She said, “This story is getting bigger by the minute! The paper trail has to be longer and greater than the files you gave me. How many other folders do you have in that bag?”
“Plenty.”
“Yeah, let’s get started, I’ll need your help matching up some of the dates and names.”
It was five o’clock when Lois had looked up from the final thick folder Steph …Clarice had provided. She needed to mentally keep referring to her by that name. No way was she going to place her in jeopardy. It was also time to bring Perry, Constance and probably James Olsen in on the surprising turn of events. But now it was time to make the first step towards putting an end to Daae and his media machinations.
“Clarice, I’m calling Constance Hunter, the head of our legal department, we need to get started on your deposition immediately.”
Her companion’s head went up like a shot. “Excuse me? What deposition?”
“It’s fairly obvious; The Planet’s legal team has to depose you to gather information as part of the discovery process …”
Stephanie shook her head. “Sorry, Ms. Lane, but it is impossible for me to be a deponent against Gregory Daae.”
Lois looked at Stephanie across the conference room table in surprise. Then spread her arms wide to indicate the piles of paper. “Wait, all of this incriminating material was brought over by you against your ex-boss. That tells me you are ready to appear in a court of law.”
At that moment the door opened and Perry entered, followed closely by Catherine, who sensing the tension in the room quickly shut it behind her. They stood transfixed, listening to the exchange. Clarice continued in a brisk tone that brooked no argument.
“That’s precisely right Miss Lane, I brought the evidence to you. My role is simply that of messenger. Everything written on these documents I had no prior knowledge of.”
Lois began to speak, but Perry put out a restraining hand. Turning his attention to Clarice, he spoke easy, relaxing tones, as if she were frightened stallion, ready to bolt at any moment. “Ma’am … please relax, we won’t call the suits downstairs, but we can’t go any further without a creditable witness to confirm your story. Try to see it from our perspective. Hell, if we printed this, I might as well turn out the building lights right now!”
Stephanie stood up, put on the previously discarded suit jacket and picked up the leather tote, now considerably lighter and carefully put the straps over her right shoulder, she said, “Please accept my apology Mr. White; nevertheless, I’ve carried out my part of the bargain. Everything required to end this hostile takeover by Daae is in this room. I will try to get my associate – the one who provided all this material - to help you. As you can imagine, testifying against a man like Daae is an alarming prospect.”
The idea of losing another potential eye witness was too much for Lois. “Wait!” She stood up so abruptly the chair fell over with a bang. “What if we could arrange for witness security and protection from prosecution?”
‘Clarice’ bite her lower lip, “Maybe, but those particular arrangements must happen quickly and in writing.”
Before Lois could speak, Perry said, “Clarice let me talk to the publisher, Mr. Olsen and see what he says. Is there any way we can get in contact with you?”
She shook her head so violently that the short blonde wig was in danger of sliding off. “No. No, my associate shall call Ms. Lane. Good-bye.” Quietly Stephanie opened the door and exited the conference room.
Perry let out a low whistle. “She hid it well, but that is one … frightened … woman.”
Surprisingly Lois said in a mild tone, “I can’t say as I blame her, she’s watched Daae operate up close and personal for a few years. Why oh why did I have to mention deposition?”
“If this mysterious associate of hers comes through, there won’t be anything to worry about. There’s enough material against Daae to write two books! Forget about newspaper articles!” Catherine said looking over the files, both Lois’s and Clarice’s.
Lois turned to Perry and said, “With all the evidence Stephanie delivered into our hands, can’t we get Clark back in here?”
Perry’s taut facial muscles rolled into a painful expression, “Lois honey, don’t ask that, my hands are tied. Until we have definite, cold hard facts to nail TresAx against the wall, Clark’s stays on suspension.”
Lois gestured to the covered table and almost shouted. “Chief! How much more proof do we need?”
“Because the Daily Planet’s lawyers needs to have their ducks in a row before we go toe-to-toe with a hammerhead shark like Sebastian Kell. Despite all this evidence in regards to an illegal and hostile takeover of DMG and LexCorp by Daae and that rat Templar. There is no evidence connecting them to Clark’s TresAx story. The legal eagles upstairs gotta have something bigger than a harpoon. Hell, they need a legal missile strong enough for TresAx and the best Legal closer in Metropolis to want to settle out of court.”
“Why out of court? Isn’t that the point of hiring Kell?” Lois said.
“Guys like Kell prefer settling cases like this one quietly, because splashy trials present too many unknowns. What’s here is good, yet not enough.”
“But what about demanding Stephanie testify?” Catherine asked.
Perry shook his head sadly, “Not a creditable enough witness.”
“What?” Lois shouted. “Perry, she’s worked for the man for years! Get a subpoena and force her to testify!” Lois finished in a slightly lower tone.
“Yeah? Lois, you heard her. She doesn’t want to! I’m betting she’s doing it because Daae would have his man plant incriminating evidence on her. A sharp lawyer like Kell would find out about her reluctance and make her a witness for the defense! Then, in minutes, proceed to tear her testimony apart. We don’t dare put her on the stand.”
Lois rubbed her eyes in defeat. “If this mysterious associate of hers doesn’t come forward, who do we have left?”
Perry set his jaw hard and said, “Ralph. I’m calling Henderson and telling him to put a close tail on him. I want to know how much salt and pepper that creep puts on his eggs in the morning!” With a look of fire in his eyes, the editor got up and moved towards the door. Catherine stopped him just before he reached it.
“Chief, what about Peggy Becker?”
“What about her?”
“Before we got here she tried to milk Steph … Clarice. If she saw through that disguise, it could prove to be a problem.” Catherine then related everything she had heard from her source.
“Judas Priest. Send her to my office. Now! Is this a newspaper or a rat’s den? Did the Colonel ever have to deal with this kinda thing?” Shaking his head, he opened the door and left.
***
“Thanks for the salads and coffee Stacy. Go on home; I should be here a few more hours. Isn’t Perry finished with that meeting upstairs yet?”
With a hapless shrug the intern responded, “When he gets with the suits; nobody knows what time the meeting will break up.” Peering into the conference room which had been turned into a nerve center for Lois’s investigation, an investigation that without a creditable witness would end in nothing, just as the fishery article had three years before. Too much was riding on this story; Clark’s career, the Daily Planet’s name and her own reputation as an investigative journalist.
They needed to catch Ralph and make him talk.
Stacy and Jack had been spending a good portion of their time fetching supplies; a large whiteboard, colored dry markers and pictures of several DMG and LexCorp executives. Where Lois sat, Jack had set up her computer. The table was covered in neatly stacked papers and empty coffee cups. She looked at her watch and asked. “It’s only minutes to eight o’clock. Sure I can’t lend a hand?”
Remembering what Clark said at dinner about drawing Stacy and Jack any further into the investigation, Lois shook her head. “Nope.Everything’s under control.”
“Okay. Goodnight. Try not to burn the candle in both ends and then stick a wick in the middle!”
Lois mumbled something about keeping plenty of candles burning and then returned to the stacks of files, and did not hear the young woman when she exited. She couldn’t believe all the fantastic material Stephanie had served up on a shining silver platter. Much of the information in ‘Clarice’s’ files such as dates, names, place and events dovetailed perfectly with Lois’s own files. Once the collation of materials was complete, she could begin working on the DMG article series outline.
The euphoria which had enveloped Lois that afternoon has softly faded. It was replaced by a determination to pull all the material into a cohesive whole. Cohesive enough that it would appeal to a Grand Jury and keep the Daily Planet from being dragged into a fierce legal battle.
irst: files from Aunt Rita mysteriously provided by the son of a long dead agent. Files from an old case given to him by agents who might or might not have been executed by Daae’s henchman.
Second: Extensive information on the hostile takeover of LexCorp which was a cover-up for the even greater takeover of both companies by Daae’s disloyal second-in-command.
Third: Her own three-year long research covering Daae’s activities from the past ten years which helped to draw the previous pieces together.
The papers spread before her like a fantastic novel of international business filled with avarice, dishonesty and violence. Unfortunately, there were still pieces just out of her grasp, crucial lynchpins to pull everything together, if she could prove that Guerin and the other executives at TresAx had been used by Daae to falsely accuse Clark of writing a libelous article.
Now if they could just find the smoking gun that proves TresAx is owned by Daae then that would be the connection proving Guerin was a puppet for either Daae or Templar. This meant that the trail to destroying Daae was coming to an end.
An hour went by, Lois felt her eyelids grow heavy with exhaustion, but she needed to get this story right. The mere thought of bringing not only Daae but his, by all accounts, sleazy right-hand man down was enough to get her going again.
“Lois!” A hand gently shook her awake.
Her head shot up, “Jack!” What are you still doing here?
The young man stood in the doorway with a tall, hot coffee in one hand and a pink bakery bag in the other. “I could say the same for you. Quitin’ time was hours ago.”
Lois looked up; she tried to sound defiant, with a touch of Mad Dog Lane thrown in. “I’m working. Denny will be waiting for you.”
She glanced at her watch and said, “It’s way past midnight.”
Jack smirked and replied, “So am I. Remember there are other reporters on this floor besides you. Janet Owens needed those pictures of her leaving for the spaceport ready for the morning edition. He gestured to the items in his hands. “These are both from Clark.”
“He’s here?” Her brown eyes grew wide with excitement.
“No, security won’t let him upstairs, but he wanted to let you know he appreciates everything we are doing to get him back.”
“Oh.” Lois’ voice sounded very small and meek. In order to steady herself, she took a tentative sip of the warm beverage. The rich coffee drink was loaded with mocha, a hint of cinnamon and whole milk. It felt good, providing a much needed pick-me-up. “Heavenly! Where did the coffee come from?”
“He didn’t say. When are you going home?”
“Probably in another hour, all this material is beginning to shape into a fantastic story. If only …” She tried to hide her disappointment. Clark was always so good about going through files, so much better than anyone in the newsroom, even the Chief.
Her young friend gave her a rare smile. “Hey, CK will be back with us before you know it!”
“Let’s hope so Jack! I can’t, um we can’t do a decent job without him.”
His mentor and friend could try to conceal her feelings, but he had known her far too long for that to be possible. Since Clark Kent’s arrival at the Daily Planet work had become decidedly more interesting in the bullpen. Still, it was hardly his place to discuss with his co-workers their personal feelings. Instead he concentrated on being as ready to lend a hand as he could. “Sure I can’t stick around and help?”
Touched by his concern and desire to help, Lois gave him a tired smile and then said, “Nyahh, go home. That brother of yours is bound to be calling in a few minutes.”
Jack nodded, gave her a snappy mock salute and departed for the night.
***
It was quiet. The conference room wall clock’s usual soft ticking sounded more like an insistent gong. The caffeine hit was tapering off, bit by bit. Lois realized it was time to go home for some badly needed rest. Down the hall, footsteps were making their way to the room. Probably night shift staff checking to see who was in here, she thought. It’s best for all concerned that I lock the door so none of these papers are disturbed.
Just as Lois was tidying up, she heard the conference door open, but figured the person had to be one of Mitch Ryder’s consultants or stringers.
Without turning around she said, “Tell Mitch I’ll be out of here in a few minutes. But the door is going to be locked. No one from his group or the morning crew is allowed in here. If he has any questions he can talk to Perry when the shift changes.” Lois spoke crisply to cover over any exhaustion she felt. Without waiting for an answer, her attention went back to the file covered table.
“I don’t give a rat’s patoot about this room, because without the materials I’ve gathered, the contents are never going to become an article for this ‘great Metropolitan newspaper’”.
For the second time that night, an adrenal spike drove itself through Lois’s body, she whirled around and came face to face with Linda King leaning against the door jam, looking fabulous wearing a crisp black pantsuit and her usual arrogance. As if it was quite normal for her to be in the room, much less the Daily Planet building. “Hey, what are you doing here?” Lois blurted out.
Linda’s eyes swept the room and her lips formed into its familiar smirk.
“I have to admit I’m impressed, when you dig into an investigation it’s no holds barred!”
“Yeah, well we know how you ‘dig’ into anything. Where’s Preston? Since when does he let you off the leash?”
The mask of bravado slipped and Linda’s face grew pale. Her normally expressive eyes took on a haunted look. “Hopefully, nowhere near me.” Her hand indicated an empty chair and she said, “May I sit down? It’s been a ridiculously long day and my feet ache.”
Unaccustomed to seeing such a strained expression, on her rival’s face, Lois put her foot on the chair and pushed it over to Linda, who gratefully sat down, took off her shoes and closed her eyes. “Lois, I have information on Jasper Templar which will back up anything you have here. But most important of all, I have the proof you need that links Guerin with him. They created a ‘sting’ operation to discredit not only your buddy Kent, but the people who helped him as well.”
“What? Where is this information?”
Everything is on this diskette.” She showed Lois a black diskette and with the touch of her trademark arrogance said, “Really it’s time to ditch all these papers and files. We are on the verge of a new millennium! Working with that stuff is hellish on a woman’s manicure!” She looked at Lois’ bare, chipped fingernails and remarked, “Well for those of us who have manicures.
Lois rolled her eyes and retorted, “Work has kept me out of the salon.
In case you haven’t noticed, there’s more going on here than manicures. None of this evidence make a bit of difference, if no one will stand up in court.”
Linda was silent. No snappy comebacks or smirks. She simply took the diskette and put it into Lois’s computer. “Read this and then we can talk.
“The files on this disk are that important?” Lois asked suddenly taken aback by her rival’s change of attitude.
“Yes … and I am that frightened.”
Without another word, Lois put the disk in the computer and pulled up the file and began studying the glowing symbols on the monitor, at first she was shocked, than a smile, thin yet wickedly mischievous, spread until it threatens to split her face.
“A written agreement between Guerin and two IRS officials permitting them to pay a fraction of the taxes they owe? We need to sic our own forensic accounting experts on this to discover if these procedures are even slightly legal.”
Linda shook her head, “Oh, I doubt if it is. Keep reading.”
“Jasper Templar brokered the deal? Why would an executive from DMG have anything to do with TresAx unless they were owned by the media company? Who is this man? He has his grimy fingers in every crooked business venture in Metropolis?”
“The last straw is on the final page.” Linda said smugly.
When Lois finished looking at that page, she let out a tiny gasp.
“The IRS officials each received large deposits in their savings accounts on the same day this was set up. The check is marked from a company called RoyalPoint. That name has come up several times before in my investigation. No way can this be a coincidence. This seems like a stupid error for men who work for the IRS, they should have found a proper tax shelter ... preferably one offshore.”
Linda shook her head. “I’m betting that money was placed in there as the beginning of a paper trail, to keep these men in line.”
“Sounds like Daae’s style. Now where did you get this information?”
“He … he’s an LNN staffer who is in Templar’s pocket.”
A clammy chill lanced through Lois’ heart. “An LNN staff member is your source? I want a name.”
“Claude DeBarre.”
The intensity of the chill grew to encompass the conference room which suddenly felt confining. The women glared at each other; Linda represented the betrayal of stealing Paul her college boyfriend and Claude DeBarre of stealing her innocence. When she broke the silence, angry words erupted into the air, like a broken tooth.
“Give me one good reason why I should trust a lying harpy like you? As for DeBarre … there are no words in the English or French language that describe what I think of that … low life insect.”
Linda’s face grew flush with anger, she violently stabbed a finger at the monitor, “This hasn’t got anything to do with trust, and DeBarre betrayed me to Templar. Using the information he gave me against Templar is my first step towards evening the score.”
“Betrayal is DeBarre’s stock in trade.” She wanted to say more, to make Linda feel some measure of the pain she had experienced years ago. But seeing how Clark had conducted himself when Lana had betrayed him, she chose the high ground. So Linda could barely conceal her surprise when her former friend said, “Let’s pay him back together. That no-talent hack won’t know what hit him!” She stuck out her hand to seal the bargain.
“Deal.” Linda said as she grasped the hand. “Oh, and Lois …”
“Yeah?”
“I want complete immunity and when this is over, securely placed in the federal witness protection program.”
Lois rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath, “Is there an echo in here?”
