A day later the marks had just started to fade. He knew they wouldn’t be gone for a while.
“Right.” He touched a bruise. “In some ways, that’s what I wanted to speak with you about. I’m trying to get to the bottom of something. It doesn’t involve you in any way. But I need someone who’s a decent source.”
“I see. Is what we say today off the record?”
“Of course.”
“Then I’d be happy to tell you anything. What happened?”
Jake touched another one of the bruises. He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help himself.
“I’m starting to learn about the Saving Tomorrow Initiative.”
“Did they do this to you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why not?”
“Because I didn’t see who attacked me. Even if I did, I don’t think that I’d know what party was responsible.”
“They are definitely radical enough.”
“Do you know anything about them?”
He stroked his chin and then pet the dog with the same hand. Both of them looked concerned.
“Well, they’re new. I’d never heard of them before the past few months, so I don’t know much. To be honest, Coconut and I only seem to hear bad things about the group. Every time we walk around one of the Palmstead communities, someone tells us about a new outrageous commercial. Always complaints. Everyone thinks they are overboard in their rhetoric.”
“And you don’t have an opinion?”
“We’re looking at expanding into some new regions outside of Sarasota. So we don’t have a dog in the fight, do we Coconut?”
The dog tilted his head and grabbed at the couch’s fabric with a paw. Jake followed up.
“So most people don’t approve of their message?”
“I think they would approve of the message. Before this group came around, most people wanted to save the wetlands from development. But now I think that those commercials have turned people against the cause. Before them, people were seriously considering what they wanted to do about the wetlands. But this group acts so outlandishly that it’s hard for anyone to agree.”
“I see.”
“I mean, can you take them seriously based on their commercials? Or if they possibly attacked you?”
“No. I can’t respect them, that’s certain.”
“Exactly. Their techniques aren’t appropriate to their audience. The people who live here appreciate respect, not dogma. They’ve got time to think about the issues, and they don’t want to be talked down to.”
Jake rubbed his shoulders with his hands.
“It’s just all so bizarre that any of this is happening.”
“It is.” The dog began to burrow between two cushions, and Jerry gently pulled him out. “How did you start investigating this group in the first place?”
“Well, I wasn’t investigating them. I was investigating the death of a woman.”
“The death?”
“The murder.” He was probably saying too much. But he didn’t have time to hold back. “I think someone was killed.”
“And you’ve traced it to this group?”
“At first I thought it was a personal grudge. But now I’m thinking it had to be something bigger.”
Jerry adjusted his body. Couch cushions tipped in different directions.
“I wouldn’t underestimate the personal grudge.”
“I don’t.”
“But what happened?”
“Two people had a falling out. So one of them started trying to hurt the other person’s reputation, which was tied to the Saving Tomorrow Initiative. I’m not at liberty to tell you why, right now. But I think she got close to some secret about the group. Closer than she ever knew she’d get.”
Jerry scratched his forehead and clicked his tongue.
“It sounds like you have a Penicillin situation.”
“What do you mean?”
He smiled.
“Do you know how Alexander Fleming discovered Penicillin?”
“It’s mold, right?”
“Yes. He was studying bacteria and he just stumbled onto something big. The bacteria didn’t matter. He just accidentally found the thing that did.”
“And you think this is like Penicillin?”
“It sounds that way.” Coconut whimpered and Jerry scratched his head. “Your victim started out thinking she was looking into something small. But she fell into something a lot bigger.”
“You think that’s really what happened?”
“I don’t underestimate personal grudges. But why would someone attack multiple people if they didn’t have something big to hide?”
“I don’t know.”
“It’s a good thing you were attacked.”
Jake laughed.
“See if you say that after you’ve been hit.”
“I’m serious.”
“Fine then. Why is it good that I was attacked?”
“It means you’re onto something. It means a little mold is growing. You just have to keep going after it to make sure it develops.”
Jake swallowed.
“Then how do I make sure what happened to this person doesn’t happen to me?”
Jerry stood up and stretched. The dog jumped off the couch and scampered at his feet.
“That I can’t answer for you. You can guess that I don’t fight much. Or run much.”
“Then what do I do?”
He shrugged.
“You just get to them before they get to you.”
“So it’s a race against time?”
“At this point, yes.”
“Then what do I do?”
Jerry sat down and clicked his tongue another time.
“You start running it.”
He was ready to write.
CHAPTER 33
“I’m telling you, I just don’t think that this is how I should be spending my time.”
“Damn it,” Thompson screamed, “I’m the guy who’s paying you. You can’t spend all day at the buffet.”
He was in the car, driving to Sunset Cove. As soon as he came back from his meeting with Jerry, he’d called Gary and convinced him to set up a meeting with Sheryl. Jake would surprise her by going in Gary’s place. He wanted one more interview, even if they had to lie to get it. But his plans didn’t matter now. Now he had to deal with Thompson. And Thompson was angry.
“Just…just listen.” He sounded worse than usual.
“How’s the weather up there?”
“No time for small talk. You are going to drive to Orlando and get this story.”
He sighed.
“Fine. What is the story again?”
“What is it? Where’s your little notebook?”
“I told you, I’m driving.”
“Russo you…you disappoint me so much. I’d demand that you pull over, but you’d just go to a drive-thru. Now listen to me-you’re driving to Orlando.”
“You know Orlando is far away, don’t you? It’s not like New York here. This is a big state.”
“New York is a big state.”
“How many times have you been outside the city though?”
No answer.
“You’re driving to Orlando.”
“It’s a three hour drive.”
“I don’t care! Do you know how obsessed our readers are with Melinda Ginelli?”
“She’s just a celebrity.”
“Just a celebrity? She’s the biggest thing there is. And now, out of nowhere, Melinda Ginelli has moved to Orlando. Of all places! We’ll scoop the competition-they don’t have anybody in Florida. We’ve finally got our celebrity! And they have palm trees there, too!”
Jake sighed. He went down the off-ramp and stopped at a light.
“Don’t you think I could spend my time a little better than covering some celebrity? I’m not supposed to bother with movie stars.”
“She’s got a CD too!”
“I know, I heard. But I’m chasing a really big story.”
“What?”
He turned the wheel hard. He was starting to get frustrated.
“I was attacked the other night. For getting too close.”
“Attacked?” Thompson started laughing. Not a good sign. “Russo, was it a food fight?”