Off the Record (25 page)

Chapter Thirty-one

‘It’s about time you checked in, Armstrong. I’m this close to firing you.’

Kate grimaced into the phone. ‘Sorry, Boss, but I’ve had some problems.’

‘Yeah, I heard. From every other bloody paper on Fleet Street! You’d better tell me you’ve got an exclusive for me, Kate. I don’t appreciate finding out one of my reporters failed to tell me that her mother is Johnson Brand’s mistress.’

‘She is not! My mother is a priest! She …’

‘She’s a woman, and I’m looking at pictures of the two of them practically devouring each other in broad daylight. On the front page of our main rival, I might add. You’ve let me down. I want you back in the office immediately. ‘

‘No! You can’t do that!’

‘Yes, I can. I’m sending someone I can rely on to take over and get me the real story, and our next edition will headline you and Junior’s little escapade outside the office. “Like Mother, Like Daughter. Rock Star Father and Son keep it in the Family.” Unless of course you’ve got a better story? Like what’s been going on under your bloody nose?’

‘You’re turning
The Globe
into a tabloid. How can you live with yourself?’

 ‘Don’t push your luck, Kate. You’ve made me look a bloody fool. You’re lucky you still have a job right now, kid. Just get back here.’

‘No one else will get the access I can.’

‘So what? You’ve been right there in the middle of it all, and every other hack in the country reports on what’s going on. What do I get from you? Fluff pieces about life on tour, and how hard it is for the poor lighting technician to maintain a family life when he’s always stuck up a rig pointing a spotlight at Johnson Bloody Brand!’

‘Those hacks have no idea what’s going on! It’s pure speculation,’ she snapped.

‘So, it’s just a rumour that someone stole your mum’s phone and sent an obscene text message to a bishop? And it’s a figment of everyone’s imagination that her house was torched, and that Brand Junior climbed a roof to rescue you … you! Kate Armstrong, described by
The Echo
as “An ambitious young reporter with
The Globe
”! So bloody ambitious that she keeps her editor in the dark that she’s slap bang in the middle of the story of the century!’

Kate was silent, head bowed as she waited for the axe to fall.

‘I want 1500 words by five o’clock, or you’re fired. Your choice, Kate. I want my exclusive. Don’t let me down.’

She switched off her phone, knowing that whether she filed a story or not, he was going to run with the threatened picture. It was probably the only way he could keep his own job.

What a mess! As if they hadn’t had enough to deal with, now both Kate and her mother were facing the loss of their jobs. She shook her head. Right now, she doubted if either of them would shed many tears over that – neither the bishop, nor her own editor had offered much in the way of support and understanding. But it complicated things. She buried her head in her hands. Complicated things? As if things weren’t complicated enough already!

Since the fire, she was sure that Paul believed he loved her. The trouble was, Kate wasn’t so sure. What if was confusing love with guilt and responsibility? Tempted as she was to accept him on those terms, she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t bear to live with the thought that one day he would realise that all he felt for her was duty. Or even worse, pity.

She thought it was ironic that she usually dealt with her problems by burying herself in work. But this time, work was one of her problems. Oh, and her own private life being exposed to all and sundry.

Kate sighed and stood up. She’d better find everyone and warn them.

Her news barely made an impact, thanks to a call from the police.

They had traced a petrol container they’d found at the scene of the fire to a local garage. A member of staff remembered selling it to someone and the CCTV system had recorded a person buying fuel to fill the container. Alexandra and Kate were needed to go to view the tape to see if they could identify the suspect.

Johnson had to leave for his next gig in Bristol, and wasn’t happy about them going until the women agreed to let Jake and one of his men accompany them.

‘You do realise,’ Kate said, as the men huddled together, making plans and giving instructions, ‘that because of this I won’t be able to write anything for the paper.’

‘Don’t sweat it, Katie,’ Johnson assured her. ‘I’ll talk to your boss. If he wants any kind of exclusive, he’ll wait a day or two.’

‘I doubt it,’ she disagreed. ‘With the rest of Fleet Street already on the story, he’ll need to have something immediately. And what he has that no one else has is a picture of Paul and I …’ She blushed and Paul swore.

‘Son-of-a-bitch! I forgot about that.’ He shrugged in answer to his father’s questioning gaze. ‘OK. If that’s all they’ve got, let ’em use it.’

‘But …’

‘It’s no big deal, Kate. We’re both single, we weren’t doing anything illegal. If that’s the best he can do, then let him. I’ll get our guys to prepare a release which will spike it.’

She glared at him for a moment. Why didn’t he take this seriously? She wanted to shout and scream and let all of her tension and frustration out in a great big knock-down fight. But her mother’s gentle hand on her arm brought her up short.

‘Fine!’ she snapped before walking out of the room.

‘Hey, Kate, wait up!’

Paul jogged after her and caught her before she could reach the sanctuary of her room.

‘What?’ she demanded, shaking off his hand on her arm.

He took a step back, his hands up in surrender. ‘It’s no big deal, honey. Don’t you see?’

‘What I see is my private life being splashed all over the front page. I’m a reporter, for God’s sake. I write the news. I don’t appear in it!’

‘Well, if your boss follows through, you won’t be a reporter anymore. Is that what this is all about?’

‘No, it’s not! I’m glad I won’t be working for that slime-bag any more. But that doesn’t mean I enjoy being blackmailed and exploited.’

‘And it’s not much of a choice is it? You and me, or our parents. It sucks.’

‘Don’t start getting all sympathetic on me, Brand. I’m in the mood for a fight, not a crying jag.’

He laughed and pulled her to him. ‘That’s my Kate! But I know a better way to release tension.’

His kiss was hot and left her breathless. She gave as good as she got, touching and sucking and nipping. He had been kind and attentive since the fire two days ago, but they hadn’t been alone. Despite her doubts, she needed him, his touch, his kisses. Oh how she needed him! She wondered whether she could trust their feelings this time, and whether she could survive if her fears were realised.

That thought frightened her, and had her pushing him away. She couldn’t afford to feel like this. Not right now.

‘Paul, I …’

He put a gentle finger to her lips. ‘Shh. It’s OK.’ He placed a soft kiss on her forehead and pulled her into his warm embrace. ‘It’s OK, Kate.’

She surrendered, and blew out a long breath, relaxing into his arms. Just for a moment. ‘You were right.’

‘About what?’

She felt his question vibrating through his broad chest. ‘That’s a great way to release tension,’ she laughed softly determined to keep it light.

‘Yeah. But it does create a whole new kind of tension,’ he replied, moving his body against hers. She felt his hardness against her belly. ‘Do you feel what you do to me, babe?’

‘I told you before not to call me that, Brand.’

He chuckled softly and nuzzled her neck. ‘Yeah I know. I couldn’t resist. Sorry. I can’t think straight when you’re this close.’

Kate moved, breaking the contact between their bodies. She couldn’t deal with his desire right now. She sighed with relief when he seemed to understand and he stepped away, taking hold of her hands.

‘Is life ever going to calm down again? I can hardly remember what it was like before I met you.’

‘I hope so, Kate. I really do. But every day something comes up that has to be dealt with. It comes with the territory.’

 ‘All the time?’

‘Pretty much. Not always this serious, y’know? But there’s always something. You have to learn to deal with it. The choices are: embrace it, and turn your whole life into a photo opportunity; adapt, and learn when to smile for the camera and when to run like hell; or become a hermit and give up on life.’

‘So, this is a time to smile for the camera?’

‘You got it,’ he nodded. ‘If we let him run with the picture, it takes the pressure off our parents for a couple of days. It could get a bit hot for the two of us, though. Can you handle it?’

‘Hmmph! I can handle anything that windbag throws at me! And when I win the Pulitzer Prize writing for another paper, he’ll be sorry!’

‘That’s my girl!’

Kate was torn between accepting that she
was
his girl, or calling him on it. But maybe this wasn’t the time for a confrontation – look where it had got her a few minutes ago! Perhaps now was the time to run like hell.

‘I’ve got to go.’ She pulled away. ‘The others will be waiting. We’ve got a movie to watch, apparently.’

‘I’m coming with you.’

Kate gave him a relieved smile. ‘Good. You can hold my hand during the scary bits.’

If the police officers at the Devizes Divisional Headquarters were surprised to see the two women escorted by an American celebrity and his burly security men, they made no comment. In the normal course of things, both women would have baulked at being surrounded and herded like sheep, but since the fire neither of them was inclined to protest.

In fact, right now the only time Kate felt truly safe was when she could see and feel Paul beside her. Maybe it was something to do with the fact that he’d saved her life. But while she and her mother had been called to see the CCTV film, his presence, together with security manager Jake and one of his best men made everyone feel better.

They were shown into a large meeting room where the tapes from the garage CCTV system were loaded into a video machine. The garage owner had helped the investigating officers to set the tape at a few minutes before the suspect arrived.

‘At least we don’t have to sit through hours of watching people paying for their petrol and newspapers,’ muttered Kate as the TV screen filled with the grainy interior of their local petrol station.

‘We’d just like you to watch and tell us if you recognise anybody on the screen, please, ladies.’

It was all very routine at first. Then Alex sat forward.

‘Mum? Who is it?’

‘Isn’t that one of your old classmates – Hannah someone? She used to live over at Ford, I think.’

Kate stared at the young woman paying for some milk. ‘Good grief! Hannah James! Lord, she’s put on some weight since we left school.’

‘Ladies, we need you to look for someone with a petrol can,’ the detective interrupted.

Jake smothered a laugh with a cough. Kate grinned at him, welcoming the moment of light relief. Her mother looked sheepish.

‘Sorry, officer,’ she apologised. ‘It’s just that I recognise most of the people who’ve been on the tape so far. It’s a small community, you know. I just hadn’t seen young Hannah for a while, and it took me by surprise.’

‘That’s all right, Reverend. Carry on please.’

More customers came and went, some known, others not. None of them caused any ripples of alarm. And then a stranger came in and picked up a petrol can.

It was difficult to see whether it was a man or woman at first. Whoever it was wore a baseball cap and a loose sweatshirt over nondescript jeans. But as the clerk rang up the sale, the stranger looked up.

‘Son of a bitch!’ Jake surged to his feet. ‘Hold it right there!’

The image was immediately frozen on the screen and Kate gasped.

‘I know that woman! She was in Manchester when Mum was pushed.’

Paul swore. ‘God dammit! Who the hell let her out?’

Everyone turned to face him except Jake, who was reaching for his phone. ‘I gotta let the boss know about this.’

Kate felt a chill run down her spine at the expression on Paul’s face. It was as though he’d been turned to stone. She wasn’t even sure if he was breathing.

The detective in charge stood up and confronted Jake. ‘Actually, sir, if you know who this person is, it’s me you need to be talking to right now.’

‘I’ll tell you everything I know, man, no problem. But that woman poses a serious risk to my boss, so the quicker I tell him about this, the better.’

Kate felt the cold chill of dread spread and surround her as she turned back to the screen and looked again into the grey eyes of the woman they’d encountered outside the arena in Manchester.

‘Who is she?’ she asked.

Jake held up a hand for silence as his call connected.

‘Yeah, boss, it’s me. It’s not good. You’d better call the guys together. Some damned fool let Roxanne loose.’

Paul walked out of the room. She could see him lean against the wall outside, breathing hard.

‘Should we go after him?’ her mother asked.

She shook her head. She knew instinctively he needed to be alone for a few minutes. His shock had been palpable. Instead she pointed at the image on the screen.

‘Roxanne?’ she asked quietly.

Alex shrugged and shook her head.

‘Has Johnson mentioned a Roxanne?’

‘No. He hasn’t mentioned any women, not even Paul’s mother.’

‘We’ve got her on tape buying a can of gasoline from the local gas station,’ Jake continued his report. ‘Your guess is as good as mine. She could still be around here, or she’s heading for you.’

Kate felt her mother tense beside her. She put a hand on her arm. ‘Don’t worry, Mum. Now we know who she is, it’ll only be a matter of time before she’s caught.’

‘But she almost killed you, Kate. What kind of a person would do that? Goodness knows I’ve seen and heard a lot of things as a priest, but I’ve never …’

Kate drew her mother into her arms as the older woman began to cry quietly. ‘Hush, Mum, it’s OK. I’m OK.’

‘No it’s not OK, darling! I nearly lost you, and now this woman might be going after Johnson as well!’

‘OK, boss. Yeah, no problem. They’re safe with me. You take care of yourself, and we’ll see you soon.’ Jake ended the call.