Hard News (Rune 3)

Rune blinked. She felt very young under the woman's probing eyes. Tongue-tied. "It's sort of, it's not so much who he is as it is the fact he was convicted of a crime he didn't commit and he's sort of going to just rot in jail. Or get killed or something."

"You think he's innocent? Then go to law school or set up a defense fund and get him out. We're a news department. We're not in the business of social services."

"No, it'll be a really good story. And it'll be sort of like ..." Rune heard her clumsy words and froze. She must think I'm a total idiot. Sutton raised her eyebrows and Rune continued carefully, "If we get him released then all the other stations and newspapers'll cover us."

"Us?"

"Well, you and Current Events. For getting the guy out of jail."

Sutton waved her hand. "It's a small story. It's a local story." Sutton began writing on the sheet of paper in front of her. Her handwriting was elegant. "That's all."

"Well, if you could maybe just keep this." Rune opened her bag and handed Sutton a sheet of paper with a synopsis of the story. The anchorwoman slipped it underneath her china coffee cup on the far side of her desk and returned to the document she'd been reading.

Outside the woman's office the secretary looked up at Rune in horror. "Who are you?" Her voice was

high in panic. "How did you get in here?"

"Sorry, got lost," Rune said gloomily and continued toward the dark-paneled elevator bank.

The elevator doors had just opened when Rune heard a voice like steel on stone. "You," Piper Sutton shouted, pointing at Rune. "Back in here. Now."

Rune hurried back to the office. Sutton, close to six feet, towered over her. She hadn't realized the anchorwoman was so tall. She hated tall women.

Sutton slammed the door shut behind them. "Sit."

Rune did.

When she too was seated Sutton said, "You didn't tell me it was Randy Boggs."

Rune said, "He's not famous. You said you weren't interested in somebody who wasn't--"

"You should've given me all the facts."

Rune looked contrite. "Sorry. I didn't think."

"All right. Boggs could be news. Tell me what you've found out."

"I read the letter. And I watched those tapes--of the trial and one of him in prison a year ago. He says he's innocent."

Sutton snapped. "And?"

"And, that's it."

"What do you mean, 'that's it'? That's why you think he's innocent? Because he said so?"

"He said the police didn't really investigate the crime. They didn't try to find many witnesses and they didn't really spend any time talking to the ones they did find."

"Didn't he tell that to his lawyer?"

"I don't know."

"And that's all?" Sutton asked.

"It's just that I ... I don't know. I looked at his face on the tape and I believe him."

"You believe him?" Sutton laughed again. She opened her desk and took out a pack of cigarettes. She lit one with a silver lighter. Inhaled for a long moment.

Rune looked around the room, trying to think up an answer to defend herself. Being studied by Piper Sutton knocked most of the thoughts out of her head. All she said was "Read the letter." Rune nodded toward the file she'd given the woman. Sutton found it and read. She asked, "This is a copy. You have the original?"