The Whole Truth (A. Shaw 1)

“Neither one of us knows how is innocent he really is,” Shaw said calmly. “But right now we need to get out of here. The police-”

“You can run. I want to talk to the police. It’ll be good background for the story.”

“You’re still going to write it?” he said incredulously.

“You bet I am. And you want to know something funny? Until you bulled your way into this whole thing I’d decided to table it, at least for a while. But now?” She looked in the direction of where Lesnik lay dead. “Now, I changed my mind.”

“Katie, listen to me-”

She cut him off again. “No, you listen to me, Shaw. I know the woman you loved got killed. I know you’re hurting. I know your life is even shittier than mine right now, but you crossed the line back there. No, you obliterated it. And I will never trust you again.”

The sound of a siren reached them. Sha

w glanced away and then looked back at her.

“You better get going. The police won’t be your best friend right now.”

“Katie, I don’t think you know what you’re getting into.”

“What I’m getting into, you sorry-ass son of a bitch, is the truth. Now get the hell out of here.”

Shaw’s eyes flashed at her for an instant, but they seemed to have lost their effect on the woman.

“Now!” she screamed at him.

As he rose to go, she said, “Don’t worry, I won’t mention you in the story. Consider it a parting gift.”

CHAPTER 63

KATIE CALLED KEVIN GALLAGHER and filled him in on what had happened. When he finally stopped hyperventilating, he only had one question: “When can you deliver the story?”

“It’s already written. I can e-mail it to you right now. You can fact-check the crap out of it and then run it.”

“Your contact is dead?”

“Yes. The police are investigating.”

“Did they talk to you?”

“I only gave them the barest essentials and didn’t reveal anything he’d told me. This is front page, right, Kevin?”

“Front page! Front page! Four-inch headline, Katie. Just like we do when war’s declared. Send the story right now and I’ll call you after I read it.”

She put down the phone, hesitated for a moment, hit the send key, and the e-mail sailed to the man. Just like when war’s declared. She thought about Shaw’s words. What if a world war happened? She felt a tingle shoot down her spine.

Gallagher called back twenty minutes later; she could sense his drool from across the ocean.

“We’ll run this in the morning edition,” he promised. “We still have time.” He added worriedly, “No chance we’ll get scooped?”

“Lesnik won’t be talking to anybody else, if that’s what you mean. But look, Kevin, I can’t absolutely prove that my contact was actually in the building that day. It’s all circumstantial. I have no corroborating source. That’s not how I usually do things.”

“There’s no way in hell he’d have those details if he hadn’t been in there, Katie. The London police haven’t released any of that information, and believe me we’ve tried to get it. And the fact that someone killed him? I think that’s proof enough. I’ve led off stories with less, just like every other newspaper. I mean look at the Duke lacrosse team and Richard Jewell fiascoes.”

“Operative word being fiasco, Kevin.” Katie suddenly wasn’t that certain anymore.

“Don’t worry. Here’s to your third Pulitzer, Katie. Go have a drink on me.”

Katie flinched. “I actually have a little problem in that regard. I thought you would’ve heard.”