High Profile

hammering the tax-and-spend big-government liberals, the conservatives loved him and the liberals hated him. Now we seem to have spend-and-no-tax big-government conservatives in power, and he’s been hammering them, and now they are hating him. Maybe worse, because they feel betrayed.”

“You agree with him?” Jesse said.

“Currently I’ve tended to. But the problem with Walton is that he puts principle ahead of results.”

“Like?”

“Civil rights,” Wade said. “He believed completely in integration but felt the government should not impose it.”

“And you disagree,” Jesse said.

“A lot of us disagree. You think integration would have happened without government imposition?”

“No,” Jesse said.

“Then you disagree with Walton, too.”

“Not enough to kill him,” Jesse said.

“You think he was killed for political reasons?” Wade said.

“Just rattling all the doorknobs,” Jesse said. “I heard he was a womanizer.”

Wade grinned.

“He was married several times,” Wade said. “Me too. Depends on your perspective. You, ah, interact with a lot of women and you could be a womanizer, or you could just be very popular.”

Jesse tried not to think about Jenn.

“Walton interacted,” Jesse said.

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“Often. It was an open secret in the industry,” Wade said.

“Not that there was anything especially hypocritical about it. It’s not like you preach against drugs and you’re a junkie, or you preach celibacy and there’s nudies of you on the Web.”

“So there could be a jealous husband,” Jesse said.

“Sure,” Wade said.

This is too close. Jesse could hear himself breathing. This is too close.

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20

The law office was in a storefront in a strip mall. Jenn stood in the doorway with her microphone. Her cameraman focused. Sunny stood behind him, watching. She had seen no sign of the stalker.

“Rolling,” the cameraman said.

Jenn knocked on the door. It opened, but not very much.

“Attorney Marc LaRoche?” Jenn said.

Someone muttered something from behind the slightly open door.

“Channel Three, how do you respond to allegations that you have consistently failed to adequately represent female clients in divorce cases?”

R O B E R T B . P A R K E R

Another mumble.

“No, sir,” Jenn said, “it is our business. The public has a right to know.”

There was something inaudible from behind the open door and then the door slammed shut. Jenn pounded on it.

“Attorney LaRoche,” she shouted. “Why won’t you address this issue? Attorney LaRoche?”

Jenn turned and looked into the camera, holding her microphone.

“Perhaps Attorney LaRoche has something to hide,” Jenn said. “Perhaps not. Clearly he doesn’t wish to speak with us. We’ll stay on this until all the truth is told. We don’t take no for an answer. Jenn Stone, Channel Three.”

The cameraman pulled back for a wide shot that showed a sign in the window: attorney marc laroche. Jenn kept looking into the camera until the cameraman said, “Okay, Jenn.” Then she lowered the mike and all three of them walked to the News 3 van.

“You gonna do a lead-in?” the cameraman said.

Jenn shook her head.

“No. John will do the lead-in from the anchor desk.”

“Okay,” the cameraman said, “then let’s go home.”

Back at the station, Jenn took the tape to the editing room and left it.

“We’ll edit this afternoon,” she said to Sunny. “Right now we need lunch.”

Sunny smiled.

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H I G H P R O F I L E

“I almost always need lunch,” she said.

As they walked across the vast brick plaza in front of City Hall, Sunny said, “Any sign of our stalker?”

Jenn glanced around and shook her head.

“Does he show up some places more than others?” Sunny said.

“No,” Jenn said. “I never know.”

As they walked, Sunny watched the men they passed. A number of them looked at Jenn, and some of them looked at her. It meant little. Jenn was recognizable, and both of them looked good enough for men to glance at them anyway. In the Parker House they sat at a window in the restaurant. When they had ordered, Jenn leaned forward.

“We need to talk about Jesse and us,” Jenn said. Sunny nodded.

“Do you love Jesse?” Jenn said.

Sunny sat back in her chair with her hands in her lap. She was quiet for a little while. Jenn waited, still leaning forward.

“When I’m with him,” Sunny said.

“And when you’re not?”

“I don’t miss him as much as I would expect to.”

“How much would you expect to?” Jenn said.

Surprise, surprise, Sunny thought. She’s not dumb.

“As much, I guess, as I miss my ex-husband,” Sunny said.

“Do you see him much?” Jenn said.

“He’s remarried.”

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“Doesn’t mean you can’t see him,” Jenn said.

“We share a dog,” Sunny said. “I see him when he picks her up or drops her off.”

“Why did you get divorced?” Jenn said.

“I’m not sure, I’m working on it.”

“No, I meant your idea or his?” Jenn said.

“I guess it was mine.”