Page 13 of Deadly Force
She doesn’t say another word as I drive the pre-programmed route, sticking to the speed limit and checking routinely to see if we’re being followed.
I take a right and drive up the curving path to the retirement village. Trees line the road. Patchy dry lawns dot the front of small units, with a few outdoor games for mobile residents. A dozen cars are parked in the lot, so I choose a spot closest to the exit and away from the others. We’ll have to walk further, but I don’t want someone accidentally flinging a door open into us. I’ve got enough on my conscience. I don’t need to add injuring a senior citizen to the list.
As Brooke gathers herself, I adjust my weapon at the small of my back, shift the vest so it’s not resting on an old scar, and turn off the engine. Twisting in my seat to face her, I brace for her reaction.
“Same as before. I take the lead. You follow.”
Her face contorts with annoyance. “A cameraman never leads. He follows.”
I open the door, knowing exactly how this’ll go.
“Yeah, well, there’s a first time for everything.”
Brooke
Thanks to Caleb, the weasel-faced manager proves less than accommodating.
After dodging questioning looks from his overprotective secretary, Walter Riley is none too pleased that the little interview with me now comes with a giant bag of muscles dressed like Action Man and armed with more than a camera. This was supposed to be a soft interview, no hard-hitting questions, and one-on-one. Just like my whistleblower, I can feel another story slipping through my fingers.
“I thought I made it clear that I can’t allow cameras today?”
From where he’s standing, taking up a large portion of the tiny office, Caleb adjusts the camera. “It’s just for a few external shots of the grounds. Brooke wants to film the intro in front of the logo.”
I’m so surprised he came prepared it takes me a few seconds to back up his story. The fib comes a little too swiftly. “You’ll have to forgive him. He used to run with war correspondents. Spent years filming in conflict zones. He forgets this isn’t one.”
Walter’s lily-white pallor pales even further. “Oh, well… I see. I… we have rules. Privacy.”
Caleb grunts. “I’m going to take a few shots of the mountains. Figure it out while I’m gone.”
Walter starts to rise from his chair, puffy cheeks flapping as his mouth opens and closes rapidly, like he’s sucking in courage to protest.
I have no idea what Caleb’s up to—we didn’tagree on him leaving me alone—but when he catches my eye and I see a hint of annoyance, I get the distinct impression he dislikes the man behind the desk as much as I do.
Drawing the manager’s attention again, I smile as warmly as I can. “Shall we get started?”
He swallows thickly. A bead of sweat sits on his upper lip. Considering the frigid temperature of his office, something is definitely suspect.
“Well, I don’t know. I really can’t allow him to wander about filming,” he says.
Now I wish I really had brought a cameraman. From the pit bull of a secretary to the heavy scent of bleach and pine disinfectant, someone made a concerted effort to clean house before I got here.
“As I said, this is really just a follow-up piece. Nothing too complicated. Just a nice little story about how well your residents are doing since the last time we spoke. Nice and easy.”
My use of the wordniceseems to placate him. He nods and settles into his chair. “Yes, yes.”
I smile again, click my pen, hit record, and open my notepad.
“Thank you again for allowing me to visit on such short notice. I understand you’ve had a few staff changes since we last talked? That must have been difficult.”
It’s snooze city, but if I’m going to lure him into afalse sense of security, I need him to think I’m on his side.
“Yes. It was. We lost two of our most experienced staffers. They will be missed indeed.”
I scribble down what he’s saying, nodding my head as I formulate the next boring question. “And you’ve made a few changes to the structure of the menu? I read it online—it looks delicious!”
At least that part isn’t a lie. The new menu does look good. But anything can be photoshopped. Including happy residents.
He leans back in his chair, clearly now at home and on safer territory. “It’s been met with a positive reaction. Our residents are enjoying the change.”
