Page 51 of Hers to Hold
Kady’s throat thickened at Mary’s defense of her daughter and son-in-law.She’s not convinced I won’t still write something incriminating.Although small in stature, Kady didn’t doubt Mary’s ability to be a ferocious mother-bear when her girls were threatened.And I’m the threat.“I know.”
“All I can ask is that you do the right thing and print the truth.”
“That’s what I want. The truth. And Ipromisethat’s what I’ll report.” Kady hugged Mary. “Thank you for understanding, and I’m sorry.”
Mary squeezed her tight. “I know, sweetie. And I’m sorry you couldn’t find a better man to be your father. He didn’t deserve four beautiful, smart, extraordinary daughters.”
Kady wasn’t sorry. She was satisfied that she could have a second mother in Mary—if she could stay in Springfield. That all depended on how her sisters took the news and if she and Wes could at least be civil to one another.
“And Kady?” Mary called when Kady was at the door.
“Yes?”
“Don’t give up on Wesley.”
Kady simply smiled and left. She couldn’t promise that because Wesley had already given up on her.
* * *
A few hours later,Kady marched into her boss’s office. “Sir, I need to speak to you.”
“Jimmy told me about the meeting,” Yates said gruffly. “You should’ve told me yourself. We could’ve strategized.”
The very reason why she didnottell her boss. She wanted to attend the meeting and go with her journalistic intuition on what questions to ask—and she was glad she did. Instead of asking questions she could only imagine her boss wanting answers to—those that would probably insinuate Drew’s guilt—the FBI took point, keeping their questions related to Drew’s business, his company’s interaction with Rankin Electrical and the campaign firm, and the alleged blackmail. Straight and to the point. If Yates was looking for a clickbait headline or titillating details, he would be disappointed.
“Whatcha got?” Yates gestured for her to take a seat.
Kady remained standing, arms crossed. “We got a candidate who hired the wrong firm, that’s what. Drew Callaghan is an honest man whose being blackmailed by a firm connected to one of his subcontractors. For additional pay, they wouldn’t go to the press with fake information about fraud.”
“How did they think they’d get away with that?”
“In this climate, people are quick to believe salacious news. He’s already taken a dip in the polls since this accusation surfaced. If one of his subcontractors confirmed it, it might’ve sunk his chances even if he was eventually exonerated. The ethics committee would launch a full-blown investigation and—”
“Is he going to pay?” her boss asked with a half-smile.
Kady bit back a retort in support of Drew. She had to remain objectionable and the facts were on her side. “Mr. Callaghan hired a number of Carl Rankin’s subcontractor firms. Of course, Carl would get a hefty percentage of the pay. He was doing well and then overheard that Drew wasn’t happy with his services and wanted to cut ties. Carl wasn’t prepared for Drew to call his bluff. The FBI is investigating.”
Yates huffed. “The FBI… Whenever we write a piece involving the FBI, readership goes way down. Only a small percentage of people are actually interested in technical details.”
“You mean the truth?”
“You’re planning on running with it?”
“Of course!” After everyone she had lied to and what she had to do to discover the truth? She was going to write a long piece exonerating Drew. “Facts are facts, sir. You asked me to get to the truth and that’s what I did. Drew Callaghan’s hands are clean. If he’s guilty of anything, it’s bad judgment in hiring that firm.”
Her boss narrowed his eyes. “And you’re sure none of this is colored by your relationship with Drew’s friend?”
You mean the one you wanted me to start?“There is no relationship, sir,” she responded stiffly. “I did my job. Got close to the Callaghans and his friend is my source.”
He frowned. “Well, then. You’ve done good work, Martin. I can’t deny that. Get me your write-up as soon as possible and we’ll talk about promoting you to senior status.”
Senior status…
Those two words hung in the air like forbidden fruit. “Already?” her voice cracked.
“You’re surprised?”
Was she? “Sir, I thought I’d at least have to give six months or…a few years.”
