The Price of Fame - KJ1 Read online

  newscast.

  It had been a long day, to be sure, but, she mused, there had been some good points. Immediately, Jay’s face loomed in her mind’s eye, her smile like the sunshine on a brilliantly clear day. Kate wondered for the umpteenth time what Jay was doing right then, if she had enjoyed her surprise, and if she was dead tired, too.

  As if she had willed it to happen, the phone rang just as she reached her bedroom. Already knowing who it would be, Kate grinned broadly, flopping gracelessly onto the bed, and picking up the receiver. “Fred’s Pizza Palace.”

  There was a second’s hesitation on the line, and then a throaty laugh.

  “Yes, I’d like a thick crust with all the fixins. Oh, but could you hold the anchovies, the olives, the green peppers (they give me gas), the sausage, the meatballs, the onions, the mushrooms, the tomatoes, and the artichokes?”

  “So, let’s see, then. You want a plain cheese pizza with sauce, right?”

  “You got it.”

  “Well, Fred could probably make that.”

  “I’m willing to bet that you can’t.”

  “Hey, I resemble that remark!”

  “Hi, Kate. How are you? Did you get home all right? How was your flight? Did you get a hero’s welcome? How was the rest of your day?”

  “I’m tired, but fine. Yes. Fine. Yes and no. Long.”

  “Ugh,” Jay uttered in exasperation, “I’ve got to learn to start asking you one question at a time.”

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  “Uh-huh.” Kate’s amusement at her friend’s mock frustration was obvious.

  “You won’t believe what happened to me today a few hours after you left. A mysterious package arrived, no identifying markings, no labels, no return address, no nothing. I try to be very careful about my safety; after all, this is New York City. The delivery guy tried to give me some cock and bull story about the sender not wanting the surprise to be ruined so he wouldn’t tell me where the package had come from,” she scoffed.

  Kate was dead silent for a few seconds. “Gee, how odd. Um, so, what did you do?” There was a note of panic in her voice although she tried for reserved nonchalance.

  “Well, what do you think I did? I turned the guy away; made him take it back. What idiot would accept a big, unmarked box like that without knowing where it had come from? Especially if she hadn’t been expecting anything. Can you imagine?”

  Kate had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Yeah, what idiot, indeed.”

  Jay laughed. “Hah. Gotcha good that time, girl! I love my Ted E.

  Bear; he’s so cute and cuddly. In fact, we took a nap together this afternoon.”

  Kate felt an unexpected surge of jealousy. Of a teddy bear, what is that, Katherine? “You rat.”

  “Hey, I just want you to know that I can give as good as I get.”

  “Evidently.” Kate had to smile at being taken in by her friend; she had been pretty convincing.

  “Seriously, I do love him and that was amazingly sweet of you. When did you do that? I was with you the whole time.”

  Kate thought about her trip upstairs to use the phone in FAO

  Schwarz. She had seen the bear sitting in a huge rocking chair on her way to the back of the store. She had been thinking about everything Jay had been through and how courageous she was, and how hard it must have been for her to tell Kate about it. She couldn’t imagine what that felt like, and she knew she wanted to do something to comfort her friend. She had hefted the bear experimentally, first checking to make sure she was quite alone. Then she had hugged it to her chest and rubbed her cheek against his face. Yes, he would do quite nicely. She had gone to the store clerk nearby and explained what she wanted done. He had looked at her strangely, but when she pulled an extra fifty-dollar bill out of her wallet, he gladly went along with her wishes.

  “Jay?”

  “Yes?”

  “Let’s just say I have many skills.” She laughed.

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  “Um, there is one thing I don’t understand about him, though,” Jay said.

  “What’s that?”

  “How come he smells like you, Ms. Tough Anchorwoman?”

  Uh-oh. Kate knew she had been busted. She knows what I smell like?

  She spluttered and hemmed and hawed, trying to come up with a plausible explanation. After a few seconds, she knew she had been caught. “Well, I couldn’t very well entrust just anyone with such an important job, you know, I had to make sure he was up to the task. There was only one way to do that.” She said it with as much dignity as she could muster under the circumstances.

  “Careful, something like that will kill your image.”

  Suddenly serious, Kate said, “It will have been well worth it if it did.

  I’m so proud of you, Jay, for everything you’ve accomplished and the person you are. You are very special and words can’t express how much it means to me that you would have shared such a vital part of yourself with me. I really do wish I could be the one there hugging you, but, since I can’t, I tried for the next best thing; I hope I succeeded.”

  Jay was so choked up she could barely speak. “I’m so glad you’re the one I shared it with, Kate. No one has ever made me feel as safe or as understood as you do. I can’t tell you what that means to me. And your gift came at just the right moment. I was just starting to freak out that now that I’ve exploded the secret, all of my father’s dire warnings about terrible things happening would come true. Ted E. and your note chased the demons away. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

  Kate’s chest ached at the thought of her friend, alone in her apartment and afraid. “Nothing bad will happen, Jay, I promise you, especially as a result of choosing not to carry the burden alone any longer. Your father told you those things to scare you into silence. When you are a helpless child, it’s easy to believe such lies. But you’re not that kid anymore, Jay, and he doesn’t have that kind of power.”

  Jay breathed, “You’re right.”

  “Any time you need to talk or to be comforted, or just not to be alone, I’ll be there for you, Jay.” More quietly, she added, “If you want me to be, that is.”

  “I’d love that.”

  “Are you going to be all right to sleep?” The concern showed in Kate’s voice.

  “I will be now. And besides, I’ve got a big old teddy bear to keep me company.”

  “If you have any trouble, it doesn’t matter what time it is, call me. I mean it, Jay.” And she did.

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  “Thanks. Hey, it’s Friday, well, actually, Saturday now that I look at the time. What are you doing for the weekend?”

  Kate sighed. “I have a lot of leads to track down on the bombing story. It’s sort of my baby now, and the news doesn’t take the weekend off, as you know. So, while I won’t have to anchor this weekend, I’m going to be putting together some new material that I can get through some of my contacts. I’m going to be pretty much flat out. What about you?”

  “I have to have my story on my editor’s desk by 10:00 a.m. Monday, so I’ll be spending my weekend writing. Aren’t we just a couple of live wires?”

  “Sounds like it. Can I call you tomorrow to see how you’re doing, or will that disturb you?” Kate asked hesitantly.

  “To quote a very dear friend of mine, ‘I’ve been disturbed for years.’”

  “Touché.”

  “I’d love it if you’d call, Kate. Do you need the phone number?” She gave it to her.

  They both hung up somewhat reluctantly, neither wanting to sever the connection. Hugging the teddy bear, Jay took a strong whiff of her friend’s perfume as, 150 miles to the north, Kate snuggled with Fred for a few minutes, then made her way into the bathroom to get ready for some much-needed rest.

  On Monday morning the writer caught the subway uptown to turn in her story. Working throughout the weekend, she had taken breaks only to eat, go running, and t
alk to Kate. The very thought brought an unconscious smile to her face. True to her word, her friend had called Saturday afternoon.

  Jay had been in her office, engrossed in some interesting personal stories about the governor she had collected from her interviews of his longtime friends. She’d been contemplating how many, if any, of the anecdotes to include in her piece when the phone rang, startling her.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey there, I’m looking for the next great American novelist.”

  Jay chuckled. “Sorry, you must have the wrong number.”

  “Oh, do you mean to say that Jamison Parker doesn’t live there? You know, beautiful blonde, about 5’4” with golden hair and eyes the color of the ocean in the Caribbean?”

  Jay blushed. She thinks I’m beautiful? “I don’t recognize anyone by that description.”

  “Hi, Jay, how did you sleep?”

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  “Ted E. kept me great company, and I slept very well as a result, thank you.”

  “I’m glad.” The warmth in Kate’s voice soothed Jay without effort.

  “How about you? Did you catch up on some sleep?”

  “I don’t think you can ever recapture lost shuteye, but I logged in a good nine hours, and I feel much better for it. How’s the story coming?”

  “Pretty well, I think. I’m just trying to balance the man with the governor at the moment to make sure that the readers are left with a good, well-rounded sense of who he is.”

  “I have every confidence in you.”

  “Anything new on the bombing?”

  “Unfortunately, just more victims dying and an ongoing search for survivors and bodies, loved ones looking for those who are still unaccounted for. So far there’s nothing more on who might have been responsible. The whole town is pretty subdued. Government is the big industry in this area, and almost everybody knew someone who was in the building at the time of the explosions.”

  “Doesn’t sound like an uplifting way to spend a Saturday.”

  “It’s not, but it’s my job. Well, I didn’t want to bug you, I just wanted to...um...let you know I was thinking about you and say hi.”

  “Thanks, Kate. I was thinking about you, too.” Jay hesitated, and then plowed ahead, “Same bat time, same bat channel tomorrow?”

  “Don’t tell me you were a Batman fan!”

  “Yeah,” she admitted sheepishly.

  Kate laughed. “I loved the costumes for Batgirl and the Catwoman.”

  “You letch!”

  “Oh, and you didn’t?”

  “I didn’t say that, now did I?”

  The Sunday conversation was equally easy, light and comfortable, each woman finding out odd little things about the other. It felt great to both of them, getting to know one another better. Kate had discovered that Jay had an affinity for the Green Lantern. Jay, in turn, had learned that Kate was partial to Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Captain America, and the Flash. They had laughed, and teased, and generally managed to provide a much-needed distraction and enjoy each other’s company at the same time.

  Jay smiled as she recalled her friend’s uncertain parting words.

  “Would it be all right if I called you tomorrow sometime?” It was almost as if she were unsure of herself, which, in truth, she was.

  “I’d love that. I have to go into the office in the morning to file my story and I’ll probably be there until late afternoon.”

  “I get a dinner break around 6:45 p.m. How about then?”

  “Perfect.”

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  “Until then, Jay. I’ll see you around.”

  “Yeah, see you around.”

  The screeching of the subway wheels on the tracks brought Jay out of her reverie. She rushed up the steps and into the Manhattan morning with countless other commuters on their way to work. Trish was already there and on the phone when she arrived at the office, so, opening her briefcase, she pulled out the sheaf of papers and dropped them in the middle of her friend’s cluttered desk. Rolling her eyes, the editor indicated that she was going to be a while on the phone, leading the writer to motion that she was going to her desk and the editor could find her there when she was ready.

  As it turned out, it was early afternoon by the time Trish stopped in front of Jay’s desk sporting a big smile on her face. She had read the writer’s piece several hours ago and had gone directly to the managing news editor with it.

  When Trish had wanted to give the assignment to Jay, he had balked.

  “No way. She’s too young; for Christ’s sake, she’s just a kid barely out of college.”

  “She’s been working for us on the street for three years now, Herb.”

  “She’s still green; we’ve got plenty more experienced writers sitting out there we could give this to. Someone who’s at least been around the block on something more than a tricycle.”

  Now Trish was truly angry. “Don’t be pigheaded! Jamison Parker has more talent and potential in her little finger than most of the rest of our illustrious writing staff combined. She has a way of disarming even the toughest interviewee and getting material that no one else comes back with.”

  “Aw, give me a break, Trish. I know you like the kid and all, but—”

  “This kid, as you call her, has a real ability to capture the essence of her subject and draw the reader inside. If you read her stuff, you’d know that. If we give her wings and let her fly, she’s gonna soar, and we’re gonna be the ones to benefit!” Reluctantly, the managing news editor had agreed to let Jay have the governor’s piece.

  Trish stood there looking like the proverbial cat that ate the canary.

  The story was fantastic; the managing editor had been raving about it.

  Trish couldn’t wait to tell her young friend.

  “Hey, kiddo.”

  “Hi, Trish.” The writer was anxious, but she didn’t want to show it.

  “Something I can do for you?”

  “More like something I can do for you.”

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  Blonde eyebrows hiked up into an equally blonde hairline. When the editor said nothing further, even given the silent invitation, Jay couldn’t stand it any longer. “Come on, Trish, you’re killing me here. What did you think? Was it okay?”

  “Nope, it wasn’t okay.”

  “It wasn’t?” she questioned, crestfallen, so softly the editor barely heard her.

  “Nope. It wasn’t okay; it was the best damn cover story I’ve seen come across my desk in ages, and believe me, girlfriend, that’s saying something.” The New Yorker grinned for all she was worth.

  Jay’s head shot up and she stared at her friend as if she’d sprouted wings. “Really?” Her face lit up like fireworks on the Fourth of July.

  “Really,” Trish nodded. “In fact, it was so good, I took it directly to Herb.”

  It took a second for that to register. “You took my story to the managing news editor? Before you came back to me with suggested changes?” The writer’s voice rose with each word. “B-b-but. Are you crazy?”

  “Well,” the editor scratched her ear, “lots of people tell me so. But I know a great piece when I see it.” She regarded the young writer seriously. “Jamison Parker, that was fantastic work; truly first rate. In fact, it was so great that I want you to do a follow-up story for next week’s issue. It may be a cover again, we’ll have to wait and see what else develops during the week.”

  “You...you do?” Jay was numb.

  Trish nodded at her with pride, a thought occurring to her. “By the way, you owe me a story, as I recall. Where in the hell were you when I was trying to find you all over that measly little town up there?”

  “Oh, that.” Jay was still trying to regain her equilibrium. “Well, it’s a long story.”

  The editor parked herself on the corner of the writer’s desk, intrigued at the blush that crept up her friend’s neck. She folded her arms acr
oss her chest. “That’s okay. I’ve got a few minutes.”

  Seeing that she wasn’t going to get out of it that easily, Jay decided to give her friend the short, very tightly edited version. She could feel the heat in her face, and she wasn’t ready just yet to share too much about Kate and their friendship with anyone. “When I got into my hotel room, I turned on the television. The news was on and the anchorwoman turned out to be a fellow alumnus; I recognized her immediately, although I hadn’t seen her in five years. She hadn’t changed a bit.” Jay worked hard to school her face not to break into a grin at that. “When the explosion happened, I was getting out of the shower, and I had the television tuned 85

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  to the news. I saw that she was down at the scene, so I decided to track her down.”

  It was quiet for a few seconds. “That’s it?” Trish’s voice was a shrill shriek. “You saw some broad you knew in college and you walked into the middle of bedlam to say hello? Have you lost your mind, girl?”

  The writer glanced up sheepishly. “Well, yeah, I figured if I didn’t track her down then, I wouldn’t be able to find her.” Silently Jay was praying that her friend wouldn’t think too hard and realize that there was only one reporter at the scene, and it was Kate.

  Trish shrugged. Kids these days. “Speaking of the bombing and reporters, that’s sort of what your next assignment is.”

  Jay looked at her editor expectantly.

  “There was one reporter that captured the world’s attention in this whole thing. She was local, but she’s got big time written all over her.

  Her name is Katherine Kyle. Did you happen to catch any of her coverage?” Trish didn’t wait for an answer. She was looking at her notes, which was a good thing, since Jay had practically passed out at the mention of her friend’s name. The editor continued, “We want a full spread on this chick. The angle is something like ‘The New Breed of Journalist’ or something similar. I think you can find her at WCAP-TV in Albany. She’s a news anchor there. You can look up the number.”

  Finally, Trish looked up at the writer. “Can you handle it, kid? ’Cause you’re going to have to get started right away, like yesterday, even.”

  Jay paused before opening her mouth. She wasn’t all that sure she was capable of speech at the moment. They wanted her to do a story on Kate? Maybe even a cover story? What she said was, “Of course, Trish, I’ll get right on it. I think I know what you’re looking for; I might want to shadow her for a few days, you know, see how she works, what impact this story has had on her, talk to her colleagues.”