Chapter 15 #2
He lightly brushed his finger over her lips. “When my secret comes out—and it will—life will blow up for a while. And maybe it lasts longer than a news cycle. And maybe my show tanks. But there are worse things than that—or so says your brother.”
Ziggy leaned in and kissed him. It was gentle—feather light.
“You’re thinking about it wrong,” she said. “If you control the narrative, you don’t give anyone else the chance to twist it. Your show survives. Your name survives. People won’t care the way you think they will. They’ll see someone who made a hard choice. Not someone defined by it.”
Noah opened his mouth but snapped it shut before he could argue, letting his brain caught up with the logic.
He’d spent years preparing for the moment everything came out.
For the fallout.
For the wreckage.
He hadn’t considered that he might get to control how that looked.
And that changed everything.
He was about to tell her how brilliant she was when Jag and Callie strolled into the kitchen.
“I just heard from Brian,” Jag said. “He got the prison visitor list for your dad, and ’it's interesting.”
“What does that mean?” Noah held Ziggy’s hand—perhaps a little too tight.
“Before I tell you that, it prompted Brian and Amy to request a court order for your dad's correspondence and phone calls.” Jag held up his hand. “That hasn’t come through yet, but it should.”
“Your kind of freaking me out.” Ziggy reached for her glass and sipped.
“Once a week, like clockwork, your dad has had a young female visitor.” Jag ran his fingers through his hair. “And her name is Claire Harlow.”
“Claire? I shouldn't be surprised. She's his type.” Noah stood there and his body went completely numb while his mind fired off a million questions at the same time it replayed in fast forward every encounter he’d ever had with Claire.
Every text.
Every phone call.
“Why? What does she have to gain from…,” Ziggy trailed off.
“I’m sure Brian and Amy will want to have a discussion with her. I’ve already put the bug in their ear about checking video footage of the person at the station and the florist. Along with checking the ferry docks. And of course, her alibis for those times.”
“I’m not sure I want them to do that.” Noah lifted his glass, dropped his head back, and downed the last of his tequila.
“Excuse me?” Ziggy glared.
“You said so yourself. Control the narrative.” He cocked his head.
“I’m sure my dad’s manipulating her. I bet when they listen to his calls and read his mail, they’ll find a couple of crazies who think they’re in love with him.
And I’m sure he’s stringing them along. I’m also sure that Claire is one of them.
” Noah rolled his neck. “I don’t know exactly what I did to set my father off, but he doesn’t want to destroy me by having women call me out on bogus bad behavior.
He wants to call me out for something on my own show.
He thinks he’s got an ace up his sleeve, but we’ve got a bigger one. ”
“I’m afraid to ask,” Jag said.
“I want to get the station to rearrange my schedule. I want to put my dad on my show, live from prison. And I want Claire there, too.”
“That’s insane,” Ziggy’s voice screeched.
“I don’t think so.” Noah’s heart raced. Not the bad kind.
It was the kind of beat that he had right before a big show.
That mix of excitement and fear that came with the job where shit could go wrong, and it would unfold live, where he couldn't stop it if he tried. “I can guarantee that my dad wants to be the one to announce he’s my father. I can flip that right off the bat. And then, I keep doing what I do best and get him to tell the truth he’s hiding. The setup and the reason behind it.”
“Now, who’s brilliant?” Ziggy smiled.
“Don’t you think that’s a dangerous game when you’re the one who’s potentially in the hot seat?” Callie asked.
“Every time I do my show, I take a risk that I’m not going to get the truth.
That I’m going to lead the horse, but he’s not going to drink.
And it’s happened a few times. But the one thing I know about my dad is that he doesn’t know what to do when the tables are turned.
It’s one of the reasons he ended up admitting to killing all those women.
The prosecutor had him right where she wanted him, and my dad fell for it.
I learned more from her that day about how to play that game than from anyone else. ”
“How fast do you want it to happen?” Jag glanced at his phone. “And can your staff keep it under wraps?”
“No way could I make it happen tomorrow. Too much red tape, but I can make it happen next week. And yeah, my director and programming would keep it quiet if it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
“What about how it affects one of the other shows?” Callie asked. “And will your dad keep it quiet, because he also has to agree to it.”
“Oh, my father won’t say a word, because if he does, I’ll tell him I’m pulling the plug.
And I’m sure I can get the station to sign off.
” Noah rubbed the back of his neck. “In order to get a better picture of what’s been happening, I’d want to see the correspondence and hear the phone calls between my dad and Claire. ”
“Even if Brian gets them, he might not let you see them. Even as his son, you’re still a member of the press, and you have no reason to view them,” Jag said.
“Do you think he’ll at least speak with me?”
“I’m sure he will. I just don’t know how much he’ll tell you.” Jag leaned against the counter. “If it were me, I’d keep pretty tight-lipped until the case was over. Too many ways that could come back to bite him in the ass.”
“Makes sense.” Noah nodded. “I’m sorry, but I need to go. I need to start working on this.” He glanced toward Ziggy. “Are you staying or—”
“Like you even have to ask that question.” She turned and snagged her bag off the far counter. “It’s going to be a long few days.” She hugged and kissed her brother and Callie, then followed Noah out the door.
He paused by the car. “Are you sure you’re on board with this?”
“I’ve been on board for five years.”