The Baby Scheme

by Jacqueline Diamond

  “I supposed she’d learned we had a scoop and she wanted to beat our time with another paper,” Ned protested.

  “This adoption story,” J.J. said. “You made the whole thing up?”

  “No,” Alli replied. “It’s an exclusive I’ve been working on. It went completely against my interests to clue you guys in, but the blackmailer was putting the squeeze on a couple of families and I couldn’t wait.”

  “Why didn’t you call the police like any normal person?” Ned scoffed.

  “Because I’d promised my source I wouldn’t.” It might not be entirely true, but Alli refused to bring Kevin’s vow to his client into the discussion. “If I’d gone to the cops, I’d have had to involve her. So I decided to tip you guys off via Payne’s spyware so you’d call and alert them.”

  “You set us up to run a story full of speculation just to tip off the police?” J.J. asked incredulously.

  “I never figured Ned would run this obvious mess the way it was. I assumed he would make Payne check it out.” To clarify, she added, “At the time I wrote this, I honestly believed LeMott was behind the extortion. Later that night, I received new information, so I tried to stop the story.”

  “Who is behind the extortion?” Ned inquired.

  “The police are closing in on him now,” Alli said. “I turned my information over to Lieutenant Zucker and he promised me advance notice when they catch the guy. Beyond that, I’m not at liberty to say.”

  Ned’s lip curled. “That makes a nice excuse. The way I see it, you embarrassed this paper with your irresponsible reporting and now you’re pretending to have an exclusive that doesn’t exist. You can’t even tell us who the blackmailer is.”

  “Wait.” J.J. held up one hand. “This is a lot of detail for me to sort out. Ned, nothing she’s said excuses you for running this article. Nor does any of it excuse Payne for stealing, which he’s obviously been doing.”

  “She probably rigged that thing.” Ned regarded the laptop with disdain. “She could have fixed it to send files to his computer so it looks like he did it.”

  Alli’s stomach churned. Once again, her attempt to clear her name was being twisted and used against her. Fat chance that J.J. would start believing her over his assistant managing editor.

  The knot of staff members behind them, which had grown to include half the newsroom, responded with angry muttering. “He swiped my piece on the new fire-ant threat two months ago,” said Jane Breyer, one of the younger reporters.

  “He asked me about a story I was working on that I hadn’t discussed with anyone,” grumbled Armand Ginastero, who covered the court beat.

  “I heard him repeating a joke a friend e-mailed me ten minutes after I saved it in a file,” put in Millie Linowitz, a feature writer.

  The editor stared at them in dismay. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

  “Why should they?” Madge spoke up. “Every time Alli complained, Ned called her a liar and you believed him.”

  “Yeah, and you fired her,” added Pedro Ruiz, the education specialist. “Why should we run that risk?”

  “I’ve gone back to writing my stories by hand and carrying them with me whenever I leave my desk,” Jane confessed. “Even to the ladies’ room.”

  “Me, too.” Spots of red appeared on Armand’s cheeks. “Not to the ladies’ room, though.”

  For once, Ned had nothing to say. Alli wished she could capture this moment on video to show Kevin. He’d love every minute of it.

  At the back of the newsroom, a door opened from the employee staircase. Payne Jacobson stomped in, his designer haircut mussed and a brownish patch marring his suit front.

  “That is the last time I waste time on that stupid garden club!” he bellowed. “Can you believe they were conducting a session on composting? It stank! Some of the stuff even flew up and hit me. I told them where they could stick their asters!”

  Catching sight of Alli and the assembled news staff, he broke stride. Pale eyes narrowing in suspicion, he said, “What’s she cooked up now?”

  “You. In my office,” J.J. ordered.

  Ned faced his boss defiantly. “I should be part of this.”

  “Fine. You come, too.”

  They marched off. Alli figured she’d been dismissed, but her former colleagues surrounded her like a cheering section and it would have been rude to leave. Besides, she hated to miss the drama playing out behind the glass in J.J.’s office.

  “Thanks,” she told the others. “If you guys hadn’t spoken, that would have been the end of it.”

  “I’m sorry we’ve been silent so long,” Madge said. “We’re a bunch of gutless wonders.”

  “You’re not,” Alli replied. “You sent me information I needed.”

  “Well, the rest of us are,” Millie put in. “I figured you were strong enough to take care of yourself but that wasn’t fair.”

  “He’d better hire you back,” added Pedro.

  “Do you already have another job?” Armand asked.

  “It’s only been a week,” she reminded them. “I’ve hardly gotten started.”

  “Let’s hope you don’t have to,” Madge said fiercely.

  Raised voices from J.J.’s sanctum distracted them. When Ned reared to his feet and headed out, the staffers began to edge toward their desks, the way they always did when trouble threatened. Then, one by one, they stopped and held their ground.

  The assistant editor ignored them. He took one look at his desk, grimaced as if it were covered with sludge, and marched out of the newsroom.

  “Do you think…?” Millie let the question hang in the air.

  Before anyone could answer, Payne slunk out. A gamut of expressions, all ugly, ran across his thin face as he regarded them.

  “Get fired?” Madge asked. “Let me be the first to say good riddance.”

  “Laugh while you can,” he sneered. “While you’re stuck in this backwater, I’m going to be hitting the big time. I’ve been planning on moving up for quite a while.”

  “Where are you moving up to? The Liars’ Club?” Pedro quipped.

  Payne tried to think of a retort, failed, and stomped out in his uncle’s wake. No one spoke until the newsroom secretary appeared with a couple of boxes.

  She peered from one vacated desk to the other. “They left already?” Heads bobbed. “I guess I’ll have to pack their stuff for them,” she said, and grinned. “Oh, Alli, the boss wants to see you.”

  “Go for it!” Madge said. “He’d better be offering you a job.” The others added agreement.

  “I guess I’ll find out.” Part of Alli wanted to punish J.J. for his mistreatment by leaving him with his major stories in disarray. But the momentary satisfaction would never compensate for what she’d be giving up, and it would hurt these friends who’d rallied behind her.

  The group hadn’t completely dispersed a few minutes later when Alli came back out. Knowing that J.J. could see her, she refrained from clasping her hands overhead.

  The editor had apologized earnestly enough to satisfy Alli’s pride. He’d also reinstated her with back pay plus a bonus.

  He’d made mention of considering her for the assistant managing editor’s post, but Alli had declined without hesitation. Her heart belonged on the front lines, she’d told him.

  “Well?” Madge asked. “How’d it go?”

  “Not well.” She paused to let the implication sink in before adding, “I’m afraid you’re going to have to put up with me again.”

  As her colleagues showered her with hugs and congratulations, she wished Kevin were here to experience this moment. She wanted to see his dark eyes light up with satisfaction.

  But Larry returned from an assignment just then, and her fellow staffers repeated the tale for his benefit, even embellishing to emphasize Ned’s villainy and Alli’s heroism. An accounting representative arrived with documents to sign, and the publisher called to invite her to lunch for the first time ever.

  It was midafternoon when she
settled at her computer. The reporter who’d been assigned to cover the shooting arrests had requested her help, and she was glad to pitch in.

  When her cell phone rang, she answered promptly. “This is Lieutenant Zucker,” said the detective’s voice. “We’ve arrested Ralph Durban in connection with the extortion case.”

  “Fantastic!” She opened a computer file to take notes.

  “I’m giving you a heads-up like I promised,” he said. “With the mountain of paperwork involved, I doubt we’ll issue a press release to the rest of the media until, say, tomorrow morning. How’s that?”

  “You’re an angel,” she responded. “By the way, I’m back at the Outlook.”

  “What about the little creep?”

  “Long gone.”

  “That’s good news.” He wasted no further time on small talk. “Here’s how the arrest went down.”

  She typed the facts into the computer at top speed. Rita Hernandez had helped the police by setting up a payoff with Ralph. A policewoman had made the actual drop, and—although as an ex-cop he should have known better—he’d risked exposure to retrieve it a short time later.

  Not only had Durban been caught in the act, but his fingerprints had been lifted from Binnie Reed’s computer keyboard and personal files. She and Dr. Graybar were cooperating fully.

  A short time later, as Alli thanked Brad and closed her notes on the computer, her thoughts returned to Kevin. If only she were going back to his house tonight.

  They could eat dinner together and savor the day’s events. Never having lived with a man before, she’d never imagined how much satisfaction came from simple pleasures like talking things over at the end of the day.

  If only she hadn’t ruined everything. But anyway, men never stuck around. Counting on them was a good way to get your heart broken. Alli supposed she should congratulate herself for having known that from the beginning.

  She found it no consolation whatsoever.

  ON HER WAY HOME Friday night, she picked up a bucket of fried chicken. It was enough to last all weekend.

  She wasn’t in a mood to go out. For one thing, her co-workers had been celebrating with her so heartily that she needed a break. A bunch of them had taken her out on Thursday night, and several editors had treated her to lunch today in honor of the scoop that had restored honor to the Outlook’s front page.

  She’d landed a complete exclusive on the blackmail arrest, complete with quotes from victims and witnesses. There’d been details on the now-resolved investigation in Costa Buena, praise for the adoption service from the Reverend Weatherby and plenty of background details to add texture. The TV stations, which had jumped on the story this morning, were forced to play catch-up.

  That afternoon, Alli had covered Ralph Durban’s arraignment and turned in a story for Saturday’s paper. As for the shooting case, ballistics had matched a gun recovered in the motel drive-by to a bullet fired at Payne. LeMott, although not yet named as a suspect, had resigned as mayor, leaving Cathy Rodale a shoo-in at the next council meeting.

  On the Internet, Payne’s fall from grace and subsequent dismissal had turned his reputation as a crusading journalist into mockery. He’d fired back a post to one Web site claiming he intended to write his story and sell it to a publisher. A second letter writer had asked who he planned to steal his memoirs from.

  Inside her apartment, Alli plopped the aromatic bucket on the coffee table and changed into jeans and a purple blouse. Then she turned on the TV to check the latest newscasts.

  There she caught a glimpse of Ralph Durban being escorted to his arraignment that afternoon. Although, in person, his linebacker’s build and cropped hair had given him a tough air, on the little screen he simply came across as a punk.

  The camera cut to Tara Durban’s tearful face. “This is an awful way to find out he was cheating on me,” she said. “I guess I should have guessed that if he did it to his first wife, he’d do it to me.”

  “What’s your next step?” the interviewer asked.

  “I’m going to see a divorce lawyer on Monday,” she responded.

  People were breaking up all over, Alli thought. Like her and Kevin. Well, not Larry and Adrienne, who’d seemed quite cozy together when she joined them for a drink last night. And the Hernandezes, who’d called to wish her well after they saw her byline and learned she was back at the paper. Some people got lucky.

  When the doorbell rang, she gave a start. She hadn’t been expecting company.

  Alli muted the TV. “Who is it?”

  “You can smell fried chicken all the way down the hall,” came Kevin’s voice. “I don’t suppose you bought any extra for a starving pal, did you?”

  She squelched the unworthy impulse to throw open the door and leap into his arms. She already looked foolish enough for making a scene in front of the doctor’s building on Wednesday. Besides, he had probably come to retrieve his portable computer.

  After brushing a few crumbs off her blouse, she unlocked the door. He stood with his head tilted and a welcoming smile playing around his lips.

  “Good to see you,” Kevin said.

  “You came from work.” She indicated his suit.

  “Hope you don’t mind. I’m a little rumpled.”

  As far as she could see, he didn’t have a crease on him. “Your laptop’s on the desk,” Alli responded. “The paper’s having mine debugged.”

  “Glad they gave you your job back.” He sauntered in. “Terrific story today. I knew Brad would keep his word.” His gaze fixed on the coffee table. “You aren’t planning to eat that alone, are you?”

  “Help yourself.”

  As he tucked into the chicken, Alli wondered what was going on. Surely Kevin didn’t think they could go back to being friends—if they’d ever qualified for that term—after what they’d experienced.

  But then, he hadn’t given his heart. She wasn’t even sure he had one.

  They exchanged wry comments about the TV news as they ate. Afterward, he cleaned up and stowed the leftover chicken in the fridge.

  The man overwhelmed her kitchenette, almost glowing against the dinginess of the worn decor. “I’ll get the computer,” she said.

  “I didn’t come for that,” he told her. “Keep it as long as you like.”

  “Why are you here?”

  “A couple of reasons.” He fell silent as he surveyed the modest surroundings. This was the first time he’d been in her apartment, Alli realized, and wished she’d tidied it. Better, she could have painted the walls and bought new curtains. Or, best of all, hired a bulldozer.

  “You can answer anytime,” she said.

  “What? Oh, my reasons.” Kevin cleared his throat. It was his first hint of nervousness. “You’re not really attached to this place, right?”

  “I’ve seen better.”

  “The couch would come in handy, but it needs reupholstering. Why don’t we start with the coffee table?” he suggested.

  “Start what?”

  His mouth quirked mischievously. “Don’t tempt me.”

  If he hadn’t said that, Alli might never have done what she did. But the chance to tempt Kevin was impossible to resist. And she might never get this chance again, because given how long he was taking to get to the point, they’d still be having this conversation by Christmas.

  She caught his arm and tugged him toward the couch. “You think it needs reupholstering?”

  “I didn’t mean to criticize…”

  With a yank, she grabbed his lapels and pulled him on top of her. The couch creaked in protest as they landed.

  Kevin braced one hand in time to keep from hitting her too heavily. Even so, there wasn’t a dime’s worth of space between them.

  “What it really needs,” Alli gasped, “are new springs.”

  “They don’t seem that bad.”

  “They will be when we get done.” Then she brought his face down to hers and kissed him.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Kevin hadn
’t planned to make love to Alli. He’d had no idea how she might react when he showed up. Or how he might.

  Now his instincts took over with a ferocity that astonished him. Since they’d already become lovers, he would have expected to prolong the second time, but he couldn’t wait and she clearly didn’t want him to.

  Their clothes went flying. The lack of space on the couch made for some awkward positions and a possible permanent crimp in his left knee; still, sheer joy spread through him as her tongue invited his to explore and his hands cupped her firm bottom.

  When he entered her the moan that slipped from him mingled with hers.

  Alli moved rhythmically beneath him. Kevin was almost afraid to add fuel to the flames for fear he’d go up in smoke.

  “We should take this easy,” he said when he lifted his head.

  “Over,” she commanded.

  “What?”

  “I’m flipping you.”

  “Do you really think that’s a good—”

  Mercifully, she didn’t tilt toward the coffee table, because they’d both have landed on the floor. Instead, she gave a push that rolled them halfway up the back of the sofa, which shifted precariously on its rear legs.

  “Ohmigosh,” Alli muttered as they teetered in the air.

  A front-page photo of him and Alli being carried out on stretchers, beneath a headline that read, Sexual Ecstasy Ends in Agony, flashed through Kevin’s mind. They would never live it down.

  On the other hand, did he care? Let the newspaper readers eat their hearts out. He was almost disappointed when they slid back onto the cushions.

  He helped Alli complete her climb atop him in a more cautious manner. Lying beneath her, Kevin enjoyed a splendid view of her long body. He cherished the flow of her hair and the wild light in her eyes.

  “You’re magnificent,” he said, and proceeded to demonstrate that he was equally skilled at claiming her from this angle.

  Abandoning a last attempt to rein in his desire, Kevin matched her intense thrusting. Watching Alli lose control thrilled him until they soared in each other’s arms, suffused in a glorious brilliance.