New Media & Old Grudges Read online

  “I didn’t think you were supposed to drink caffeine,” I blurted out, immediately wishing I would’ve kept my mouth shut when she gave me a sharp look.

  She arched an eyebrow. “I didn’t know you cared about my health. That’s kind of sweet.”

  “Oh, I don’t care. I was just looking for something to talk about that wouldn’t get me in trouble.”

  “Ah.” She sipped her drink. “It’s herbal tea. You’re right about the caffeine. And, before you drop your usual line about always being right, how about we pass on it for today and try to have a conversation that doesn’t make me want to cut your tongue out?”

  That seemed an unreasonable request, but I opted not to argue. “Sure.”

  “So, what do you think of the crowd?” She inclined her head toward the media throng. “I couldn’t believe it when my boss sent me out here. According to the news release, Ludington has some big announcement he swears is going to turn the Macomb County political structure on its ear.”

  I made a face. “He always says things like that. He’ll probably get up there and announce he wants to make Taco Tuesdays mandatory for everyone in the county.”

  “Oh, tacos.” Devon made a morose face. “What I wouldn’t give for a taco.”

  “Why can’t you have a taco?” That sounded ludicrous. “There’s a Taco Bell over on Groesbeck. Go nuts. But if you want authentic food, head down Crocker. Paco’s is the absolute best. They don’t take credit cards, though.”

  “I can’t eat Mexican. It gives me the worst heartburn you can imagine. I mean ... it’s the literal worst. My chest burns like an alien is trying to claw its way out or something.”

  For some reason the alien comment made me like her a little better. To be fair, that wasn’t a hard feat. She was at the bottom rung of people I could tolerate. Still, she was above Tad ... and I’d promised my cousin I would at least pretend to like her after I’d skipped out on her baby shower.

  “So ... um ... I’m sorry I missed your party deal,” I offered. “I got caught up with a story.”

  “Yeah, you don’t need to lie to me. I only wanted you there for the gifts and you sent those ahead. You even sent gift cards like I wanted, so you’re not the most annoying person in the world to me right now.”

  Wow. Another statement that made me like her a little better. She was really on top of her game today. “I’m a lazy shopper.”

  “And I don’t want other people picking out my stuff. It worked out well for both of us.”

  “I guess so.”

  We lapsed into silence. It wasn’t exactly comfortable. Devon was the one to break it. “You know you’re going to have to deal with babies eventually, right? Your best friend is having one and your favorite cousin is going to be a father a few months later. Babies are now a part of your life.”

  Ugh. Did she have to remind me? “Carly isn’t due until right around Christmas,” I argued. “Babies aren’t a part of my life for another month.”

  She snorted. “Denial won’t work in this situation. You need to accept the fact that you’re going to be an aunt and move on.”

  “Yeah, that sounds nothing like me.” I narrowed my eyes when I saw a hint of movement near the podium set up in front of the building. It wasn’t that I saw a person as much as I caught a glimpse of familiar hair ... and it wasn’t just any sort of hair. “Oh, man.”

  “What?” Devon was instantly alert as she craned her neck. “Did you see something? Is it Ludington?”

  “It’s not Tad.” I licked my lips and stepped off the curb so I could get a better angle. That was probably a mistake, because when I got a clear view of the woman handing out information packets near the podium, I almost lost my cool. “Son of a ... .”

  Devon’s perfectly manicured eyebrows drew together as she regarded me. “Do you know her?”

  “You could say that.” I glanced over my shoulder, debating if I had time to run back to Eliot’s store and drag him back for the conference. “She’s ... Eliot’s former employee.”

  “Former?” Devon’s smirk was grating, which was enough to have me hating her again. “Why did he fire her? Wait ... he didn’t cheat on you with her, did he?”

  I scorched her with a dark look. “Eliot isn’t a cheater.”

  “Under normal circumstances I would agree with you, but come on. You’re so much work. Maybe he needs the occasional break. I’ve often wondered why he puts up with you.”

  Yup. She was back to being a minion from Hell. “Eliot’s no cheater. She would’ve appreciated it if he was. She kept pushing the boundaries so he had no choice but to fire her.”

  “How did that go over?”

  “Not well.” Eliot had reenacted part of the conversation for me, and even though I’d been amused at the time, I couldn’t help wondering if there was more that he was leaving out. Fawn was a lot of work and there’s no way she went quietly. Even his explanation about her running hot and cold felt somehow empty. But this, this was a revenge plan for the ages. “She and Tad must’ve joined forces as a way to get at me.”

  Devon didn’t immediately respond. When I risked a glance in her direction I found her watching me with amused eyes.

  “What?” I barked.

  “Well, not to irritate you or anything, but isn’t it possible that he simply hired her because she was out of work and looking for a job? I mean ... not everything is about you.”

  Oh, that showed how little she knew. “No, it’s not possible. They’re doing this to screw with me.” I stomped toward the podium, my anger on full display. Fawn saw me before I could open my mouth and the look she gave me was one of triumph.

  Yeah, so much for this all being a coincidence. Devon was so stupid.

  “Hello, Ms. Shaw,” Fawn drawled as she extended a media packet in my direction. “Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us. This is going to be well worth your time.”

  Somehow I doubted that. “What are you doing here?” I grabbed the packet but didn’t bother to look inside. There was nothing Tad could offer the people of Macomb County that I even remotely cared about.

  “I’m working,” Fawn replied.

  “For Tad?”

  “Mr. Ludington,” she corrected, her tone never changing. “You should probably get used to referring to him in a respectful manner.”

  “Yes, that sounds just like me. What are you doing working for Tad?”

  “Well, I found myself looking for a job after some ... difficulties ... under my last employer. I heard through a friend that Mr. Ludington was looking for a campaign assistant. I knew that he was a great man and I could get behind his policies so I applied and ... here we are.”

  Her smile was so smug I wanted to smack it right off her face. “You expect me to believe that?”

  “Is there a reason you wouldn’t?” She adopted a puzzled expression. “That’s what happened. I needed a job. He had an opening. I applied for it. Now I have the job. It’s really been a great opportunity. He’s been teaching me a lot.”

  Oh, I could just imagine what he’d been teaching her. “And where is King Turd?”

  “Mr. Ludington.”

  “Yeah, I like my name better. Where is he?”

  “He’s preparing in the main building. He’ll be out any second. If you want to get comfortable, may I suggest the second row? We’ve reserved the first row for the television crews because they need unobstructed views. Also, you’re with The Monitor and that’s not one of the bigger dailies. We’re going to start giving priority to the newspapers with larger circulation.”

  Oh, I was going to kill him. Eliot might think I was off my rocker, but there was no way I was going to allow Tad to be elected. Absolutely no way.

  “He’s in the building?” I inclined my head in that direction. “Great. I’ll just head over there and talk to him.”

  “He’s not answering questions until after the conference.”

  “Something tells me you’re wrong about that.”
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br />   “He won’t be answering questions from you regardless. You’re allowed to listen and report but not engage.”

  “Oh, I’m going to engage.” I slapped at her hand when she tried to grab my arm and easily sidestepped her. She was taller than me, fitter than me, but I had rage on my side and knew I could take her. She’d probably never even been in a fight, but I’d taken down grown men twice my size. Tad would be easy pickings.

  I stomped toward the building, not stopping until I reached the glass doors. Tad stood on the other side, staring at his reflection in a compact mirror. He hadn’t seen me yet.

  So much the better.

  “What do you think you’re doing hiring Fawn?” I wrenched open the door and started speaking the second there was even a hint of an opening, causing him to jump so high he almost hit his head on the low-hanging drop ceiling.

  “Hello, Avery.” He said my name with equal parts disdain and amusement after he recovered. “How are you this evening?”

  As far as his greetings went, it was fairly sedate. “I’m awesome, Tad. Thank you for asking. Why did you hire Fawn?”

  “You mean my new assistant?” He smiled. “She applied for the position and once I saw her employment history I couldn’t turn her away. She’s been a magnificent addition, a real fountain of information.”

  Well, that answered that question. “If you think you can use anything she says against Eliot ... .”

  “I don’t really care about your boyfriend,” he replied, cutting me off. “I care about you and the way you stick your nose into other people’s business. It seems Fawn is a veritable fountain concerning you.”

  I racked my brain trying to come up with anything I’d said in front of Fawn that could be used against me. The problem was I could rarely keep my mouth shut. When I wanted to rant, that’s what I did. More often than not the person I wanted to rant about was Tad. I could guarantee that I’d said things about him in front of her.

  “I don’t know what game you think you’re playing but I’m not going to let you throw our lives into upheaval,” I warned. “Whatever you have planned, it won’t work.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I have nothing planned. I’m here to make an announcement.”

  “On what? You’re just looking for face time with the media to keep your name out there. We both know you have absolutely nothing of interest to offer today.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong.” His smile was all kinds of How the Grinch Stole Christmas and it set off warning alarms in my head. “If you’ll look inside your information packet, you’ll see that I have something very important to discuss this evening.”

  I didn’t trust him. Not even a little. Still, I couldn’t stop myself from looking inside the packet. What I found was enough to chill me to the bone ... and make me laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “Oh, no. I’m deadly serious. The first bill I will introduce when reclaiming my seat on the board is the Macomb County Media Responsibility Act. In it, all representatives of the media must be vetted to be approved for entrance to the county building. They’ll also have to go through rigorous background checks to be awarded county press credentials. To pass those checks, they’ll have to be a media member of an accredited newspaper or television station that has never caused trouble with a public figure.”

  Devon was wrong. It was an attack on me specifically. He’d cooked this entire thing up as a means to go after me publicly. “Do you really think this is going to fly?” I was incredulous. “There’s no way you’ll be able to ram this through.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. You think you’re untouchable in this community. You think everybody loves you because Sheriff Farrell loves you. You think everyone should bend over backward to give you the information you think you deserve. You’re the only one who believes you deserve anything, Avery. Nobody wants you to have access ... so we’re going to fix that.”

  “And why do you think the voters will care about this?” I challenged, trying to force all the pieces to slip into place as I considered what he proposed. “The residents won’t care.”

  “They will when I unveil your merciless attacks against me. Media is a dirty word now. Fake news and all that. There’s never been a better time to strike at you, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

  He was laying it all out for me like an idiot.

  “So, you’re saying you want to go toe-to-toe with me.” I felt almost gleeful at the prospect. “You don’t want to attack from the shadows any longer. You want to come at me straight on.”

  “Don’t flatter yourself. I’ve never been afraid of you.”

  “That’s because you’re an idiot. Still, if this is the game you want to play, I think it’s fabulous.”

  His eyes instantly narrowed in suspicion. “You do?”

  “I do. This means I don’t have to be careful when going after you. I no longer have to pretend I don’t have a vendetta. I’ll no longer be restrained by the company leash.”

  He snorted. “You’ve been restrained? Nobody has ever restrained you.”

  “You’re about to realize how very wrong you are ... and I’m looking forward to it.” I turned on my heel to leave but he called after me.

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Oh, you’ll find out ... and soon. I can’t wait for it either. You’d better hurry. The media awaits. I don’t think they’re going to believe you’re altruistic on this one. They’re going to understand your motivations and the uncomfortable position you’re putting them in. Rather than just me going after you, you’re going to have to contend with all of us.

  “Congratulations, Tad,” I chortled. “You’re finally going to be the center of attention, and I can’t wait to see how it all plays out.”

  3 Three

  My mind was busy as I made my way back to the media throng. Tad was trying to mess with me, and he was attempting to do it in public. This would backfire on him, spectacularly so. I knew exactly how to play this.

  “Do you know what this is about?” Devon asked when I slid into my spot next to her. “I looked over the stuff in the packet and it seems ... weird.”

  That was one way of looking at it. “Yeah. I know what he has planned. You’ll want to keep your camera on him the entire time. Tell your guy.”

  Her forehead wrinkled. “Why? What’s going to happen?”

  “I’m going to give you news footage to use for days.”

  She worked her jaw. I could tell she had questions. She refrained, though, and simply nodded. “Okay. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  When it came to defanging Tad, I was an expert. I wasn’t even going to break a sweat this time.

  Tad made his way to the podium minutes later. He was dressed in a trench coat and expensive suit, and he beamed at the assembled reporters. He had a love-hate relationship with the media. He loved getting his photo out there for good stories. He hated when he looked like a tool.

  He was going to absolutely hate today.

  “Good afternoon.” He rested his hands on the lectern dais and grinned, his eyes lingering on me as he leaned into the microphone. “I want to thank everybody for coming out today. This is an important topic and I have some talking points I want to go over. After that, I will open the floor to questions. Before we start, does anybody have any questions about the order of events for today?”

  I shot my hand in the air, not missing the way Tad’s eye twitched.

  “You have a question about the way things are going to go today?” Tad prodded, clearly dubious.

  “Yes.” I needed to change the narrative. “Is it true that you plan to blacklist a group of journalists from county events because you’re uncomfortable being called out for bad acts?”

  A murmur went up from the crowd and I could hear rustling paper as reporters sifted through their packets.

  Tad’s eyes narrowed. “This part of the conference is for those who are confused about how the co
nference will be conducted.”

  What a tool. Like reporters don’t know how to navigate a news conference. He was a complete and total moron ... and I was taking him down.

  “You told me just a few minutes ago that you plan to keep certain reporters out of county meetings. That’s a violation of the state’s Open Meetings Act and the First Amendment. Are you saying you’re no longer a Constitutionalist?”

  Tad’s mouth dropped open at the question. “Of course not!” He liked to push a certain narrative and being a strict Constitutionalist was part of that package.

  “The only reason I ask is because you’ve been running on a platform to end all background checks for gun owners in the state — including criminals — and if you’re no longer a Constitutionalist, that means you’ll probably be going after legal gun owners next, right? You want to end the Second Amendment, too, right?”

  Devon sent me an appraising look as several reporters shouted out uncomfortable questions.

  “Is that your new platform, Mr. Ludington? Do you plan to take our guns?”

  “When do you plan to announce your opposition to the gun lobby?”

  “What do you say to people who claim they need guns to protect themselves?”

  “Do you think guns are to blame or video games?”

  It took everything I had to keep a straight face as the questions rained down on him.

  “This is not about guns,” Tad barked, his cheeks flushed with anger. I could see Devon instructing her cameraman and knew that Channel 4 at least would have all the best footage ... and would play it on a loop for the foreseeable future. That was definitely a win in my book.

  “She’s the one who brought up guns,” he seethed as he jabbed his finger in my direction.

  “That’s true.” I remained calm, the picture of innocence. “I was merely concerned about the guns because he has no problem attacking the First Amendment. What comes after first? That’s right. Second. So, after he’s done dismantling the First Amendment he will come after the second ... and nobody wants that, right?”