Free Heaven's Fire by Sandra Balzo Page A

meeting, Pasquale would come up to me and say real low, ‘Don’t you worry, Wendy.’ He called me Wendy, nobody’s called me that for years. Anyway he’d say, ‘Don’t you worry, Wendy, I’ll give you a show like nothing you’ve ever seen. I’ll do it for you. You’ll see.’ Like I was his daughter or something."
    Her eyes were starting to tear up, and she swiped at them. What a stooge she was being. " Sorry, I guess I could use some sleep. Here are the tapes you wanted. " She handed him the box.
    " What about-- "
    " Oh. " Anticipating his question, she hastily searched through the papers on the console and pulled out an envelope. " You wanted the crew list, too. I put in their assignments and a diagram showing exactly where they were. "
    He took the envelope and looked her up and down. " Have you eaten lunch? "
    " No," she said, surprised. "Why? Am I acting like I need food? "
    He grinned and unexpected laugh lines appeared in his face. " You’re acting the way I feel. Let’s go grab us a hot dog. "
    Aamot stepped down out of the truck, keeping his head low so he wouldn’t crack it on the door. He turned to help Jake, but she'd already hopped out.
    " Just how tall are you? " she asked .
    " Six-four. You have to tell anybody you’re going? "
    " Nah. Everybody has already taken off, " she said as they set off across the parking lot. " There’s no Noon News today, because it’s Satu rday, so I’m just handling the N ews Breaks with Neal. The next one is scheduled for 3:30, during the baseball game. "
    Aamot put his arm out like a crossing guard to stop her as a car rolled by. "Why are you working on a Saturday?"
    Jake looked sideways at him. "Someone said he needed tapes this morning. He was pretty pushy about it."
    Aamot dropped his arm, and they continued down the road that led from the bluff to the festival grounds. "Pushy is what I do best. So how long were you on the air last night? "
    She shrugged. " We wrapped it up about two . "
    " That’s almost two hours after the Coast Guard found Pasquale’s body. What did you find to talk about after the search was called off for the night? "
    " Recap, recap, recap. Chicago-style dogs or gyros? " she asked, pointing in opposite directions.
    Aamot, having baited her with hot dogs, switched to gyros. They veered left.
    " It would have been a whole lot easier if we’d been able to interview you, " Jake said, as they got in line behind a gaggle of teenage girls in tank tops.
    Aamot shrugged and backed up to let one of the kids cut through the line with her food. " Like I said: I don’t talk when I have nothing to say. "
    Jake rolled her eyes. " Then you’re the only one. "
    " Sometimes I think that’s true. "
    " Believe me, you don't know the half of it. " She stepped up to the counter and ordered a gyro deluxe--double the meat--and a Diet Coke. Aamot had the same, but with a Mountain Dew. Jake was impressed. She liked a man who could handle his caffeine.
    He passed her both gyros and took the soft drinks himself. Jake remembered to grab napkins and straws as they left the window. The day was pleasant--a change in wind direction had pushed all the heat and humidity further inland and left only a gentle lake breeze.
    " Anyone who wants to say or do something outrageous, " Jake continued as they sat down at a picnic table, " anyone who wants to take a stand about anything, can get on TV these days. "
    She took a bite of her gyro--a real gyro with spit-roasted lamb, not that compressed garbage you got some places. Meat and grease and yogurt sauce spilled out th e end. Heaven. Assuming you had a napkin. Preferably a pile of them.
    " That’s pretty cynical for someone who makes her living in television. " He said it more like a lazy aside than an accusation. Sitting there coiled up, he reminded her of a big cat--a big sleepy cat with watchful green/gold eyes.
    She shrugged. " I’ve been around this business for nearly ten years, first as an intern, then as a