interview with Sue Ellen by alienating the woman’s attorney. He was going to have to be patient. Sooner or later, Emma would see the value of having Sue Ellen’s side on the record and would relent.
Besides, he had a paper to put out. He had enough information now to write this week’s article about the shooting of Donny Carter. He intended to be very careful, to stick strictly to the facts and leave out all the lurid details about the ongoing violence of his marriage to Sue Ellen. Everything he’d heard about that to this point was hearsay anyway. Until Sue Ellen could give him a first-person account, he was going to report only what court documents said and Emma’s confirmation of the basic facts of the case.
When he got to his office, Teddy was waiting for him with a half-dozen pictures of the couple at the dance. It was evident that there was a heated argument going on. Ford studied the telling photos, then sighed. He’d told Ryan even before the shooting that he wouldn’t use them. He intended to keep his word, even though the situation and the stakes had changed.
“Put them in the files,” he told the teenager.
“But—”
“I promised your uncle I wouldn’t print them.”
“Why? Besides, that was before Sue Ellen killed Donny. Maybe it wasn’t news then, but it is now.”
Ford couldn’t argue that point, but he knew of atleast two people who wouldn’t care: Emma and Ryan. He didn’t want to anger either one of them, and using those pictures would be like waving a red flag under the nose of a bull. They would be furious if he printed the potentially prejudicial pictures.
“We have them if we need them,” he said flatly. “But I’m not using them now.”
He’d expected Teddy to be disappointed, but what he saw on the teen’s face, instead, was guilt. “What?” Ford demanded.
“The paper in Cheyenne called about an hour ago. They’d heard I took pictures. I sent one over,” he admitted.
Ford was aghast. “Why the hell would you do that?” he demanded heatedly.
The color drained out of the boy’s face. “I thought that’s what you’d want,” he said, his voice quivering.
“Dammit, Teddy, what gave you the right to sell even one picture to another paper? You’re working for me.”
“I didn’t sell it. The editor said it was more like sharing between newsmen. I thought that was the way it’s done.”
“Sometimes it is,” Ford conceded, fighting his anger. “But the decision isn’t made by an intern. It’s made by the editor. Last time I checked that was me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Now if we don’t use those pictures and the Cheyenne paper does, it’ll look as if we’re sitting on a critical piece of evidence. Not only will it make this paper look bad journalistically, but there’s a good chance the prosecutor will be all over us, demanding the photos and thenegatives. Up until now, only a few people even knew we had them.”
“I didn’t know,” Teddy whispered, his voice shaking. “I was just trying to help. The editor said he was on a deadline. I tried to reach you.”
“Did you ever consider walking down the block to check in Stella’s?”
Looking miserable, Teddy shook his head.
“What’s his name?” Ford asked, aware that calling the man to plead with him not to use the photo would be a waste of time. Still, he had to try.
Teddy handed over the name and phone number. “You’re not going to fire me, are you?”
Seeing the genuine panic and contrition on the boy’s face, he sighed. “No, as badly as you screwed up, I am not going to fire you. But there’s a lesson here, okay?”
“Don’t do anything without asking you,” Teddy said at once.
“For starters,” Ford agreed. “And remember that a photograph is a powerful thing. Most of the time that’s exactly what you want on the front page. Sometimes—and this is one of them—deciding whether or not to use something that powerful has to
Besides, he had a paper to put out. He had enough information now to write this week’s article about the shooting of Donny Carter. He intended to be very careful, to stick strictly to the facts and leave out all the lurid details about the ongoing violence of his marriage to Sue Ellen. Everything he’d heard about that to this point was hearsay anyway. Until Sue Ellen could give him a first-person account, he was going to report only what court documents said and Emma’s confirmation of the basic facts of the case.
When he got to his office, Teddy was waiting for him with a half-dozen pictures of the couple at the dance. It was evident that there was a heated argument going on. Ford studied the telling photos, then sighed. He’d told Ryan even before the shooting that he wouldn’t use them. He intended to keep his word, even though the situation and the stakes had changed.
“Put them in the files,” he told the teenager.
“But—”
“I promised your uncle I wouldn’t print them.”
“Why? Besides, that was before Sue Ellen killed Donny. Maybe it wasn’t news then, but it is now.”
Ford couldn’t argue that point, but he knew of atleast two people who wouldn’t care: Emma and Ryan. He didn’t want to anger either one of them, and using those pictures would be like waving a red flag under the nose of a bull. They would be furious if he printed the potentially prejudicial pictures.
“We have them if we need them,” he said flatly. “But I’m not using them now.”
He’d expected Teddy to be disappointed, but what he saw on the teen’s face, instead, was guilt. “What?” Ford demanded.
“The paper in Cheyenne called about an hour ago. They’d heard I took pictures. I sent one over,” he admitted.
Ford was aghast. “Why the hell would you do that?” he demanded heatedly.
The color drained out of the boy’s face. “I thought that’s what you’d want,” he said, his voice quivering.
“Dammit, Teddy, what gave you the right to sell even one picture to another paper? You’re working for me.”
“I didn’t sell it. The editor said it was more like sharing between newsmen. I thought that was the way it’s done.”
“Sometimes it is,” Ford conceded, fighting his anger. “But the decision isn’t made by an intern. It’s made by the editor. Last time I checked that was me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Now if we don’t use those pictures and the Cheyenne paper does, it’ll look as if we’re sitting on a critical piece of evidence. Not only will it make this paper look bad journalistically, but there’s a good chance the prosecutor will be all over us, demanding the photos and thenegatives. Up until now, only a few people even knew we had them.”
“I didn’t know,” Teddy whispered, his voice shaking. “I was just trying to help. The editor said he was on a deadline. I tried to reach you.”
“Did you ever consider walking down the block to check in Stella’s?”
Looking miserable, Teddy shook his head.
“What’s his name?” Ford asked, aware that calling the man to plead with him not to use the photo would be a waste of time. Still, he had to try.
Teddy handed over the name and phone number. “You’re not going to fire me, are you?”
Seeing the genuine panic and contrition on the boy’s face, he sighed. “No, as badly as you screwed up, I am not going to fire you. But there’s a lesson here, okay?”
“Don’t do anything without asking you,” Teddy said at once.
“For starters,” Ford agreed. “And remember that a photograph is a powerful thing. Most of the time that’s exactly what you want on the front page. Sometimes—and this is one of them—deciding whether or not to use something that powerful has to
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