sworn witness.”
Dena felt a knot in her stomach, anticipating what might be coming next.
“Sidney went down to Kentucky to nose around and he scored big. Before Little Miss Holier Than Thou married Hamilton, she went and got herself knocked up. Not only that, she gave the kid away and hasn’t seen it since.”
“Oh, no, Ira, I can’t believe that,” Dena said, stunned. “Where did this come from?”
Wallace picked up a paper. “Straight from the horse’s mouth, straight from the hayseed who knocked her up. I can’t wait. You’ll schmooze them along, get them going on that happy marriage routine, and then you slip it in. ‘So, Mrs. Hamilton, how long has it been since you’ve seen your first child?’ She’ll be confused, she’ll say whatever the name of her first kid is with Hamilton, and you’ll give her that innocent look of yours and say, ‘No, I was speaking of your daughter that, according to our records, was born in 1952, and you gave up for adoption.’ Then all we do is sit back and watch them sweat and wiggle like worms on a hook. Oh, I love it.”
Dena took a deep breath and sat back in her chair, feeling ill. “Does Charles Hamilton know about this?”
“Who knows, who cares? If not, more the better … we can see the great phony-baloney Christian marriage blow up right on TV. Biggest scoop of the year and you got it, thrown right in your lap; do I take care of you or what?”
Wallace was waiting for Dena to thank him for the scoop but she was not responding the way he thought she would.
“Ira, I know these people personally. They gave me this interview as a favor. They’re going to think I set them up just to trap them.”
Wallace looked at the others. “And what bait, right?”
They laughed. Wallace looked at Capello. “And don’t let that innocent, corn-fed mug of hers fool you, Sid. She has the instincts of a killer. She sits there, smiling, batting those baby blues at them, they start to relax, and then,
wham
—straight for the jugular. They’ll never know what hit them.”
“Thanks, Ira, just what I always wanted to be, a killer,” Dena said. “Could I talk to you alone, please?”
Wallace was getting concerned now. “Yeah, sure. Boys, take a hike.”
The three men got up and left the room. Wallace looked at her.
“What’s the matter with you? Do you know how lucky we were to get this thing? Capello could have taken it and run with it and sold it for a fortune. I had to promise the dago bastard to make him an associate producer but I got the story for you. You should be grateful.”
“I am. It’s not that, it’s just that …”
Wallace was impatient. “What, just what?”
Dena leaned forward and looked him in the eye. “Why do it?”
“Hire him? I had to, he could have sold it right out from under us.”
“No, why do the story?”
“What?”
“I said: Why do it?”
“Are you kidding me? It’s news.”
“Is it? I’m not sure. It seems so … I don’t know, so unnecessary. I mean, shouldn’t we at least let her know it’s coming, and not just ambush her on the air?”
“Listen, we are handing these jerks millions of dollars of free advertising for Christ sakes and you’re gonna let them control the interview? Hell, no. We ask them what we damn well want to, and when we want to; this is a free country.”
“I know, but—”
“What’s with you? All of a sudden you’re Mary Tyler Moore? You’ve asked the hard questions before. Look how you nailed Bosley and the others. They’re all still screaming, for Christ sakes, not to mention the ratings.”
“Yes, but Ira, they were crooks and frauds, cheating the government. They deserved to be exposed. But Peggy Hamilton is a sweet lady who never hurt anybody. There’s a big difference here. Besides, what’s the point?”
“What’s the point, what’s the
point
? The point is people have a right to know what phonies they are. Now, come on, be happy. You got you the biggest story
Dena felt a knot in her stomach, anticipating what might be coming next.
“Sidney went down to Kentucky to nose around and he scored big. Before Little Miss Holier Than Thou married Hamilton, she went and got herself knocked up. Not only that, she gave the kid away and hasn’t seen it since.”
“Oh, no, Ira, I can’t believe that,” Dena said, stunned. “Where did this come from?”
Wallace picked up a paper. “Straight from the horse’s mouth, straight from the hayseed who knocked her up. I can’t wait. You’ll schmooze them along, get them going on that happy marriage routine, and then you slip it in. ‘So, Mrs. Hamilton, how long has it been since you’ve seen your first child?’ She’ll be confused, she’ll say whatever the name of her first kid is with Hamilton, and you’ll give her that innocent look of yours and say, ‘No, I was speaking of your daughter that, according to our records, was born in 1952, and you gave up for adoption.’ Then all we do is sit back and watch them sweat and wiggle like worms on a hook. Oh, I love it.”
Dena took a deep breath and sat back in her chair, feeling ill. “Does Charles Hamilton know about this?”
“Who knows, who cares? If not, more the better … we can see the great phony-baloney Christian marriage blow up right on TV. Biggest scoop of the year and you got it, thrown right in your lap; do I take care of you or what?”
Wallace was waiting for Dena to thank him for the scoop but she was not responding the way he thought she would.
“Ira, I know these people personally. They gave me this interview as a favor. They’re going to think I set them up just to trap them.”
Wallace looked at the others. “And what bait, right?”
They laughed. Wallace looked at Capello. “And don’t let that innocent, corn-fed mug of hers fool you, Sid. She has the instincts of a killer. She sits there, smiling, batting those baby blues at them, they start to relax, and then,
wham
—straight for the jugular. They’ll never know what hit them.”
“Thanks, Ira, just what I always wanted to be, a killer,” Dena said. “Could I talk to you alone, please?”
Wallace was getting concerned now. “Yeah, sure. Boys, take a hike.”
The three men got up and left the room. Wallace looked at her.
“What’s the matter with you? Do you know how lucky we were to get this thing? Capello could have taken it and run with it and sold it for a fortune. I had to promise the dago bastard to make him an associate producer but I got the story for you. You should be grateful.”
“I am. It’s not that, it’s just that …”
Wallace was impatient. “What, just what?”
Dena leaned forward and looked him in the eye. “Why do it?”
“Hire him? I had to, he could have sold it right out from under us.”
“No, why do the story?”
“What?”
“I said: Why do it?”
“Are you kidding me? It’s news.”
“Is it? I’m not sure. It seems so … I don’t know, so unnecessary. I mean, shouldn’t we at least let her know it’s coming, and not just ambush her on the air?”
“Listen, we are handing these jerks millions of dollars of free advertising for Christ sakes and you’re gonna let them control the interview? Hell, no. We ask them what we damn well want to, and when we want to; this is a free country.”
“I know, but—”
“What’s with you? All of a sudden you’re Mary Tyler Moore? You’ve asked the hard questions before. Look how you nailed Bosley and the others. They’re all still screaming, for Christ sakes, not to mention the ratings.”
“Yes, but Ira, they were crooks and frauds, cheating the government. They deserved to be exposed. But Peggy Hamilton is a sweet lady who never hurt anybody. There’s a big difference here. Besides, what’s the point?”
“What’s the point, what’s the
point
? The point is people have a right to know what phonies they are. Now, come on, be happy. You got you the biggest story
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