Dead in the Water

arriving here tonight, and either I get an exclusive interview, or I’m getting out of here right now.”
    Stone turned to him. “Either it runs Sunday night, or there’s no interview.”
    “I can’t promise you that,” Burrows said.
    “Then you might as well go home, because beforethe Sunday after that rolls around, my client could very well have been executed, and I’m not much interested in a postmortem feature.”
    “This week’s show is already set,” Burrows said. “There’s nothing I can do about it.”
    “I’m sorry, Jake, there’s nothing I can do for you,” Stone said.
    Burrows looked at him incredulously. “Listen to me, Stone, this is 60 Minutes; do you know what that means?”
    “Sure I do,” Stone replied. “It means you’d be airing an interview with a dead woman. I thought your show liked saving innocent people from death row, not reporting on the execution later.”
    Jake Burrows looked at him intently for a moment without speaking. “I’ve got to make a phone call,” he said finally, pushing his chair back.
    “Tell them I want it in writing,” Stone said.
    “If I do this, will you guarantee me an exclusive?”
    “I’ll guarantee you an exclusive on in-depth TV, but she’s going to hold a press conference, where I’ll answer most of the questions, and an awful lot of photographs of her are going to be taken. The only way I can save her life is to carpet American TV wall to wall with her face, and that’s what I intend to do. Anyway, all that will be great promotion for your interview.”
    Burrows nodded and went off to find a phone.
    “You’re going to have your hands full pretty soon,” Jim Forrester said.
    “I’ve already got my hands full, just with the two of you. Are you on staff at the magazine?”
    Forrester shook his head. “This will be my firstpiece for them. I was in San Juan doing a travel piece when they called.”
    “Who’s your editor there?” Stone asked.
    “Charles McGrath.”
    “He’s number two there, isn’t he?”
    “That’s right.”
    “What are you going to want?”
    “Well, obviously, I want to see Allison again as soon as possible, then I want to cover everything that happens, including the 60 Minutes interview and the trial. There’s nothing I can do to save her life, but if what she says rings true, then I can reinforce her innocence if she survives. That could be important to her, because there is always going to be a question mark hanging over her, even if she’s acquitted.”
    “You’re right about that.” Stone wrinkled his brow. “What did you mean by seeing Allison again?”
    “I’ve met her before.”
    “Where?”
    “In the Canaries, in Las Palmas and in Puerto Rico. I was there on assignment from Conde Nast Traveler when I met Paul at the yacht club in Las Palmas.”
    “Jesus,” Stone said, “I’ve got a guy on a plane for Las Palmas right now, looking for somebody just like you. We have to talk.” He looked up to see Jake Burrows coming toward them.
    “All right,” Burrows said, “let me lay it out for you: I’ll give you a letter on 60 Minutes letterhead, guaranteeing you air time this Sunday night.”
    “Guaranteeing me a full segment,” Stone said.
    “All right, all right. You give me first and exclusive access to Allison first thing tomorrow morning, and youdon’t hold your press conference until my reporter and I are out of here with our tape.”
    “Who’s the reporter?”
    “Chris Wheaton.”
    “Never heard of him. What happened to Mike Wallace and Morley Safer?”
    “Chris is a she, and she’s new; this will be her first story. She’s already on a plane, and she’s all you’re going to get.”
    “This is a full segment, though?”
    “I’ll put it in writing.”
    “Okay, but Jim here is going to sit in.” He held up a hand before Burrows could object. “He’s not going to ask her any questions during your time, he’s just going to observe for his New Yorker piece. Can’t hurt to have your program’s name in the magazine, can it? I bet Chris Wheaton will love it.”
    “Okay, it’s a deal. First thing in the morning; Chris won’t be in until tonight, and I want daylight, with palms and water in the background.”
    “How about in the cockpit of her boat?”
    “Ideal.”
    “You go write your letter; Jim and I have to talk.”
    Burrows went back to the bar, opened his briefcase, extracted a sheet of stationery, and started writing.
    Stone turned back to Forrester.