Newt
***
[MD1, Miami Field Office, 5:01PM]

>"So, what's your idea on talking with this reporter? I say we act like
>we're reporters from another newspaper who want to know how he found out."

>She shrugged.

>"Only an idea. I sure hope you can come up with something better." She smiled.

Newt shrugged, "It's as good as any I suppose .." This whole case had a the flavor of a tabloid story .. so talking to a tabloid reporter only made sense. But of course that made it no less distasteful.

***
[MD 1, The Tattler Office, 5:45PM]

"So you liked that story, did ya?" the flamboyant reporter asked.

"Oh yes .. very interesting." Newt said, barely able to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

"Well you just need to know where to dig."

"Where did you get that story?" Sharlyn asked.

"If you think I'm going to give you my sources, you're insane."

"Sources!" Newt scoffed, "Come on, we know you made that whole thing up."

"I'll have you know, Jack Sparks NEVER made up a story in his life!" the man frowned at Newt. Then he grinned, "I just embellish 'em a bit."

"Oh please .. the woman's a figment of your creativity.. and that's it."

"You think so, eh. Well, let me tell you something, kid. I may not be writing for any fancy paper, but I am a journalist, and I do have some scruples." He leaned in closer to the two. "You wanna know how I found out about Ms. Lewandowski?"

Sharlyn nodded and Newt watched in interest, trying to look like he wasn't interested. But it didn't fool Sparks. He laughed. "I heard it from the birds own mouth! Sandra Lewandowski is a lush who likes to spout out tall tales. Well, normally I pay her no mind, but one night she got real scared. She was on like her 5th beer by then and I wasn't in the mood to listen to her .. Until she started talking 'bout the boy."

"The boy? You mean her son?" Newt asked.

"Yeah," Jack nodded, "He died several years ago, only a few years younger then me. Scary kid he was. Even scarier adult. He always said his father was gonna come get 'em. So when she started talking about him, I listened." The reporter shrugged, "Hell, we all knew Mr. Lewandowski wasn't his old man. The didn't look nothing alike. But to hear Ms. Lewandowski actually admit it."

"You said she was scared? Why?"

"Said she'd seen the rapist. That he was coming to get her .. wanting explanation's about her son. Sounded like a good story to me .. so I listened. And I checked out my sources at the police station and library .. it checked out, so I wrote it."

"Ms. Lewandowski saw her rapist?" Newt asked. "Recently?"

Jack Sparks shrugged, "Hell, who knows, she was bombed out of her mind. Maybe it's just her guilt over what happened to Kaleb. She never drank much till after he died. I figure she blames herself."

***
[MD 2, 8:15 AM, in the car]

"Oh no way!" Newt said.

"I saw the picture it was him." Flynn told him.

"Yeah, but Paul? He's one of us. He's a good guy. I mean, I know he and Kate were married, and there's probably hard feelings, but he wouldn't sabotage our investigation."

"What do we know about him?" Flynn asked. "He could be planted here to keep us from finding anything out."

"He saved my butt," Newt protested. "I refuse to believe he's up to anything."

"Then you're being naive. Sure maybe he's not .. but we can't be sure and that picture Docker sent .."

"Oh sure trust Docker, who tried to have us killed! But Paul? The man who got me out of jail?" Newt frowned, "I think we got our good sense a little jumbled here."

"It just a precaution, Newt." Flynn growled at him, "I trust Kate's intuition."

Newt sighed, "All right, but I think he's a good guy and he could be helping us .. I mean I trust Kate and all too, but this is her EX-husband. And we know they didn't split on good terms. Her intuition could be just a little colored."

"He's not to be 'in the know' about what we know, understand."

"Sure sure .." Newt frowned, backing down, though he wasn't sure how they could trust Docker over Paul ..


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