The Evening News (37 page)

A final statement in the special news segment was made by CBA's corporate
president, Margot Lloyd-Mason.

It had been Leslie Chippingham's idea to include Margot. Soon after
breaking into the network with the kidnap bulletin yesterday, he reported
to her by telephone and did so again this morning. Her reaction had, on the
whole, been sympathetic and after their first conversation she telephoned
Crawford Sloane, expressing hope that his family would be recovered
quickly. While speaking with the news president, though, she added two caveats
.”
Part of the reason something like this happens is that networks have
misguidedly let anchor people become larger than life, so the public thinks
of them as something extra-special, almost gods
.”

She did not elaborate on
how a network could control public concepts, even if it wished, and for his
part,
Chippingham
saw no point in arguing the obvious
.
The other proviso concerned the kidnap task force
.”
I don't want anyone-and that principally means you
,”
Margot Lloyd-Mason
asserted, "going wild about spending money. You should be able to do
whatever is necessary within the existing news budget
.”

Chippingham said doubtfully, "I'm not so sure of that
.”

"Then I'll give you a firm ruling. No activity exceeding budget is to be
embarked on without my advance approval. Is that clear
?
”

Chippingham wondered whether the woman had blood in her veins or ice?
Aloud, he answered, "Yes, Margot, it's clear, though I'll remind you that
our ratings for the National Evening News shot up last night and I expect
that to continue while this crisis lasts
.”

"Which merely goes to show
,”
she answered coolly, "that unfortunate events
can be turned to profit
.”

While involving the corporate president in this evening's broadcast seemed
appropriate, Chippingham also hoped it might soften her attitude toward
some special expenditures which, in his view, would be needed
.
On air, Margot spoke with authority, using words scripted for her but with
revisions of her own.

"I am speaking for all the people of this network and our parent
company, Globanic Industries,
“
Margot said, "when I declare that our
total resources are available in the search for the missing members of
the Sloane family. For all of us, in fact, it is a family affair
.”
We deplore what has happened. We urge law enforcement agencies to continue their strongest efforts to bring the criminals to justice. We hope to see our friend and colleague, Crawford Sloane, united with his wife, son and
father in the shortest possible time
.”

In the original draft there had been no reference to Globanic Industries
.
When Margot proposed it while reviewing her script in the privacy of
Chippingham's office, he advised, "I wouldn't do that. The public has an
image of CBA as an entity, a piece of Americana. Bringing in Globanic's
name makes that image cloudy, to no one's advantage
.”

"What you'd like to pretend
,”
Margot retorted, "is that CBA is some kind
of crown jewel, and independent. Well, it's neither. Over at Globanic
they're more apt to think of CBA as a pimple on their ass. The reference
stays in. What you can take out, d propos Sloane, are those words, 'our
friend and colleague.' Kidnap or not, I might choke on them
.”

Chippingham suggested dryly, "How about a trade-off? I'll promise to love
Globanic if, for one broadcast, you'll be Crawford's friend
.”

For once, Margot laughed aloud
.”
Shit, yes
.”

The lack of progress after a frantic first day for the task force did not
surprise Harry Partridge. He had been involved in similar projects in the
past and knew it took members of any new team at least a day to orient
themselves. Just the same, it was imperative there be no more delay in
formulating plans
.”
Let's have a working dinner
,”
he told Rita during the afternoon
.
She then arranged for the six principals in the task force
Partridge
,
Rita, Jaeger, Iris, Owens, Cooper-to meet for Chinese food immediately
after the National Evening News. Rita chose Shun Lee West on West
Sixty-fifth, near Lincoln Center, a favorite with TV news folk. In making
the reservation she told the mait
re d', Andy Yeung, "Don't bother us with
menus. You order a good meal and give us a table out of the mainstream
,
where we can talk
.”

During a commercial that followed the five-minute kidnap report at the top
of the National Evening News, Partridge eased out of the anchor desk chair
and Crawford Sloane moved in. As he did, Sloane gripped Partridge's arm and
murmured, "Thank you, Harry-for everything
.”

"Some of us will be working tonight
,”
Partridge assured him, "trying to
come up with ideas
.”

"I know. I'm grateful
.”

Routinely, Sloane skimmed through the scripts an
assistant placed in front of him and, watching, Partridge was shocked by
the other man's appearance. Not even makeup could conceal ravages the past
day and a half had wrought. Sloane's cheeks appeared hollow, there were
bags beneath his eyes, which were red-rimmed; perhaps, Partridge thought
,
he had been crying in private
.”
Are you okay
?
”

he whispered
.”
Sure you want to do this
?
”

Sloane nodded
.”
Those bastards won't put me out of action
.”

The studio floor manager called out, "Fifteen seconds
.”

Partridge moved from camera range, then quietly left the news studio
.
Outside he watched a monitor until satisfied that Sloane would make it
through to the end of the news. Then he left by taxi for Shun Lee West.

Their table was at the rear of the restaurant in a relatively quiet comer
.
Near the end of the first course-a steaming, delicately flavored winter
melon soup-Partridge addressed Cooper. The young Englishman had spent most
of the day in Larchmont, talking with everyone who had knowledge of the
kidnapping, including the local police. He had returned to task force head-
quarters in the late afternoon
.”
Teddy, let's hear your impressions so far, and any ideas on where we go
from here
?
”

Cooper pushed his empty soup dish away and wiped his lips. He opened a
well-worn exercise book and answered, "Okay, impressions first
.”

The pages in front of him were crowded with scribbled notes.

"First off, it was a pro job all the way. The blokes who put this
together didn't muck about. They planned it like a railway timetable and
made sure they left no evidence behind. Secondly, these were pros who had
lotsa money
.”

Norman Jaeger asked, "How do you know
?
”

"Hopin' you'd ask
.”

Cooper grinned as he looked around the table
.”
For
one thing, everything suggests that whoever did the snatch kept a close
eye on the house for a long time before they made their move. You've
heard
about the neighbors who now say they saw the motors outside the
Sloane house, and once or twice vans, and thought the people in 'em were
protecting Mr. S, not spying on him? Well, five people've reported that
since yesterday; today I talked to four. They all said they saw those
motors on and off for three weeks, maybe a month. Then we've got to
consider Mr. S, who now believes he was followed
.”
Cooper glanced at Partridge
.”
Harry, I read your notes on the info board
and I believe Mr. S was right; he was trailed. I've a theory about that
.”

While they were talking, fresh dishes had appearedsaut6ed shrimp with
peppers, fried prawns, snow peas, fried rice. There was a pause to enjoy
the hot food, then Rita urged, "How about that theory, Teddy
?
”

"Okay. Mr. S is a big TV star; he's used to being a public figure
,
watched wherever he goes, and that becomes a way of life. So as a sort
of counterbalance he builds up a subconscious feeling of invisibility
.
He's not going to let stares from strangers, the turning heads or
pointing fingers bother him. That's why he may have screened out the
notion of being followed
which I reckon he was, because it fits in with
full-blown reconnaissance of the whole Sloane family
.”

"Even if that's true
,”
Karl Owens asked, "where does it get us
?
”

Partridge said, "It helps us build a picture of the kidnappers. Keep
going, Teddy
.”

"Okay, so it cost the snatchers to take all that time and do all that
spying. The same thing goes for all those motors they used; also a van
,
maybe two, and the Nissan van yesterday-a
regular fleet. And there's something special about those motors
.”

Cooper turned a notebook page
.”
The Larchmont cops let me see those motor
reports. Some interesting things come out
.”
Now, when somebody sees a car, they may not remember much about it, but
one thing most of us do remember is the color. Well, those people who
reported seeing the motors described eight different color
s.
So I asked
myself. Did the gang really have eight different cars
?
”

"They could have
,”
Iris Everly said, "if they were rental cars.,
,
Cooper shook his head
.”
Not our lads; they'd be too cagey. They'd know
that renting motors means identification--drivers' licenses, credit
cards. Also, rental cars have license plates which can be traced
.”

"So you've another theory
,”
Iris prompted
.”
Right
?
”

"Right. What I think happened is the snatchers most probably had three
motors and resprayed them, say once a week, hoping to lessen the chances
of being noticed. Okay, it worked. Only thing was, in the respraying
these blokes made a stupid mistake
.”

More food had arrived-two heaped platters of Peking duck. The others
reached out with chopsticks and ate hungrily while Cooper continued
.”
Let's go back a mo. One of those Larchmont neighbors noticed more than
the others about these motors. That's because he's in the motor insurance
business, knows makes and models
.”

Jaeger interrupted
.”
All this is interesting, my British friend, but if
you want any of this delicious duck you'd best dive in before us greedy
Yanks finish it
.”

"International duck
!”

Cooper joined with relish in the eating, then
resumed
.”
Anyway, this insurance geezer noticed the makes and models of the motors
and he says he saw three, no more-a Ford Tempo, a Chevy Celebrity and a
Plymouth Reliant, all this year's models, and he remembers some of the
colors
.”

Partridge asked, "So how do you figure the repainting
?
”