Chasing Deception Read online

  “Dan, I don’t work on Sundays.” She would work extra hours during the week, but she was committed to taking a Sabbath, which was pretty hard in this business.

  —

  Oh great, here goes Miss Holy Roller.

  Everyone was silent for a moment, thinking. Melissa and Dan were trying to craft a solution to this problem, while Jim was a little shocked to see Melissa stand up to Dan. Very few people besides Jim ever did that.

  Maybe she isn’t as much of a pushover as I thought.

  Melissa spoke first. “I’ll have my laptop with me Saturday night and I take pretty fast notes on it. I haven’t been to a service at New Creation before, but I know the basic routine. I’ll just take notes and email them you. You can come in on Sunday and write it up. If you have any questions, just call.”

  Dan nodded. “Sounds good to me. Jim, if you add her notes to your story you can probably get about 15-20 inches out of it. With, say, a 12-15 inch sidebar on the service and a couple of pieces of art, it sounds like a nice package.”

  “I can handle it if Mitchell can.”

  “You can call me Jim. And I’ll be just fine, Miss—, I, uh, mean Melissa.” He blushed slightly at his slip of the tongue.

  “Don’t worry, Jim. I know all about the ‘Miss Holy Roller’ cracks. Let’s make it easy on each other and just stick to first names.” Her broad smile lightened the mood considerably.

  Jim smiled back. Wow, she’s about as feisty as I am. This should be interesting. “OK, that works for me.”

  3

  Leaving the meeting, the two reporters divided up the work for the main story. Melissa agreed to type up some notes from an earlier interview with Jeremiah Harmon. She had been planning to do a profile on him, but she had more timely stories ahead of that. Melissa was then going to pass her work off to Jim, with a few questions of her own. Then he had the job of trying to rattle a few cages at city hall.

  About 30 minutes after the meeting, notes in hand, Jim made some calls. Larry Holcombe was at the top of his list. Holcombe, a popular, four-term councilman almost guaranteed to win re-election, was part of the faction taking sides against philandering councilman Thom Stanford. Jim suspected Larry was actually the one who had sent the anonymous email implicating Thom. Larry sure does like to play games. Let’s see how he plays this one. Jim dialed his private line at Holcombe Watch & Clock Repair.

  “Larry speaking.” Holcombe’s greeting was seasoned with tension. The election was a few days away, and Jim knew Larry worried if Thom Stanford’s challenger Diane Epps would defeat the incumbent. Larry was even financially supporting Diane by underwriting several fund-raising events. Jim loved uncovering what people thought they could get away with in local politics.

  “Hi Larry. It’s Jim Mitchell from the Courier. Got a minute?”

  “Sure Jim, what’s up?”

  “I’m working on a story on the ballot measures and I wanted to get a comment or two from you on Measure B.”

  “You know that officially I have nothing to do with any of the ballot measures. Perhaps you should call the ‘Citizens for Better Business’. They’re the ones who wrote Measure B.”

  The committee for which your wife just happens to be the chairwoman. Jim paused slightly before responding.

  “They’re my next call, but I thought you could help me out here. I know how much you have been a friend to the business owners in Emerald Valley.”

  “That’s true. OK, I’ll answer a few questions. Just make sure my name isn’t in the article. I don’t want folks to think I am trying to thwart the will of the people on this important measure.”

  “Sure thing, Larry.”

  It wasn’t a big concession, Jim knew. He would get other comments, including some from Larry’s wife, Delores, and in the end, he probably wouldn’t have to use his trite platitudes. When Larry Holcombe asked for anonymity, it meant he had secrets to share.

  Jim looked at the notes from Melissa and had come up with four basic questions, starting with a “softball” question to get Larry talking.

  “Why has this measure been so popular among the local businesses?”

  “Well, it’s obvious the residents of Emerald Valley simply want to preserve the high quality of business that people throughout Southern California have come to expect. People look for top-notch centers that have nice shops and are safe any time of day. Unfortunately, when some of these non-profits come in, sometimes attached to them are groups that can have a negative impact on business. It’s not their fault, mind you, but it’s a general rule of thumb. Really, Jim, this measure would have negative repercussions for so few people that I expect it to pass pretty easily.”

  “You said this wouldn’t affect that many people. Do you have any idea how many organizations would be affected by this measure?”

  “Uh, probably just a handful…”

  Jim had talked to Marshall Dolan, the Courier’s business editor, and already knew the answer to the question. “Three,” Jim mumbled.

  “What was that?”

  “Sorry, Larry. Just talking to myself. Since only a few people will be affected, this measure isn’t aimed at any one particular group, like New Creation Fellowship, for example?”

  “Huh, what did you say?”

  “I just was wondering if Measure B was written because of concerns with a specific organization.” Jim hoped restating the question would elicit a response.

  “Oh, don’t be ridiculous! That’s not how we do things here in Emerald Valley. You know us better than that.”

  The vociferous denial simply fueled Jim’s curiosity. He knew it took quite a bit to rattle Larry’s nerves, so Jim was pretty sure Holcombe was hiding something.

  “Hey, I have to ask the questions whether I think I know the answers or not.” Jim hoped his light tone deflected some of the councilman’s indignation.

  “Just a couple more questions for you, Larry. So, you are quite confident Measure B will pass?”

  “Most definitely.”

  “Why should people vote for the measure?”

  “Because it is what’s best for Emerald Valley.”

  Jim switched topics for his final question. “Any concerns about re-election?” While the councilman had plenty of yard signs in the community, he had done little actual campaigning. Jim was curious if Holcombe could keep from gloating before the votes were cast.

  “I think election night will be good news all around.” Jim detected the pride amid his measured words.

  Hanging up the phone, he looked up the numbers for both Barney and Delores. Luckily he caught both of them in their offices and talked with them for about 5 minutes apiece. He had already discussed the measure with them earlier in the week, but he told them he wanted some fresh quotes. They were both pleasant but didn’t offer anything new. Neither of them revealed any ill motives behind the proposition. They both repeated Larry’s line about the measure being “what’s best for Emerald Valley.”

  This is sounding a bit familiar.

  He wanted to know what everybody seemed so intent on hiding.

  After typing up the notes and printing them out he walked over to Melissa’s desk to fill her in. He noticed Melissa on her telephone headset. He remembered when reporters first got the headsets right after he started at the Courier, thereby ending the annoying neck pain all journalists endured as they cradled the receiver on their shoulder so they could simultaneously interview a source and write their notes on the conversation.

  As he walked across the newsroom, he saw visual reminders of other technological advancements that made his job so much easier. Watching people surfing the Internet for background research on stories and keying in web updates to the stories that ran in the morning paper, Jim was amazed at how much the Internet already had impacted the way journalists reported the news. He had heard stories of papers folding or firing large chunks of their staffs because more and more people were getting their news from a webpage than the printed page. As Melissa wrapped up th
e interview, Jim shared his thoughts with photographer Robbie Garcia.

  “I wonder how long it will be before people stop reading papers altogether? I wonder if they will even need reporters in the future or will it all be just people spreading gossip and innuendo.”

  “Aren’t you just a ray of sunshine? Stop thinking so much.”

  “That’s not a bad idea.”

  He saw Melissa had finished her call and strolled over to her desk.

  “What’s new?” she asked.

  “I talked to Councilman Holcombe, his wife Delores, who runs a real estate office in town, and Chamber President Barney Colbert. They all gave me the standard line about Measure B being ‘good for the people’ and whatnot. Some of their phrases were practically identical, which is odd in and of itself.”

  “What about ‘Citizens for Better Business’? Isn’t the councilman’s wife the head of that group?”

  “That made me suspicious, too, but neither Holcombe is willing to admit the connection between the group and the councilman is anything but accidental.”

  “And politicians have never been known to lie…”

  “Hey, I thought I was the cynic.”

  “Maybe it’s contagious.”

  “Maybe. At any rate, none of them said Measure B was aimed at any specific organization. I mentioned New Creation to all three of them, and both Larry and Delores seemed a little surprised. They didn’t say anything but they were a little thrown off. When I mentioned New Creation to Barney, I don’t even think he knew what I was talking about. I think dear Larry and Delores are hiding something. I just can’t figure out what it is yet.”

  “What exactly did they say?”

  “See for yourself.” Jim handed the notes to Melissa. He had put their comments on three separate pages so they could compare what each person had to say.

  “That’s odd...”

  “What is?”

  She opened a manila file folder on her desk.

  “The church, along with all the other businesses in the Cottonwood Center, received a letter from the Citizens for Better Business about a month ago asking them to vote for Measure B. I got a copy of the letter from Pastor Jeremiah. I think some of the wording in the letter is the same as what our friends said.”

  She found the letter and placed it next to the pages of notes.

  “Look here.” Melissa pointed to the first paragraph of the letter.

  We all know the people of Southern California are looking for top-notch centers that have nice shops and are safe any time of day. We, the Citizens for Better Business, want to keep that tradition alive in Emerald Valley.

  “Almost word for word with what Holcombe said.”

  “And his wife said almost the same thing. Now look at the third paragraph.”

  The Citizens for Better Business wrote Measure B because they know the residents of Emerald Valley simply want to preserve the high quality of business that people throughout Southern California have come to expect.

  “Again the Councilman seems to be getting his divine inspiration from the letter.” Jim noticed something he had overlooked before. “And it seems Barney is reading from the same script.”

  “I have the feeling something suspicious is going on and no one wants to talk about it. Are we sure this has anything to do with New Creation?”

  “I talked to Dolan and he said there were only three non-profit organizations in the fine shopping centers of Emerald Valley. One is a food bank, which is moving to a church—”

  “Which food bank was that?”

  Jim searched his notepad for the answer. “Bread of Life. It’s in the Golden Spur center.”

  “Do you know where they are moving to?”

  “Didn’t ask.”

  “I’ll track down Dolan later. Sorry to interrupt, please continue.”

  “The other is the local assistance league, but Dolan said there’s been talk of the group merging with a couple of other cities anyway.”

  “So New Creation Fellowship is the only real victim in this whole scenario.”

  “Yeah, that’s probably not a coincidence. I just can’t figure out what the Chamber of Commerce, the Citizens for Better Business and our beloved Councilman Holcombe have against New Creation Fellowship.”

  “It doesn’t make any sense yet, but I’m sure it will once we do some more digging… Maybe we are making this too big of a conspiracy. You said yourself that Barney Colbert didn’t know what you were talking about when you mentioned New Creation. The only people who seem like they are hiding something are the Holcombes. Maybe we should start with them.”

  “But what do they have to hide?”

  “Aren’t you the investigative reporter? Go investigate.” She smiled as she flicked her wrist.

  “I’m going. I don’t think we can get anything before the story runs, but we’ll have some great stuff for a follow-up after the election. I’ll keep digging and we can touch base tomorrow.”

  4

  Friday morning, the two reporters went over their plan of attack while munching on lemon poppy seed muffins and sipping freshly brewed coffee.

  “I’ll call Mayor Dewhurst first and see if she knows anything helpful.”

  Melissa jumped in as he took a breath. “She’s a Christian, you know. Pretty active at Emerald Valley Baptist Church. Ask her what her personal opinion is about New Creation Fellowship. I’ve talked to her for a couple of stories and I know she’ll probably have something to say.”

  “Good idea. I’d be happy if I could get a straight answer out of someone on this thing. Now where was I?” He looked over his notes again.

  “I’ll call councilmen Stanford and Goodwin. Can you call Diane Epps and also the folks at Bread of Life? Diane is great for saying say a little too much for her own good.”

  “OK. I also know some folks at the assistance league who might offer a quote or two.”

  “Anyone else you can think of?”

  “Actually, I talked with three pastors last week and casually asked them all about Measure B. I have their stuff in my notes. I’ll type up what I’ve got and you can look at it.”

  “How long have you been working on this story?”

  “A while. I was hoping to write something for the religion page this Sunday, but when I talked to Dan about my plan he suggested we work together. He figured you could help pry open a few closed doors. He said you were good at that kind of thing. I’m glad to see he was right.”

  “Thank you Miss Jenkins for your faith in little ole me.” Many in the newsroom knew Jim to employ a John Wayne drawl every now and then.

  “Now, let’s go make some calls. Are you busy for lunch?”

  “Just brown bagging it today.”

  “Yeah, so am I. Let’s get together and go over our notes. As my granddad used to say, ‘If you shake enough branches, some fruit is bound to fall off’.”

  “He actually said that?”

  “Nicholas Salucci ran an orange-packing plant for 53 years. He was full of one-liners like that.”

  “I bet he was a fascinating man.”

  “He sure was.”

  —

  During the next hour Jim talked to Stanford and Goodwin and then pruned through his email messages. Stanford favored Measure B but had nothing new to say. Goodwin, who volunteered at Bread of Life, didn’t like the measure because it was forcing them to move. He figured the owners of the shopping centers should be making those kinds of decisions.

  All in all, he got some good quotes. After getting off the phone with Goodwin he knew he was going to have to rewrite the entire story and figured Dan would probably put Melissa’s byline below his. Looking over the quotes and explanatory paragraphs she had put together, his respect for her grew. She’s a pretty good reporter, he thought as he was cleaning up his notes by completing the fragmented sentences he had typed during the interview and placing them in the proper order.

  It was a little after 10:30 a.m., and he had a phone interview scheduled with
the mayor in an hour. Her secretary had said she was in a meeting until 11:15 a.m. and had a Chamber of Commerce luncheon at noon. He didn’t expect to get more than 15 minutes with her at the most. After arranging all of his information he wrote out his questions for the mayor. He needed to be succinct because he was well aware of Marilyn Dewhurst’s tendency to take people down rabbit trails.

  He was in the middle of trying to find the right wording for a question when the phone rang. He picked up the receiver wondering if the mayor got out of her meeting early. “Courier, this is Jim.”

  “Hi, Jimmy.”

  “Hi Uncle Phil. What’s up?”

  Despite the cordiality in Jim’s voice, he secretly hoped Uncle Phil didn’t interrupt his busy day to talk about watching the house while he and Aunt Patty took some exotic trip this summer. Phil had been a private practice counselor for 30 years, but after retirement he took on a part-time counseling position at a large area church. He and his wife tended to take two or three weeks off each summer to travel.

  “Not much. Jimmy, I want you to look into something for me.” Jim noticed his uncle’s voice was unusually tense. And he keeps calling me Jimmy. He only calls me that when there’s something wrong.

  “I’m pretty busy, but I’ll do what I can. What’s up?”

  “I know you have never been much of a churchgoer, but have you ever heard of New Creation Fellowship? They meet in a shopping center in Emerald Valley.”

  “What’d you say?”

  “New Creation Fellowship. It’s a church, but they meet in a shopping center. So you haven’t heard of them, I take it?”

  “As a matter of fact I’m working on a story about the church right now. Some local business owners are trying to pass a ballot measure that would force them to move out of the Cottonwood Center. What do you know about them?”

  “Well…Vincent has been going to the church for about 6 months and your aunt and I are getting kind of worried about him.”

  Jim’s uncle hadn’t said much of anything about his cousin since he went to jail on an assault and battery charge about two years ago. It was his aunt who told him how Vince was doing. She was the one who had called him when Vince was released. This should be interesting.