this is.”
“So then what are you proposing? I just kill it and walk away, wait for you to hold a press conference one day when, and if, you get this guy?”
Backus cleared his throat and leaned back. I glanced over at Walling but her face showed nothing.
“I won’t sugarcoat it,” Backus said. “But, yes, I want you to sit on the story for a little while.”
“Until when? What’s ‘a little while’?”
Backus looked around the cafeteria as if he had never been there. He answered without looking at me.
“Until we get this person.”
I whistled low.
“And what would I get for sitting on the story? What would the Rocky Mountain News get?”
“First and foremost, you’d be helping us catch your brother’s killer. If that is not enough for you, I’m sure we could work out some sort of exclusivity agreement on the arrest of the suspect.”
No one spoke for a long moment because it was clear the ball was in my court. I weighed my words carefully before finally leaning forward across the table and speaking.
“Well, Bob, as I think you know, this is one of those rare occasions when you guys don’t hold all the cards and can’t call all of the shots. This is my investigation, you see? I started it and I’m not just going to drop out. I’m not going to go back to Denver and sit behind my desk and wait for the phone to ring. I’m in and if you don’t keep me in, then I go back to write the story. It will be in the paper Sunday morning. It’s our best circulation day.”
“You’d do that to your own brother?” Walling said, the words tight with anger. “Don’t you give a shit?”
“Rachel, please,” Backus said. “It’s a good point. What we—”
“I give a shit,” I said. “I was the only one who did. So don’t try to lay any guilt on me. My brother stays dead whether you find this guy or not and whether I write the story or not.”
“Okay, Jack, we’re not questioning your motives here,” Backus said, his hands raised in a calming gesture. “We seem to have gotten into an adversarial stance and I don’t want that. Why don’t you clearly tell me what you want. I’m sure we are going to work this out right here. Before the coffee even gets cold.”
“It’s simple,” I said quickly. “Put me on the investigation. Complete access as an observer. I won’t write a word until we either get the son of a bitch or give up.”
“That’s blackmail,” Walling said.
“No, it’s the agreement I’m offering to make,” I responded. “It’s actually a concession because I have the story now. Having to sit on it is against my instincts and against what I do.”
I looked at Backus. Walling was angry but I knew it didn’t matter. Backus would make the call.
“I don’t think we can do that, Jack,” he finally said. “It’s against bureau regulations to bring somebody in like that. It could be dangerous to you as well.”
“I don’t care about that. Any of it. That’s the deal. Take it or leave it. Call whoever you’ve got to call. But that’s the deal.”
Backus pulled his cup in front of him and looked down into the still steaming blackness. He hadn’t even sipped it.
“This proposal is well above my level of authority,” he said. “I’ll have to get back to you.”
“When?”
“I’ll make the call right now.”
“What about the status conference?”
“They can’t start without me. Why don’t both of you wait here. This shouldn’t take long.”
Backus stood up and carefully slid his chair into the table.
“Just so we’re clear,” I said before he turned away, “if allowed into this as an observer, with two exceptions I will not write about the case until we have an arrest or you determine it is fruitless and focus your primary efforts on other cases.”
“What are the exceptions?” Backus asked.
“One is if you ask me to write about it. There may come a time that you’ll want to flush this guy out with a story. I’ll write it then. The other exception is if the story leaks. If this shows up in any other paper or on TV, all bets are off. Immediately. If I even get wind that somebody else is about to break it, I’ll break it myself first. This is my goddamn story.”
Backus looked at me and nodded.
“I won’t be long.”
After he left, Walling looked at me and quietly said, “If that had been me, I would