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  Jack was nervous about the magnitude and implications of the story. Stations in this size market didn’t usually do investigative or undercover reporting. They didn’t have the experience, manpower or the equipment.

  He had wondered if he was wrong letting his anchor pursue this explosive scandal. Now he had a dead photographer and critically injured anchor.

  Jack closed Tom’s notebook and put it back down his pants. He headed down the hall where he left the police detective and called his news producer.

  “JJ, this is Jack. Get with promotions and get some promos on the air about our eleven o’clock news. Take footage of the live truck and the scene from the Hyatt. Have Kelly do the standup promo and let our audience know that tonight we will tell everyone what Tom Preston was working on.” Jack ended the conversation before he was in earshot of the detective, who had been patiently waiting for his return.

  As Jack reached Detective Glen Barnes, in walked his partner, Detective Sandi DiSanto.

  Glen asked the obvious. “Do we know anything yet? Jack’s okay. You can talk openly. Jack Router, this is Sandi DiSanto.”

  Jack nodded.

  “We are sure it was a bomb and it was attached to the news truck,” Sandi said. “The lab is checking everything they can find to figure out what kind of device it was.”

  “Any suspects?” asked the news director. He already knew the answer.

  “We don’t have anything right now to go on. What about your news anchor? Can he tell us anything?”

  Jack looked at Glen as if to say, Go ahead and answer this one.

  “Tom is in the emergency room. No one has been able to talk to him yet.”

  A doctor approached.

  “Are you with Mr. Preston? I’m Doctor Snyder.”

  “Yes, Doctor. I’m Tom’s news director . . . his boss. How is he?”

  “He’s not out of the woods yet. We’ve got him stabilized, but I’m afraid you won’t be able to see him until tomorrow. We’ve given him something to knock him out. Go get some rest and you should be able to see him tomorrow.”

  “Thank you, Doctor.”

  The doctor left, and Jack told the detective, “I need to get back to the station and make sure my staff is okay.”

  “Jack, we do need to talk, and we really need to get with Tom as soon as possible. He’s our only lead right now. Are you sure you don’t know anything about what he was working on that might help us?”

  “I wish I did. If I hear anything, I’ll call you.”

  Jack headed for the exit and then realized he had come in the ambulance and didn’t have a car with him. He turned back toward the detectives, only to find them right behind him.

  “Come on,” Glen said. “I’ll give you a ride back to your car.”

  ***

  When Jack got back to the station, the mood was somber. Several people cried at the news of Terry Lynch dying. Many were visibly scared. For the most part, the newsroom was staffed with people just a couple years out of school. None had ever experienced the death of a coworker.

  Jack called an immediate meeting with all the news staff. Twenty-six people gathered in the studio, the only place big enough to hold a meeting that size in the station. The atmosphere was very quiet.

  “As most of you know, tonight during our newscast our live truck blew up. I’ll be honest with you—the police suspect some type of bomb. Terry Lynch, our photographer, was killed. Tom is in the hospital. His injuries are serious but don’t appear to be life-threatening. At this moment, the police don’t have any suspects. If anyone knows anything that might help the police, you need to speak up.”

  “Jack, is this related to the story that Tom was working on for tonight’s news?” asked Terri Randall, a twenty-nine-year-old reporter who was rumored to have a friends-with-benefits relationship with the injured anchor.

  “Terri, we really don’t know anything right now. Again, if anyone has any information that might help us, please come see me. Or call the police directly. In the meantime, I want us doubling up on our assignments for safety reasons. This is just a precaution until the authorities can determine who was behind this attack and why it happened. Does anyone have any other questions?”

  The room remained silent. “Okay, then let’s get ready for the eleven o’clock news. I want to see Kelly, JJ, Terri and Andy.”

  “Andy’s still out at the Hyatt. We’ve sent our other live truck out there. I don’t think he’ll be back before the eleven,” JJ said.

  “Okay, then let’s the four of us meet in my office.”

  ***

  By eleven o’clock, the entire Coachella Valley was buzzing about what had happened to the TV3 live truck. There were reports of someone being killed in the explosion, but no details had been given out. The Desert Sun, the local newspaper, didn’t print until the morning. During the night’s ABC prime-time shows, every half hour saw at least one promotional mention of the upcoming TV3 coverage of the day’s events.

  Jennie Neeley teased the evening’s coverage with, “Join us at eleven as we tell you the story Tom Preston tried to tell you before the bomb exploded and put him in the hospital.”

  It was as ballsy as any local news promotion dared to be in this small resort community. Jack Router’s big-market experience was paying off tonight.

  Neeley would anchor the newscast. Terri Randall would be live from the hospital where Tom Preston was being treated. Andy Nixon would go live in front of the Hyatt, which was still a crime scene. Two and half hours later, it was time. The teleprompter started rolling.

  “I’m Jennie Neeley. Thank you for joining TV3 for our eleven o’clock news. Earlier tonight, during our six o’clock newscast, the TV3 live truck exploded as my co-anchor, Tom Preston, was about to report on his undercover investigation involving several local prominent business and community leaders. His story never aired because of the explosion. The photographer working that story was killed. Tonight, we’ll tell Tom’s story. First, let’s go to the scene in front of the Hyatt Hotel in downtown Palm Springs, where Andy Nixon is live. Andy.”

  Nixon stood in front of the Hyatt. In the background, the destruction of the TV3 live truck was still very visible, the debris scattered everywhere. Crime tape surrounded the scene.

  “Jennie, I’m standing directly in front of where the TV3 live truck blew up earlier this evening. The explosion killed one employee of TV3. We are not releasing our coworker’s name until we are able to notify his family. Injured in the explosion was Tom Preston, who was going to name business and community leaders in a giant Ponzi scheme.”

  “Before we tell you that side of the story,” Jennie said, “let’s go to Terri Randall, who is live from Desert Hospital, where Tom Preston is being treated. Terri.”

  “Thank you, Jennie. I’m at Desert Hospital where our colleague is recovering after being injured in the bomb explosion earlier tonight. I’m told Tom Preston’s injuries are not life-threatening, but they are serious. Tonight, TV3 will reveal Tom Preston’s story and name the people he was going to expose before he was seriously injured. For that part of our story, we go back to our news desk and Jennie Neeley.”

  No viewers were more glued to their television sets than Palm Springs detectives Glen Barnes and Sandi DiSanto. “Son of a bitch. We got burned. Jack Router screwed us. He had this information and sat on it until he could get his newscast on the air. Son of a bitch!”

  Jeannie Neeley continued. “Tom Preston investigated this story for several weeks and learned this scheme involves as many as a thousand people in the desert. Tom presented his findings to the state attorney general’s office after failing to get the attention of local law enforcement agencies.

  “Here’s how the Ponzi scheme worked. It was called the Gift Exchange Program. Over a thousand people were told that if they invested two thousand dollars, they could make sixteen thousand dollars in a very short time. The people at the top tier of this Gift Exchange made as much as a hundred thousand dollars. Unfortunately, wh
at makes a Ponzi scheme illegal is the people at the bottom tier will lose their two thousand dollars. The attorney general had this to say when asked about the Gift Exchange Program.”

  A sound bite played.

  “The Gift Exchange Program is nothing more than a pyramid scheme, and pyramids are illegal. Anyone found guilty could face up to a maximum prison sentence of three years and be ordered to pay restitution.”

  Jennie continued, “When asked by TV3 if the attorney general’s office had opened up an investigation on the Gift Exchange, we got this response.”

  The next, brief sound bite featured an AG spokesman. “The attorney general’s office does not comment on potential or active investigations.”

  “For more on this story we go back to Andy Nixon at the Hyatt in downtown Palm Springs,” Jennie said.

  “Jennie, I’m standing in front of the Hyatt, one of the many hotel locations that were reportedly used as meeting sites for the Gift Exchange Program. The question everyone has on their mind is, how did something like this Ponzi scheme get so big so fast? Tom Preston recorded an interview a few days ago with one of the people involved in this pyramid scheme. This individual agreed to talk to Tom on the grounds of protecting their identity. TV3 has muffled their voice and covered their face so you won’t be able to recognize them. Here is that interview.”

  “I got involved because of the community leaders involved in this. I felt they certainly must have checked the legality of this out before they got involved. They are certainly smarter than me. They are the pillars of our community.”

  “Tell us how this worked.”

  “Everyone was invited to attend one of several meetings throughout the valley at several locations. Some of these meetings had as many as four or five hundred people. There would be some testimonials and then you were invited to put your money into the program.”

  “Did you actually put your money in the program?”

  “Yes. I put in four thousand dollars that I didn’t have.” The unidentified person hung his head in shame.

  “I take it that your investment disappeared.”

  “That’s right. That is one reason I’m talking to you. I don’t want anyone else to be suckered into this scheme.”

  “Do you think what you did was illegal?”

  “That’s a fair question. I didn’t think it was, because of all the leaders in the community who seemed to be supporting this program.”

  Andy picked the story back up as the interview faded. “Jennie, this person told Tom that he has not been contacted by the authorities at this time. Back to you in the studio.”

  “That was Andy Nixon reporting live from the scene at the Hyatt. A second part of Tom Preston’s undercover investigation includes some secret video that was recorded at one of the meetings. Watch this video. We have included captions for the spoken audio because it is hard to hear everything on this recording. Let’s roll the video.”

  On stage addressing the crowd were five to eight people giving assurances and testimony to the legality of the Gift Exchange Program. Transcription of the actual audio scrolled on the screen as they played the video.

  “My name is Randy Strickland, and I’m president of the College of the Desert. Alongside me is Roberta Sanchez, superintendent of the Desert Sands School District, and John Tyler, College of the Desert counselor and school board member for the Desert Sands School District. We got involved in the Gift Exchange Program one week ago and have already received over fifty thousand dollars since investing five thousand dollars each. One of us has actually received over seventy-five thousand dollars, but I won’t tell you which one.”

  Roberta Sanchez was next to speak to the crowd. “This is the fastest and safest way that I have ever made money. I can’t recommend this enough to you.”

  John Tyler didn’t speak, but he gave two thumbs-up to the crowd. Roberta then told the crowd, “I’d like to introduce you to the president of the Indio Chamber of Commerce, Sonia Questa.”

  “I’m here as a business person to tell you that I can’t think of a better investment that will give you a bigger return on your dollars faster than the Gift Exchange Program. It’s time to make some money. All you have to do is get in line under one of the five different groups up front. It is possible to make all your money back, and then some, before you leave tonight.”

  The camera came back to the news set, where Jennie was watching her monitor of the video and shaking her head in disgust.

  “This is where the video ends and, as you can tell, several community leaders are not only endorsing this program but encouraging people to spend their money. TV3 will continue to follow this story, and if you have a story to tell about this story, or another story, contact us here at TV3.”

  It was seventeen minutes into the newscast before the first commercial break. This was unprecedented in a local newscast. Usually, the first commercial break came within the first six or seven minutes. The story exploded across the Coachella Valley. It was the water cooler talk for the next several days. And the next morning Jack Router would have an early-morning visitor waiting for him when he arrived at the station.

  ***

  “Good morning, Glen.”

  “Fuck you, Jack,” the detective greeted Jack on the front steps of the station. “You screwed me. You had all this evidence and you purposely kept it from the police. What were you thinking?”

  “I was thinking that if I turned all this over to you, I wouldn’t be allowed to tell the story like we needed to. Was I wrong?”

  After a long pause, Detective Barnes answered with a slight smile. “Not exactly. But listen, this isn’t just a story about a pyramid scheme any longer. This is now a murder investigation.”

  Jack Router got it. “Have you found anything yet?”

  “The lab is putting all the pieces together, and because it was a bombing of a television station, we’ve enlisted the FBI.”

  Dick Thomas had pulled into the station parking lot as the two were talking on the steps and didn’t bother with small talk when he approached them. “Gentlemen, let’s go to my office.”

  Detective Barnes was upset that “trusted friend” Jack had held back. “Where’d you get the video that you showed on last night’s news?”

  “I had someone go inside the meetings for us. We put a video recorder in their hat.” Jack never thought this was going to be anything more than exposing a pyramid scheme.

  “Who was it? I need to interview this person.”

  Jack looked at his general manager. Dick nodded and said, “Go ahead and tell him.”

  “It was recorded by Lisa Addelson, our newest reporter. She just got to town about a month ago.”

  “Is she here right now? I’ll need to talk to her today.” Detective Barnes was telling them, not asking.

  “I’ll make the arrangements. I want to be in the room, though. She’s just a kid, and she moved here for this job. She doesn’t have anyone to watch her back.”

  Jack always covered for his newspeople. His people loved him for this and would do anything he asked of them.

  “Okay, you can be in the room. I also need a list of the people who work at TV3 so we can cross-check them in our system.”

  The general manager was a little taken aback by this comment. “What for, Glen? Do you think someone at the station was responsible for the bombing?”

  “I don’t have any idea. It’s just part of our routine—we want to be sure we check everyone associated with the station. Right now, we don’t have any leads and we need to start somewhere. Sometimes looking in your own backyard is the best place to start.”

  The detective’s comments gave Dick an eerie feeling.

  “I’ll make Lisa available this afternoon. Let’s use our conference room here so people don’t get the wrong idea about you interviewing her at the police station. You okay with that?”

  “That’ll be fine. Let’s say two o’clock here at the station.” Detective Barnes rose and shook hands with the
two men before exiting the general manager’s office.

  2

  One Month Earlier

  WOW, THIS GIRL can fuck! the journalism professor thought wistfully as he watched the long-legged, silhouetted brunette pick up her bag and head out his door for the last time. The college professor couldn’t believe his luck that his student had actually lived up to the deal he struck with her four years ago when she entered his classroom.

  Lisa Addelson, at twenty-five, was embarking on her move to the beautiful resort area of Palm Springs in Southern California. Palm Springs, known as the playground of presidents and Hollywood stars, was now the city where this ambitious beauty would begin her broadcasting career. Climbing into her convertible Mustang bought by daddy, she was ready for the three-day drive on Interstate 10. The drive would take her through the deserts of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and then into California.

  The only thing on Lisa’s mind was starting her job as the new reporter for TV3, the ABC affiliate.

  Jack Router had hired the Texas beauty based off her looks alone. He really didn’t pay too much attention to her audition reel. Jack had been at the station three years. In the beginning he was the main anchor and news director. Now Jack’s sole responsibility was running the entire news department. He recognized good young talent and could develop them to move on to bigger television markets. Lisa knew this because she had done her homework. Her game plan was simple; put in two strong years for Jack and move on, to Vegas or Tucson, even Phoenix, or maybe San Diego. Jack Router could help get her there if she played her cards right. Lisa knew how to play cards with men in power, as was evident with her journalism professor.

  Lisa’s parents were wealthy and able to provide her with a bevy of life experiences. She wasn’t easily fooled. She knew her beauty gave her an advantage and that if she worked it properly, the world would be hers. Her education, training, and watching her father conduct business gave her an edge that few young people had at this stage in life. Lisa was one of the lucky young people entering the workforce equipped with all the tools she needed to succeed.