poles every day for a year.”
Eliza agreed with Annabelle. The public had to be informed about Janie before they could ever help find her. Eliza knew that it would be important to humanize Janie, emotionally linking the public to the outcome of the search for her child.
But Eliza also knew very well what it would be like if she went outside to face the press. They would pounce on her and she would be the focal point of the story. There would be questions about how she felt, how she was holding up. It might be better to have the facts laid out to the press by someone else so that the focus would be only on Janie and Mrs. Garcia’s disappearance.
Eliza looked over at Katharine and Paul, who had been sitting therelistening to the conversation. Her in-laws suddenly looked so frail and old and there was no way Eliza was going to ask them to trot outside and answer a barrage of questions. They were under enough pressure as it was.
“Let me do it, Eliza,” Annabelle repeated.
“God, that would be great,” said Eliza. “But do you really want to?”
“You’d do it for me, wouldn’t you?” Annabelle asked.
“What about your KTA assignment?”
“Unfortunately, I’ve done enough of these ‘heartbreaking news’ things that I can handle both jobs, at least for this morning. Harry Granger is out there, and you know him—he barely needs to be produced at all. It’s not his first time at the rodeo. And B.J. is out there, too, now. He doesn’t need to be told what pictures to get; he has better instincts about that than I do.”
“Still…,” Eliza said uncertainly.
“Don’t worry,” Annabelle insisted. “There are other producers out there, too. We aren’t leaving Harry twisting in the wind. After the broadcast, if you want me to continue to be your spokesperson, I can ask Linus for a leave until Janie comes home.”
Annabelle went outside to join the news personnel on the street in front of Eliza’s house. Immediately, she was surrounded by colleagues from ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, FOX, and the local television and radio stations, as well as reporters from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, the Daily News, the Record, the Star Ledger, and the Associated Press. It surprised no one that the Enquirer, the Star, and the Mole were also represented. This story was tailor-made for the gossip tabloids’ front pages. Photographers from tmz.com, ready to stream the latest video to the popular celebrity news Web site, were there, as well as aggressive paparazzi drooling for the sensational shots that would command top dollar.
“I have a statement, everybody,” Annabelle announced.
She waited while the photographers, camera crews, and reporters with microphones and notebooks jostled into position.
“I am Annabelle Murphy, A-N-N-A-B-E-L-L-E—that’s one word—M-U-R-P-H-Y. I am a producer for KEY to America and a colleague and friend of Mrs. Blake. I have a short statement to read and afterward I’ll take a few questions.”
Annabelle cleared her throat and began to read from the announcement she and Eliza had composed.
“Yesterday, at approximately eleven forty A.M. , Janie Blake, age seven, was taken by Carmen Garcia, Mrs. Blake’s housekeeper, from Camp Musquapsink, a children’s day camp in Sloatsburg, New York. Neither Janie nor Mrs. Garcia has been seen or heard from since. Local and state police in New Jersey and New York as well as the FBI are investigating. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has also been contacted.”
Annabelle paused and swallowed before continuing. “Mrs. Blake is asking anyone who has any information that might help find Janie to please call their local police department. Later in the day we hope to have set up a designated number to call.”
The CBS reporter shouted out the first questions. “Was the housekeeper scheduled to take Janie from camp? Was this something planned, something that Eliza knew about
Eliza agreed with Annabelle. The public had to be informed about Janie before they could ever help find her. Eliza knew that it would be important to humanize Janie, emotionally linking the public to the outcome of the search for her child.
But Eliza also knew very well what it would be like if she went outside to face the press. They would pounce on her and she would be the focal point of the story. There would be questions about how she felt, how she was holding up. It might be better to have the facts laid out to the press by someone else so that the focus would be only on Janie and Mrs. Garcia’s disappearance.
Eliza looked over at Katharine and Paul, who had been sitting therelistening to the conversation. Her in-laws suddenly looked so frail and old and there was no way Eliza was going to ask them to trot outside and answer a barrage of questions. They were under enough pressure as it was.
“Let me do it, Eliza,” Annabelle repeated.
“God, that would be great,” said Eliza. “But do you really want to?”
“You’d do it for me, wouldn’t you?” Annabelle asked.
“What about your KTA assignment?”
“Unfortunately, I’ve done enough of these ‘heartbreaking news’ things that I can handle both jobs, at least for this morning. Harry Granger is out there, and you know him—he barely needs to be produced at all. It’s not his first time at the rodeo. And B.J. is out there, too, now. He doesn’t need to be told what pictures to get; he has better instincts about that than I do.”
“Still…,” Eliza said uncertainly.
“Don’t worry,” Annabelle insisted. “There are other producers out there, too. We aren’t leaving Harry twisting in the wind. After the broadcast, if you want me to continue to be your spokesperson, I can ask Linus for a leave until Janie comes home.”
Annabelle went outside to join the news personnel on the street in front of Eliza’s house. Immediately, she was surrounded by colleagues from ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, FOX, and the local television and radio stations, as well as reporters from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, the Daily News, the Record, the Star Ledger, and the Associated Press. It surprised no one that the Enquirer, the Star, and the Mole were also represented. This story was tailor-made for the gossip tabloids’ front pages. Photographers from tmz.com, ready to stream the latest video to the popular celebrity news Web site, were there, as well as aggressive paparazzi drooling for the sensational shots that would command top dollar.
“I have a statement, everybody,” Annabelle announced.
She waited while the photographers, camera crews, and reporters with microphones and notebooks jostled into position.
“I am Annabelle Murphy, A-N-N-A-B-E-L-L-E—that’s one word—M-U-R-P-H-Y. I am a producer for KEY to America and a colleague and friend of Mrs. Blake. I have a short statement to read and afterward I’ll take a few questions.”
Annabelle cleared her throat and began to read from the announcement she and Eliza had composed.
“Yesterday, at approximately eleven forty A.M. , Janie Blake, age seven, was taken by Carmen Garcia, Mrs. Blake’s housekeeper, from Camp Musquapsink, a children’s day camp in Sloatsburg, New York. Neither Janie nor Mrs. Garcia has been seen or heard from since. Local and state police in New Jersey and New York as well as the FBI are investigating. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has also been contacted.”
Annabelle paused and swallowed before continuing. “Mrs. Blake is asking anyone who has any information that might help find Janie to please call their local police department. Later in the day we hope to have set up a designated number to call.”
The CBS reporter shouted out the first questions. “Was the housekeeper scheduled to take Janie from camp? Was this something planned, something that Eliza knew about
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