Lake News by Barbara Delinsky Page B

he would deliberately slander the Cardinal this way.
    â€œHire a lawyer,” Michael repeated.
    â€œI can’t. I don’t have money. Besides, why do I need a lawyer? I haven’t done anything wrong.”
    â€œYou need a spokesperson. Someone to issue a denial. Someone to challenge the Post .”
    She took a breath and tried to remain calm. “Governor Dean denied it. So did the Cardinal. He’ll do it again. It’ll be over and done.” Lifting the phone again, she tried the Post . This time when she reached the newsroom, she lucked out.
    â€œSullivan here,” she heard, and something about his cold voice, something about the image she conjured of a slick, mustached man who appeared to have wooed her with lies, made her snap.
    Fury alone kept her tongue fluid. “This is Lily Blake. Your story is wrong.”
    His voice stayed cold. “Wrong? No, it isn’t. I check out my facts.”
    â€œThere’s nothing going on between the Cardinal and me.”
    â€œIt sure looks that way.”
    â€œYou made it look that way,” she charged. “You were the one who kept talking about the Cardinal being appealing to women. You led me into a hypothetical discussion, then took my words out of context. That’s really… ssss-scummy! You also said our conversation was off the record.”
    â€œI never said that.”
    â€œYou did.”
    â€œI said ‘off the cuff.’ That’s different from ‘off the record.’ ”
    â€œYou knew what I meant!” Looking straight at Michael Eddy, she said,
    â€œYou also knew my phone number was unlisted, so you got it from Mitch Rellejik, who had no right to give it to you in the first place. Now two other nnn-newspaper people have it. That’s a violation of my privacy!”
    â€œLook, Lily,” he said with a sigh, “I’m sorry if this upsets you, but the truth sometimes does. I saw the way you looked at the guy last night at the club. And then you gave me quotes on a silver platter.”
    She was livid. “You twwwwisted what I said! That is the most shoddy thing! And you lied to me. Over and over, you lied. Now you’ve lied in the paper, and people all over are reading it. I want a retraction.”
    He laughed. “Are you kidding? This is the hottest story in town.”
    She didn’t understand his complacence. “Why are you doing this?”
    â€œIt’s my job.”
    â€œTo smear people? You said you loved the Cardinal.”
    â€œNo. You said that.”
    â€œYou talked about eternal damnation.”
    He laughed again. “Honey, I was eternally damned long before this story.”
    There had to be a method to his madness. “Do you have something against the Cardinal?”
    He was suddenly impatient. “Look, in my business, you get wind of a good story, you run with it. If you hit a wall, you back off. If not, you keep going. I’m going, baby. I’m going right to the end.”
    â€œBut this is a lie!”
    â€œTell it to the Pope. Hey, there’s my other line. Take care.”
    The phone went dead. Lily stared at the receiver. Floored, she looked at Michael.
    He held up his hands. “I’ve already given you my advice. I don’t know what more to say. My concern is this school.”
    Lily tried the Cardinal’s number again. It was still busy. Carefully, she replaced the receiver.
    â€œThis is unreal,” she said, more to herself than her boss. “But it’s all right. The Cardinal has power in this city. He’ll clear everything up. That’s probably why his line is busy.” She glanced at the clock. “I have a class.”
    If any of the fifteen students taking music appreciation were aware of the Post article, none mentioned it. They were as blasé as ever. By the time fifty minutes had passed and the bell rang to end the period, Lily had convinced herself that, Terry