Blocked by Protegere Wall Filter” the message read. Matt didn’t get it. He hadn’t installed any new filters. He checked some other websites on his favorites list. He gotthrough to most of them, but for others, he received error messages. Matt sighed heavily and ran his hand through his hair.
This sounded like a job for the Geek Squad,
Matt thought.
Before logging out, he went back to his email messages. There was nothing from Stephen Cross. There was, however, another email from Alex Doren, again requesting an interview. Matt was impressed with the guy’s persistence, but he still wasn’t interested in opening that old wound and certainly not so someone else could exploit it. He had more important matters to attend to than helping a fellow journalist with his stories. He needed to get his own stories published, and at this rate it didn’t look like an easy task.
CHAPTER SIX
THE NEXT MORNING Matt began tracking down some of his former colleagues. After his run-in with the commissioner, he had left the country rather abruptly without explaining what he was doing or even saying goodbye. It had been nearly impossible for him to keep in touch while he was in Afghanistan, but now he wanted to reach out to his fellow journalists who were connected to some of the most well-known publications in the country. He was counting on them for some suggestions about how to handle
The Chronicle
or find somewhere else that would appreciate what he had to offer.
His first call was to Yvonne Alfonso at
The Sentinel
. Yvonne was Cuban-American, born in the United States to parents of Cuban descent and a shining star in the growing Hispanic community. She was bright and articulate and, after only a couple of years of writing obituaries, had earned a top spot in
The Sentinel
. There, she began a regular feature dealing with issues important to first- and second-generation Cuban-Americans. She wrote about the latest developments with the Castro regime and explained the logistics of traveling or sending money to Cuba. Over theyears, she had developed quite a loyal following of readers. Matt dialed her direct line and, after several rings, was connected to voice mail.
“You have reached the office of Rosa Perez …,” the message began.
Matt hung up and dialed again. When he got the same message, Matt assumed he had an old number for Yvonne and pressed “0.” A receptionist picked up after several rings.
“Good afternoon. You have reached
The Sentinel,
your best source for news in the Sunshine State. How may I help you?”
“Hi. I’m trying to reach Yvonne Alfonso.”
“There’s no one working here by that name.”
“Are you sure? She’s been there for several years.”
“I’m positive. I’ve been here for several weeks.”
Matt sighed. “Okay, can you tell me where she’s working now?”
“No, I can’t,” was the clipped response.
“Can you check your records, please? I’m an old friend and need to get in touch with her.”
“One second,” the receptionist huffed.
It felt more like several minutes before she came back on the line. “I don’t have any information on Ms. Alfonso. I have no idea where she’s working now.”
“Thanks very much for all your help. Have a great day,” he said cheerfully to a dead phone line.
Matt called Yvonne’s cell phone, got voice mail and left a message.
Next, Matt tried Mo Al-Ahmed, a television journalist who worked for the local CBS news bureau. Over the years,Mo had covered more wars, ethnic cleansings and national tragedies than any person Matt knew -- including Stephen Cross. Lately, Mo had been spending most of his time in the Middle East. Born in the U.S. to Saudi-American parents, he spoke Arabic fluently. His culture and education made it possible for him to speak with major political figures and world business leaders. Mo explained better than anyone the Arab-Muslim perspective of the religious totalitarianism that gave rise to much of the conflict in
This sounded like a job for the Geek Squad,
Matt thought.
Before logging out, he went back to his email messages. There was nothing from Stephen Cross. There was, however, another email from Alex Doren, again requesting an interview. Matt was impressed with the guy’s persistence, but he still wasn’t interested in opening that old wound and certainly not so someone else could exploit it. He had more important matters to attend to than helping a fellow journalist with his stories. He needed to get his own stories published, and at this rate it didn’t look like an easy task.
CHAPTER SIX
THE NEXT MORNING Matt began tracking down some of his former colleagues. After his run-in with the commissioner, he had left the country rather abruptly without explaining what he was doing or even saying goodbye. It had been nearly impossible for him to keep in touch while he was in Afghanistan, but now he wanted to reach out to his fellow journalists who were connected to some of the most well-known publications in the country. He was counting on them for some suggestions about how to handle
The Chronicle
or find somewhere else that would appreciate what he had to offer.
His first call was to Yvonne Alfonso at
The Sentinel
. Yvonne was Cuban-American, born in the United States to parents of Cuban descent and a shining star in the growing Hispanic community. She was bright and articulate and, after only a couple of years of writing obituaries, had earned a top spot in
The Sentinel
. There, she began a regular feature dealing with issues important to first- and second-generation Cuban-Americans. She wrote about the latest developments with the Castro regime and explained the logistics of traveling or sending money to Cuba. Over theyears, she had developed quite a loyal following of readers. Matt dialed her direct line and, after several rings, was connected to voice mail.
“You have reached the office of Rosa Perez …,” the message began.
Matt hung up and dialed again. When he got the same message, Matt assumed he had an old number for Yvonne and pressed “0.” A receptionist picked up after several rings.
“Good afternoon. You have reached
The Sentinel,
your best source for news in the Sunshine State. How may I help you?”
“Hi. I’m trying to reach Yvonne Alfonso.”
“There’s no one working here by that name.”
“Are you sure? She’s been there for several years.”
“I’m positive. I’ve been here for several weeks.”
Matt sighed. “Okay, can you tell me where she’s working now?”
“No, I can’t,” was the clipped response.
“Can you check your records, please? I’m an old friend and need to get in touch with her.”
“One second,” the receptionist huffed.
It felt more like several minutes before she came back on the line. “I don’t have any information on Ms. Alfonso. I have no idea where she’s working now.”
“Thanks very much for all your help. Have a great day,” he said cheerfully to a dead phone line.
Matt called Yvonne’s cell phone, got voice mail and left a message.
Next, Matt tried Mo Al-Ahmed, a television journalist who worked for the local CBS news bureau. Over the years,Mo had covered more wars, ethnic cleansings and national tragedies than any person Matt knew -- including Stephen Cross. Lately, Mo had been spending most of his time in the Middle East. Born in the U.S. to Saudi-American parents, he spoke Arabic fluently. His culture and education made it possible for him to speak with major political figures and world business leaders. Mo explained better than anyone the Arab-Muslim perspective of the religious totalitarianism that gave rise to much of the conflict in
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