* * *
There were a lot of things in life you couldn’t plan for. Breaking news was certainly one of them. As a reporter handed an assignment, you generally had a few scant details when you headed out to snag a story, but the reality of the situation might be entirely different once you arrived on scene.
I’d buried myself in work the week following the station’s picnic. Anything to keep me from falling into a pit of self pity over what I’d now dubbed the Kacey-Carrie travesty. The more hours I put in scouring the tips that came in, listening to the scanners, and staying in constant contact with the assignments desk, the more stories came my way. I was learning fast how to stay ahead of my colleagues, and that was to work harder.
The domestic dispute I’d heard chattered about over the scanner was still very much in progress when Ty and I arrived at the small home in a residential neighborhood belonging to the Sorenson family. I had that part established before arriving. I’d also expected the issue to be under control by the time we drove the ten minutes required. I was dead wrong.
When we approached, I saw Jake, my favorite patrolman, standing on the front lawn of a beige one-story with a clearly broken window. He held up a hand. “Gonna hold you back, Skyler.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “What do we have?” I’d already heard on the scanner that there were two males battling it out and a possible hostage situation. The word hostage was what had Ty and me exchanging a look and heading right over. If the situation escalated, and we were already in position, we would scoop the other stations.
Jake shook his head. “Can’t help you. We’re still in progress, and until we secure the scene, I’ll need you far across the street. No argument.”
I nodded, understanding that we could put everyone in danger if we inserted ourselves, and dutifully followed Jake’s instruction. But from across the street, I kept one ear on the action.
“Hey, we’re inching closer to the noon broadcast,” Ty said fifteen minutes later, phone to his ear. “Tam wants us to go live. They’re sending Charlie with the truck.”
I turned to him. “What? No. I don’t have enough information. There’s no story yet. Why would we go live?”
More shouts from the direction of the house. “Get the hell away from me, asshole!”
“It’s my lizard, you fucker!”
Ty shook his head. “Slow news day. We got to put together what we can.”
I nodded. It was time to step up and deliver. Two more squad cars arrived, and I was able to overhear that this was likely a dispute between a father and a son that stemmed from a borrowed credit card. Also, something about an iguana, who was apparently the hostage in question. Slow news day indeed, but I would work with what I had. I waited until Jake appeared again, and the shouting seemed to have died down. “Can you give me any details? We’re apparently going live.”
“I can’t give you anything official. You know that. You gotta talk to our information officer.”
“Off the record. Between friends.” I stared at him and watched the exact moment he crumbled. He seemed to have a weak spot for me.
“The son blew a bunch of money on some online poker site and used the father’s credit card to do it. Now the father has moved the iguana into his bedroom as collateral, and the son is ready to blow shit up to get his friend back.”
“Got it. For the love of a lizard.”
“Something like that.” He looked behind them. “They have them separated now and are taking statements, but it was fiery.”
“You’re the best, Jakety-Jake.”
“I have no idea how you know my nickname.” He headed back to the house with a smile threatening.
Twenty minutes later, we were on air. When the lunchtime anchor tossed it to me, I was ready. “Lisette, police were called to this west side home when neighbors overhead shouting and threats. We’re currently in the midst of a father–son showdown with police standing—”
Suddenly there was movement on either side of me. A man raced by, passing between me and the camera. “I will mess you up, old man,” came a call from the second man, who followed the first, barreling through.
“As you can see, Lisette, we are in the midst of it here, even now.”
“Henry, freeze right there!” It was Jake. I wasn’t sure who Henry was, but he wasn’t listening. The two men continued to chase each other, until the older one caught the younger one by the collar and threw the first punch, landing it with a sickening thud. That was all it took. The fight was on.
I stepped to the side, speaking over the grunts from the men and shouted orders from police. “The father and son in question are in the midst of a brawl,” I said, watching them pummel each other, inches away. The police were intervening, but this was getting too close for my comfort. “In fact, Lisette, it might be wise if we—”
That’s the last thing I said before I found myself blinking up at Ty’s face peering down at me. Wait. What? The shouting had stopped, and it had gone eerily quiet. How had that happened so quickly? One minute, shouting. The next, nothing. I blinked again. There was Jake, too, speaking into his shoulder calmly. Where was the hubbub? Where was Lisette in my ear? Jake said something about an ambulance, but he still seemed far away, the whole world did.
“Why am I…” I looked around, orienting myself, remembering speaking to Lisette back at the studio. “What happened to my shot?”
Ty’s eyes were wide, and he’d gone pale. It took a lot to rattle him, but something had. He peered over me, smoothing my hair. “You just took one hell of a punch, kiddo. Smack dab in the face. You okay, Rocky?”
I moved my jaw back and forth, but it was my left eye that screamed out with pain. He wasn’t kidding. “I think so. Face hurts. I’m in the grass?”
“Yep,” Ty said. “Assholes got ya, and you went down like a sack of baking potatoes. Bam.” Ty was nothing if not expressive. “But we got you. You’re gonna be okay.”
“No, no.” Jake held up a hand as I tried to push myself onto my elbows. “Just lie right there, Skyler. Gonna get you checked out.”
That’s when a god-awful, horrible thought descended like a lightning bolt. “We were live.”
“Ah. Yeah,” Ty said. “Got it all.”
“I got hit in the face on live television?”
He nodded and winced. “Like I said, bam.”
I shelved the horror, knowing it would be back in full force given time. “Where are the guys now? The ones who were fighting.”
Jake gestured behind him as an ambulance pulled up to the curb. “Back of this squad car, and that one.”