groaned. “I was really hoping you were making that up or Mister Joel Oliver was wrong.”
“MJO’s never wrong, right, Chuckie?”
Chuckie rubbed the back of his neck. “We need to call in everyone. This is going to be bad.”
“I didn’t tell him anything.”
“It won’t matter,” Oliver said. “He’ll make it up.” He shook his head. “Bruce Jenkins is the worst kind of reporter you could have interested in you.”
“He’s a bad guy?”
“Depends on your point of view,” Oliver said in a voice of doom.
“Figure you know what my point of view will be, MJO.”
“Bad? No. He’s smart, tenacious, trusted, and, worst of all, popular.”
“Um, we could play the Guess The Reason To Freak Out Game, but I’d prefer if someone would tell me why this particular popular reporter is freaking everyone out so much. No one freaked out when you, MJO, were hot on our trail, so to speak.”
“Because no one believed me,” Oliver said patiently. “However, everyone believes Bruce Jenkins.”
“I’ve never heard of him. Ever.”
“You have,” Culver said. “Only probably not by his real name.” She looked worried—The Joker Fears Batman Has Had Commissioner Gordon Call In The Marines worried. This boded.
“And that name is?”
Oliver swallowed. “The Tastemaker.”
CHAPTER 10
“O H. THAT GUY. He’s a gossip columnist. Isn’t he?”
“Yes, in a way,” Oliver said. “He’s quite in the know—his gossip is accurate.”
“So what? So was yours and no one ever believed you.”
Oliver sighed. “Yes, but my ‘gossip,’ so to speak, was about conspiracy theories and aliens—things most people don’t want to believe. His information is of a more salacious nature, affairs and so forth, which everyone’s interested in.”
“Stop pussyfooting,” Culver snapped. “She’s not a child.” Managed to keep my jaw from dropping, but it took effort. “The Tastemaker is the reason your husband is up as Vincent’s running mate. Because he destroyed the reputations of the last two who Vincent was considering.”
Awesome. I could officially hate this guy. “Oh. So, he’s the guy who finds the skeletons in people’s closets and then exposes them?” Everyone nodded. “So Jeff declines the nomination and everything goes back to how it was.”
This seemed like a really good solution to me. Maybe instead of hating him I should thank Jenkins for calling.
“He can’t,” Cliff said. “These things aren’t just tossed around casually, Kitty. This is a very strategic move, and Jeff needs to accept the nomination. It’s important for everyone, your people in particular. This means, however, that Jenkins needs to be handled correctly.” He gave me an encouraging smile. “It’s not going to be a problem. We’ll just all ensure that everyone knows what part they’re to play, and we’ll keep Jenkins at bay.”
“I agree,” Horn said. “When you talk to Jenkins again, tell him that he has to run any meetings with you through my office.”
“Why yours, Vander? Chuckie’s would seem more . . . appropriate.”
Horn nodded. “Yes, which is why it would be a bad idea. Of all those in government who you’re close to, you’ve known me the least amount of time. There’s much less history for Jenkins to use against you, therefore.”
“I agree,” Cliff said. “Our three agencies deal with Centaurion Division the most, but your relationship with Chuck is well known. Anything he does to protect you is going to be taken as him watching out for his old girlfriend.”
“We didn’t date.”
Jeff rolled his eyes. “No, but trust me, everyone on the Hill is shocked that we’ve managed to keep your ‘affair’ under wraps.”
“Excuse me? Chuckie and I have never had an affair!” Well, one week in Vegas when we were much younger and both single, but that was a fling, not an affair.
“I know,” Jeff said patiently. “But the two of you are so close that it’s the
“MJO’s never wrong, right, Chuckie?”
Chuckie rubbed the back of his neck. “We need to call in everyone. This is going to be bad.”
“I didn’t tell him anything.”
“It won’t matter,” Oliver said. “He’ll make it up.” He shook his head. “Bruce Jenkins is the worst kind of reporter you could have interested in you.”
“He’s a bad guy?”
“Depends on your point of view,” Oliver said in a voice of doom.
“Figure you know what my point of view will be, MJO.”
“Bad? No. He’s smart, tenacious, trusted, and, worst of all, popular.”
“Um, we could play the Guess The Reason To Freak Out Game, but I’d prefer if someone would tell me why this particular popular reporter is freaking everyone out so much. No one freaked out when you, MJO, were hot on our trail, so to speak.”
“Because no one believed me,” Oliver said patiently. “However, everyone believes Bruce Jenkins.”
“I’ve never heard of him. Ever.”
“You have,” Culver said. “Only probably not by his real name.” She looked worried—The Joker Fears Batman Has Had Commissioner Gordon Call In The Marines worried. This boded.
“And that name is?”
Oliver swallowed. “The Tastemaker.”
CHAPTER 10
“O H. THAT GUY. He’s a gossip columnist. Isn’t he?”
“Yes, in a way,” Oliver said. “He’s quite in the know—his gossip is accurate.”
“So what? So was yours and no one ever believed you.”
Oliver sighed. “Yes, but my ‘gossip,’ so to speak, was about conspiracy theories and aliens—things most people don’t want to believe. His information is of a more salacious nature, affairs and so forth, which everyone’s interested in.”
“Stop pussyfooting,” Culver snapped. “She’s not a child.” Managed to keep my jaw from dropping, but it took effort. “The Tastemaker is the reason your husband is up as Vincent’s running mate. Because he destroyed the reputations of the last two who Vincent was considering.”
Awesome. I could officially hate this guy. “Oh. So, he’s the guy who finds the skeletons in people’s closets and then exposes them?” Everyone nodded. “So Jeff declines the nomination and everything goes back to how it was.”
This seemed like a really good solution to me. Maybe instead of hating him I should thank Jenkins for calling.
“He can’t,” Cliff said. “These things aren’t just tossed around casually, Kitty. This is a very strategic move, and Jeff needs to accept the nomination. It’s important for everyone, your people in particular. This means, however, that Jenkins needs to be handled correctly.” He gave me an encouraging smile. “It’s not going to be a problem. We’ll just all ensure that everyone knows what part they’re to play, and we’ll keep Jenkins at bay.”
“I agree,” Horn said. “When you talk to Jenkins again, tell him that he has to run any meetings with you through my office.”
“Why yours, Vander? Chuckie’s would seem more . . . appropriate.”
Horn nodded. “Yes, which is why it would be a bad idea. Of all those in government who you’re close to, you’ve known me the least amount of time. There’s much less history for Jenkins to use against you, therefore.”
“I agree,” Cliff said. “Our three agencies deal with Centaurion Division the most, but your relationship with Chuck is well known. Anything he does to protect you is going to be taken as him watching out for his old girlfriend.”
“We didn’t date.”
Jeff rolled his eyes. “No, but trust me, everyone on the Hill is shocked that we’ve managed to keep your ‘affair’ under wraps.”
“Excuse me? Chuckie and I have never had an affair!” Well, one week in Vegas when we were much younger and both single, but that was a fling, not an affair.
“I know,” Jeff said patiently. “But the two of you are so close that it’s the
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