Notes: This takes place after The Defenders and The Punisher. The chapters will alternate points of view between Karen and Jessica.
"Welcome to Trish Talk. Today, we are going to talk about journalism, specifically, newspaper journalism. Some say that newspaper is dying, and others say it's more important than ever. Today's guest is Karen Page, a reporter for the Bulletin. Welcome, Karen."
"Thank you for having me, Trish."
"So, Karen, what do you say to people who claim that newspaper is dying?"
"Well, I would say that newspapers, including the Bulletin, are still doing some of the best, and most important, investigative journalism out there. Newspapers are able to dig into a story and really get to the truth in a way that television often can't."
This was Karen's second time on the radio, and she was enjoying it, though she wasn't sure if she would want to do it as a career. After all, she loved being a reporter for the Bulletin, and it was great to get the chance to talk about it on the air with Trish. It was also nice to do a radio show where she wasn't being threatened by a terrorist.
It would have been hard to picture herself doing this a couple of years ago. Of course, she had loved her time at Nelson and Murdock, particularly working with Matt and Foggy, but she had always had a passion for finding the truth. At least, that had been the case ever since the time she had been so desperate to find the truth when she was younger. She had done everything she could to find out what really happened to her brother, but she had failed. As she was talking to Trish after the show, something occurred to her.
"Hey, Trish, I was wondering if I could ask you something," Karen said. "So, there was something in my past that I was never able to find out the whole truth about. I ended doing something that could be used against me, and it's harder to defend myself if I don't know exactly what happened. So I was wondering..."
"You were wondering if Jessica might be able to help?"
"That transparent, huh? Yeah, I was wondering if she would consider investigating something that happened years ago. I'm sorry that I can't really tell you what the case would be about."
"That's okay. You don't have to tell me what it is. You only have to tell Jessica. Anyway, my opinion—and I'm not biased at all, of course—is that Jessica is the best private eye in the city. I can't say for sure if she would take your case, but I think she probably would."
"Thank you, Trish, and thank you for having me on your program," Karen said.
"You're very welcome," Trish said." I've been thinking about having you on here ever since we met at the police station, so I'm happy we were able to work it out. It's nice to have some shows that are a little more serious than the lifestyle shows we have usually had. I hope to have you back on here sometime."
Trish mentioning the police station brought Karen back to months ago, when she was standing there with Foggy, realizing that Matt wasn't going to come through the door. Karen tried to push the thoughts out of her mind. She didn't have time to think about that right now.
"I would love that," Karen said. "Just let me know."
As Karen headed out of the radio station, she decided that it was time to find out the truth about what happened to her brother, especially with the possibility of Fisk finding out about her past being more of a danger than ever. Still, before deciding for sure whether to hire Jessica Jones, there was one other opinion she wanted to hear.
She sent a text to Foggy. "Are you free for lunch?"
A few minutes later, he texted back, "Sure, but just for a quick lunch."
She met Foggy at a diner not too far from his office.
"So, how are you doing?" Karen asked after they both got sandwiches.
"Good," Foggy said. "Busy. How about you? You haven't been shot at anymore, have you?"
Karen and Foggy hadn't talked as much as they used to since Matt's death, but he did give her a call after he saw what happened to Karen during her ill-fated interview with the senator. They were at least chatting more often lately.
"No, thankfully," Karen said. "I've covered shootings and explosions, but I haven't been in any more."
"That's good," Foggy said. "I've been reading all of your stories. You're doing a good job at the Bulletin. I also heard your interview on Trish Talk today. Are you thinking about going into radio?"
Karen smiled. "Thank you. Being on the radio was fun, but I think I'll stick with newspaper. How are things going with Marci?"
Foggy smiled. "Good. Really good, actually."
"So it's pretty serious?"
"Yeah, getting there. Was there something in particular you wanted to talk about, Karen? I wish we could talk longer, but I have a meeting with a client in a half hour."
One of the things Karen missed about working together was having plenty of time to talk. Now whenever they talked, they seemed to be in a hurry.
"Yeah, I wanted to ask you what you thought about Jessica Jones. I know that you've worked with her at your firm. I was thinking about hiring her to look into something."
Foggy raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well, she's certainly a good private eye, when she's sober, at least. She can be pretty difficult to work with, but that's mostly because I've had the deal with the trouble she gets into. But a lot of her clients say she's worth it. What is it you want her to look into?"
Karen wasn't really ready to talk about this yet with Foggy. "It's just a mystery from several years ago. I'll tell you about it if she finds anything."
Foggy nodded. "Well, you've got me curious, but unfortunately, I also have to get going," he said as he stood up. "Considering I'm cutting this short, I can cover lunch."
"Oh, thank you Foggy," Karen said as she stood up.
Foggy walked over to the cash register and paid the bill. Then he walked back over and gave Karen a hug.
"We should do a night at Josie's sometime soon. I'm sure she misses us."
Karen smiled. "Definitely."
As Karen walked out of the diner, she decided to head straight over to Jessica Jones' office. Might as well see if she was willing to take her case. Time to make one more effort to find the truth.