Chapter 3
"So? What happened? How bad was it?" Rossi perched on the edge of Billie's desk, looming over her in anticipation. Billie tried to push him off but he refused to budge.
"Nothing happened, Rossi. Stop crowding me." She reached out to steady her pencil holder.
"Nothing?"
"Well, it wasn't the Hatfields and McCoys wild west brawl we were expecting. It's her word against his. No one saw or heard anything."
"Are you sure you're not holding back on me?" Rossi leaned forward again, trying to peer over her shoulder.
"Are you going to pester me until I tell you?" The look on Rossi's face told her he would. "Okay. He was using a small hatchet to cut trees in his own back yard. Said he brandished it in a non threatening manner. Like this." Billie pulled an exaggerated angry face and demonstrated the gesture, shaking her fist in Rossi's face.
Rossi grinned. "Did he say, 'why youuu' ?"
"I wish. At least it would have given the story a humorous angle." Billie flipped through her notes, sighed again. She put down her notepad and ruffled the back of her hair. "I really don't have much in the way of actual facts. I spoke to some of the neighbors, thinking it would help. Guess what one of them said? "Pay me enough and I'll tell you anything." Another one thinks that if they're fighting then they must be having an affair. It's all presumption and I can't put any of it into my report."
"You can dig a little deeper though, right?"
"I could, but this isn't corruption in high places. It's two lonely people out in the 'burbs who've taken a dislike to each other, for reasons unknown."
"Billie, it's your job to make them known."
"I know, Rossi. I know. It just leaves a bad taste, that's all."
Rossi was completely unmoved by her concern. "I'm very disappointed in you, Billie. How could you turn 'axe wielding maniac' into a complete non-story?" He hopped off the desk as though it had suddenly caught fire and was burning his pants.
"Thanks for the understanding. I don't suppose anything like this ever bothers you."
Rossi returned to his own desk and sat down. "What did Lou say?"
"He was just relieved that no one died. Which is the reaction of a normal person."
"But we're not normal people. We're reporters."
"Speak for yourself." Billie cut him off as he was about to reply. "About being normal, I mean." She pulled her chair forward and began to type. "This is going to take two minutes," she said over the rapid clicking of the keys. "'A Los Feliz man has been cautioned by police for allegedly threatening his neighbor with a garden tool. George Braddock, 62, claims JoBeth Granger, 35, was causing a disturbance. Ms. Granger claims she was just singing along to the radio. Both parties were interviewed but the police found no evidence to suggest Mr. Braddock actually intended to harm Ms. Granger.'"
"You're not gonna mention threats to kill with a hatchet?"
"Rossi, his wife is seriously ill with cancer."
"That's very sad, but you don't owe him anything. C'mon, Billie. Write 'hatchet'. 'Garden tool' sounds stupid."
Billie frowned tightly. She pushed the carriage over, dabbed Liquid Paper over 'garden tool' and pounded the word 'hatchet' deep into the paper. "HATCHET," she declared, pointedly. She yanked the copy out of the typewriter, pushed back her chair and stood up. "I need a fresh assignment. Something that'll take my mind off this one."
"Sure. You need something easy, like a cat stuck in a tree."
Billie rolled her eyes towards the ceiling. "Rossi, do you wake up every morning and decide to be a jerk, or does it just come naturally?"
"Hey. At least I come back with stories."
"I came back with a story. It just happened to be a very small one, that's all." She spun on her heel and walked over to Lou's desk to give him her summary.
"Why the long face?" asked Lou as she approached.
Donovan interrupted. "No, Lou, it goes like this- 'A horse walks into a bar, and the bartender says-'"
""Get out, you're a horse"," said Lou, curtly. Donovan smirked and returned to what he was doing. "What's the matter, Billie?" Lou asked, his cynical expression softening.
"Rossi's being a jerk," she pouted. "He's upset because no one was hacked to death, and because I didn't torture anyone to get a confession."
"Tell you the truth," said Donovan, "we're kind of disappointed too. 'Woman Sings Too Loudly' doesn't make for good copy."
Billie ignored Art. She handed Lou the sheet of paper and watched him as he read it with a marked lack of excitement.
"This it?" the city editor asked, looking up.
"Well, yes. For now. Until further notice."
"I suppose it's only just better than nothing. Gotta say though, Billie. We really thought this was going to be a big one."
"I'd like another assignment," Billie said, as assertively as she could. Lou raised an eyebrow but allowed her to continue. "It's a big city. There must be something going on out there that's a little more imminently newsworthy."
Lou closed his eyes and nodded. "All right, Billie. I'll find you something with a bit more pizzazz."
"A bit more pizzazz than an axe murderer?" said Donovan, raising both eyebrows.
"Once again, for those at the back. There was no axe and no murderer." Billie folded her arms and gave Donovan a stern look.
Lou and Donovan began searching through papers on their desk. Reporters came and went, handing in summaries and collecting briefs. The minutes ticked by, with Billie feeling more and more invisible by the second. Lou's telephone rang and he answered it gruffly.
"City desk." A pause, during which Lou's face turned grim. "What? How bad? I see. Whereabouts in Beverly Hills?" He looked up to gauge the expression on Billie's face. "Okay, we'll send someone out there immediately."
Billie tried hard not to look too excited. Lou put the phone down and gave her his full attention at last.
"Traffic accident on Rodeo Drive. Think you can handle it?"
"Do I think I can handle it? You bet I can!" Billie raced back to her desk in a whirlwind of excitement.
Rossi watched her grab her things in a hurry. "What bit you all of a sudden?"
"Traffic accident in Beverly Hills," Billie stated triumphantly, her eyes gleaming. "You watch me come back with a story." She picked up her purse and hightailed it towards the exit.
"I sure hope no one's dead," Rossi yelled after her, but she was already out of earshot.
Lou strolled over to Rossi's desk, standing with his hands in his pockets.
"How bad's this traffic accident?" the young reporter asked.
"Oh, not too bad. A taxicab ran a light and shunted into the back of a limo. The fact that it's on Rodeo Drive is what makes it newsworthy."
"Right. There might even be a celebrity involved."
"We can only hope."
Rossi turned back to his typewriter. A moment later, the phone on Billie's desk began to ring. Rossi and Lou looked at the phone, and then at each other. Lou reached over and plucked the receiver from its cradle.
"Billie Newman. Deputy? No, no... this is her editor. Who's this? Ms. Granger?" Lou fell silent. The voice on the end of the phone was so shrill that Rossi, staring at Lou with wide eyes, could almost make out every word. "Ms. Granger, calm down, please. Try to speak more slowly. You what? No, no that really isn't a good idea. No, you definitely don't want to do that." He muffled the mouthpiece with his hand and motioned Rossi out of his chair. Rossi was up and pulling on his jacket by the time the call ended.
"Jesus, Rossi. She's out of her mind. She says if the police aren't going to do anything then she's going to take care of things herself. Get Animal and go over there, right now. I'll call the police and tell them it's an emergency."
"Sure thing, Lou. What are you going to tell Billie about me hijacking her story?"
"Whatever I have to say to stop her from killing me. And don't look so happy about it!"
Rossi winked. "Crazy women, huh. There's a lot of them around."
"Get out of here, Rossi. Burn rubber to get there if you have to."
Rossi didn't need to be told twice. He raced to the exit, almost bowling people over. The doors banged as he hurtled through them to the elevator.
oOoOoOo
Billie cradled the telephone receiver against her shoulder while she scribbled frantically in her notepad. City noise clamored in her ears, car horns and police sirens. She huddled closer into the phone booth so she could hear Lou on the other end. A man showed up, motioning that he needed to use the phone. She waved him away and turned her back. "Lou, listen to this. There were two people in the back of the limousine- married television actress Lindsay Faraday, and a young man who is not her husband. They refused to be interviewed. 'No comment' from both of them. The car's pretty damaged, the driver suffered whiplash- the paramedics are treating him now." The man who needed the phone rapped loudly on the glass. She glared at him. "Don't do that!"
"Don't do what?" asked Lou.
"No Lou, not you. Someone's bugging me to use the phone. Anyway, you need to send Animal out here."
"Animal's on an assignment. I'll send you someone else. Anyone else injured?"
"Not badly, but no one's going anywhere for a while. The place is crawling with cops and reporters, not to mention rubberneckers." Billie hopped up and down, impatient to get back to the action. "Rossi's gonna wish he had this assignment," she said, gleefully. "Everyone loves a Hollywood scandal."
"Yeah, well... Rossi has his hands full right now." There was another of Lou's pregnant pauses. "Er.. you know that other story you were working on, Billie?"
Billie felt a sudden sinking sensation, despite the commotion outside. "What- the neighborhood dispute?"
"Yeah- THAT one. Well, your friend Ms. Granger went loco again. I had to send Rossi out there. With Animal, since he's been there before. I had no other choice."
Billie's voice rose, in tone and decibel. "No other choice?! Why Rossi? Of all people...!"
"Calm down, Billie. If it makes you feel better, I sent him because no one would miss him if he was gone." Lou chuckled at his own joke, but Billie wasn't amused.
"We need to talk about this when I get back," she grumbled. "Meanwhile, you've just given me the incentive to get as much dirt on this actress as I can!"
"That's the spirit, Billie. Stay with that attitude. I knew all along you had the fight in you."
"Ooh, I'll get you for this, Lou. That's a promise!" Billie slammed the receiver into its cradle, earning her a barrage of abuse from the impatient man.
"You wanna break the phone so nobody else can use it? You're not the only person in the world, lady!"
"Neither are you," she retorted, pushing past him as he entered the booth. It wasn't much of a comeback but she had bigger fish to fry- and now that Rossi was on her story, she had the right amount of fire to burn them to a crisp.
