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She ignored the heckler. “Well, that’s not just lazy journalism; it’s unethical and it’s illegal. I’ve discovered that these despicable techniques are encouraged by News Scape – it’s deep and wide. It’s not just Bob Crowe – the rogue reporter some of you will have heard of. It’s company deep. It’s all of them. Gerald Stinger… all of them. Thanks to the birthday boy’s influence over this city – and country – the police have been forced to suppress these facts, but they can’t ignore them any longer.” Eleanor inhaled deeply into her lungs, forcing herself to go for the final push. But the microphone suddenly cut out.
She glanced into the crowd and saw that Robertson was glaring at her furiously. He must’ve sent someone around to cut the power. She looked behind for Joseph and saw that he was now standing between her and a couple of burly-looking guys in suits – Robertson’s hired help who’d obviously come to put a stop to this.
“Carry on, Ellie!” Joseph shouted, blocking their way. “Use your voice – shout as loudly as you can!”
Eleanor turned back to the crowd. She realised they were now totally engrossed by this massive revelation. She inhaled deeply and shouted as loudly as she could. “It is said that we get the leaders we deserve, but I believe that’s incorrect. We can create the society we want to be a part of, and that starts with me, you, and everyone who’s part of this society. I hope justice will be done, but obviously Blair Robertson will do everything he can to wriggle out of this. The police are here now to take him and Stinger in for questioning, so we’ll just have to see how it unfolds. But there will always be bastards like him trying to throw their weight around. All we can do is work together to create a media that we’re proud of. I hope you’ll all join me in boycotting Robertson’s immoral media outlets, and together we can unite!”
Eleanor gazed out at the blank faces and refused to allow their stunned silence to intimidate her. She knew they were all in shock. Without waiting for Robertson’s reaction, she turned and strode off the stage and into the wings, with Joseph following – leaving the heavies behind. Any minute now Dylan’s cop friend would arrest Robertson and Stinger… then the fun would really begin.
She had no idea where she was going, but she found herself in a little chamber full of stage props. She halted and turned to face Joseph, who threw his arms around her, hugging her tight.
“Way to go, Ellie! You totally nailed it – I’m so proud of you.”
Eleanor gazed into his eyes and smirked. “I was under the impression you would be the one making that little speech, buster.”
“I know, but I wanted you to get the chance to shine – I knew you’d do it perfectly. And you did.”
She kissed him. “I love you.”
“I love you too. So much. And you were right you know – one person can make a difference.”
“Told you,” she said, hugging him. “But we mustn’t forget all those people who helped us to achieve our goal, right?”
“Right.”
They gazed silently into each other’s eyes and Eleanor realised she could hear shouting and muttering from the crowd now.
“Sounds like the police have arrived,” Eleanor said.
“Shall we go watch?” Joseph asked. “We don’t wanna miss this.”
Eleanor laughed and nodded. They held hands as they made their way out to the foyer, squeezing past television and newspaper reporters, who’d sprung into action. And there they w
ere: Robertson and Stinger in handcuffs, being led away by cops like common criminals.
Eleanor smiled politely at a journalist who stuck a mic in her face.
“Eleanor, what do you hope will happen to Robertson and News Scape now?”
“No comment,” she said. “Let’s just wait and see.”
The editor of The New York Times appeared at her side. He was a hero of hers, and she resisted dropping to her knees and worshipping him.
“Eleanor, what you said up there was astounding – you’re one brave girl. Here’s my card. Call me tomorrow, right?”
She grinned. “I sure will!”
Joseph drifted over to where the cops were trying to lead Stinger and Robertson through the throng of reporters, photographers, and TV-camera operators. Eleanor followed and they halted next to Robertson, who was fuming with his hands behind his back in cuffs.
“Sorry to ruin your birthday, Blair,” Joseph said. “I do hope my royalties will find their way to my bank account soon.”
Blair glowered. “My lawyer will get me out of this before the morning. I’ll deny everything. There’s no proof I knew about any of this.”
Eleanor scoffed. “Well if you – the owner of one of the largest news corporations in the world – didn’t know what was going on, I’d say that proves gross incompetence right there. I’m sure your shareholders would be very interested to hear about the mismanagement and ignorance in your organisation. Don’t you think?”
He bored a hole in her face with his glare. “They have nothing on me.”
“Not yet,” Eleanor said.
