"I need to look into this Pemberton character a bit more," I explained, "but I'm having trouble tracking him down."
Manny listened while carving a chicken leg, carefully cutting away the bones and gristle. "What do you need me to do?"
"The guy seems to treat his employees really well," I explained. "He provides full health benefits even for his part timers."
"Wow! That's generous these days." Manny had spoken without looking up. He was still focused on his chicken dinner. "He doesn't sound like a bad guy."
"So here's my idea," I proposed. "What if we interviewed Pemberton for a human interest story? - Generous Boss In Kingsburg, something like that..."
"Are you serious?" Manny was looking at me now.
"It wouldn't take much effort," I reasoned. "A few hours and a couple of phone calls, maybe."
"Yeah!" Manny exclaimed, "Just that and my job! If word of this gets back to Ed..."
"How is Ed going to find out?" I demanded.
"Ed's a sharp guy," Manny explained, "and he has a nose for stuff being out of place. Hey, maybe that explains why he works for a newspaper."
"You work for a newspaper, Manny."
"Yeah, well, not for long if I keep hanging with you," he jabbed.
"You work for a newspaper, Manny."
"Yeah, well, not for long if I keep hanging with you," he jabbed.
"Can you use an alias? Doctor your press credentials?"
"It's risky," Manny explained cautiously. "People tend to look at that stuff more closely these days. Homeland Security, and all."
"Can you get Janice to print up some fake passes?" I asked.
"Janice?" Manny asked with ridicule in his voice. "Really?"
"Yeah, why not?" I asked. "She likes you, doesn't she?"
"Yeah, that's kind of the problem," Manny explained. "She does me a favor, she's gonna want something in return."
"Like a backrub?" I teased him.
"Like dinner," Manny clarified. "An expensive dinner at a classy joint. Not like this."
"What if I picked up the tab?" I suggested.
"Yeah, but then I still have to listen to her talking about her cat's health problems for an hour and a half. And wonder why all of her friends can find decent guys, but she's still single."
"That sounds brutal," I conceded.
"Tell me about it!" Manny exclaimed. "And that's if she doesn't start crying. She starts crying, I can't handle it."
"Okay, maybe we'd better just leave her out of it."
Manny looked around the dining room. "Hey, where's your girl Justine today?"
"She's off today," I confirmed.
"What, you know her schedule now?" Manny demanded. "Don't tell me you're stalking the poor girl!"
"I know that she's off today because she came over to the studio this morning."
"Get out! You serious?"
"Yup."
"Whoa! How'd you get her to come around?"
"I enlisted the help of an old friend," I said. "A ringer."
Manny's expression silently demanded more information.
"Someone with experience in the business," I continued. "Someone with a female perspective."
"Wait!" Manny exclaimed. "You're not talking about..."
Now it was my turn to use silence.
"Veronica?"
"In person."
"Holy shit!" Manny exclaimed. "What's miss fancy pants doing hanging out with a loser like you?"
"I needed a favor," I confessed.
"And she just dropped everything to spend the day coiffing hair in your living room?"
"Yes, something like that."
"So, cranky Peter is out of town, I guess?"
Manny makes me chuckle. "Peter's not my problem," I said. "Anyway, somehow she found a little time to come over and help out, so I didn't refuse."
"You, two..." Manny explored, "...you're not..."
"We're not," I assured him.
"So, anyway, Justine!" Manny inquired subtly.
"Justine," I repeated.
"How'd she do?" Manny was being polite, but I knew where this was going.
"She did really well."
"Did you get her to take her top off?" - Manny was predictable. He always appreciated a great rack. I knew that he would ask this question eventually. Usually, it's his FIRST question.
"My God!" I exclaimed with exaggerated indignation. "Listen to you!"
"Hey, I'm just curious," Manny argued.
"Curious, right," I mused. "Is that what dirty old men tell themselves these days?"
"So, did you get her to take her top off or not?"
"Of course, I did," I boasted with bravado.
"No way!" Manny's face was now a deeply saturated shade of pink.
I gloated a bit more. "What do I look like, an amateur?"
"Oh my God, Mike!" Manny exclaimed. "You are shameless."
"Thanks!" I said. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"So, tell me," Manny prodded, "how ARE the eighth and ninth wonders of the world?"
"Hmm, well... Picture something truly amazing, and then boost that by another thirty percent for good measure."
"Dios mio, Mike!" Manny was about to fall off of his bench. "You've gotta show me the pics!"
"I can't do that!" I said, once again projecting an air of false indignation. "That would be unprofessional."
"Oh, come on, Mike!"
"I have to respect the privacy of my client," I said.
"Privacy?" Manny demanded. "You're not planning to submit those photos to an agency?"
"Not all of them," I said with a wink.
"You are killing me, Mike!" Manny exclaimed in a pained voice. "Killing me."
I took a sip of my coffee.
"This is your old friend Manny, here. Manny, who's been with you through thick and thin. Emphasis on the thin!"
"Okay, I'll tell you what," I offered. "Find a way to make this Kingsburg thing work, and maybe we can discuss it."
"Oh, so it's bribery now?" Manny inferred. He was right, of course.
My phone vibrated. A message popped up: "Meet me where you parked - EP"
"Is everything okay?" Manny asked.
"Yeah," I said. "Yeah, sorry, I've gotta follow up on something."
"Your mystery dame?" Manny asked.
"A lead." Something in my head urged me to be vague, to be cautious.
"Okay," Manny said.
I reached into my wallet, pulled out a fifty and placed it on the table. "Talk to you tomorrow?"
"You bet!" Manny assured me. "Be careful out there!"
"Thanks."
"Thank YOU!"
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