I headed into the room and saw Jason Blayney raise his hands, dropping the stained sheet he’d been holding in front of his privates. Jewel Bling, a low-rent call girl, was still in the bed. She drew a ratty blanket up to her chest. A lamp had been shattered during Blayney’s overheated rush to get dressed and lay on the carpet of this beyond horrific maroon-and-gray-appointed room.

“I’m researching a story on prostitution,” Blayney yelled. A bulb hanging from a cord above him swayed, casting a harsh, unflattering light on his blanched face and naked body.

“Research?” The hooker hooted. “What kind of research? How many times you can get your pipes cleaned for thirty dollars?”

Cindy stepped forward with her camera and shot a lot of pictures of Blayney trying to cover himself with his hands.

“I want to make a deal,” said Jewel Bling. “Shut up!” Blayney bellowed.

He grabbed the sheet off the floor and turned a pitiful face to Cindy. His eyes were squinched up, and he cried out, “Cindy, please. Let this go and I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

I was stunned.

This was the bastard who wrote lies and leaked information for the pure glory of getting his name on the front page. Now he was begging for mercy.

“My wife will leave me if she sees those pictures,” he said.

“She’ll take the kids. They’re all still young. I won’t be able to explain this to them.”

I couldn’t take it anymore. “You’re a hypocrite, Blayney. This is part of the SFPD’s crackdown on crime. He’s your collar, Billy.”

Billy Fried walked to Blayney, dragged the reporter’s hands behind his back, and cuffed him.

“You’re under arrest for pandering, buddy. Don’t worry. The penalty is just going to be a fine.”

Cindy fired off a few more shots with her Nikon, then said, “I think I’ve got your best angle, Jason. And don’t worry. I will spell your name right. You don’t have to worry about that.”

Chapter 116

Chapter 116

RICH CONKLIN WAS DRAGGED away from a deep place of no pain.

He’d been sleeping when Cindy squeezed his good shoulder, called his name. He opened his eyes and saw the tops of her breasts showing in the neckline of her loose pink top.

“If you don’t get up, you won’t be able to sleep tonight,” she said.

He loved looking at her sweet face. Her rhinestone clip sparkled in her blond curls. Rhinestones looked like diamonds on Cindy. Still, he wanted to get her actual diamonds someday.

“Come to bed,” he said. He took her hand, tugged on it. She frowned, said, “No. You have to get up. Come on.” She left the room.

“What’s wrong, Cin?”

“You said you wanted to talk,” she called.