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Back Below the Belt Save as PDF
Chapters (67)
  1. Cover
  2. BOOKS BY STUART WOODS
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
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  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  66. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  67. What’s next onyour reading list?

“I’ll send the whole package to the D.C. police chief and see if we can get them involved. They’re the proper investigative authority.”

“Good idea!” Stone hung up.

—

A GROUP OF men and women sat in a screening room at the D.C. police department and watched Martha’s statement. It ended, and the chief looked around the table. “Since receiving the book and the DVD, we’ve received a lab report saying that there’s a DNA match between Nelson Knott and the boy. My question is, do we have the basis for an investigation here?”

“Certainly we do,” her deputy replied, “if it occurred in the District, and the woman says it did, and it would have occurred within the statute of limitations.” There was general assent around the table.

“The book and the DVD, but not the DNA report, have been sent to two hundred media outlets around the country. Should we send out the DNA report?”

“We’re not exactly ahead of this story,” her deputy said. “Sending out the report might give us some catch-up.”

“We have a list of press and media fax numbers, don’t we?” the chief asked.

Her public affairs officer raised his hand. “We do, Chief, and I can have it out to them in a matter of minutes. We can robo-dial all the numbers.”

“Fine, do it, and let’s get an investigative team assembled right now and start substantiating everything.”

—

IN NEW YORK, at CBS Television, another group sat watching Martha’s testimony on the DVD. It ended, and everyone was quiet for a moment.

“Okay,” the executive producer said, “how do we go forward?”

“We get it on the news, pronto,” somebody said.

“Why us?”

“Because we gave Knott 60 Minutes last week. All of it.”

“That doesn’t make us accomplices in a rape. Is this cause to disrupt a presidential campaign?”

“I’ll give you a better reason to get it on the air now,” the youngest member of the group said.

“Go ahead.”

“This package didn’t just come to us, every media outlet in the country is going to know about it in no more than an hour. We don’t want to be the only one not broadcasting it.”

“That’s a very good reason. Get a report together, call Knott for a comment, and we’ll lead with it on the evening news. Then let’s get it on 60 Minutes Sunday night, the whole statement. Go!”

—

ERIK MACHER WAS now doing forty miles an hour; he called St. Clair, and his secretary answered. “It’s Macher. Let me speak with him.”

“He isn’t taking any calls this afternoon. He didn’t feel well after lunch, and he’s lying down. And there have been many calls from the media.”