So, if the other paper didn’t have it, Don could save it for his book. After all, the publicity from Don’s books was good for the paper. But if the other paper did have it, then the question changed. When and if the other paper published, would it so decrease the value of Don’s revelation that there was no point in saving it for Don’s book? If so, then Don would write the story for the paper. If it was too small a story, if Don was in the middle of great reportorial obligations, if he simply didn’t care, then Adam could assign Don’s information to a reporter. Don would not be mentioned at all. The paper would publish the scoop.

That was how it was supposed to work. It rarely did.

Most recently, Gordon Bray told Adam, it appeared that Don had had the Sissy report that contained the White House surveillance scoop. He could have called Adam the day the other paper posted the surveillance story on its Web site and Mitch Pendleton was fighting for air. He could have called Adam in the days and weeks after, when the other paper kept coming at them with scoops from the same report. Don had broken faith. Don had screwed the paper. He always did. But by the time Don’s books came out with the revelations in them that would have been oh so pertinent for the paper to have had first, the milk was spilt, the cat from the bag, the sun long set.

There was just one step Adam had to take before he confronted Don. All he had to do was confirm this intelligence on Don’s possession of the report with Mabel, who, on that funny day she came in to say she didn’t want the managing-editor job, had seemed more than disaffected with Don.

He picked up the phone and dialed. She wasn’t home. He didn’t want to leave a message. It might fall in Don’s hands. He looked at his watch. It was a little before 9 p.m. on a Wednesday in June. Were they at that country home they had? He went to the editorial staff’s columnist directory in the system. They had Mabel’s cell-phone number.

He dialed. It went to voice mail. He didn’t want to leave a message. He got up and walked into the Room. Maybe this time he would banish Don Grady from it permanently.