Lena

"You are not stepping back from the gala. You are not stepping back from anything because Cassie Carter went to a tabloid reporter with a story built out of spite and anonymous sources." Something moved behind his eyes. "That's not a conversation we're having."

"I know it could affect your reputation…"

"My reputation has survived significantly worse than a lifestyle section piece in the Herald." He picked up my phone again. Read one section. Set it down. "She photographed you outside the police station."

"Yes."

"You went there to speak with Detective Martinez."

"About my mother." I said it carefully. We hadn't talked extensively about the investigation, he knew...