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"Solid enough to go after?"
"I'd say so," said Gold.
Garrison swung around to Kathy. "I hate to ask this of you," he said. "But there's no one else. No one I can reach out and grab quite fast enough. Everyone is working. You and White fly up to Bemidji. There'll be a car there, waiting for you. Play story. I'll guarantee you that. Byline. The works. You ought to be in Lone Pine by six or before. Phone before eight. We can make the first edition that way, with what you have."
"All right," she said. "If you'll buy this pair of tickets. I'll be damned if I'm going to be out the price of these tickets."
"All right," he said, "I'll buy them. I'll work them into my expense account somehow." He dug his wallet out of his pocket. "How much?"
"Thirty bucks."
"That's too much. That's more than you paid for them."
"They're good seats. Anyhow, that's what you'll have to pay for them."
"All right. All right," he said, stripping out bills.
"And if Jerry Conklin calls, be sure someone tells him happened. He was to be my date tonight. Promise."
"I promise," said Garrison, handing her the money.
He lifted the receiver and said, "Some last minute details, Frank, that needed taking care of. You heard? I'll have someone up there by six o'clock or so. I'll ask them to look you up. But how come? You have a paper of your own. Why give this all to us?"
"Today was my press day," said Norton. "Won't publish again until this time next week. This kind of news doesn't wait. I wanted to give you a jump on it. A couple of state patrol cars came roaring into town just a few minutes ago. Otherwise everything's the same."
"I wonder if you'd mind keeping us filled in," asked Garrison, "until our people get there. Something happens, just give us a call."
"Be glad to," Norton said.