"Jim certainly leaves big shoes to fill," Victoria agreed. "Whatever happens, it won't be the same."
"You were there, right, Victoria? You were there when it happened?"
"The authorities have asked me not to say anything about how Jim died. They are concentrating on bringing his killer to justice. They don't want me to reveal any clues they already have. But let me just say this: whoever it was didn't have the courage to look Jim in the eye. Whoever killed Jim was the lowest kind of coward." Victoria's voice strengthened. "But if he or she thought that by killing Jim, they would silence his voice or his thoughts, they were wrong. We will pick up his banner and carry it forward. He cannot be silenced that easily. Jim lives on in each of us."
One by one, listeners called in to agree with Victoria or to build on what she said.
"Jim didn't sound like anybody else, and it was because he was on fire," said Maribel in San Francisco. "He was passionate. He truly believed everything he said."
Zach in Spokane said, "I ran for city council because of Jim Fate. He inspired me to quit complaining about government and go out and do something about it."
"I'm sure Jim would be proud to hear that," Victoria said. "That is the kind of legacy that he leaves behind, and that we can all carry forward. And now we're going out to Phil in Tigard. Phil, what's your reaction to Jim's murder?"
"I didn't tell the guy who answered the phone this, but I'm not sorry."
"What?"
"I'm not sorry he's dead. That Fate guy was a blowhard. He just lapped up attention, and he did anything he could to get it. If he were alive now, he would be loving this. He would be eating it up. That was his goal, to get everybody talking about Jim Fate. Well, you know what? In six months no one _will even remember his name. He was just--just flavor of the month. Only it was more like flavor of the day. Just some loudmouthed jerk who liked to rile everybody up."
"You certainly don't think he deserved to die, do you?" When there was no answer, Victoria's voice sharpened. "Do you?" "Someone finally took care of him. It's about time."
Cassidy stared at the radio in disbelief. Jim was always talking about people who hated him. But she had thought of it like hating taxes or someone who cut you off in traffic. You didn't really mean it. Oh, sure, you complained to your friends, swore under your breath, or even sent a nasty e-mail that got you the Nut of the Day award, but you didn't go any further than that. You didn't get confused and decide it was something that someone deserved to die for.
She was sure the authorities would get in touch with Phil in Tigard, or whoever it really was. But in her gut, Cassidy knew that this guy would turn out to be no one, nothing. Just someone guilty of the same thing he was accusing Jim Fate of: riling everyone up.
Cassidy carried the radio into the bathroom with her as she tried to make herself look less like a zombie. One by one listeners poured out their horror at Jim's death, their disbelief that he had been murdered, their memories of past shows, and their theories about who was behind it all. Lots of theories. Cassidy paid particular attention to these, because she was developing her own theories. Some muttered darkly about the government, rival talk show hosts, a rather generic "them," and even space aliens.
One man said he thought that Congressman Glover, who had been a nonstop target of Fate's for the past few weeks, must have hired an assassin to "take him out." Another pointed to the family of Brooke Gardner. The young mother had killed herself the summer before after Fate aggressively questioned her about the whereabouts of her missing baby. Cassidy knew a lot about the case because she had covered it too. The thought gave her pause. If Jim had been targeted for his coverage of that story, could she be the next target?
Cassidy thought about it and then shook her head. She was letting paranoia get the best of her. Still, if anyone knew whether she should be worried, it would be Nicole and Allison. Whether it was terrorism or not, they were sure to be in the thick of this. She sent them a quick text message, suggesting that they look more closely at Glover and the Gardners.
But there was yet one more theory that Cassidy heard, a theory that seemed to leave Victoria at a loss.
"I think it was you," Cynthia from Vancouver told Victoria. "You finally took care of him. You squashed him like the vermin he was." "Me?" Victoria's voice cracked.
"We've all heard you guys fight on air. We heard how he treated you. He never let you get a word in edgewise. Well, good for you for finally standing up to him."
Chapter 16
Portland Field Office, FBI