A guilty look swept across his face.“I know it sounds like a contradiction, but it’s better if I keep out of the spotlight.”
“Can I ask why?”
Theo hesitated before answering.“Don’t take this the wrong way but, if I tell you what happened, you have to promise not to tell your family.”
Barbara’s eyes widened.“It must be important.”
“It is.I don’t want anyone apart from my family to know I live in Sapphire Bay.”
“And you think my parents will say something?”
“Mabel runs the community Facebook page.”
Barbara sighed.“As much as I don’t want to say this, I understand.I promise not to tell my family.But, if it’s really important, don’t tell me.”
“Apart from my family, the only people who know why I’m here are Wyatt and Ethan.I’d like you to know, too.At least it will give you a better idea of why I want to keep a low profile.”
“If you’re sure you want to tell me, I’m listening.”
Theo took a deep breath.“I was working for a newspaper when I was given some information about a high-ranking public figure.After my story was published, the person was interviewed by the IRS and the media turned on him.The story destroyed his credibility and he eventually resigned from his role.Unfortunately, the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation unit didn’t have enough information to convict him of tax evasion.After that, my life changed.Between being sued for defamation, attacked on social media, and my friends not wanting to have anything to do with me, it was a rough few weeks.”
“And you think that will continue if people know you’re living here?”
“The person I accused of tax evasion was the mayor of New York City.”
She watched Theo closely, trying to figure out if she’d misheard him.“What did he do?”
He held his cup of water a little tighter.“He co-owns a real estate company.Apart from not disclosing a conflict of interest, he claimed more than one hundred thousand dollars of personal expenses as business expenses.”
Barbara couldn’t imagine why the mayor had done something so foolish.“When was the article published?”
“Nearly a year ago.The source I quoted was important, but not the only evidence I had.The day after the article was published, my apartment was broken into and some of my files were stolen.”
“Did you keep electronic backups of the information?”
“There were only a couple of documents I didn’t scan and they’re the ones I need.The rest of the information was already with the legal team.Steve McGibbons is guilty.Even the lawyers representingThe New York Timeswere convinced I had enough evidence to run the story.”
Barbara’s eyes widened.“You worked forThe New York Times?”
“For five years.”
Her heart sank.After working for such a high-profile organization, she was surprised Theo had moved here.“You must have felt sick when someone broke into your apartment.”
He looked so upset that she almost told him they could look at his social media accounts another day.There were other ways to promote the radio station that didn’t involve Facebook or Instagram.But when she checked her cell phone, she knew they couldn’t have done better.The station’s Instagram account now had thirty-two thousand followers.That was more than most people ever saw in their lifetime, five times more than the average local radio station enjoyed.
“If you want to keep a low profile, we’ll be extra careful when we post any information or links to interviews.Has anyone recognized you while you’ve been living in Sapphire Bay?”
“Not yet.I’m hoping it won’t happen.”
She looked Theo in the eyes.“I hate to tell you this, but living in a small town doesn’t mean you disappear.I hope the county doesn’t connect you with the mayor before the next funding round.”
“So do I.”
With a smile she hoped was supportive, Barbara took her laptop out of her bag.“Regardless of what happened in New York City, we need to make sure the radio station is in the best possible position to receive funding.How about we do a follow-up story to the one Katie did yesterday?”
“I don’t think there’s anything left to say about the letter.”
Barbara laughed.“You can say that again.Katie must have been a dream to interview.”
