«Wonderful.» Cromwell beamed.

They spent the next hour talking about the new show the network was planning, Crime Line, an investigative hour that Dana was going to produce and anchor. The objective was twofold: to correct injustices that had been done and to spur interest in solving forgotten crimes.

«There are a lot of other reality shows on the air,» Matt warned, «so we've got to be better than they are. I want us to start out with a grabber. Something that will capture the audience's attention and—»

The intercom buzzed. Matt Baker flicked down a key. «I told you, no calls. Why—?»

Abbe's voice came over the intercom. «I'm sorry. It's for Miss Evans. It's Kemal's school calling. It sounds urgent.»

Matt Baker looked at Dana. «First line.»

Dana picked up the phone, her heart pounding. «Hello…Is Kemal all right?» She listened a moment. «I see…I see…Yes, I'll be right there.» She replaced the receiver.

«What's wrong?» Matt asked.

Dana said, «They'd like me to come to the school to pick Kemal up.»

Elliot Cromwell frowned. «That's the boy you brought back from Sarajevo.»

«Yes.»

«That was quite a story.»

«Yes,» Dana said reluctantly.

«Didn't you find him living in some vacant lot?»

«That's right,» Dana said.

«He had some disease or something?»

«No,» she said firmly, disliking even to talk about those days. «Kemal lost an arm. It was blown off by a bomb.»

«And you adopted him?»

«Not officially yet, Elliot. I'm going to. For now, I'm his guardian.»

«Well, go get him. We'll discussCrime Line later.»

When Dana arrived at the Theodore Roosevelt Middle School, she went directly to the assistant principal's office.