They saved their money. Now they’re gonna hit hard. Negative all the way to election day.”

“How do we fight that?” Merdock blurted out.

“We hit back harder. And we do it more times.”

Merdock dug into his briefcase, pulling out a copy of The Washington Post. “A poll came out in this morning’s paper. We’re losing. Maybe we should make a change on some of our issues.”

“What issues?” Frank asked. “You don’t have any.”

Merdock dropped the paper, looking at Jake for help.

Frank let their jitters pass. More money would be spent in the Merdock/Kay race than any other Senate campaign in the history of the country. The total media buy would better what was spent on a presidential campaign just ten years ago. Because most of the money would be dumped in three short weeks, it would be a campaign to remember. No one watching television at any hour of the day would be able to hide their head in the sand. Even if they had cable.

Frank leaned over the table, staring at them. “What you say or do after you’re elected is none of my business. Until you’re elected, I write the copy.”

“If I want to win,” Merdock said.

Frank nodded. “We’ve got polling data that shows people who read newspapers think the most important issues are jobs and education. But it also shows that people who don’t read newspapers and watch TV think crime’s the real issue. How’s that possible when almost every study shows crime going down?”

Frank looked through the glass at Tracy waving at him from her desk. His recording session was ready.

“Local TV news isn’t news anymore,” Merdock said.

Frank pushed his coffee aside, untouched. “It’s a crime report designed to scare the shit out of people. So here’s what we do. When we’re on TV, crime’s the big issue. In print, it’s jobs, education and social security.”

Jake leaned forward and grinned. “In other words, we give the audience exactly what they want. But what about their spot? What are you gonna do about that?”

“Turn it around,” Frank said, swinging the door open and hustling toward his office. “Make them wish they never made it.”


 

 

 

 

Chapter 5

 

 

Parked across the street from Miles, Darrow & Associates, George Raymond sat in his Honda Accord trying to get one last look at the place in the afternoon light. He had already scouted the location two days before, but another look never hurt.

The building was surprisingly informal, more like a house than an office, and he guessed that there had to be a history to the place. But what he liked most about the layout was the privacy. The political media firm was the sole occupant and owned the property. Tucked away from the street, the building stood hidden in the trees behind thick, ivy-covered walls.

The front door opened.