Monday, Oct. 21, 8:50 a.m.
Eighth Avenue, Manhattan

     Outside WBLT-TV, the curious already had started to gather.  Inside, Melody Marven emerged from the station manager's office and walked briskly down the pale green corridor of the office wing, and into the cramped broadcast studio.  She looked around, stepping gingerly over camera cables stretched across the floor, and strode past the darkened news desk pushed to one side, past the "Midtown Morning" set being dressed, then past the small control booth built into one wall, where all eyes watched her.  Through the thick glass she saw the "on air" monitor, and noted that Perry Mason was starting to hammer a witness; she had better shake a leg.  She saw the producer of the morning show reach for the intercom button, then heard his voice over the studio speakers.  "Melody?  We just got our marching orders. We need to do a quick rundown."
     "Give me two minutes," she called, and continued through the doors to the production studio and directly to the console where Carmine Sacco and Fitz Lopez were editing videotape.  "Carmine," she said, "would you excuse us a minute?"
     Carmine looked over his glasses at Melody, then at Fitz, who nodded.  Carmine got up.  "I'll just get some coffee," he said.  "Want anything?"
     "Eh, no thanks," said Lopez, who continued his work at the editing monitor as Carmine ambled out.
     "You're an asshole," Melody said.
     "Ah," said Lopez. "I presume that little conference you were having with Figueroa was contract renegotiation, and that it didn't go well."
     "As a matter of fact,I will be getting an excellent new contract, thank you.  And you're still an asshole."  Lopez looked up at her.  She was wearing a smartly tailored dark teal suit, a white silk blouse and a genuine smile.  "But you're my asshole," she said.
     "Thanks, Mel.  You're my asshole, too."
      "I mean it, though.  You were being loyal to a friend.  I'm just a pushy broad from work."
     "Mel, you're a lot more than—"
     "In a manner of speaking, I mean.  Fitz, I did a lot of thinking about it. You were in a funny position.  This guy and you go way back, and we haven't really known each other that long.  So you stood by a friend."
     "Yeah, but I did not encourage him."
     "I know.  He told me you figured it out right after Columbus Circle.   And confronted him the next day."
     "Yeah, at my sister's.  She was makin' him dinner."
     "Dinner, huh?"
     "Yeah, just dinner.  So listen, did he tell you everything?"
     "You mean the HIV thing?  Oh, yeah.  I think he's got a case.  I'm going to recommend my attorney."
     "Your attorney, huh?  I saw your agent in here before — who's next, your hairdresser?"
      Melody was looking through the small glass panel in the door toward the hallway.  "Yes, and then my gynecologist."
     "You expectin' someone?"
     "You haven't seen your pal Soriano, have you?"
     "Ah!  So he is the mystery guest."
     "Yup.  Looks like the son of a bitch bailed on me."
     "He agreed to a live TV interview?"
     "And an appearance on Howard Stern.  He promised me."
     "He promised you.  How the hell did you convince him to do that?"  He looked at her half-smile as she lit a cigaret, this time effortlessly.  "Never mind, I don't want to know.  But no, I haven't seen him."
     "Well, I can do it without him," Melody said, "but I am disappointed.  I thought he was a man of honor."
     "Oh, he is, but he's not crazy."
     "Well, he still has eight minutes."
     "Don't hold your breath."
     "Hmpf.  Well, I'd better go.  Listen, you still got the rest of the week off.  We worked that out with Figueroa, and next Monday you and I go back to work."
     "Sounds great, Mel.  I'm glad it worked out, really."
     "Me, too.  Ah, listen, I'm sure there's going to be a lot of press coverage on this again, and you and I will probably get some calls for comments from who knows where.  So as far as what you knew and when you knew it, I think it's better that we play that down, so as to not make me look too stupid.  How about it?
     "Understood."
     "If the question comes up, we'll finesse it, like ‘Fitz didn't believe it at first,' which is true, or you were ‘really quite surprised' when you found out, which is also true.  Right?"
     "Right.  Now what about Cassandra?  You're not gonna drag her into this, are you?"
     "Fitz.  She's your sister, but she is a rather conspicuous link between the two principals here, isn't she?"
     "Hey, she had nothing to do with any of this shit."
     "Well, I doubt that, but even if she didn't, that makes her the Typhoid Mary of this thing, doesn't it?"
     "Oh, so my sister can look stupid but you can't?"
     Melody blinked.
     "Listen," Lopez continued, "just use judgement, willya?  She's a good kid.  She didn't ask for any of this.  I'd be grateful, OK?"
     Melody sighed.  "Well, I'm not saying her name's not going to come up."
     "Understood.  Thanks.  Now I gotta finish this.  Your triumphant return has gotten a couple of us out of bed early."
     "Ha!  Me and the floater."
     "Oh, yeah. Did you see that tape yet?"
     "No.  Who covered it, Mae Lin?"
     "Yeah, she and Carmine."
     "I bet she lost it when she saw the body."
     Lopez chuckled.  "You got her number."
     "Yeah.  So we're OK?"
     Lopez smiled at her.  "I'm OK, you're OK, we're OK.  Now go.  You look great."
     Melody leaned down and kissed his cheek, then left the room.   After a few minutes Lopez had finished his task and was standing up stretching when Carmine returned with coffee and bagels for two.   "Christ, what a mob outside," he said.  "You'd think we was givin' somethin' away."
     "Hmmm.  How did you know I really wanted something?" asked Lopez.
     "I'm a freakin' psychic. So what happened?"
     "We're OK."
     "Ha!  Go figger ‘em.  New contract?"
     "Yeah."  He opened one of the coffees.
     "Hey," said Carmine," your sister's outside with some guy.  That him?"
     "Yeah," said Lopez, taking a sip.  "That's him."
     "Hmph.  Don't look like much."
     "Hah."  Lopez unwrapped a bagel, licked off some excess cream cheese and put it back down on its wrapper.  "Anybody takes this, they die."
     "Yeah, sure," said Carmine.  "You done with your piece?"
     "Just finished.  Where are you?"
     "Gimme two minutes.  You think I should leave in that shot where Mae Lin gags?"
     Lopez laughed.  "It would make Melody happy."
     "Huh," said Carmine through a mouthful of bagel.  "Ain't that the theme today?"

     Lopez popped out of the production studio.  Rom and Cassandra stood in the hall, sharing a chuckle.  She was wearing jeans and a lavender sweater under her tan trench coat, and he wore jeans and a red-and-black flannel shirt under a navy down vest. "Hey," said Lopez, "I was bettin' you wouldn't show."
     "Actually," said Rom, "I wasn't going to."
     "I take it Miss Marven tracked you down last night and beat a confession out of you."
     "She's good," said Rom.
     "Just ask her," added Cassandra.
     Lopez looked at his sister.  "No work today?"
     "Huh," she said.  "Weren't you on vacation, Hector?"
     "I was called in.  What's your excuse?"
     Rom chuckled.  "I'm the guilty party."
     "He hijacked me," Cassandra said.
     "Ah," said Lopez, "so everybody's up to speed but me."
     "Actually," said Rom, "I called you, but you weren't home."
     "Yeah, I was here.  You heard about the floater?"
     "Yeah. When I heard, I called Melody, and she told me who it was."
     "Ugh!" said Cassandra.  "It was Bernard!"
     Lopez smirked.  "You called Melody, eh?  Nice to have her home number."
     "Yeah, that's enough, thank you.  Speaking of whom, did she get her contract renewed?"
     "Oh, yeah."
     Rom looked at Cassandra.  "Looks like it's Plan A."  She smiled and squeezed his arm.
     Lopez snorted.  "She was gonna take it across the street, huh?"
     "Yup," said Rom. "Plan B was to go right to the Stern show to break the story."
     "And broadcast her resumé," said Lopez.  "That's our Mel.  So. You sure you wanna do this?  You don't have to."
     Rom shrugged.  "I said I'd do it.   You know, Melody is right.  The story's going to come out no matter what I do.  She worked her buns off on it, she should get something out of it.  I spoke with her agent last night, and Melody said he should have me a deal by lunchtime today.  So I do this, and the Stern show, and I take off for awhile."
     "Huh," said Lopez.  "Melody prob'ly described that as ‘getting out in front of it.'"
     Rom sighed.  "Hey, even a broken clock is right twice a day."
     Lopez regarded him.  "Hmmm.  How profound.  You look like shit, by the way.  Up all night?"
     "Yeah, I moved out of the Norfifth.  That Darryl character, the guy I tangled with?  The guy who clocked me that first night, when I got out of the cab?"
     "Oh, and then got the hubcap in the face?"
     "The very same.  He dropped by last night, too."
     "Oh Christ.  What happened?"
     "Ah, I'll tell you later."
     "OK.  So where'd you sleep last night?"  He looked at his sister.  She slapped his arm.
     "Shame on you for what you're thinking!" she said.  "He slept in the cathedral."
     "What?"
     "Well, I didn't sleep there," Rom said.  "Monsignor Stawarski gave me a room in the rectory."
     "Who?"
     Carmine opened the production studio door.  "Fitz, they want the tape."
     "Yeah.  Hey, I gotta go.  She's gonna interview you, right?"
     "That's the plan," said Rom.
     "OK.  Cassandra, you met Ross, the floor director.  Just go into the studio and let him know you guys are here."
     "OK."
     "And after the show, do not leave here without me."
     "Ah," said Rom, "a bodyguard.  We've arrived."
     "You'll arrive at the morgue if you don't watch your ass in this town."
     "You're right," said Cassandra.  "There were about 30 people out there when we came in."
     "And when you leave," Lopez continued, "there'll be a hundred, and this time they'll recognize you."
     "Oh, relax," said Rom.  "We'll get through OK."
     Lopez sighed.  "You will, huh?  What, did you bring your mask?"

     As Rom and Cassandra walked into the studio, the station manager was at the "Midtown Morning" set, trying to placate an irritated Mae Lin Lee, whose plans for a lead-off feature story — and for ascending a rung in the WBLT ladder — had been dashed with the dramatic return of Melody Marven.  Just inside the door,  the floor director was dispatching an irritated-looking Dr. Seamus Tormey, whose second attempt at promoting his book on WBLT-TV also was being pre-empted by breaking events.  The big Irishman, again clad in a cap and off-white wool sweater, stormed past Rom and Cassandra.
     "Dr. Tormey," cried Ross, "please, let's just reschedule again."
     Tormey stopped at the door and turned.  His face was red and angry.  "You can reschedule your arse!" he yelled, and pushed through the door.
     Ross, a short, balding man of about 50 wearing a gray jogging suit and a headset, sighed and looked at the newcomers.  "Sandy Lopez, how ya doin'?  Come to watch history?"
     "Hi Ross.  This is my friend Rom Soriano.  Rom, this is Ross, um, Schaefer, right?"
     Ross held out his hand.  "Good memory.  Nice to meet you."  They shook hands.  "So you're Zorro, huh?"
     Rom blinked.
     "Ha!" said Ross.  "Get used to it."
     Cassandra chuckled.  "I guess word's out."
     "It will be in three minutes," Ross said, checking his pocket watch.  He scrutinized Rom's face.  "Can't do much for the mouse, but we'll need to just take the shine off.  Pop into makeup and tell the girl there you're on in the first segment.  She'll get you out here in time."  He pointed across the studio.  "Go through that door there — the one Melody's just coming out."  He patted Rom's arm. "You're not nervous, are you?"
     Rom looked at Melody, now pausing at the door of the control booth.  She looked at him and smiled, then winked and went in.  "No," he said.  "Not much."
     Ross laughed and looked again at his pocketwatch.  "Light the set!" he called.

8:59 a.m.

     Janet the intern, bearing three steaming mugs of coffee on a small plastic tray, came over to the set, which featured a backdrop of a stylized Midtown skyline, and placed them on the simple oak counter, behind which sat Mae Lin, Melody Marven and Rom Soriano.  Janet smiled at Rom.  "I hope black's OK," she said.
     Melody looked up from her notes.  "It's his lucky color," she said.
     "Hmmm.  Black's fine," Rom said to Janet.  He squinted against the brilliant studio lights and saw Cassandra, who gave a smile, and Lopez, who gave a thumbs-up.  He returned both.
     Ross walked over to the set.  "OK, Mae Lin, Mr. Figueroa says he's gone over the plan with you."
     Mae Lin, a raven-haired Asian beauty dressed in a burgundy blazer and white turtleneck blouse, snorted.  "Yeah, basically I'm supposed to introduce Melody and then shut up for the rest of the first segment."
     "Hey," Ross said, "this is breaking news.  You been around the block."
     Mae Lin sighed.  "What the hell did I go all the way to Coney Island for last night?"
     "Hey, that was a good spot.  Only Channel 7 beat us there.  But we can't use the guy's name yet, so we're goin' with Melody's story first."
     "Which is?"
     Ross looked at his watch.  "Thirty seconds!" he called.  "There were two Zorros, honey.  The one you saw was the one that got shot on the ferry. This is the other guy."  He nodded toward Rom, who smiled at Mae Lin.  "Listen, girls, try to look like you work for the same station.  Mr. Zorro, good luck."  He moved back and next to a camera.
     Mae Lin leaned toward Melody.  "Well, are you going to tell me his name?"
     "Whose name?" said Melody.
     Rom leaned over.  "I'm Rom Soriano."
     Mae Lin gave him a tight smile.  "How do you do," she said.  "Thanks for bringing me up to speed on this, Melody.  How am I supposed to be taken seriously if my own colleagues can't even —"
     "Hey," said Melody, "while you were doing your nails this weekend I was doing some reporting, OK?  This is my story."
     Mae Lin glared at her.  "You cunt."
     Melody picked up her coffee.  "Well, I've been called worse."  As she took a sip, Rom laughed.
     "Fifteen seconds!" called Ross.
     "Listen, Blondie," said Mae Lin, "go ahead and have your glory, but when we get to the second segment, back off."
     "Oh, definitely," said Melody.  "I'm looking forward to seeing your piece.  I saw the tape Carmine was working up."  She put the mug down and looked at Mae Lin.  "I like the part where you start losing your lunch."
     Mae Lin blanched.  "Oh god, he didn't put that— "
     "Ten seconds!"
     Mae Lin looked angrily around the studio.  "Carmine!" she called.
     Melody turned to Rom and patted his arm, and Rom crossed himself as the floor manager counted down.  Through the speakers came the "lite jazz" theme music of the "Midtown Morning" show, and Ross cued the announcer.  "It's Monday, October 21st," said the happy-voiced, middle-aged man sitting off-camera, "and this is ‘Midtown Morning' with Tony Perez and Stella Biase.  With your guest host this week, Mae Lin Lee.  This morning: Dynamic new revelations about the Son of Zorro vigilante, with correspondent Melody Marven and a very special guest.   Here's Mae Lin Lee."
     Ross cued Mae Lin, and she turned on her smile. "Good morning," she said, "and welcome to ‘Midtown Morning.'  Nice to be with you.  This is day six of Tony and Stella's honeymoon, and I hope they're enjoying it as much as I am."  Assorted chuckles ran through the crew.  "As much as I enjoy hosting their show, I mean."  She looked to Melody, whose expression suggested she'd just smelled something questionable.  "Um, and Dennis VanDyke and his Big Apple Deep Dish will be here later with the latest gossip, and we'll check in with psychic Lenore Kasmiri, and see how her predictions for yesterday's races at Aqueduct turned out.
     "One programming note, though: Today we had planned on having Dr. Seamus Tormey to talk about his book about the Irish discovering America, but he has graciously offered to reschedule so that we can bring you a very special update regarding the eccentric vigilante called the Son of Zorro, whose body we all thought washed up last night on Coney Island beach.  But as you're about to learn, there's a lot more to the story.  And here with the latest in that story is Melody Marven."  She turned to Melody.  "Melody, welcome back.  We hadn't expected to see you this week, I must say."
     "Yes, Mae Lin, you did look surprised when I came in.  But the arm's healing nicely, thank you."  She looked at the camera.  "I have a rather dramatic report to pass on to our viewers: It seems the body that washed up last night in Coney Island was actually that of an impostor, a copycat if you will, whose sole adventure was the one on the Staten Island ferry that sent him to a watery grave.  I've discovered the identity of this man, and as soon as I have word that his family has been notified, I will pass that along to you, and we're expecting that information at any moment."
     Mae Lin clenched her teeth.
     "But to the point," Melody continued, "I have in fact tracked down the real Son of Zorro, living in a rundown apartment house in Newark, just across the street from the scene where he thwarted an assault against a woman back on Oct. 11th.  In fact, during my interview with the real vigilante last night, one of the perpetrators in that incident, who'd apparently been bailed out of jail just hours before, burst into the room, brandishing a 9mm handgun, and threatened to kill us both."
     Cassandra and Lopez looked in shock at Rom, who nodded meekly, then at each other.  "He didn't say anything about that," she whispered.
     "Hmph.  Wonder what else he didn't mention," grunted Lopez, looking at Melody.
     "I'm happy to report that Newark police apprehended  22-year-old Darryl Gilbert early this morning and charged him with kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon, " Melody continued.  "But more on that later.  Without any further ado, I want to introduce to WBLT viewers to a most interesting man, a man who survived unimaginable tragedy and went on to inspire others.  A man who lived a double life, whose story I think you will find as amazing as I did as I started to unravel it."
     Carmine had joined the Lopezes and leaned toward them. "Why am I reminded of Carl Denham unveiling King Kong?" he whispered.
     "No! Not the flashbulbs, boys!" whispered Lopez.
     Melody introduced Rom, and for the next ten minutes the confident blonde in the arm sling put on an interview clinic.  While Mae Lin watched in grudging admiration, Melody deftly sketched Rom's life story, eliciting thoughtful responses from an increasingly comfortable subject.  She helped him paint a compelling picture of his old neighborhood, and his reaction to it, and the turmoil into which the clinic's first results had plunged him.  Over well edited footage, she highlighted his escapades and got him to comment on them, often humorously, and continued with previously unseen footage from the Howard Stern show.
     "Here's where I should have recognized you," said Melody.  "I was sitting right next to you."
     "I think they call that Lois Lane Syndrome," said Rom.
     "Quite apt.  I know my cameraman, Fitz Lopez, also caught onto you eventually, and his sister Cassandra knew at some point, as well.  And I should mention here that you are friends of many years with the Lopez family."
     "Yes, many years.  So don't feel bad."
     The floor manager had been signaling a break for more than a minute, and finally Mae Lin broke in.
     "Good work, Melody," she said.
     "Thanks, Mae Lin.  Next we'll take a look at what's ahead for the man in black."
     "Yes, thanks.  And we'll take a look at my updated report on the tragic discovery of the copycat vigilante so horribly murdered on the ferry, whose bloated body washed up last night on Coney Island.  Stay with us."

     As the theme music came up, everyone smiled at the camera, but after Ross called "And we're clear!"and the lights came down, Mae Lin jumped up and headed for Carmine, demanding to know if he'd left in the shot of her losing her lunch.  A dapper young man Lopez recognized as Melody's agent went over to the set and after being introduced engaged Rom in conversation.  The intern reappeared and scurried over to Melody with a piece of paper, who read it and pumped her fist in the air.
     As the intern passed, Lopez called her over.  "What was the bulletin?"
     "They've notified the next of kin on that floater," said Janet.
     "Ah, we can use his name," said Carmine.
     "Right," said Lopez, "And it looks like our boy's gettin' himself a book deal.  You can get a lot done during a commercial."  He looked again at Cassandra, who was watching Rom with a slight smile.
     "He's hangin' in there pretty good," Lopez said.
     "That doesn't surprise me."
     "So I guess you guys talked?"
     "Oh," she said with a sigh, "we have come to our senses, both of us."
     "Ah."  Lopez stifled an urge to smile.  "Tell me something.  Did you two —"
     "None of your business."  She glanced up at him, and her tone softened.  "No. Well, sort of."
     "Oh Christ."
     "What?"
     "You're goin' to hell for sure."
     She slapped his arm again.  "Stop.  He's going back to Portland, and I'm — I'm going to miss him."
     Lopez saw her eyes puddle up, and he put his arm around her.  He noticed Rom watching them as the agent kept up his spiel.

     After a visit to the control booth to reassure herself there was no unflattering footage on the re-edited Coney Island piece, Mae Lin made it back to the set just as Rom and the agent were shaking hands.  Ross was conferring with Melody and speaking softly into his headset microphone.   As Mae Lin sat down, Ross stepped over to her.  "OK," he said, "we've got positive ID on the floater, so we're going to lead with that when we come back."  He looked at his watch.  "Ten seconds!"
     "I guess that will lead right into my Coney Island piece, right?" said Mae Lin.
     "Right," said Ross, "but again, let's just introduce Melody, and Manny will tell us when we're going to tape, OK?"  He nodded toward the control booth.
     "Huh," said Mae Lin.  "Why don't we just call it the ‘Melody Marven Show'?"
     "Hmmm," said Melody, making a note on one of her papers.  "I like the sound of that."  She turned to Mae Lin.  "Now watch and learn, kid."
     Mae Lin began to sputter but as the lights came up again, she took a deep breath and put on a smile.  The theme music came down, and she shuffled some papers in front of her and looked into the camera.  "OK, we're back with a story I first reported on last night," she said.  "We have identified the copycat vigilante, as we're calling him, who washed ashore on the beach at Coney Island last night.  We'll have the tragic footage on that in a moment, but first here's Melody Marven again, and Melody, what are we finding out?"
     "Thanks, Mae Lin.  It's official.  My source at the N.Y.P.D. tells me the next of kin has been notified, and I can now tell you that the copycat vigilante shot and killed on the ferry last Monday was 36-year-old Bernard LaPlaca of Newark, who worked as a copy editor at Travel Set magazine in Secaucus.  Can we put that picture up, please?"
     A photo of the most recent Travel Set staff picnic came up on the monitor.  "Mr. La Placa's mother gave me this photo yesterday, as I was running down this story.  It was taken last August, I'm told, at a staff picnic.  The man in the middle with the mustache is LaPlaca. Now the woman he has his arm around is Cassandra Lopez, a fellow editor at Travel Set, who coincidentally is acquainted with both Mr. LaPlaca and Mr. Soriano."
     Melody shot Cassandra a quick look and turned to Rom.  "Rom, I'm tempted to say Mr. LaPlaca, at least, was on to you, because it's quite possible he copied your act, so to speak, to impress Miss Lopez.  More than one source has told me LaPlaca was very infatuated with her, and had in fact told family members that the two were engaged to be married."
     Through the lights, Rom saw Cassandra rub her face in anxiety.  Next to her, Lopez stood fuming.   "Well, I don't know," said Rom.  "It's, uh, possible he saw us together once at lunch one time."
     "Yes.  Anything he may have seen or heard that day to tip him off?"
     Rom shifted in his chair.  "Well, yes, after lunch I went to a shop and bought a new mask."
     "Ah!  This was after your first, ah, adventure, though."
     "Yes.  For that I, um, made a mask."
     "Really?  Out of what?"
     Rom cleared his throat.  "Uh, two black socks.  So he, uh, may have seen me buying a new one."
     "Two black socks?"
     "Yes.  Although I really don't know how he could make that jump.  From me buying a mask to figuring out I was the, uh, person in question."
     Melody smiled, then referred to her notes.  "My information says he had worked at Travel Set for about six months, and was a graduate of Seton Hall University.  Father Soriano, does it trouble you that this man lost his life trying to follow your example?"
     "Well yes, I've prayed for that man.  In my, uh, short career, I could have been killed at any time, as my friends have pointed out, and it's just through the grace of God that I came through it with just a few bumps and bruises."
     "Well," said Melody, "there are several lawbreakers today and some grateful victims, including myself, who will not soon forget your brave exploits."
     "Thanks, but, ah, I don't see that time as brave now."
     "No?  How do you see it?"
     "Well, I see it as kind of a slow panic."
     "Hmmm.  How so?"
     Rom took a deep breath, then looked at Lopez and Cassandra, standing at the edge of the set.  "I was alone, very alone.  I mean, I had two good friends near me, but I had lost hope, and faith.  It was hard."
     "In fact, you considered leaving the priesthood."
     "That's right.  After all that had happened, I severely doubted whether I was fit to be a priest anymore."
     "That was very dramatic.  Now how is that decision unfolding?"
     "Well, after the excitement last night, and faced with the prospect of this interview — not to mention facing Howard Stern again — after I left our, uh, interview last night I went straight to church."
     "You went to church last night?  After — after all the excitement?"
      "Yes, to Sacred Heart Cathedral.  I spent most of the night in St. Patrick's Chapel."
     "I see.  And what came of that prayer?"
     "After my business with you today, I'm going to call Cardinal McCormick and see if I can straighten things out with the Order of St. Kevin, and use the rest of my sabbatical to finish the book."
     "Your life story?"
     "Right.  Then, I hope, back to Portland for Christmas and the winter semester at St. Martin de Soto High School.  I miss my students very much, and my life in the parish."
     "Ah. So back to the Mother Church."  In her earpiece, the director told Melody to segue back to Mae Lin for the Coney Island piece.  "So there's the story, and we'll hear more with another exclusive interview on the Howard Stern Show on our sister station WBLT-FM shortly after this interview concludes."
     Rom's sigh sounded more like a groan.
     "Before we go back to Mae Lin for a look at what happened last night, let me put one more question to you."  Rom nodded patiently.  "Any regrets, Son of Zorro?"
     Rom looked at Cassandra.  "Yes."
     "Care to share them?" asked Melody.
     "Ah, no.  But I will make a confession."
     "Well, that's a switch, heh-heh."
     "No, seriously, I, ah, fully intended not to show up this morning."
     "Oh?  After you had agreed to do this interview."
     "Yes, I did agree.  In a . . . weak moment, shall we say."  His look said "Next question?"
     Melody opted to move on.  "Yes, interesting," she said.  "You got cold feet, you say. But you showed up anyway.  What happened?"
     Rom sighed.  "Well, this sounds old-fashioned, but I prayed."
     "And God told you to come to the studio?"
      "Well, he told me I should keep my promises.  And tell the truth."
     Melody nodded.  "The truth," she said soberly. "Finally, the truth.  Certainly the guiding light in my profession, as well. You're a very special man, Rom Soriano."
     Rom saw Mae Lin roll her eyes, and his friends grimace off camera.  "Uh, thank you, Melody," he said.   He looked at her and smiled.  "And you were great last night."