Chapter 73 - Card Up My Sleeve

Savannah and her crew arrived just shorty before dusk.  She hurried them around the back of the house and told them to set up.  When she was satisfied that they knew what they were doing, she walked around to the front door where she was greeted by the dog. 

She stopped to say hi to the dog, rubbing his ears, "Where are Jon and Beth?"  she asks the family pet.  The dog just wags his tail and licks her hand.   She rings the doorbell and waits. 

Beth answers the door and greets Savannah and the dog, with big hugs and warm hellos, Beth invites her into the home.  The Bongiovi/Adams home.  "What a beautiful home, Beth.  Wow."

"Yeah, this is all Jon's doing.  He bought it before I came back."

"He did good."

"Doesn't he always?" Beth laughs and guides Savannah through thr house and out the patio door that's off the family room.  "Jon, show her where you want to sit.  I need to make bottles for the twins."

"Can't mom do that?" he asks, looking up at her.  He's in the back talking with the production crew, giving strict instructions on what they can shoot and what they can't. 

"I'm sure she can, but I want to do it.  I'll be right back."  Beth tells them, and disappears in the house.

Jon and Savannah go through the tedious task of setting up for an interview.  Savannah has very little information regarding why they called for the interview, and she really didn't care.  It's an exclusive interview with Jon Bon Jovi, it was going to be big.  "Make sure that they I no footage through the windows and I don't want to see anything that can identify where we are.  So no footage of the park or the water."  Jon starts to instruct everyone now.  "We have managed to stay off the radar out here and we really would like to keep it that way."

Savannah nods her head and smiles, "Will Beth be part of it?"  She isn't clear yet, "Do you want make up?"

Jon sits in the chair that he selected for himself, triple checking what's behind him in the back drop.  "Yeah, Beth will be here."  He's looking around, making sure of the camera angles, "No, no make up for me."

"I need a touch up."  Savannah admits, "But I'm ready whenever you guys are."

"I'll go get Beth."  he stands and starts to walk in the house, stopping he looks at the 6 person team and adds, "I'm sorry.  Can I get any of you anything?  A drink?  A snack?"

Everyone, including Savannah politely declined and he went into the house.  He notices that the house is dead quiet, as he is always listening for clues as to where is family is.  The house is big, but nowhere near the size of his first home, the house in Red Bank.

"BABE?" he calls out and waits.  Nothing.  He decides he'll head upstairs and see if they are in the nursery.  When he gets there, he sees that they aren't in there.  "BETH!"  Again, nothing.  A little baffled as to where they may be hiding, he makes his way back downstairs, passing a window, he sees them outside in the driveway.  In a swiftness he's in the driveway, "What are you doing?"

He startles his mother and Beth, who are strapping the twins into the car seats of Beth's car.  Beth looks back at him and starts to explain, "Your mom wants to take them home for the night.  Giving us a little peace and quiet."

(MUD)

"Is that okay Jonny?  I'll go into the city and get the boys too." his mom asks, "Then when you're ready to leave in the morning, you can just come get them as on your way."

Jon is surprised by the masterful planning of his mother, he nods his head and hugs his mother, "Yeah, ma.  That's fine.  Thank you."

"I thought you and Beth could use some time before your lives are turned upside down again because of those assholes."

Jon laughs, "It won't hurt, that  's for sure."

Beth jumos in, "Now are you sure that you have enough diapers and stuff at your house?"

Mother Bongiovi nods and says, "All I need is that cooler full of milk."

"You're sure?  I don't want you to have to run out or worry."

"Beth, I got this." Mrs. B gives her a hug, "Plus, grandpa will be there.  We're good."

In unison, Jon and Beth say, "Thanks, ma."  They say their goodbyes, kissing the babies and their grandmother and they watch them pull out of the driveway. 

Beth takes a deep breath as she feels Jon's arm go around her waist, "Are you ready?" Beth looks at him and winks.

"This should be the end of it all, right?" she rests her head on his chest and feels his lips press against her.  "I mean, what else could happen?"

"This has to be it." he holds her tight, she soaks up the scent and the sound.  His heartbeat has always been soothing to her, and right now, she really needs to be soothed. 

"Did you look at the book?" she asks softly.

"Yeah.  Did you?"  he can feel her nodding her head yes, "Why?"

She steps back and takes his hand, pulling him toward the house, "As I flipped through it when you gave it to me, I seen some pictures.  I had to see what they were."

"You shouldn't have." he tells her, as he closes the door behind him and they make their way through the house.

"Tell me about it." was all she needed to say.

Out back, Jon and Beth take a seat next to one another.  Jon had the crew bring up a few of the good chairs that were down by the water.  Savannah is set up, across from them, dressed in a suit looking like she just stepped off the pages of the most current issue of the hippest style magazine.  Jon is in jeans, a white shirt and he is proudly displaying the necklace charms that represent each of his children.  Dead and alive.  Beth is in a watermelon sheer top and blue jeans.  Her hair is freely blowing in the wind and the only make up that she has on is a tinted lip gloss.  To Jon, she is absolutely stunning and she knows it.  "That color looks great on you." he whispers to her, as the sound technician is wiring them up with a microphone.

Beth leans over and kisses his cheek, "Thank you.  Your mom told me to wear it.  She said it makes my tan pop."

"She's a smart woman." he tells her, winking.

They are hooked up and Savannah is ready to go.  She clears her throat, hating to interrupt the love birds, but if she's going to edit and get this on the 11:00 news, they need to hurry.

The red light goes on and the lawn is dead quiet.  It's like all of the crickets and frogs new that it was time to quiet down. 

Savannah turns her head to the camera that has the red light on and says, "Good Evening, I'm Savannah Gutherie with NBC news and I am here with Jon Bon Jovi and his fiancé, Beth Adams to discuss the release of an unauthorized publication being released tomorrow.  Thank you for having me."  She looks at Jon and Beth with a heart felt smile. 

Jon and Beth smile back and Jon says, "Thanks for coming over on such short notice."

"Let's get right to it.  You and Beth called me to issue statements about the book that is being released tomorrow, why is that?"

With an uneasy feeling, Jon wiggles in his seat and starts to tell her, "The people that plotted, deceived and ultimately killed our daughter have written a book about that time in their life, including pictures and statements about Beth and me."

"And you want to set the record straight?  The publication being released is a graphic tale of the terror that you and Beth were put through, written by the two people that terrorized you and ultimately killed your daughter, McKenna Rose?" 

Jon nods his head, "Yes.  We learned about this book just days ago and have tried to stop it's release, but we haven't been successful."

"We called you here so we can give our side and warn those that might buy it against buying it." Beth throws in there, her stomach is in her throat and she is one big bag of nerves.  She can't remember the last interview she gave, that wasn't police related.  "The book is just an attempt from them to stay relevant or even remembered."

Savannah turns to the camera again, "Some of you may remember the story of baby girl McKenna." Savannah smiles and continues with, "I had the privilege of knowing McKenna.  McKenna Bongiovi was murdered at the hand of a once thought family friend.  The tragic end to a bizarre story that hit the headlines some time ago."  A deep breath and a pause, Savannah makes eye contact with Beth, "Do you think that this interview might propel people to go out and buy the book?  Giving the idea to some that might not know anything about  it?"

Beth squirms in her chair and reaches over for Jon's hand, "I'm sure this interview will do just that, but if we can prevent even one person from buying it, than it all will be worth it."

"What did you do when you learned of the book, Beth?"

"I just learned about it today."

"Today?  Really?" Savannah is shocked.  "How did you learn about it today?"

"Jon handed me a copy today."

"Jon, how did you learn about it and when?"

Jon looks at Beth and keeps his eyes locked with hers, "I found a copy at our house in Napa when we were just there."

"Found a copy?"

"Yeah, it had been delivered at some point and I found it walking around the house."

"Any idea who sent it to you?" Savannah inquires, feeling that she might be on the trail of a great story and is thanking her lucky stars that they called her to break the story.

"With an L.A. post mark, we assume that it's Dalton."

"Dalton Patterson, the man that Beth was in a relationship with?  The one that assaulted her, not once, but twice?"

Beth is suddenly sick to her stomach, never given though that any of that would be mentioned, but she couldn't let on.  They were a untied front and the world needed to see that.  "Yes, that Dalton."  Beth answers.

"He co-wrote this book with Melissa Davis, the Melissa Davis that was convicted of killing McKenna Rose?"

"Yes.  That's why we called you here."  Jon chimes in, wanting to get the interview over with as soon as possible so Savannah can have time to edit and get it on the news.  "They wrote this book together, self published it and it is being released tomorrow.  We want the world to know, that this is being released without our permission.  The pictures used in the book are used without our permission and we want everyone to remember that the sick people that wrote this book killed our daughter and put our family through hell."

Savannah is looking at Jon, who is looking at Beth.  She can see the love that they share for one another and sees that this book is a pretty big hurdle for them.  "I've known you and Beth for quite sometime now and I was at McKenna's service.  It was one of the most difficult things that I have ever done.  How are you two coping with the loss of her, after all of this time?"

"People told us that it would get easier, but in all honesty Savanna, it's just gets different.  We lost three children in a short span of time and I don't think that the hurt from that will ever go away, or lessen in anyway."  Beth tells her, "And now to read about it all in this book, it's like tearing the band aid off the scab, the scab coming off too and alcohol directly poured into the wound."

"You had no idea they were writing it?"

Jon and Beth both shook their heads no, "Had I known, I would have tried to stop it.  We were caught off guard, and we're sure that was there plan."

"Where do you think they got the money to self publish?  I assume that it's pretty expensive to publish a book?"  Savannah suggests, "What publishing house is it out of?"

Jon, moving in closer to Beth, his arm around her shoulders tells Savannah, "We have people looking into it and we'll know soon enough.  But at this point, it really doesn't matter.  They are sick people that destroyed us, our family, and we want everyone to know before they read this book that they were evil.  They wrote this book as an attempt to continue to hurt us.  In an attempt to keep themselves into our lives, our thoughts and even our conversations - but the bottom line here is, regardless of who I am, who we are  - no one deserves the diabolical terror that they put us through and while they can't benefit financially from this book in anyway - it's still out there."

Beth interrupts, "It's out there with personal, private pictures and we're sure that all of the facts aren't straight.  We just want everyone that cares, everyone that thinks they want to know this story - we have in no way encouraged, misled, deceived or hurt those that wrote it.  We let them into our lives at different times and over the years, they plotted and planned to hurt us."

"Why is that?  Do you have any idea why they plotted, why they put together this plan than spans over years to hurt you?"  Savannah diverts her attention to Jon, looking for him to answer.

Jon is getting even more uncomfortable, seeing that he's a private man and all, but he tells himself to answer her, and to answer her honestly.  To call and make a statement on national TV and then hide facts seems like a bad idea to him.  "Beth had met Dalton in California and I met Melissa here in New Jersey."

"Were they intimate relationships?"

Jon, without thought, "Yes."

Savannah was really caught off guard by that.  She's known Jon and Beth for quite sometime and the mention of ex lovers, with the exception of Dorothea, never came up in any conversation.  "Dalton and Melissa met how?"  She questions, seeking details that Jon and Beth didn't want to talk about.

"How they met isn't important.  We asked you to come just so we could get the word out before it's release and hopefully get enough people to listen that they don't buy it."  He wiggles in his chair, resting his right ankle on his knee cap.  Beth slides her hand over, and gives him a squeeze.  He looks at her and winks, "Savannah, I'm sorry."  he exhales loudly and long.  "We thought that they were out of our lives forever.  We never imagined that they would write a book, but we really aren't surprised."

"Yeah." Beth chimes in, "We just need you to get the right story out before the book gets released."

"I understand." she responds to Beth, "But don't you think that people will want to know how they met?"

"We don't care." Jon states, switching legs, "We just want everyone to know that they're assholes.  They are two people that should never walk the streets among us, I mean, come on Savannah - the stupid bitch killed our baby."

Savannah holds up her hands, as to ask Jon to slow down and back off, "I get it Jon.  I know where you are coming from and no one feels for you more than I do, however, that's one question that might compel readers to buy the book."

His frustration is almost at the max and Beth can see it in his jaw, his muscles flexing and veins popping, "We just want people to know that we do not support, we do not endorse, did not approve nor do we like the fact that this book is coming out."  Savannah nods her head, understanding what Beth is saying, agreeing with their reasons.  "We came to you to tell this story and to hopefully get ahead of any bad press, media frenzies or tabloid headlines.  We want to be left alone about the whole thing."

"Okay.  What else?"  Jon asks, his foot wiggling faster and faster.

"What do you mean what else?"  The seasoned reporter asks.

"What else do we need to say?" foot getting faster.  "You know what we want to say and what we're trying get across, what else?"

"That's up to you."

Beth watches the conversation and when she found the appropriate time she added in, "We really just want to be left alone over the whole thing.  You are the one interview that we will give regarding the matter, I'm sure you understand, we don't want to keep dragging it up."

"I understand.  What do you know about Dalton and Melissa now?"  Savannah sits back and starts to take notes.  "Last I knew she was in the state hospital and didn't he get sent back to prison after the second attack?"

Beth can see Jon getting heated about the line of questioning, doing what she has always done, she gives him a wink and a squeeze to let him know that she's okay, "Melissa is in the New Jersey state mental hospital and Dalton was in prison, the last we knew."

"So, he could be out?"

"He could be, but we don't know.  We decided to put the past in the past when we moved here and we try very hard to not look back."

"And you have no idea who financed the book?"

"None.  I haven't even tried to find out.  Beth states.

Jon joins the conversation, taking Beth's hand and lacing his fingers with hers, "Our lawyer is looking into it all, but it doesn't matter who's behind it.  This is America."

"But maybe you could have stopped it?"

"I think we may have been able to delay it, but to stop it - I'm not so sure." he adds, rolling his eyes not wanting to get into too much detail.  "We just know that whoever is behind it doesn't care who it hurts, they must be in it for the money."

Beth nods her head and looks at Jon, "We need to try to keep our family out of the wake of the potential destruction from this."

"When are the two of you getting married?" Savannah smiles as she asks, "Do you have a date set yet?"

They both shake their heads no.

"Does this delay or postpone any plans?"

"No."  Beth firmly states, "They would not interfere with that."

"How are the kids?"

Jon sees the direction that the interview was going.  He didn't want to spend the night shooting the shit with Savannah, he needed to make travel plans to get the family out of town before noon tomorrow.  "Kids are great.  What more do we need for the interview?"

Savannah looks at her notes, then Jon and Beth.  "Well, I will just make a statement about the book, the fact that it's unauthorized, you're looking into who published it and that you wish to be left alone.  I can then add in video of you two talking about it."

"Okay, sounds good."

"I need to keep it less than 45 seconds, but I think I can do it with just the little chit chat that we've had here."

"Thanks Savannah."  Beth tells her, "We really appreciate this."

"What made you guys want to give a statement prior?" says Savannah, slightly puzzled by that whole idea.

Jon starts to stand, "It was Beth's idea.  She wanted to take the wind out of their sail and get ahead of the damage control."  He's upright and stretching.  "Are you sure you have enough?" he's looking at Savannah.

She nods, "Yep, I think I do."