Senior Sports Journalist
Renee Lavoie
Precision personified: every word placed like a tile in a floor.
Renee Lavoie didn't become the best reporter in the league by falling for surfaces. She sees the blocked calendar entries, the three-second pauses after questions about fathers, the way Ben Kowalski performs his own personality like it's a second job. What she can't figure out is why she's still watching, and why, when her own professional ethics are tested, he's the only one who understands the cost of telling the truth.
Psychological Profile
Learns to stop building cases against her own instincts and trust her voice even when authority tells her not to worry.
Core wound: In Montreal, editor Neil buried her Strake investigation (player misconduct story), giving it to Cassidy Wells instead. Renee said 'okay, two more weeks' when she should have fought.
Relationships
Ben Kowalski
Partner
Two people who weaponized their competence. He's the performer; she's the investigator. They fall in love in the gap between performance and analysis.
Marcus Lavoie
Brother, Hounds player
Mutual respect, sees everything, judges fairly. The mirror who reflects truth without judgment.
Neil Ashford
Former editor, antagonist
The shadow relationship. Uses same phrases as Ben: 'I'll handle it,' 'I want what's best for you', but means control, not care.
Priya
Colleague, friend
The foil: sees Renee clearly, asks the questions Renee won't ask herself.