Truth (36 page)

Claire didn’t realize
she’d been holding her breath, until the voicemail ended. Finally
she exhaled. Looking to the screen she saw the time, 9:57. She
tried to remember the time difference.
Shit, three minutes
. Why did
everyone want to
talk
? That word no longer held a positive connotation.

Claire stepped from the line and indicated
for the next patron to progress toward the counter. She wasn’t
surprised Tony called her iPhone. She knew once she and Emily
started communicating through it, it’d be easy prey. Honestly, at
that moment she was happy he had. If he’d left this message on her
other phone, she probably wouldn’t have heard it until he was
already in California.

Claire dialed Tony’s number, while
simultaneously sifting her emotions. Fear was among the top
contenders; she wasn’t stupid. Nonetheless, it held a mild third to
determination and revenge. She’d made up her mind. When she thought
Harry was the victim of Tony’s consequence, Claire knew, he had to
be brought down. His power needed to be lessened. She admitted
having erotic thoughts about her ex-husband, along with thoughts of
lust and perhaps -- love. Nonetheless, if he could table his love
to fulfill his agenda of revenge, she could do the same.

Regulating her breathing, Claire listened to
the ring of his private line.

On the third ring she heard the same voice,
less menacing than the one on the message, yet still irritated,
“My, Claire, you do like to cut it close, don’t you?”

“
I just turned on my
telephone. I hope I caught you before you made an unnecessary
trip.”

“
I don’t make unnecessary
trips.”

“
Please enlighten me. What
did Shelly tell you that has you so worked up?”

She heard his grin,
“
Worked up
? My
dear, you have no idea.”

“
I would argue, but I’m on
a schedule. Could you please tell me why I called, so I can
continue with
my
agenda?”

“
Of course, I’m sure your
schedule is excessively hectic.” He paused, emphasizing his
sarcasm. “Meredith Banks? Really Claire, haven’t you made that
mistake before?” Though his tone was deceptively lighter, his words
sent chills down her spine.

She waved the next person
to the counter. The retraction wasn’t scheduled to be released
until tomorrow. Why was Claire even surprised he’d already seen it?
“If you’d read the release, it states I actually
didn’t
make that mistake
before. Which I believe I told you. And yes, I remember the
accident
resulting from
your misconception.”

“
Are you trying to push
me?”

“
No. I’d be more direct if
that were my goal. I’m trying to tell the world the truth. I’ve
read numerous false accounts and believe it’s time to set the
record straight.”

“
Know my legal team will
stop anything, including this retraction from ever seeing the light
of day. You are wasting your time.”

“
Funny, I remember telling
you the same thing -- recently.”

“
I warned you not to
disappoint me. I recommend you reconsider your actions.”

“
I need to go. I’m in the
middle of something. As always, it has been a pleasure.”

As Claire moved the phone
from her ear to hit
end
, she heard him reply, “Not as much as last time.”
Touching
end
, she
wondered what exactly he meant by that.

As Anthony Rawlings ended the call with his
ex-wife, he noticed the small symbol indicating an email. Despite
the fact he had an untold number of people paused on a
web-conference, he swiped the icon. Within the list of unread
emails he saw one from Phillip Roach, dated today, received
10:23:04 this morning. Tony must have overlooked it earlier. He
touched the screen and the document came into view.

To: Mr. Anthony Rawlings

Date: May 9, 2013

Subject: Ms. Nichols

From: Phillip Roach

Mr. Rawlings it seems Ms. Nichols booked a
flight early this morning for San Diego. She left San Francisco at
08:12:00, PT. Her flight is scheduled to arrive in San Diego
09:43:00. I have confirmation of her hotel booking at the US Grant
on Broadway. I could not manage a seat on Ms. Nichols’ flight. I am
however scheduled to arrive at 11:17:00. As soon as I learn more, I
will forward the information to you.

Smiling, Tony realized Claire did return his
call as soon as she could. He immediately replied to Phillip
Roach.

To: Phillip Roach

Date: May 9, 2013

Subject: Ms. Nichols

From: Anthony Rawlings

Check to see if a reporter named Meredith
Banks is staying at the same hotel or even in San Diego. I have
reason to believe the two are meeting. I want to know if my
suspicion can be confirmed. Contact me immediately upon learning
this information, or any other. AR

Tony knew Phil Roach wouldn’t receive his
email until his plane landed in San Diego. He could wait, looking
at his watch, another hour and a half.

Suddenly, realizing he had other things to
do, Anthony Rawlings resumed his seat and hit the enter button on
his computer. He was once again visible to seventy-two finance
officers at various Rawlings’ subsidiaries. The web-conference
resumed and Mr. Rawlings performed perfectly, despite the fact his
mind was elsewhere. While discussing profit strategies, he held his
iPhone out of camera range and sent a text to his driver, Eric.

IT SEEMS AS THOUGH I NEED TO TRAVEL TO SAN
DIEGO. PREPARE TO PICK ME UP AT 2:30. HAVE THE JET READY FOR
FLIGHT.

The next text went to his
secretary, Patricia.
CANCEL MY
APPOINTMENTS THIS AFTERNOON AND TOMORROW. I MUST MAKE AN EMERGENCY
TRIP TO SAN DIEGO. IF THERE IS A PROBLEM HAVE TIM OR BRENT HANDLE
IT.

All the while, he never missed a question or
hesitated with a response. The web-conference progressed without a
flaw.

Out of suffering have
emerged the strongest souls;
the most massive characters are seared with scars.
- Kahlil Gibran

Chapter
23

Tension permeated from every corner of
Claire’s luxurious hotel suite when she allowed Meredith entry.
However, like vapors over warm water, the warmth of an old
friendship soon rose above the cool, edgy, businesslike atmosphere.
Wisp by wisp the strain evaporated and Claire and Meredith’s old
relationship prevailed. This first evening was about overcoming
their past and becoming reacquainted. Although it was never said,
they both knew their future partnership depended upon it.

Boldly, Meredith approached the prime
obstacle, “Claire, I know I took advantage of you and of our
friendship. I knew it was wrong, and I did it. I wanted the story
everyone was trying to get. I’m sorry.” She looked sufficiently
apologetic. Claire fought the urge to look down at her hands;
instead she kept her gaze upon Meredith, as Meredith continued,
“After you were arrested, I wrote another article. I meant every
word, but I think in retrospect, I wrote it to rectify what I’d
written earlier.”

Claire inhaled. This wasn’t the time for her
to inform Meredith of the consequence she suffered for Meredith’s
coup; it could wait. Looking her old friend in the eye, Claire
chose not to see the seasoned reporter. Instead, she saw the young
college student, ten years younger -- her friend. Claire said,
“After I was out of prison, I did some research and found your
second article. You’re one of the few people to write anything
supportive of me.” She smiled her biggest smile, relaxed her
shoulders and added, “That’s why I called you. I’m glad you agreed
to help me.”

Meredith exhaled on cue, “Thank you. I
didn’t know if you’d read it.”

“
I did. And it means the
world to me. But there are a few things you should seriously
consider before taking this journey.” Meredith nodded, waiting.
Claire went on, “Mr. Rawlings has a lot of connections. I know
without a doubt, he’ll make this difficult. You need to know what
you’re getting into.”

“
I was going to talk to
you about some strange things with my retraction. It’s already met
unusual editorial scrutiny.
Peopl
e and
Rolling Stone
will only agree to
print the retraction, not the information regarding future
information.
Vanity Fair
completely passed, even after they’d accepted in
concept. I just received a generic refusal from them moments
ago.”

“
His influence is very far
reaching. Believe me; I’d understand if you want to pass on doing
this article? It’s okay. We can call this a reunion and go on with
our lives.”

Claire watched the twenty year old peek
through Meredith’s thirty year old eyes. Claire saw the spark she
saw ten years ago when they skipped class to watch the Cubs.

“
Hell no! If my simple
retraction is generating this kind of reaction, can you imagine
what our
series of articles
will do? Besides, the world of publishing is
changing by the second. I’ll blog the stuff about the impending
information. My blog reaches hundreds of thousands. Then with
that,
Twitter
and
other social sites, the audience is global.” The excitement in her
tone crackled like electricity through the suite. “Sweetie, it
takes more than money to stop social media. Once something is
viral, it can
not
be stopped!”

Claire pondered the possibilities. When she
first was taken by Tony, social media was in its infancy. While
with him, she had no access to media. It was only a little better
in prison. Slowly, she was beginning to understand its potential.
There’s a world that can take a spark and create an inferno.
Looking at Meredith’s large blue eyes, filled with anticipation,
Claire believed her old friend knew how to fuel that fire.
Nonetheless, Claire owed her one more warning, “There’s something
else.”

“
Yes?”

“
There’s a history of ill
fortunes coming to people who cross my ex-husband. I don’t want
anything to happen to you. If you want to do this, you need to go
into it with your eyes open.”

Meredith exhaled and sat against the sofa
cushions. She kept her eyes on Claire, waiting perhaps for the
punch line. When none came she spoke. “I’m a reporter, a
journalist. I’ve always dreamt of infiltrating some enemy camp and
learning the deep secrets of some foreign dictator. In my dream I’d
tell the world of his atrocities. My life would be threatened, and
I may even endure incarceration for my stance. But in this dream, I
did it. I believe in the freedom of speech.”

Claire smiled sadly, “That sounds very
idealistic and romantic, but this is real life. You have a husband
and two children. I’m not saying anything will happen; I just want
you to know, we’re talking about upsetting a colossal force. Are
you sure you’re willing to do it?”

“
I’m willing to help you
tell your story. I have no idea what it is, but my instinct’s
telling me, it’s bigger than I ever imagined.”

Claire nodded.

Conviction grew with each
word. Meredith went on, “I’d be honored to tell the world
what
you
want
them to know.”

Ten years earlier they shared a sorority
house at Valparaiso University. With all life dealt Claire, those
ten years might as well be a million. Yet, throughout the evening
that timespan shortened. They recalled names from their past,
people Meredith stayed in contact with. She knew the latest news on
so many people. For a few hours they were once again two girls,
gossiping about sisters and fraternity brothers.

Claire realized she couldn’t totally blame
Tony for her lack of connectivity with these people. It started
years before she became aware of him in her life. She chose to put
her energy into her work and career.

After dinner Claire took their dirty dishes
into the hallway. If she’d been more observant, perhaps she would
have noticed the small sensors, connected by a thin hair like wire
linking her door with the jam. Each time her door opened, that
sensor simultaneously sent a message to Phillip Roach and to a
camera hidden in a potted plant across the hallway.

The camera’s technology was impressive. It
filmed continuously; however, only data received three minutes
prior and post signal was recorded and stored. That information was
streamed simultaneously to Phil’s laptop. An alarm sounded in his
suite when the sensor activated.

Approximately every ten minutes, Phillip
would text his employer the status of Ms. Nichol’s door. Mr.
Rawlings was in a car outside the hotel, waiting for Ms. Nichols’
guest to leave. Phillip confirmed Ms. Nichols’ guest was indeed
Meredith Banks, Claire’s college classmate and journalist. The
confirmation of his suspicions didn’t please Mr. Rawlings.

Sitting on the sofa and reminiscing, the two
women reconnected. This kind of emotional bond wasn’t necessary for
men, or for many scenarios, but Claire needed it. She needed a
safe, intimate environment for her memories. Harry gave her that,
an invisible blanket of acceptance, no matter what she revealed.
She’d never be able to trust her stories with a stranger. After
all, this endeavor was more than disclosing information; she was
entrusting it to someone who would then share it with the world.
That was why Claire chose Meredith.