Fall From Grace

“Well, if he was working for Pennington and did some shit to get Williams off without even a fine, then maybe he’s done it with others. He might have evidence in his office.”

“Doubtful.”

“I don’t know,” she moans. “I was just suggesting it. Maybe he has a secret safe behind a picture like in the movies. Or maybe something at his house.”

“I am not snooping around his office.”

She sighs into the phone. “Aren’t you his assistant? Just pretend you are cleaning.”

“They have a cleaning crew.”

“Oh for Pete’s sake, just roll with it, Grace.”

I rest my head against the back of the headrest and look up at the ceiling of my car. “Fine. I’ll look around but I doubt I’ll find anything.”

“Good. Do your job. Be an investigative journalist.”

Those words hit me. Because that is my true passion. The thing I do want more than anything. Even Carson told me to write the damn article. “Okay. I should head into the office,” I say, changing the subject quickly.

“Before you go,” Winnie says. “If he is guilty, corrupt, whatever you want to call it. Are you going to write an exposé on him?”

“No, I could never do that.”

“But will you include his crimes in your article against Williams and his sex ring?”

I hold back the tears as I think it over because I know the truth deep down in my gut, I know that there is no way I can write this article without exposing him after what happened ten years ago with Pennington. “I don’t know, Win. I don’t know.”

“I love you, Grace. You’re a good person. You’ll figure out what’s best.”

I say goodbye to her and hang up. My heart hurts thinking about what I may have to do. About the lives I would ruin. Because I wouldn’t just destroy Carson. I would break his entire family.