Page 5 of Save Me

“Though that’s not how I would’ve put it,” James Levy, the department head, my supervisor, and editor, starts. “Why does the death of Erika Dalton hold relevance, Kennedy?” he asks in his usual professional tone.

“It’s connected to Sebastian Blackmon,” I say confidently. “I know it is.”

“Didn’t she commit suicide?” Shelly, another reporter on our team, asks.

I nod. “Yes, at the fast-food restaurant where she worked for the last nine months of her life. The same restaurant owned by Blackmon’s company,” I explain.

Ardie snorts. “There it is. Case solved. Nothing more to see here.” Sarcasm laces his tone, and I fight not to lash out at him.

“I thought Blackmon owned those high-end French restaurants,” Shelly speaks again, interrupting my retort to Ardie.

“He does,” I answer. “The Blackmon Group is known for its luxury dining experience, but I dug into the company’s public records. His company also owns multiple fast-food chains in more than five different states, and some international holdings as well.”

“How is this relevant to Erika Dalton’s death?” James asks.

“I haven’t figured that out yet,” I admit. “But his company is somehow related to her suicide. I know it.”

“Nice,” Ardie mocks. “But we can’t run an article on your hunches alone. Is this what your family got you hired here for?”

“Excuse me?” I demand, my voice rising.

He sucks his teeth again. “We all know you were hired because Daddy pulled some strings.”

My body tightens with instant anger. “I earned this job fair and square like everybody else in this room.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Ardie, how many of your articles are under investigation for false reporting?” I smile at him, but it’s not friendly. “You might want to worry about your career instead of mine.”

He narrows his eyes at me. “It’s a shame we weren’t all born with a silver spoon in our mouths.”

“Fu—”

“Kennedy,” James interrupts. “I trust your instincts, but give me more insight into why this case holds water?”

I give Ardie one final glare before facing James again. “Because of where Erika Dalton chose to commit suicide. She did it at the restaurant where she worked. That means something. And,” I add, “she isn’t the first employee to die at one of Blackmon’s restaurants in recent years.”

I pull up an article from a year ago of another employee who died on the job. It was ruled as some sort of heart condition.

“But both of these former employees had bruising and other signs of abuse on their bodies,” I tell James.

He raises an eyebrow, and I know I’ve piqued his interest. That’s the thing about us investigative reporters. Our innate curiosity propels us to keep digging, searching for answers.

“You’ve spoken to the coroners of both of these deaths?”

“Yes. And a psychologist who specializes in depression, suicidal ideation, and crisis management. She mentioned that where a person chooses to take their own life often holds special significance. Erika hung herself at the place she worked. I believe that means she wanted whoever she worked with or for to find her like that. There’s a reason why.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Shelly and Carl, another one of our team members, nod.

“Erika’s death is just the tip of the iceberg,” I finish.

“Okay,” James finally responds. “I’ll give you the go-ahead to dig into this. Remember, Blackmon has a lot of friends in high places. Tread lightly with this one,” he warns.

“I will.”

Though James greenlighting this investigation gives me a slight bounce in my step, I neglected to share something.

I’ve run into multiple dead ends with this case so far. The information I’ve gathered up until this point took months to discover.

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