Page 42 of The Business Trip

“Yes, I heard.”

“So when can I expect to get out of here?”

“Trent, NBC6 and our company are not going to post bail. You need to stay put until the trial.”

“What?What are you talking about? You’re going to leave me here to rot? Who’s going to run the newsroom?”

“Jorge has assumed command. Trent, your employment at NBC6 has been terminated.”

“Wait a minute, wait just a goddamn minute.” Little bits of spittle began to fly out of my mouth as I talked. “You can’t fire me. I did nothing wrong. Tell me what I did wrong. I’m innocent!”

“You lied to me, and that alone is a fireable offense. I informed HR yesterday. They will clean out your personal belongings and put everything in boxes for you.”

“I didn’t lie to you,” I implored. “I’m telling you the God’s honest truth. I did nothing. This is all a huge hoax or a setup. That will be proven in court!”

“Trent,” Bill said, and I noticed suddenly how tired his voice sounded. “Where did you go when you told me you were comforting Hannah in a mental health moment?”

Uh-oh. Had he talked to her? Was the jig up? I had to scramble.

“I was on my way there, Bill, when I got diverted. She did have a mental health crisis, and I was on my way to talk to her. I do that for my employees. If she’s not telling you the details, maybe she’s embarrassed. We learned that in our session at the conference. People sometimes get timid.”

I held my breath waiting for his reaction.

“So, you were at the mental health session at the conference?”

“Of course I was.”

“The time for lying is over, Trent,” Bill said. “Tell the truth.”

“What do you mean? I was there.”

“I’ve been told by people who were there that you left and never came back.”

People who were there? He must mean Dorothy and Alan. Once again, I had to scramble.

“I ducked out for a minute to check my messages and came back in and stood at the back of the room. I saw the whole thing.”

“If that is the case, then tell me who the speakers were. I pulled up a recording that the National Press Foundation hadso I can compare. Go on, tell me, who was speaking that day? How many speakers? What did they talk about?”

“I—I—don’t remember their names. They were all mental health advocates, giving us tips and stuff.”

I could feel my footing in this conversation slipping. I was grasping, and he was about to sink my battleship, just like the game I had played as a child when my brother would revel in beating me. I was scrambling to protect that last little corner before the final peg went into my boat.

“Trent, I don’t believe you. Describe for me even one of the speakers. What did they look like?”

Battleship hit and sunk, my entire career slinking with it under the murky water.

“I’m sorry, Bill,” I whispered. “It’s true, I didn’t get to that session. But that’s the only thing I haven’t been truthful on. I didn’t want you to be upset with me. I had a migraine, and I went to my room for a few hours. It was the only session I missed.”

“There is absolutely nothing else I can do for you. I am sickened by these allegations, just sickened. And disgusted by your continual lying. It’s taking all of my willpower just to speak on the phone with you. If you did these things… God help you…” He let his voice trail off. “No matter what, your employment is terminated.”

And he hung up. I held the phone receiver out from my ear and just stared at it. I wanted to take it and smash it on the counter in front of me, pulverize it into smithereens, but there was a guard eyeing me, so instead I just yelled out, “Goddamn it.”

“Watch your mouth,” he sneered. “Two more calls.”

Who the hell to call now? Who would help me in this situation? Not my brother—we had been estranged for a long time.My mom was gone, and Dad had Alzheimer’s. I hadn’t been to see him in at least six months. A few aunts and uncles came to mind, but they had no money.

Then I thought of my Sunday football drinking buddies. They were all well-off and high up in their respective fields. They would help a bro out, wouldn’t they? I would do it for them if they were in a pinch. Well, maybe I would. But they should do it for me. I called my friend Scott. He was CEO of a boat-dealership company and had two houses, plus a yacht.

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