Page 11 of The Protégé

“I guess a journalist suspects people the same way the people suspect a journalist.”

“What do you mean?”

“No one trusts the media. They can twist things to suit their agenda.” I stepped closer. “You know I’m right.”

A privileged family had tried to pay her off for not reporting about their son’s rape of two college girls. Elena was the witness who had stumbled on him with the two intoxicated girls. Whenshe refused, the family threatened to destroy her career. Not only did she report it, she also discovered evidence to help the police. However, her career suffered. That family owned a share of the news station, and she’d been demoted ever since, only reporting on a smaller scale and focusing on Uncover the Truth.

Her elegant eyebrow arched. “Why me?”

“You’re a seasoned journalist who can do what I need done efficiently.”

“But there are others out there who are better.”

“I’d say ‘better’ is a subjective adjective, wouldn’t you agree? For example, Robert Banks from Channel Five News is respected and revered. And yet he just admitted to fraud, among other things. Kelly Connelly is a beautiful andexperienced anchor. The City of Providence loves her, and yet she took someone’s hard work as her own.”

Elena’s mouth dropped open. “How do you know that? That’s confidential.”

I lifted a shoulder. “I’m good at research too.”

Intrigue glimmered in her eyes.

“I’ll give you fifty-thousand dollars for a two-week trial.”

“What?” Her eyes widened.

“That wouldn’t even cover the paint job for my car.”

She ran a hand through her hair, stress reappearing on her face.

“And after the two weeks, if you decide to stay to finish the project, you’ll get three hundred thousand dollars.”

Her jaw dropped. “You’re kidding!”

“I don’t kid around with important things like this.”

Her eyes sparkled. “What’s the timeline for the project’s completion?”

“Probably three to four months, with some wiggle room to adjust for unexpected events.”

“I have a full-time job.”

“Make your own time. Work whenever you can. I’ll have a secured drive where you can upload and share information with me. I’ll provide everything you need. You won’t need to spend any money.”

She looked at me for a moment, took out her phone, glanced at it, sighed, and dropped it back into her purse. What was she worried about?

Looking nervous, she asked, “If I agree to help you now, is it possible to get an advance?”

“That could be arranged. But why?”

I didn’t know why I asked. She didn’t need to tell me, but I got a sense that something was bothering her.

“To buy my mother something for her retirement gift.”

“I can wire it right now. We start next Monday.”

“Okay. Do you need me to fill out some forms?”

“We can do that later.”

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