Page 52 of The Inmate
“Hi, Rita!” I chirp into the phone. “Weren’t we supposed to record the interview at two? Did I get it wrong?”
“No…” She’s quiet for a moment. “I guess I just assumed you didn’t want to do it anymore since your coworker…” She drops her voice several notches. “You know, was killed.”
I’m not surprised she knows about Dawn. It’s been all over the news today, since her body turned up. “Actually, I thought we could talk about that during the interview. We’re raising money for cerebral palsy, but now we’re also going to be running in Dawn’s honor.”
She’s quiet for so long that I almost think she’s hung up. Finally, she says, “Really? Do you think that’s in good taste?”
“In good taste? What are you talking about? Dawn was brutally murdered and the killer is still out there. This will draw more awareness—maybe it will lead to finding the bastard who did this to her.”
“Natalie, do you know what everybody is saying on the internet?”
I get a horrible sinking feeling in my stomach. “What?”
“Your company is trending.” Rita says it like it’s abig deal. “Everybody is saying that Dawn was severely bullied by the staff who work there. It’s all over the place.”
I grab my phone and bring up my Twitter feed. “What should I search for?”
“Hashtag VixedBullies.”
Oh God.
“It’s not true,” I say to Rita. “It’s just a horrible rumor. You know how these things get started.”
“Uh-huh…”
“I liked Dawn.” My voice sounds almost whiny, but I can’t help it. “She and I were friends. Good friends. If anything, I protected her from other people bullying her. She wasdifferent, you know? But I liked that about her. I liked that she was different.”
“I get it,” Rita says, “but I just feel like the climate is wrong right now. I can’t take the side of the enemy, you know?”
“I’m not the enemy!” I want to pound my fists on my desk. “I’m the one who found out she was missing in the first place!”
“Yeah, I saw a post mentioning that.” Rita coughs. “It was hashtag suspicious.”
I’m too stunned to speak. It takes a second for my voice to come back to me. “You know, I have an alibi for the night she disappeared.”
“I’m sure you do,” Rita says vaguely. “Look, I just don’t think it’s a good idea to do this interview right now. But I hope it all works out for you, Natalie.”
“Gosh, thanks, Rita. I appreciate your support.”
Before she can respond, I hang up the phone. That was unbelievable. Rita has been interviewing me every single year since I started doing the 5K. I thought we were friends. I can’t believe she would hang me out to dry like that after just a hint of a rumor.
Now that I’m off the phone, I have to see what Rita was talking about. I bring up my Twitter feed, and I type in the hashtag.
Oh no. This is worse than I thought.
ChapterTwenty-Nine
We are trending.In 280 characters or less, everybody on the internet is sharing stories about workplace bullying and how awful it is that poor Dawn was tormented the way she was. Even though it’s almost physically painful, I scan through the litany of horrible comments about my company and the people who work there. It’s almost too awful to read. People as a whole can be terrible. Mob mentality and all.
The people who work at that company should all go to jail. #VixedBullies
Child bullies grow up to be adult bullies. #justicefordawn #VixedBullies
I took Collahealth and it was the most useless supplement I have ever tried. Basically sugar pills. Did nothing. #VixedSucks
You’re lucky it did nothing. It made my hair fall out. #VixedSucks
Oh my God, Collahealth doesnotmake your hair fall out. That is a complete lie. Yes, it doesn’t work for everyone. But for the people that do have benefits, the effects can be amazing. I mean, I don’t take Collahealth personally. My collagen is already fine. But I’ve read the literature on it, and it’s a really good product.
