“And RainVest?”
“I’m not dropping it.”
He studies me for a long moment before nodding once.“I didn’t expect you to.”
Back at my desk, the rain has thickened and now beats loud enough to drown out some of the newsroom hum.I curse under my breath as I realize I don’t have an umbrella.
My phone rings on my desk and I grab it without looking.I always answer if I’m able.
“Ward,” I say automatically, holding the phone between my ear and shoulder as I stuff folders into my briefcase.
“It’s me… Erik Lanning.”
A bolt of pure adrenaline shoots down my spine and I sit up straight.“Erik… hi.It’s good to hear from you again.”
“Did you look into that stuff I told you about?”he asks in a hushed voice.The man reached out to me over a week ago with an incredible story about his employer, RainVest, and I’ve been obsessing over it ever since.
“I looked at everything you told me to.And yes… there are very shady workings.The fires, the cheap land grabs.But… that doesn’t prove anything, really.”
“I know,” he murmurs.“But I wanted to make sure you were serious first.I wanted to make sure you’d take the time to look into it.”
“I have,” I reply earnestly and summarize for him all the evidence I’ve been accumulating.
He’s silent for a beat, then he says, “I’ve got information for you.It’s everything you need to break it wide open.I’m walking tonight… quitting without notice.I want to hand this off to you and then I’m going to disappear for a while.”
Erik’s a whistleblower and he’s scared.He had hinted to me in our first call that he could get me inside information from his employer, and it looks like the ball is rolling now.My pulse doesn’t spike so much as sharpen.This is the moment every investigative reporter lives for—the proverbial nail in the coffin.
I glance toward Simon’s office.He’s on the phone with someone, gesturing wildly with his hands.I wonder how mad he’s going to be that I’m putting attention on the RainVest story when he explicitly told me not to.On the one hand, I’ve seen Simon fire reporters for less.On the other, a story of this magnitude, if it pans out, is going to be the pinnacle of our careers.
“Let’s meet up,” I say, knowing I have no other choice than to go for it.I grab a pen to jot down a note.“Tell me when and where.”
“Meet me tonight.Harbor Steps parking garage, second level near the stairwell.Ten p.m.”
Not the first time I’ve met a source in a garage.It’s public enough to discourage overt violence but isolated enough to make it possible.It’s a definite risk, but I checked Erik out when he first contacted me with an incredible story of arson and possibly murder.I vetted him and he’s legit.But we haven’t met and I’ll be taking a chance.
“Okay, see you at ten.”
The garage is quiet, about half-filled with cars.Although the rain let up about an hour ago, water drips from the ceiling seams, tapping against hoods and pooling along the painted lines.
Having walked the two blocks from my office, I take the ramp instead of the elevator, my boots making a dull echo with my measured steps as I ascend to the next level.I have pepper spray in my jacket pocket and constantly scan my surroundings, looking for danger.
As I round the corner, I scan the last ramp to the second floor.There are about ten cars parked closest to the stairwell and one man standing beside a concrete pillar.I recognize Erik from pictures I obtained in my research.
The man is thin, early thirties maybe, and I note his eyes dart nervously around as I approach.His windbreaker hangs loose on his frame, his hands stuffed in the pockets, shoulders slightly hunched as if he’s trying to make himself smaller or less noticeable.
His jaw tightens as I approach and he shifts his weight like he’s deciding whether to bolt.
“Erik?”I ask hesitantly, and he nods.
“You came alone?”he asks, voice urgent and rough at the edges.
“Yes,” I say evenly, keeping my hands visible.“You?”
He glances past me again toward the ramp, then shakes his head.“It’s just me.No one else I can trust.”
I keep my tone even, gentle.“You said you have proof.”
He nods, eyes darting around and refusing to settle on me.“Do you believe that RainVest intentionally set fires in order to buy land cheap?”
