Boldly, Meredith approached the prime obstacle, “Claire, I know I took advantage of you and of our friendship. I knew it was wrong, and I did it. I wanted the story everyone was trying to get. I’m sorry.” She looked sufficiently apologetic. Claire fought the urge to look down at her hands; instead she kept her gaze upon Meredith, as Meredith continued, “After you were arrested, I wrote another article. I meant every word, but I think in retrospect, I wrote it to rectify what I’d written earlier.”
Claire inhaled. This wasn’t the time for her to inform Meredith of the consequence she suffered for Meredith’s coup; it could wait. Looking her old friend in the eye, Claire chose not to see the seasoned reporter. Instead, she saw the young college student, ten years younger -- her friend. Claire said, “After I was out of prison, I did some research and found your second article. You’re one of the few people to write anything supportive of me.” She smiled her biggest smile, relaxed her shoulders and added, “That’s why I called you. I’m glad you agreed to help me.”
Meredith exhaled on cue, “Thank you. I didn’t know if you’d read it.”
“I did. And it means the world to me. But there are a few things you should seriously consider before taking this journey.” Meredith nodded, waiting. Claire went on, “Mr. Rawlings has a lot of connections. I know without a doubt, he’ll make this difficult. You need to know what you’re getting into.”
“I was going to talk to you about some strange things with my retraction. It’s already met unusual editorial scrutiny. People and Rolling Stone will only agree to print the retraction, not the information regarding future information. Vanity Fair completely passed, even after they’d accepted in concept. I just received a generic refusal from them moments ago.”
“His influence is very far reaching. Believe me; I’d understand if you want to pass on doing this article? It’s okay. We can call this a reunion and go on with our lives.”
Claire watched the twenty year old peek through Meredith’s thirty year old eyes. Claire saw the spark she saw ten years ago when they skipped class to watch the Cubs.
“Hell no! If my simple retraction is generating this kind of reaction, can you imagine what our series of articles will do? Besides, the world of publishing is changing by the second. I’ll blog the stuff about the impending information. My blog reaches hundreds of thousands. Then with that, Twitter and other social sites, the audience is global.” The excitement in her tone crackled like electricity through the suite. “Sweetie, it takes more than money to stop social media. Once something is viral, it can not be stopped!”
Claire pondered the possibilities. When she first was taken by Tony, social media was in its infancy. While with him, she had no access to media. It was only a little better in prison. Slowly, she was beginning to understand its potential. There’s a world that can take a spark and create an inferno. Looking at Meredith’s large blue eyes, filled with anticipation, Claire believed her old friend knew how to fuel that fire. Nonetheless, Claire owed her one more warning, “There’s something else.”
“Yes?”
“There’s a history of ill fortunes coming to people who cross my ex-husband. I don’t want anything to happen to you. If you want to do this, you need to go into it with your eyes open.”
Meredith exhaled and sat against the sofa cushions. She kept her eyes on Claire, waiting perhaps for the punch line. When none came she spoke. “I’m a reporter, a journalist. I’ve always dreamt of infiltrating some enemy camp and learning the deep secrets of some foreign dictator. In my dream I’d tell the world of his atrocities. My life would be threatened, and I may even endure incarceration for my stance. But in this dream, I did it. I believe in the freedom of speech.”
Claire smiled sadly, “That sounds very idealistic and romantic, but this is real life. You have a husband and two children. I’m not saying anything will happen; I just want you to know, we’re talking about upsetting a colossal force. Are you sure you’re willing to do it?”
“I’m willing to help you tell your story. I have no idea what it is, but my instinct’s telling me, it’s bigger than I ever imagined.”
Claire nodded.
Conviction grew with each word. Meredith went on, “I’d be honored to tell the world what you want them to know.”
Ten years earlier they shared a sorority house at Valparaiso University. With all life dealt Claire, those ten years might as well be a million. Yet, throughout the evening that timespan shortened. They recalled names from their past, people Meredith stayed in contact with. She knew the latest news on so many people. For a few hours they were once again two girls, gossiping about sisters and fraternity brothers.
Claire realized she couldn’t totally blame Tony for her lack of connectivity with these people. It started years before she became aware of him in her life. She chose to put her energy into her work and career.
After dinner Claire took their dirty dishes into the hallway. If she’d been more observant, perhaps she would have noticed the small sensors, connected by a thin hair like wire linking her door with the jam. Each time her door opened, that sensor simultaneously sent a message to Phillip Roach and to a camera hidden in a potted plant across the hallway.
The camera’s technology was impressive. It filmed continuously; however, only data received three minutes prior and post signal was recorded and stored. That information was streamed simultaneously to Phil’s laptop. An alarm sounded in his suite when the sensor activated.