Wednesday came around far too soon for Kim.

It seemed that she had not stopped for more than an hour or two since Saturday when she arrived at her London home late on Tuesday evening. The only thing to greet her was her answering machine. It told her that there were twenty messages. The ‘time remaining’ counter said ‘0’. There could have been more but... She smiled for a moment. That was tiny compared to the absolute deluge that had been left on her mobile phone.

Kim just ignored all of them. She knew what they were about without listening to them after the first one. For a moment she panicked but then remembered that she’d called the paper on from the train to London on Saturday afternoon informing them that she would be in the office on Wednesday and that she was taking some days off in lieu which she was due after her previous investigation and that she hadn’t used up.

Apart from clearing her desk, she’d thought that there really was little point in going to face the music in person. That was until on the drive back to King Lynn from Norwich Airport, Brian had asked,
“Have you decided how you are going to tell the paper to get stuffed yet?”

Kim hadn’t a clue but after a bit of gentle persuasion, she’d warmed to the idea of not just sloping off but actually appearing surprised as being summoned but the deluge of contact attempts from the paper soon put a stop to that idea.

The element of surprise was a dead duck soon after they’d landed at Heathrow on the Monday morning. A message summoning her to the office ‘without delay’ was waiting for her as soon as she’d switched her phone on. It had been sent in the small hours of that very morning. Someone at the paper was burning the midnight oil. She did wonder if word had reached the paper of her little trip across the Atlantic. That was all supposition so she didn’t mention it to Brian.

[The previous Monday Morning]

While they were waiting for their flight to Dusseldorf at Heathrow, Kim sent a second text to her editor explaining that she would be in the office as promised on Wednesday ready to start a new assignment now that her current one was a non-story and reminding him how many times he’d urged her to take the days owing before she lost them. She almost added that she would be turning her phone off until Wednesday morning... She didn’t but switched her work phone off anyway.

She sat looking at it for several minutes. The phone belonged to the paper so she made a mental node to reset the device before handing it back when she was inevitably fired on Wednesday.

Brian saw the frown on her brow.
“A penny for them?”

“Eh?” remarked Kim.
“Oh sorry. I was thinking about when I go into the office.”

“Ah. I get it. Are you going to go meekly or with a bang?”

“I don’t know. Going with a bang would probably burn all my bridges with the media. I’m not sure what I’m going to do next to be honest.”

Brian’s expression told her that she’d said the wrong thing.

She managed a small smile and said,

“But, I have not forgotten your offer.”

Brian didn’t reply straight away but did a few operations on his phone.

“You had better read this then. It might just help you come to a decision.”

He handed her the phone.

It was and email from Garth to Brian. She read it as soon as she saw her name in the subject line.

“Brian, make sure that Kim accepts your offer. We need someone like her on board. If she does not want to work for you, then tell her that I need someone to lead my new European operation. Salary is not an issue. Start at 100. G”

She read it not once but three times.

“Is this for real?” said Kim as she handed the phone back to Brian.

“I told you that you had made quite an impression on everyone yesterday especially Garth. In the time that I’ve known him, only one other person has done that and that was his late wife.”

Instead of feeling empowered, Kim felt rather small and totally out of her depth.

“This may not help but if I were in your shoes, I’d give them hell and tell your bosses exactly what I thought of them even if it does nothing more than to make me feel better. Then I could walk out of there with my head held high knowing that I’d done the best job I could have done and it also shows that their little games were just that ‘little’.”

“Then what?”

Brian smiled.

“I’d take some time out and take stock knowing that there were two job offers on the table should I want them.”

Kim looked at Brian.
“You’d let me go just like that?”

Brian smiled.
“Yes, I would if it is what you wanted. Neither Garth nor myself would want someone working for us unless they really wanted to. When I first met him, I was a bit overawed by his fearsome reputation but after a few hours we realised that we were both practical people at heart. He put a lot of trust in me and a considerable amount of money into the company. We see eye to eye on so many levels that it was as if we had been friends for years and years. That’s why I know what he said in that email is genuine. Yes, I’d be sorry to lose you but if you went to work for Garth, I know you’d succeed.”

Kim closed her eyes for several seconds.

“Why can’t you be like other people?”

“What do you mean?”

“Damn it Brian, you are so likeable it hurts.”

It was Brian’s turn to go red in the face.

“Thank you for the comment but I’m serious.”

“I know and that is the problem.”

“Then, as I said, take your time to decide what you want to do.”
He looked at the departure gate.

“It is time we made our way onto the aircraft,” Brian said effectively ending their discussion.

Slightly weary Kim joined the queue to get on the flight to Germany.

---

Later that night, Brian dropped Kim off at her home in Kings Lynn.
“Get a good nights’ sleep and I’ll see you in the office. When you are ready but don’t rush. You look exhausted.”

“Thanks…”

As she got out of the car she hesitated before saying,
“Thanks for taking me to the States. It cleared up a huge number of things but also raised a huge number of others. Today was just mind blowing and a total eye-opener. I think I understand what you are about now and what you are trying to do here. I don’t know if I’ll have any answers by the morning or even Wednesday morning. But thank you for doing… everything.”

After a deep breath she added,
“After today, I can now see why the stakes are so high for this system. It answered a lot more questions. Now I need some time to let it all sink in. Thanks again for the weekend and today.”

Then she leaned over and gave Brian a kiss on the cheek.

“See you tomorrow,” she said as she closed the door.

Brian sat in the car for several minutes before he started the engine and drove home. As he did, he wondered what Kim would decide. Deep down, he wanted her to choose him. He’d not felt this way about someone for a long time.

---

[the next day]
“Afternoon Brian,” said Kim as she walked into the office a little after lunch
“Sorry not to get here this morning. I didn’t fall asleep until well after midnight.”

Brian smiled.
“That’s ok. You had a lot on your mind when I dropped you off last night.”

Kim nodded.
“Before you ask, I’ve not decided yet. Well apart from one thing and that is what I’m going to do tomorrow. They are going to get both barrels and I’m going to record it just in case.”

Brian smiled.

“Good for you. They really dropped you in it when they sent you here. I’d love to be a fly on the wall when you let rip. Getting that out of your system may well clear your mind and allow you to think about your future. I hope that whatever you decide is either with me or Garth.”

Once again, Kim thought… “Why can’t all men be like him?”

---

Kim left Kings Lynn on a late afternoon train. While she was travelling south Kim took the opportunity to sort out her company phone.

When she switched the phone on, there were more than seventy messages waiting for her. Kim skimmed the list of senders. Most were from people at the paper. She deleted the lot without listening to any of them. Her mind was made up so there really was nothing anyone at the paper could say or do to change it. She’d been setup to fail by her employers and when she didn’t deliver the ‘fake news’ they wanted, it was time to get rid of her. Another word came to mind and that was ‘Betrayal’. She’d given the paper everything they’d wanted from her stories and… and now, after being given a very poisoned chalice of an assignment they wanted their… Well, she didn’t know exactly what they wanted but it was probably going to end in her being ‘let go’.

By the time the train was approaching London, she’d emptied her email account of messages and the phone had been reset twice. The details of a few key contacts had been transferred to her personal phone before she switched both of them off.

On the way to her home in Catford, Kim had a drink at her favourite bar in Borough Market. Normally, she would have eaten there as well but for some reason she didn’t feel like it so she took the short walk to London Bridge Station and caught the next train to Catford. As the train rattled over the points at New Cross, Kim looked at her fellow passengers and felt rather sad for them. It was then that she finally made up her mind about how she was going to handle going into the paper the following day. It would soon be time for the bravado to end and to stand up and be counted.

---

On her way from the station to her flat, Kim bought a bottle of her favourite Chianti and some gammon medallions. She’d decided to make her favourite comfort food ‘macaroni cheese with ham chunks’ with plenty of ‘brown sauce’ and settle down in front of the TV for the evening. For the first time in almost a week, her mind was clear. She felt almost happy.

That happy feeling didn’t last very long as she’d hardly started eating then her front door bell rang.

At first, she didn’t move but the caller was determined and carried on ringing the bell.

Kim picked up the intercom.

“Who is it?”

“Kim, it is Claire!”

Claire was one of the editorial assistants from the paper.

“I need to speak to you before you go into the office tomorrow.”

There was a sense of urgency in Claire’s voice.

Kim buzzed Claire in.

“Hello Claire” said Kim as Claire came up the stairs.
“I’m in the middle of eating so I hope you don’t mind me carrying on. Grab yourself a glass. There is a bottle of Chianti on the counter.”

“Thanks Kim.”

Kim sat down and took another mouthful of the food. Suddenly she didn’t want it any more and left it alone. Her good mood had disappeared into thin air. Claire would not be here without good reason.

Claire sat at the small table opposite her.

“This had better be good Claire,” remarked Kim.

“They are going to sack you tomorrow. It is the only item of gossip at the paper. People have been trying to call you for days to warn you but you don’t answer. It was almost as if you had vanished off the face of the earth.”

Kim managed a small smile.
“That’s probably because my work phone has been switched off.”

“But…”

“I know that they are going to fire me. That has been obvious for days if not longer. This whole assignment just sucked from the outset. There never was a story. The truth is that I was sent in to uncover some dirt that our lovely American owners of the paper could use in their business. There was no wrongdoing or accounting issues. It was a load of old cock. I was setup to fail.”

Claire sat back and looked at Kim.

“You seem remarkably calm… considering?”

“I wasn’t until a few hours ago. My mind was a total mess but on the train from London Bridge… Well, I suddenly saw the light and what I needed to do.”

Before Claire could answer or ask her what she was going to do, Kim asked.

“Who put you up to coming around here tonight?”

“There was a sort of meeting… unofficial you understand. Well, a number of us got together yesterday evening after work, at the Feathers. None of us want to see you go but the way that Henrik is steering the paper… Well, you can see for your own eyes.”

Kim noticed that Claire was gripping her glass tightly.

“And you got volunteered as you live in this neck of the woods? Is that it?”

Claire nodded.

“Henrik’s boss flew in from the States this morning. He was locked in a meeting with Henrik and Sandy and almost everyone from Legal. They were still at it when I left tonight.”

Kim guessed that word of her trip to the USA had got out.

“It figures,” replied Kim in a matter of fact tone.

“What figures?”

Kim thought for a moment about telling Claire but decided not to.

“I can’t tell you at the moment. I can’t trust you to keep your mouth shut until tomorrow.”

Kim saw the look on Claire’s face.

“I’m not saying that you’d go blabbing to the management but you know how things get out and spread. Who is expecting you to call tonight?”

“Jeremy Phillips.”

Kim laughed.

“Ah, the leading office gossip? Are you serious?”

“It was him who got everyone together at the pub yesterday.”

Kim looked Claire straight in the eye.

“How you don’t know that he is a snitch for Sandy is beyond me. That’s how Laura’s brush with the law got her fired. Even though she was not charged or even arrested, just helping the Police with their enquiries was too close to the mark for our new management. He was outside the club when he saw her being put into a Police Car. That was enough for them to can her as Society Columnist and get her out of the paper. Everyone has to be squeaky clean these days.”

“I didn’t know.”

“He’s probably standing in the shadows outside as we speak. I don’t trust him one inch and neither should anyone else. I’d get out as well if I was you.”

“What are you going to do tomorrow?” asked Claire totally ignoring what Kim had just said.

“Get sacked. Pure and simple.”

“What are you going to do? You know for a job and everything?”

“Me? Oh, I’m sure that I’ll get another job in due course,” replied Kim trying to be a bit cagey.

“I think that you have something already lined up!” stated Claire.

“A couple of verbal offers. You know the sort of thing… ‘Give me a call if you become free. We need people like you.’ That sort of thing. Nothing concrete at the moment. I might be that I even give up Journalism completely. You never really know what is around the corner until you turn it do you eh?”

Claire took that as a sign that she should leave.

She finished her glass of wine and stood up.

“Please spread the word that I don’t want any fuss tomorrow. Just business as usual. Anything else will get back to those who pull our strings. I don’t want my leaving to cause any problems for those I leave behind.”

“I understand but you are very sanguine about all this. I’m not sure that I could be as calm as you.”

“It is all a façade believe me. Being the type of reporter I am and have been at the paper, you have to be able to live a double life doing your job. Showing any weakness can lead to you losing a story or getting your cover blown. I learned how to apply the stoney face look very early on. What you see is my calm stoney face. Inside… I’m a bit of a mess.”

Then she added,
“I have this place to think about as well. That’s why I have to be sanguine about tomorrow and move on. Be positive about the future and all that. This past week or so may have been a total disaster but it has at least shown me what the paper has become and a glimpse of where it is going since the last change of ownership. The future does not look very good from where I stand. If I am to get the boot tomorrow then there is very little I can do about it now is there eh?”

Kim showed Claire out of the front door. There was no sign of anyone watching Claire but that was no proof that someone hadn’t followed her to Kim’s home.

Kim went back upstairs and after throwing her now cold and almost untouched meal into the bin, she went to bed.

Now that she was settled in her mind about what she was going to do she slept very well indeed. She had been pretty clear about what she was going to do even before New Cross and Claire’s visit but, those two events just made it even clearer about what she should do not only the next day but for the long term.

[to be continued]