Page 102 of Poison Wood
Here we go.
Erin spots me as I walk in and stops mid-sentence. As others in the room recognize me, they stop talking as well. The hum of conversations softens, then stops. Carl looks up from the far corner of the sofa with a laptop in his lap.
I walk to him.
Some of the faces in the room I recognize; some belong to strangers. I weave through their silent stares to Carl. He pats the sofa next to him, and I sit.
“That was a fun entrance,” he says.
I shrug. “I do my best.”
Erin walks to where we are sitting. She studies me a moment, then looks at Carl before turning her attention back to me.
“Today’s going to be very important, Rita. I want you and I to work together on this.”
She’s treading lightly, like I’m a skittish animal that may bolt if she tries to pet me. Smart woman.
“What do you think?” she says.
“I’m in.” Then I add, “Why, though?”
“Why what?”
“Why are you including me? I know you don’t have to. What’s in it for you?”
She laughs. “What’s in it for me? Getting to work with you. That’s what’s in it for me.”
I glance at Carl, then back to her. “What?”
“Rita, I’ve followed your career since I started J-school. I’ve always dreamed of working with you. You inspired me to find my voice, and I know it’s not as loud as yours—”
Carl laughs, and I punch his leg.
“Strong as yours,” Erin says, eyeing him. “No way I’m going to be in the same city as you, whether you are part of the story or not, and not work with you.”
“I ... I’m speechless,” I say. “And that’s saying a lot.”
Investigative reporters work together all the time, but I’ve never had another reporter, much less a woman, ask me to work with them. Especially after the stunt I pulled by not giving Dom the full story behind the story.
“Dom’s not going to okay it,” I say. “He doesn’t want me anywhere near this.”
“Let me handle Doom,” she says, using his nickname. “Okay?”
I nod. “I’m sorry I wasn’t completely upfront from the beginning with all of this,” I say. “I thought you were pissed at me.”
“I was,” she says. “Until I wasn’t. Look, reporters are humans too. Even though a lot of people out there say otherwise.” She smiles. “We make mistakes. And I believe you’ll correct the one you made. I want to give you a chance to do that.”
I look at Carl and back to Erin. “Wow.”
“Deal?” she says.
“Deal.”
She smacks her hands together. “Great. I’ll be right back.” She walks to a table on the far side of the room and starts working on a laptop.
I turn back to Carl and tell him about my drive to the hospital.
He sits up straighter. “Shit, Rita.”
