‘That wasn’t my intention, Agatha. I had no idea …’ Ore began.
‘No of course not, just like you had no idea that you’ve trained Daniel into your little lapdog. When you say jump, he says how high, right?’
Ore had no idea what to say. Agatha was working herself up into a frenzy.
‘You just swan onto this boat, with your frankly absurdly long legs, and your razor-sharp cheekbones and your perfect bum, and your stupid little notepad and your article for theNew York Herald, and everyone swoons, and the rest of us just have to get out the way.’
Ore understood that she was meant to feel attacked, but it was hard to keep a completely straight face. Agatha’s face had turned an unsettling shade of crimson as she got angrier, and despite the venom in her voice, her insults were absurd.
‘Agatha …’ Ore said softly, as through trying to soothe an agitated pet. Agatha’s breathing slowed, as she climbed down from the peak of her rage.
‘Despite …’ Ore searched for the right word ‘… appearances … I do not have my shit figured out, like, at all.’ Ore sighed heavily. ‘To be honest I thought I was onto something, I don’t know, bigger here, but what I’ll end up putting out is just another puff piece about Chuck Regas, hardly Pulitzer-prize-winning journalism. I’m selling out to pay the rent, just like everyone else.’
Agatha’s expression was impassive for a moment, and Ore held her breath, worried she’d said too much. Why did she tell Agatha, of all people, that she was digging for a bigger story? She scolded herself for getting caught up in the moment.
Agatha took a deep breath and wiped the smudged mascara from under her waterline. Then she looked Ore straight in the eye. ‘There is,’ she said calmly.
Ore was confused. ‘There is what?’
‘Something bigger there.’ It took a moment for Ore to registerwhat she was hearing: someone from within Chuck’s inner circle confirming her hunch.
Agatha let out a thin laugh. ‘And you know, if you find out what it is … there might even be a Pulitzer in it for you.’ With that, she stood up suddenly and marched back inside, leaving Ore, once more that morning, trying to process a bombshell revelation.
