Nadine looked at the screen, frowning. “Wait, Wes, I’m not sure…”
Too late, he’d swiped the screen. “Wes Chen.”
“Wes, long time.”
“Hi?” It was not Rebecca or Jason or that sack of shit Tyler.
“It’s Keith Lovel with theTelegraph.” Keith’s voice was warm and friendly.
In his perplexity, Wes answered normally. “Keith. What’s up?” He glanced up to see Nadine making dramatic slicing gestures over her throat, and chills hit him when it finally clicked. This wasn’t a social call.
“I saw the story in theSpear. Tyler’s not answering, so I figured I’d give you a ring. It’s quite the accusation against John Wilson, and I noticed a few gaps I’d like to ask about.”
This was what it was like on the other side of those calls. He tried to think of a good answer. Nadine held up her phone to show her Notes app, where she’d written “LOVE TO TALK BUT GOING IN A MEETING. BYE.”
What meeting was she talking about? He could barely think.
“Wes, you there? Did theSpearcontact Wilson with these allegations?”
His lack of understanding must have been clear, because Nadine made an exaggerated pointing motion to him and mouthed,You.
Oh. “Keith, I’d love to chat, but you caught me about to go into a meeting. Talk to you soon, okay?” Then he hung up, feeling rude but also incredibly relieved.
Nadine leaned against a box. “Nice save,” she congratulated him.
“Thanks to you.” He wiped the sweat off his forehead. Was his own approach so nerve-racking? He’d have to monitor that.
She reached over to hold him tight. “I don’t want to be a bummer, but I don’t think that’s going to be the last of it.”
He rubbed his temples. “Should I call Amy?” It seemed like overkill, but maybe it was better to be safe.
“Doesn’t hurt for her to be on guard,” agreed Nadine. “I’ll give Brent a heads-up.”
His sister picked up on the second ring. “What’s wrong?”
“How do you know there’s anything wrong?”
“You never call this early.”
“It’s not a big deal, but there’s a story at work I’m attached to that’s getting traction.” He tried to play down the impact. “Don’t answer the phone to anyone you don’t know or an unknown number, and can you tell Ma? I’ll text Ella.”
“What I’m hearing is that I shouldn’t tell people you’re dead to me after the Havana incident.”
That made him laugh for the first time since he woke up. “It’s probably best to say you can’t speak and hang up, if you answer at all.”
“Wes, are you in trouble?” She sounded worried.
“No, no,” he reassured her. “It’s only a misunderstanding.”
“I trust you. Tell me if you need me.”
Once off with Amy, he sent a quick message to Ella and turned to Nadine. “I can’t believe I had to do that.”
“It’s weird being part of the story instead of reporting it,” she said.
“There’s nothing I can do about it, is there?”
“You can only control what’s in your control.”
