Charles completed the 713-word article for the Washington Post. It was the most challenging piece he had ever written, and the most important. The article’s aftermath would impact him the rest of his life.
His strategy was risky. At a minimum, the article could ruin his reputation as a journalist, and it went downhill from there. However, after discussing it with Jack and Andrea, Charles concluded it was the only viable option if he ever wanted to discover who killed Myra.
Contrary to his instincts and journalistic ethics he held dear, the article’s purpose was not to inform the readers of facts; it was bait. And Charles was the bait, the goat tied to a tree to flush the man-eating tiger out of the jungle. And like the goat, Charles might be consumed whether or not the tiger was hunted down and killed.
Ninety percent of the article was verifiably accurate; the remainder was plausible, but based on conjecture and assumptions. An extra sentence here and paragraph there transformed the story from a peek into corruption at the Pentagon into a broad and damning exposé of criminality, the implications of which posed ominous threats to the Republic.
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