Slowly, I nod as reluctant acceptance settles into my bones.“How long am I out?”
“About two months.”Fergus tugs at the cuff of his shirt as though the fabric irritates him.
“Two months.”My stomach clenches.“A lot can happen in that time.”
“Just until we determine the cleanest route.”Wickes extends a hand as if to placate me.“I need you to walk me through what you found—what we’d be claiming if we ran an exposé.”
I look to Toby, surprised Wickes isn’t informed.As if reading me, Toby steeples his fingers and stares.“Fergus knows all about the investigation, but we want it in your words.Make sure we haven’t left anything out that would be pertinent for legal as we build our position.”
“I could talk to leg?—”
Both cut me off with an emphatic no.Wickes shoots a loaded glance at Toby before taking the lead.“Grace, we want to hear it from you.I’ll deal with our legal team.”
The cut stings—I may be the youngest at twenty-eight, but I’m the best person in this room to assist legal, and everyone knows it, even if no one will say so.
“In an effort to address the opioid crisis, Trintol was marketed as a next-generation, non-addictive, extended-release pain medication.”I tick off the supposed benefits.“Safe for chronic pain, lower abuse potential, less euphoric.It was hailed as breakthrough science—Vitale received enormous praise and press.”
Wickes paces along the side of the desk, his expression unreadable.
I straighten my spine and inch to the edge of my chair.“In reality, the extended-release coating may fail under certain conditions—when crushed, chewed, or altered, and when it does, it can deliver a rapid opioid spike.In Vitale’s internal studies, their data is ambiguous, but there are signs of high dependency risk.”
My brother’s killer is proof of exactly that, but I won’t go there.
“My sources indicate higher-ups within the company are divided on these early warning signs.Some of the risk models are being downplayed, and right now, they’re in a holding pattern—some want more studies, want to address these issues, while others feel?—”
I pause, nibbling my bottom lip.This next part is hearsay and would require more groundwork—emails, internal memos, sources willing to go on the record.
“Go on,” Wickes grunts impatiently.
“That the drug is good as it is,” I rush on, not wanting to get shot down, not wanting the paper to walk away if Wickes presses me on what we have to substantiate it—though I have no doubt I’d get there.One of my sources was in the room when the CEO said exactly that.
“Now, here’s where it gets tricky and where Vitale could come out looking good.”My mouth twists in a wry smile.“There are doctors who swear Trintol gave patients their lives back, and Vitale has studies of individuals using it responsibly that validate their claims.I’ve also spoken to regional reps who believe in the science—who see this as the path forward.”
A phone rings, and Wickes pulls his cell from the inner pocket of his jacket, glancing at the screen.“Toby, I’ll leave this with you to wrap up.”
Without another look in my direction, he strides from the office, and the door clicks shut.
“Toby, what exactly am I supposed to do for two months?”My voice is calm, almost flat, but my fingernails carve grooves into my palms.Two months of walls closing in and nothing to do would unravel me.
“I emailed you an assignment.Your flight leaves Thursday morning.”
“Flight?Assignment?”
“Chantal’s father passed away.”A flicker of sympathy shadows his features before his jaw sets once more.“You’re taking over her next feature, on retired Formula One superstar Maddox Hartley.You’ll travel to his hometown to do the piece.”
He offers me a rare smile, as if he has handed me something extraordinary.
Chantal covers lifestyle and sports, and I know the name Maddox Hartley, but the idea of a fluff piece and contrived quotes curdles my stomach.
I used to watch the sport with my brother—early mornings of opening-lap adrenaline and commentary and the kind of easy silence I haven’t had since he died.But the idea of parachuting into a small town to chronicle the golden-boy farewell of a racing legend feels hollow.
Hell no.
“Toby, come on.I get I need to sit tight, but seriously?You’re sending me to write a manufactured hero piece?”I slide forward in my chair.“Give me another investigation.Fact checking, or let me help someone else.Does Janis still need a hand with the mayor’s office corruption piece?”
“The feature’s already been pushed a couple times.We’re on deadline.”He glances at his monitor and then at me, his patience thinning.“A sponsorship with global exposure and significant revenue.It cannot be delayed.”
He pauses, letting that settle.“More importantly, it gets you out of town and off Vitale’s radar.They’ll believe we’re taking their warning seriously.It keeps attention off the investigation while buying us time.”