The Deadline

by Kiki Swinson

  “Damn shame,” Christian said, shaking her head. “I keep giving these dumbass junior reporters chance after chance and they just don’t get it. Ugh!” she growled, throwing the papers up in the air until they rained down around her.

  “You have to keep still or your face is going to look like Miss Piggy on crack,” Christian’s makeup guy demanded. Her hairstylist groaned, nodding her head in agreement.

  “I’m sorry. I know I am being a complete pain in the ass right now. I just need everything to be right for this debate segment. There are so many things I need to get done before we start the live airing.” Christian kind of apologized, realizing she was being a bitch on wheels. Everyone knew Christian’s nerves were on edge because the station chief was hounding her about the recent drop in WXOT-TV’s ratings.

  After taking a little time off of work at the last minute to get her personal life together, Christian’s work had suffered. Amber was left in charge while she was gone, and perhaps that was the biggest mistake Christian had made. If she knew better, Christian would be able to see that her little protégée was trying to sabotage her career. I don’t know why Christian thought Amber was more capable than anyone else of holding things down while she was gone; but now, from the sound of things, she knew she’d been wrong.

  “I still want to know what happened to this big exclusive Khloé said she was working on? She probably made that up to buy herself more time at the station. These girls can be so unreliable these days,” Christian said again.

  “Where is Amber? I need to know what she has on tap for tonight. It has to be good, but not so good that it overshadows me on TV with all of the mayoral candidates,” Christian called out. “Goddamn, why is everyone here but Khloé?”

  I finally stepped out of the shadows to let her know I was indeed there. I knew she was hopeful that the mayoral debate would pull in enough ratings to save everyone’s jobs, but I was going to have to tell her my plan to break my story, which would, of course, derail the entire airing of the mayoral debate. I was still trying to figure out how I was going to propose we call out Anton Barker on national television, all while trying to stay alive, knowing that he also had the police and a slew of other Norfolk government officials on his payroll.

  “Christian . . . um . . . I—”

  “Where have you been? What are you supposed to be presenting for tonight’s segments?” Christian snapped, without even a greeting.

  “There’s something I wanted to tell you, but we need to speak in private,” I said, wringing my hands together. This news wasn’t something I could afford to blab out in front of everyone in the bustling station studio.

  “I don’t have time for this right now, Khloé. I need to know what you’re going to do, and if whatever you have to say doesn’t pertain to a ratings hit-level story, then get away from me and go speak to Amber or Darla about whatever problem or issue you have. I have entirely too much going on to deal with another thing right now,” Christian said in agitation.

  “But it’s really important, and you might need to know this before—”

  “Christian, the first mayoral candidate just arrived. And the guest-receiving office says that another person, who is not on the list, is asking to see you as well. We have already checked Mr. Anton Barker into greenroom A. Your other visitor wasn’t on the list, so you’ll have to go escort them in,” one of the station assistants called out, completely interrupting her and halting the conversation with me.

  My shoulders tensed when I heard his name and I immediately wondered who was with him. “I tried to warn you,” I mumbled as I watched Christian completely dismiss me without further acknowledgment.

  “He is here, people. Anton Barker, the number one candidate on the list, is in the building. I need those questions. I will go over them before the debate. Let me go make sure he’s comfortable. I want this all to go as smoothly as possible. And, not to mention, has anyone seen that fine specimen of a man,” Christian yelled out, jumping down from her chair and walking while her hairstylist followed her with a can of hair spray, misting the air above her head.

  “Where the hell is Amber? I still need information about her piece. Isn’t this the second or third damn time I’ve asked for her? What the hell is she hiding from me?” Christian huffed, flustered. She threw her hands up and rushed off to greet the mayoral candidates as they started checking in.

  * * *

  I followed as Christian hurried down the long corridor that led to the studio’s greenrooms. I stopped and watched as she pushed in the first door and found Barker standing inside, with his back turned, looking at the awards on the walls. Once Christian walked into the room, I rushed to the wall outside so I could listen.

  “Mr. Barker!” Christian called excitedly. Barker whirled around with a huge smile plastered on his face. They shared a quick, tight embrace. Christian stepped out of Barker’s arms and took a good look at him.

  “You are still as handsome as ever. I guess they can’t keep a good man down, huh?” Christian commented, clearly flirting with Barker.

  I gagged listening to her pander to him—if she only knew what was about to come out about her favorite.

  “Nope. I know people probably expected me to be looking sad, distraught, and raggedy, but not all candidates take on that look after having their names falsely dragged through the mud. This was one mudslinging campaign,” Barker answered. “You’re looking good yourself. Nice and young,” he lied.

  “Thanks. Mr. Barker, if you only knew what I’ve been going through to get the exclusive rights to air and moderate this mayoral debate. This is the one chance you get to show off so that the whole city knows you are definitely the best qualified candidate up against a bunch of crackpots. I don’t want anything to go wrong. I have been busting balls around here, trust me,” Christian said. “Everyone is eager to hear you speak, especially since the media has given you such a bad rap for your past list of clients. Tuh, if anyone understands what it’s like to claw your way up to the top, it is me.”

  Listening to Christian just go on and on about how great she thought Barker was immediately made me sick to my stomach. It also made me eager to drop the bombs I was hiding.

  “Great. Truth be told, I have only done what every other candidate would’ve done—follow the letter of the law,” Barker replied, lying like the crooked bastard that he was.

  “I know that’s right. But in other news, it has been ages since we’ve seen each other, and it’s been on my mind to call you up. We haven’t had time to go to our usual lunches, dinners, hangouts, nothing. We need to get together and catch up. I’ve got lots of new and interesting things to share,” Christian said with a hint of mystery in her voice.

  I almost fainted! She was friends or lovers, or something, with Barker in the past? What? It was a good damn thing I hadn’t revealed my story to her too early. She would’ve definitely put the kibosh on it. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My head started swimming and I felt slightly dizzy.

  “I miss you and the time we spent together, Christian. There has just been so much going on with both of us. We really have to do better. Once I am mayor, I promise we will pick back up,” Barker insisted.

  I wanted desperately to jump out and scream at both of them that Barker was a fucking lying, perverted, child-fucking criminal, but I decided I would leave it all for my planned blowup of the story. If I wasn’t leery of Christian’s loyalty before, I damn sure knew I needed to be now. At the end of the day, I was a news reporter first, but it seemed Christian had a lot of personal connections that she let get in the way. I knew I had to be careful with the information I was about to disclose now. I was completely blown to find out that Christian had a relationship with Barker all along. It definitely made me think of her differently now.

  “So, are you really ready for this?” Christian asked.

  Barker inhaled deeply and let out a long breath. He looked at Christian seriously.

  “Honestly, Christian, I don’t t
hink I’ve ever been more ready for something in my life. It’s time for me to set the record straight on a few things and to claim this seat. The media and the public have the wrong idea about me and about everything that went down. I just really want people to know that I am not a monster that set out to keep criminals out on the street. People act like I woke up one day and said, ‘Today I’m going to defend criminals and rub elbows with them.’ So far from the truth. I was paid for a service. I love the letter of the law. I had to do my job, and criminal defense is my job. I stood up in those courtrooms and did my job to the best of my ability. I can’t be expected to just roll over and play dead because of the public perception of me for who I represent.

  “Was I paid a good bit of money for my services? Well, yes. But that is what I went to school for. Being a damn good criminal defense attorney is my lifeblood. I prided myself on it, and no matter who my clients were, I wanted to do a good job. Just like what I want to do as mayor of Norfolk. That is a topic I will definitely address tonight. I want to tell my story for all of the citizens out there listening. Can you believe that people are actually following me and wanting to vote for me? And that is why I would never fold to the pressure. There are people who want to see me win in this city, but there are also people that, for whatever reason, want to see me fail,” Barker explicated, shaking his head in disgust.

  I was sick. I swayed on my weak legs and my stomach swirled. What a fucking lying bastard he was. I must admit, Barker had the gift of gab. I could see why so many people followed him and planned to vote for him. I had heard enough. I had to go get ready for what was about to go down.

  As I went to rush away from the door, I ran into Liza. She looked disheveled and upset.

  “Sorry,” she said after she bumped into me.

  “Are you all right?” I asked her.

  “You know, I’m not. I’m so tired of the treatment around her. Christian has been a complete bitch for weeks, and then she left that bitch Amber in charge, and you know what I just found out?” Liza ranted, her face turning completely red.

  “What? What did you find out?” I asked, aghast that Liza was even speaking that much. I had never heard her talk that much since I’d been at WXOT-TV.

  “I found out Amber stole my story line for tonight. Tonight—one of the biggest-ratings nights we will ever have, and she’s stolen my story. I am looking for her, and when I find her, all hell will break loose. I’m sick of her and Christian and everyone!” Liza said with feeling.

  “I completely understand where you’re coming from” I said, playing into the gossip. Liza was genuinely shocked by the revelation. “I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that. I’m so disappointed in Christian. But it’s the nice girls like us that sometimes get the raw end of the deal. But don’t worry, trust me when I say, every dog has its day,” I said sagaciously.

  * * *

  After we talked, Liza and I stood aside and let the others do their thing. I recruited her to help me set up what I had planned. I felt like she would get just as much satisfaction out of blowing up shit at the news station as I was going to get. When I finally decided to blow the story out of the water, I no longer cared about whether or not Christian gave me that 6:00 p.m. news job. My motivation was totally different now. Luring Anton Barker to the station was the best thing Christian could’ve ever done for me. She just didn’t know it yet. She had actually made my job much easier now. God was also on my side, because had Barker not come to the new station for the debate, I would’ve never been able to blow him up like I was about to do now.

  “Unfortunately, after I blow this story, I might have to leave the city that I love and where I’ve been all of my life. I will have to leave my mother behind, for sure, and may even have to go into hiding for years and years,” I explained to Liza as we set up for the big blowup. It was so sad that men like Barker were affecting people’s lives so much—even mine—and I was just the reporter that was going to blow the lid off his ass.

  “I’m so glad to have women like you in my corner to get through things together. Khloé, I am so glad we spoke today. Trust me, it may not always seem like I am smart, but I realize that I don’t care about this job anymore either. This news station has taken my soul,” Liza said.

  “I feel the same way. I’m always selling my soul for this place, and what have I ever gotten in return? Nothing. Nothing but criticism and heartache,” I agreed with her.

  Liza and I had been made to question everyone’s intentions and loyalty at the station. But our revelations to each other indicated a level of trust and confidence that I previously doubted would ever exist at that job. Maybe a true friendship could be forged amongst the junior reporters that Christian treated like trash, after all.

  “How does my makeup look?” I asked Liza. “Can’t be blowing up people on TV looking like a dry-face hen. I also can’t have raccoon eyes for this very important shot.”

  Liza chuckled. “You look perfect. This is all going to be perfect and I can’t wait to see their faces.”

  “C’mon, follow me. You are my special assistant now, so you don’t have to sit in here and wait. You can come on air with me. It’ll probably be both of our first and last time on air here at WXOT. But, whatever, we have to do it,” I said, heading for the door. Liza followed me out into the hallway.

  “I love that outfit, by the way,” Liza complimented. Her spirit seemed renewed after unloading the burdens of her work life.

  “Thanks. Can’t ever go wrong with a sophisticated blouse and pencil skirt. I was a little worried. I thought I was going to have to hear that bitch Christian yell at me for wearing this color or that color or this shoe or that shoe,” I said, mocking Christian with my hand movements.

  “You have no idea how she would’ve carried on. ‘Yellow? Oh, my God, what are you? A fucking banana,’” Liza replied, also mocking Christian. We chuckled. As we stepped into the hallway, we saw Christian and Barker rushing down the walkway. I pulled Liza into an empty corner, so they didn’t see us.

  “Ms. Aniston, you have another guest,” a staff member reminded Christian.

  “Oh, really? Who could this be now? All of the candidates should already be in their rooms and ready to take the stage in a few minutes,” Christian said, seemingly embarrassed in front of Barker.

  “It’s fine. You have a job to do, I’m not the most important guest here,” he said, smirking. “I think we are finished with our missing-you moment anyway. It’s probably one of the other candidates, but I don’t know why they’re going to bother checking in. You wait until I get to that debate stage, there will be no man left standing. I bet they will all be pulling out of the race and scrambling when I’m done,” Barker promised.

  Liza and I raced down the stairs so we could get a firsthand view of who was coming to the station now. When Christian and Barker stepped off of the elevator into the lobby and headed toward the guest reception desk, we all saw her so-called guest. The smile on Christian’s face quickly folded into a scowl. She had been yapping away, but her words went tumbling back down her throat as soon as she laid eyes on her visitor. I’m sure she didn’t waste any time coming up with an immediate conspiracy theory in her head.

  “Did you plan this?” Barker gritted, confronting Christian with his eyes ablaze in anger. “Did you set me up?”

  “No, I wouldn’t do that. I had no idea,” Christian answered, almost breathlessly. She was just as shocked and dumbfounded as Barker.

  Barker folded his arms across his chest defiantly. Christian didn’t exactly have a pristine reputation for telling the truth.

  “Sure seems like a setup to me,” he pressed on.

  “Trust me, Anton, I wouldn’t spring something like this on you. I . . . I . . . don’t know anything about this,” Christian assured.

  Liza and I watched, elated. “It worked,” Liza whispered to me.

  “It sure did,” I confirmed, smiling.

  Suddenly all of the little girls and the entire grou
p of people erupted into their protest chants.

  “Barker is a criminal! We don’t want him in our government!”

  “Arrest Anton Barker! Arrest Anton Barker!”

  “Anton Barker is a child predator! Anton Barker deserves the death penalty! Down with Anton Barker!”

  I felt so excited and vindicated at the same time. That was part of my handiwork coming to fruition. I just wished Kyle was there to see this part. I’m sure he would see what else I had in store for Anton Barker’s ass.

  “I suggest you handle this or else my participation in this debate will be called off. I don’t like this kind of sneaky shit, Christian,” Barker said, his jaw stiff as a board. His people were looming around him, ready to pounce at any moment.

  I could tell Christian’s blood was boiling. She would say she didn’t need this kind of drama before she went on television.

  “Wait right here. I will take care of this forthwith. Trust me, I had no idea something like this would be happening, because you know I wouldn’t tolerate this shit. You just wait right here and let me take care of it,” Christian told Barker. She stormed past the reception desk to the group of protestors.

  I was so proud to see all of those little girls lined up in the front like a united front. My brother had risked his life for those little girls. I just knew Barker wanted to die inside after seeing every single one of those little faces that he could surmise would one day be staring at him in a court of law.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Christian asked, wasting no time with small talk. “You can’t just pop up at my station like this—no warning, nothing. You are disturbing the peace and I will have all of you arrested! I don’t care about children either!”

  “We are here to tell you that Anton Barker is a child predator, sex trafficker, and criminal,” one girl said, stepping forward into Christian’s face.