Private Lessons by Bernard O'Keeffe

Author:Bernard O'Keeffe
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Muswell Press
Published: 2023-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Emily put down the paper. She’d read the piece many times and knew its every word, but she couldn’t stop herself looking at it, especially her name. There it was. In print in the Standard. Not only in print but in bold.

How smart had she been to turn the horrific experience to her advantage? The speed of the editor’s response had told her she was on to something good, and here it was in front of her – a feature on private tutoring on the back of the news story.

She was pleased with the way she’d edited the original. What had been intended as an anonymous exposé of the world of private tutoring, flagging up its questionable ethics and dubious practices had become something much more general with enough unattributed stories, all given a suitable Metropolitan spin, to hook the Standard readership. She was already thinking about how she could develop the piece for the nationals.

There was nothing in the piece that might get in the way of the police investigation – nothing about her attacker’s threats, nothing about ‘remember Giles’ or ‘keep your mouth shut’. And she’d taken anything out that might connect the events to Forum.

But that didn’t mean Felicia and Roddy wouldn’t go ballistic. The chances were they’d probably fire her but she thought it was a risk worth taking. Getting her feature in the Standard might be just the kick in the arse her so far unsuccessful attempts to become a journalist needed. It might even mean that her tutoring years would soon be behind her. How clever to say she wanted to be a journalist – the whole thing was like a calling card, a CV in a prestigious newspaper. And if Forum did fire her she could really let rip with her original piece, making it even more scandalous and damning, dishing the dirt secure in the knowledge that she would never have to tutor again.

Her phone rang. She looked at the screen. As expected.

‘Emily, are you all right?’ said Felicia.

‘I’m fine. I—’

‘I’ve just read the paper. What a terrible thing. How awful for you!’

‘I’m OK. It was a shock but I think I’ve recovered.’

‘You may think you have but be careful. That must have been a huge trauma. But, Emily, why on earth didn’t you tell us?’

‘I was going to, but—’

‘To read about it in the paper like that. It was distressing.’

‘I’m sorry. Haven’t had time. I …’

‘Do the police know?’

‘Yes. I’ve given a statement.’

‘Emily, I’m so glad you’re OK and that you haven’t been … that nothing worse has happened to you.’

‘You mean glad that I haven’t been murdered? Yeah, so am I.’

‘But Roddy and I are very concerned.’ Felicia paused and cleared her throat. ‘That article … I really don’t know what to say.’

‘The Standard are very pleased with it.’

‘I’m sure they are, I just hope it doesn’t cause problems.’

‘What kind of problems? I didn’t mention Forum, I just said Giles and I worked for the same agency. And I didn’t say anything defamatory.

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