“Did you try my father’s paper, the Star?”
“I did. I couldn’t even get past his secretary.”
“That’s not like Dad,” Penny said with troubled eyes. “Did you really do something dreadful?”
“It was Jason Cordell who put the bee on me.”
“Jason Cordell?” Penny repeated thoughtfully. “He’s the editor of the Mirror, and has an office in the building adjoining the Star.”
“Right. Well, he fired me.”
“Lots of reporters are discharged, Ben, but they aren’t necessarily blacklisted.”
Ben squirmed uncomfortably in his chair.
“You needn’t tell me if you don’t wish,” Penny said kindly. “I don’t mean to pry into your personal affairs. I only thought that I might be able to help you.”
“I want to tell you, Penny. I really do. But I don’t dare reveal some of the facts, because I haven’t sufficient proof. I’ll tell you this much. I stumbled into a story—a big one—and it discredited Jason Cordell.”