Page 46 - TruthAboutLyingFinal

The Truth About Lying
Henry followed her through the kitchen, past volunteers chopping vegetables and stacking bread, into a narrow hallway that smelled of bleach, onions, and damp coats.
Jinji pushed open a heavy steel door.
Inside, a man sat behind an old desk. Late forties. Black. Graying hair. Tired eyes that missed nothing.
“Vincent Okafor,” he said, standing. “Former priest. Current heretic. Full-time believer that people rarely need more certainty. They usually need more courage.”
Henry shook his hand.
“Henry Talbot. Former professional liar. Current... I don’t know yet.”
“That’s probably the most honest thing you’ve said today.” Vincent pointed to a chair. “Sit.”
They gathered around a scarred oak table.
For a few minutes, no one mentioned the reason Henry was there. Vincent poured coffee into mismatched mugs. Jinji opened a laptop. From the main hall came the sound of plates, voices, and someone laughing too loudly at something that wasn’t funny enough.
Finally, Vincent said, “Claire tells me you want to build something.”
“I want to stop people like me.”
“People like you?”
“People who know how to hide the truth in plain sight.”
“You don’t need a moral revolution for that,” she said. “You need friction.”
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