He said this felt uncomfortably similar.
I asked him to write down the representative’s name and the exact wording he remembered.
Gerald said he already had.
He had spent his working life keeping receipts, and old habits were difficult to kill.
I called Denise again.
This time, she asked whether I could send a short written statement confirming that I had not endorsed the company.
I wrote one paragraph and emailed it to the procurement office.
I included no speculation about Trish, Martin, or the anonymous letter.
I said only that no one had requested my endorsement and that I had authorized no one to use my name.
The procurement officer acknowledged the statement the same afternoon.
I expected to feel relieved.
Instead, I felt irritated that a stranger had managed to bring another unnecessary problem to my kitchen table.
Rachel found me staring at the email on my phone.
She asked whether I was angry because someone had lied or because I was afraid the lie would become another public argument.
I told her both things were true.
She said I could cooperate with a proper review without carrying the entire review on my shoulders.
That was sensible advice.
I did not particularly enjoy hearing it.
THE MEETING AT THE COUNTY BUILDING
The county board scheduled a public session on the emergency distribution proposal the following Tuesday.
I had no intention of attending until Denise asked whether I would be willing to answer one narrow question about my supposed endorsement.
She explained that a bidder had submitted a promotional document quoting me as a local equipment specialist.
The quote was not something I had ever said.
It described Northern Relief Logistics as the most dependable answer to winter equipment shortages.
I asked Denise to send me the exact wording.
She did.
I read it twice and felt my jaw tighten.
The document used my name, my occupation, and the town where I lived.
It also mentioned that I had protected my family during the previous winter’s outage.
Whoever wrote it had taken facts from my life and arranged them into an endorsement.
I called the county attorney’s office and asked how to correct the record.
A staff attorney named Robert Ames told me I could submit a signed statement and attend the meeting if I wished.
He warned me that the board would not be deciding whether anyone had committed a crime.
Its immediate task was to determine whether the proposal met procurement requirements.
I appreciated the distinction.
I sent the statement before the deadline and arranged to attend.
