"Erin, as your friend, please listen to me. Don't even think of doing this," Jennifer said. "You're getting on a sinking ship that will have no survivors. Brent Anderson has no supporters. He is rude, unlikeable and barely competent for his position and was doomed to get himself canned anyway. You yourself almost fired him when he was in your department. Why on earth would you do this!?"

Erin McDaniel looked away from her friend, chewing her lip. She felt her frustration growing. "Because he asked me to, that's why," Erin said without looking back, "and because we both know he is getting set-up in this case." But her conviction was wavering. Jennifer was right, Erin thought, Brent Anderson had the worst demeanor of any employee she had ever dealt with, and she would have fired him even had the paperwork ready when the spot in shipping and receiving opened up. It seemed like the perfect spot to hide him and keep him employed, at least for a little while. He had, after all, a wife and two small children to care for. But the stakes were higher now.

"What did Walter say when you told him that you were thinking about defending Brent at the company's termination hearing?" Jennifer's voice broke through Erin's thoughts. The mention of Walter's name caused her face to flush. Walter was Erin's boss and the one pushing for Brent's termination. He had blamed Brent for the mis-delivery of two-million dollars worth of product, and certainly on the surface it looked like Brent's fault. But Erin knew that Brent would not have done the things he was accused of, not unless it was at the insistence of Cori Klaus, as he was now claiming. Brent was no match for Cori, who was in full denial and cover-up mode, happy to let Brent take the fall. Brent needed Erin, or someone like Erin from management, if he was going to save his job.

"Walter told me basically what you're telling me, but in much stronger words. He said the only way to save the EMI account was to sacrifice Brent, who no one likes, and who was likely to be fired after his next review anyway. He then went on to tell me that if I stood up for Brent, I'd fall with him, too, and then he says and this is the part that really irked me, not to be so stupid."

Jennifer gave Erin a look that said she agreed with the stupid part, but did not follow that line of thinking, instead asking: "What did you tell Brent when he asked? Did you agree to defend him?"

"No, not yet," Erin answered, "I only told him that I would think about it, that not being in his department would make it difficult. I told him that John, Brent's supervisor, was willing and would be better for it, but he insisted that he wanted me. He said I am the only one he trusts."

What should Erin do?