Page 59 of Views
“Tense is the understatement of the year,” says Steven. “I’m actually considering taking a vacation abroad during the next election so that I can decide whether to come back here afterwards, depending on the outcome.”
“I’ve discovered something,” Yasira reports, “but the evidence is too thin for a public press release.”
Steven’s eyes light up. He understands already.
“You want me to leak the information?”
“There are a few conditions.”
“I’m listening...”
“My name can’t appear in your report.”
“A source at the BKA...”
“No.”
“A source from the law enforcement agencies...”
“Maybe a source outside the law enforcement agencies instead.”
“Won’t your boss know anyway...”
“He might suspect. But as long as he can’t prove it... There are also external experts we’ve spoken to. They’ve probably contacted you, don’t you think?”
“Yes, yes, they did. That’s what happened.” Steven is excited by the prospect of what might be his first scoop. Yasira briefly considers whether to mention AlmostReal or even Tom Schiller, but then decides against it.
“What’s the info?” asks Steven. “Did you find out where the perpetrators are from? Are they in the country illegally? Did Lena know them? Does her strange boyfriend have anything to do with the whole thing?”
“None of that.” Yasira pauses. “We believe,” she says slowly, “I believe the video might be a fake.”
“A fake?” Steven is gobsmacked. He clearly didn’t expect that. “You mean staged?”
“Not staged. Computer generated.”
“But Lena...”
“Generated with images from her Instagram account.”
“Fuck!”
Yasira nods.
“But who...?”
“I can’t tell you anything about that yet.”
“Ongoing investigation...” says Steven.
“Correct.”
“That changes everything!”
“Yes. Now you might understand why I want this information out there sooner rather than later.”
“Sure, of course. Of course.” Steven rubs his face. “This is big. This is... Oh, my God! This is really big. This is earthshaking!”
He heaps hummus onto his pita bread and takes a bite, but somehow seems absent-minded. Obviously, he’s already putting together his article in his head. At some point, he seems to realize that he’s not alone at the table.
