“Candy makes people happy,” Ryan added, helpfully.

“Yes, my boy. And that’s what we need. We need to make our customers feel joy. They’re burned out from all the negativity we’ve been giving them. We must find new ways to generate an excited response.”

“I bet he thinks the Fourth Estate is a vacation house,” Andrea said under her breath.

The Chief looked around the room. “Take this week’s PanAmerican Summit for example. We’ve dedicated too much airtime talking to serious PhDs about melting ice, a depressing future environmental crisis none of us can fix.”

Natalie’s eyes flicked to the wall of TVs where ATN was featuring a panel of twelve pundits over a banner that read, “Friends With Gas: Colombia’s Oil Appeal.” Whatever dull climate change coverage bothered the boss, Natalie had missed it.

“There’s another way to get at that same story. One filled with the kind of excitement and diversion the people crave. Through characters. Through the rich, beautiful people who occupy the White House and the exotic, devious foreigners they work with.”

Andrea was staring a hole in the conference table.

“Let’s begin with Rigo Lystra,” the Chief said. “The rape charges against him are very exciting. They involve celebrity, sex, scandal. And an important question of prejudice. A young man’s future is at stake. So many men can relate to this. How can we know what’s true? If unprovable out-of-nowhere accusations can take him down, no one is safe!”

Natalie and Andrea looked at one another, straining to hold back an eyeroll. Had the Chief missed the fact that Rigo’s accuser had reported a rape immediately? That Rigo had left the country to jet-set off to Bali? Who exactly was stealing his freedom?

Bibb, who had been busy on her iPhone, now placed it on the table in front of Ryan and pointed at a message on the screen.

Ryan glanced down to read and yelped, “This is huge!”

“What’s huge?” the Chief asked.

Ryan pulled out his own iPhone and started typing away feverishly.

Placing her elbows on the table, Bibb rested her chin on her hands girlishly as she said, “Chief, I think we have an exciting development in the Colombia rape story. Ryan, care to explain?”

“I have one of our star reporters from the New York bureau on that,” the Chief said dismissively. “He’s close to learning where this kid is.”

“Sir! I have an exclusive!” Ryan blurted. Then he looked to Bibb and, after she nodded her approval, continued, “According to my source, Venezuela wants to kidnap Rigo and make him stand trial in Caracas. The US Secret Service took him away for safekeeping. He’s at the Colombian embassy on Massachusetts Avenue.”