“How do you think it went?” Herbert said as he ushered them into the Sun Room, named for the skylight that conveyed an ice crystal illumination to the space during springtime. The rust-colored carpet was plush, accenting the espresso of the wood floor and the pale olive upholstery of the armchairs.

“I thought it was excellent,” Marc said. “These young men and women have fire in the belly. It’s gratifying.”

“I agree,” Herbert said, gesturing his guests to sit. “What can I offer you?”

Marc wasn’t one to turn down some good brandy, and he’d shared several fine bottles with Herbert before. One might have guessed from Marc’s corpulent frame that he liked good food and drink, and one would be correct. Casper, a smoker and coffee addict, was Marc’s physical opposite. He was Marc’s designated driver tonight, so there would be no brandy for him.

The three men settled in to talk, Herbert steering the conversation to the Washington Observer, where digital subscriptions were on the rise and had surpassed the one-million mark—still well behind The New York Times, though.

“I was interested by Cas’s piece a couple of weeks ago about online scams,” Herbert said, pouring Marc a little more brandy.

“Oh yes?” Casper said. “What did you think of it?”

“Top quality, of course,” Herbert said. “Caused quite a stir on Ghanaweb.com, which posted excerpts of the piece and had a commentary.”

“What’s Ghanaweb?” Cas asked.

“It’s an all-media website,” Herbert explained. “Radio, TV, videos, social networks, and so on. But what makes it stand out are the no-holds-barred comments underneath the features. The Ghanaweb audience is like a bunch of gunmen firing their weapons indiscriminately and not caring who gets hurt.”

“Oh, really?” Marc said, interested. “What was the response to the Observer piece?”

“From what I could tell,” Herbert said, “it broke down into three categories. People who condemned these sakawa fraudsters, those who castigated and or mocked the victims, and finally those who blame the scandal entirely on the present ruling party. Everything is politics in Ghana. I should let you know that President Bannerman has called me about the article.”

“The president himself?” Cas said. “What did he say?”

“Well, he was concerned. You know, he has a comprehensive anti-corruption campaign in full swing. He asked if I had been aware this article was coming out in the paper. I told him, no. He went on further to say that, as an ambassador, I need to be reassuring potential American investors that the Ghanaian government is cracking down on corruption.”

“Corruption in Ghana has given the country a black eye internationally,” Marc said. “Would you agree?”

“Yes, I would,” Herbert said. “But back to the article—I’m curious why it’s penned by Casper, who is not even in Ghana. Shouldn’t it be someone who is actually there?”