ERICA SPENDS THE REST OF the afternoon and evening reporting on the break in the Yanez murder. She interviews Takahashi and broadcasts Fuentes’s mug shot. During a break she confers with Greg about the best way to approach Nylan about her heading back to LA, and they hatch a plan. On her next break she calls him.
“Nylan, I want to do an hour-long piece on the Barrish murder, frame it as a commentary on American culture and our national loss, with a focus on California. I’ve got a request in with the governor for an interview—his press aide was very receptive. I’ve lined up the state’s most respected historian and a UCLA expert on collective trauma. I’ve got interview requests out with Streisand, Schwarzenegger, and Spielberg. Their people all responded positively to the idea. I think this could be a fascinating and important piece.” She recalls the words of Archie Hallowell: Sometimes you have to lie your way to the truth.
There’s a pause. “I like it. But keep the focus on the sociology and the collective trauma, not on the investigation. High-minded. Milk the celebrities for all they’re worth. Soft focus. See if you can wring a few tears out of Streisand. How soon can you get started?”
“I thought I’d fly out to LA tomorrow.”
“Can you pull the piece together by the end of the week?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t forget we have a date in DC on Sunday night. The Correspondents’ Dinner.”
“I can’t wait,” Erica says, a shiver of revulsion racing up her spine.