His head jerked back as though someone had yanked on his back hair.
``What did you say?''
``Its not his game. He's not involved.''
``Ridiculous. The circumstances...''
``We followed every lead. We followed every lead and they brought us to a very different set of circumstances...''
The Leader was chewing on a paper clip. A habit of his. He demanded documentation. He sat late into the night examining the evidence. He didn't show for a state dinner. Two Balkan Prime Ministers were irretrievably insulted.
At three A.M. the Leader called his kitchen cabinet. An epidemic of smoking broke out. Talk was loud and passionate.
Consensus was reached by early morning.
``This changes nothing,'' the Leader said. ``It is not truth that matters. It is the perception of truth. Let us continue.''