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When they finished eating, Kate sat back in her chair and eyed her expectantly. “Now, let’s talk about your project.”
“You said that you and Lawrence were friends. He told you about it?”
“Yes and no. I talked to him a few weeks ago, and he mentioned that he was meeting with you.”
“His death was so tragic and bizarre. Imagine having a snake enter your home like that and strike without warning.”
Something flickered on Kate’s face but was gone in an instant. Aubrey waited for her to comment, but all she did was nod and say, “It was indeed tragic. Lawrence had his idiosyncrasies, but he was an incredibly talented man.”
“Yes he was. I looked forward to working with him. We had our differences, but I knew we could work them out.”
“Tell me about your project. Lawrence told me the basics, which had me so intrigued.”
“The title is Still Lost. It’s a follow-up to the documentary I did a few years back.”
“The Lost Ones. Which was excellent, by the way.”
“Thank you. Part of the new one will include checking in with a couple of the victims we featured in The Lost Ones. Where they are now. What kind of life they’ve been able to create. What lingering impact their experience has had on them.”
“That sounds interesting. What else?”
“This time, I want to cover all aspects of human trafficking—not just focus on the victims. I want to talk to some of the incarcerated traffickers to try to find out what makes them tick. What kind of person abducts, sells, and abuses another human being? How did they become who they are? Is there remorse? If not, why not?”
“Might be difficult to obtain access to those people.”
“I’ve received permission from two prisons for interviews, and have gotten an agreement from three traffickers already. It’s just a matter of arranging a meeting time.”
“Excellent. What else?”
“I want to cover the rescuers. What motivates someone to put their life on the line to save others? Is it because of a personal experience? Are they on a crusade? If so, why? What drives them?”
“I might be able to help you with that aspect.”
“That would be wonderful. I have a couple of prospects, but the more I have, the better insight I can get.”
“You do realize that there are people out there who don’t want these stories told, don’t you?”
“I dealt with that on the first film, so yes, I’m aware.”
“But the kind of in-depth reporting you’re talking about here is the kind that could provoke some people to do whatever is necessary to keep their secrets from being revealed.”
“That’s one of the reasons I’m doing this. They need to be exposed.”
“You could be putting yourself and your crew in danger.”
“We’re taking precautions, and we also don’t advertise what we’re working on. My team is a hundred percent loyal, and they never discuss the details of their specific jobs. I’m the only one who knows the names of my sources.”
“And you take all the risks?”
“That’s only fair. My people didn’t sign on to become martyrs.”
“But you have no problem with putting yourself at risk?”
“Not when the price of safety is someone’s life.”
“Why are you so committed to this? Are you on your own personal crusade?”
Before Aubrey could answer, Kate held up her hand. “I’ve read your bio, so I know the public answer. But I’d like to hear the personal reason. Not many people are willing to put themselves at risk unless they’ve experienced something that inspires and drives their efforts.”