The Gatekeeper by James Byrne

Author:James Byrne
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

CHAPTER 41

Dez gets to the heart of the matter. “Where do I find this Oliver Lantree and his empire?”

“They’ve rented space in a server farm, north part of town.”

Dez tenses at the term server farm.

“Do you know what that is?” Renata asks. “It’s just computers. Lots and lots of computers. They suck up ocean water and they run air-conditioning three hundred and sixty-five days a year. They pay well for it all, too. Nearly a tenth of the city’s budget comes from their taxes and fees.”

“Much staff?” he asks.

“Hardly any. It’s all automated. Plenty of room for the news crews to work out of.”

“Then that’s where I’ll start. Thank you, ma’am. I’ll do what I can for your town.”

She starts taking dishes to the sink, tries not to let Dez spot that she’s crying. “Oh, Mr. Limerick. Sloatville’s dead. It died when the crazies showed up and the good people fled. Or hid in their houses. It died when the mayor left. When the other members of the city council, and the school board, and the county commission turned their backs and averted their eyes. It doesn’t matter now what happens to Patriot Media, or the Ryerson Ranch, or any of these hoodlums. Sloatville is dead.”

She’s right, of course. Dez saw it at the city council meeting. Anarchy, once in place, is tough to root out. And it kills whatever existed before it. Dez has seen it in the Middle East and in Northern Africa. Fragile things, order and peace.

She looks up at a crucifix on the wall over the kitchen table. “Do you believe in God, Mr. Limerick?”

Dez thinks about it. He could give her a flippant answer, but he won’t. He could dodge the question as none of her business, but he shouldn’t. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I don’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because you can put the words pediatric and oncology in the same sentence. I’m sorry. But if there’s a higher being, I fear he’s drunk an’ mean. And I’d rather imagine no higher being than that one.”

Renata Esquivel nods, understanding. She says, “I believe in God. I’ll pray for you.”

“Thank you, ma’am. I’ll take it, and be glad for it.”

Dez leaves Renata and Hector Esquivel in their modest clapboard house. He’s tempted to tell them to flee but he doesn’t.

They won’t.

Dez walks back to the fairgrounds and collects his stolen Ford pickup. Then he drives toward the Triton Expediters server farm on the north side of town.

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