The God Game by Jeffrey Round

Author:Jeffrey Round
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dundurn
Published: 2018-01-09T00:00:00+00:00

Sixteen

Dirty Little Secrets

Nick was sitting at the kitchen table. The word glower came to mind when Dan saw his expression. And probably not just because the angel hair pasta had wilted. There was definitely a scowl.

“Glad to see you back,” Nick said. “Alive, I mean.”

Dan had updated him by phone about the attackers on his drive home. It had mostly been a one-way conversation, with Nick’s silences filling the void.

“I am indeed alive,” Dan replied, rubbing his palms together. “And starvin’, Marvin.”

“Not to mention cocky. I was hoping for a little remorse, but instead you’re cocky.”

Dan tried to look contrite. “Just trying to lighten the mood a little. Sorry.”

“Sorry and …?”

“Yes, definitely sorry. I don’t think I caught the second bit.”

“How about, ‘Sorry and I will definitely take you along next time I do anything dangerous’?”

“I’m sorry. I will definitely take you along. I promise.”

“That’s better.”

Nick got up to throw more noodles into a pot of boiling water.

“Though in all honesty I wasn’t expecting it to be dangerous,” Dan said.

Nick sighed and turned back to him. “Then that just makes it worse, Dan, because you knew you were going to meet someone who is a part of the underworld.”

“Formerly part of the underworld.”

“Formerly. Whatever. You should have anticipated danger.”

“Right. I’m sorry. Again.” Dan tried for a smile. “Don’t worry. This isn’t my way of getting out of marriage. For the record, I have every intention of being around for the wedding.”

“Oh, the good intentions clause. That’s reassuring. Not.” Nick glowered again. “And also for the record, I have no intention of spending all that money on a funeral for you instead of a wedding.”

“I would hate for you to do that, but you might want to put that suit to good use.”

“You really are infuriating.” He caught sight of the bruise discolouring Dan’s arm. “That’s going to need looking after. Did you at least find out anything useful?”

Dan recapped the bizarre interview he’d had, struggling to describe the man who seemed to want to pass himself off as a modern-day Kurtz. Nick listened in silence, shaking his head when Dan related how the Rapture said he’d been offered a gun to kill John Wilkens.

“They tried to coerce him on the basis of his drug charges,” Dan added.

“Not uncommon with this type. So it may actually turn out that someone really is trying to fix elections?”

“Not elections. Reputations. To ensure that certain people cannot win their campaigns. That’s what Simon Bradley thinks.”

“Same thing, isn’t it? Fixing elections before they get started?”

“Well, technically yes. But killing someone is different than sabotaging a reputation. John Wilkens’s death could turn out to have been for entirely different reasons.”

“Fair enough. But what do you intend to do about it? I mean, it’s not your case, really. You’re not being paid to look into this.”

“True, but I can’t just ignore what I know.” Dan shrugged. “I’ve tried talking to several people, including an old friend at Queen’s Park, but no one seems to want to take me seriously.

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