beyond all recognition.
‘This,’ Joaquin said as the images played, ‘is a sadly common event on our planet, and one which we have never been able to predict. Until now.’
Reed stood from his chair, removing his Stetson and rubbing his head in confusion.
‘What are you jabbering about, Joaquin? That quake happened yesterday in Puerto Rico. Either get to the point or I’m outta here, goddamn your hide.’
Joaquin grinned and gestured to the screen.
‘This news report
is
the point,’ he replied, and looked at Murtaugh. ‘Isn’t it, Robert?’
The old man squinted at the screen as though confused, and then slowly his rheumy eyes began to widen as his jaw fell. The scrolling text on the bottom of the screen pinpointed the scenes of
destruction at the town of Puerto Plata, on the coast of the Dominican Republic.
Congressman Goldberg stood up out of his chair. ‘There hasn’t been an earthquake in the Dominican Republic,’ he uttered. ‘I haven’t seen anything on the news about
it.’
‘The anchor, Juliette, is on vacation at the moment,’ Murtaugh murmured.
Joaquin let the realization of what the men were seeing begin to dawn upon them, and as though on perfect cue, after the appalling scenes of destruction and loss, the news anchor smiled brightly
and the image changed to the weather forecast. At the bottom of the screen, clearly displayed, was the date. June 28.
‘That’s not possible,’ Reed stammered as he whipped his sunglasses off to reveal surprisingly bright blue eyes. ‘That’s this afternoon!’ He whirled to point
at Robert Murtaugh. ‘This is some kind of set-up. You must have pre-recorded the broadcast.’
Murtaugh, with some effort, struggled up out of his seat to face the Texan.
‘I can assure you, Harry, that I have done no such thing.’ The media tycoon turned his gaze upon Joaquin Abell. ‘But I also believe this to be some kind of pointless joke. I
have better things to do, the first of which will be to fire Juliette when I get back to New York.’
Joaquin shook his head.
‘I wouldn’t do that, if I were you,’ he said. ‘She’ll be the face of the disaster when it hits, seen more than any other anchor on television throughout the world.
That’s exposure you cannot afford to lose.’
‘Bullshit!’ Murtaugh spat. ‘You can no more look into the future than I can look up my own ass.’ His wrinkled features twisted into a grin. ‘Perhaps, Joaquin, this
is the result of you spending too much time looking up yours.’
Laughter rippled across the guests as they began standing and gathering their jackets. Dennis Aubrey looked across at Joaquin in surprise, but the younger man grinned happily for a moment before
speaking.
‘Perhaps, Robert, you should pay more attention to what I have to show you. It would be such a shame if your wife were to find out just how many times you’ve fucked her sister over
the years.’
Aubrey flinched at Joaquin’s sudden and unexpected profanity. Every one of the guests fell motionless, as though frozen in time. Slowly, Murtaugh broke his chains of disbelief and turned
to face Joaquin.
‘What in the name of God are you talking about?’
Aubrey felt a pinch of concern as Joaquin’s smile twisted cruelly. He produced a remote control of his own and aimed it at the projector. The news image behind him flickered to another
broadcast, another anchor for a rival station speaking silently. Behind her were images of Robert Murtaugh, and the scrolling text revealed his lover’s admission of an affair with the tycoon.
Aubrey picked up more words from her silent lips:
affair;
sordid; decades-long; divorce.
Joaquin watched as the rest of the guests stared in fascination at the screen, and all at once Aubrey realized that he had them right where he wanted them. Despite himself, he felt a quiver of
excitement.
‘What I’m talking about,’ Joaquin snapped, ‘is tomorrow’s news. It would appear that your lover will soon
‘This,’ Joaquin said as the images played, ‘is a sadly common event on our planet, and one which we have never been able to predict. Until now.’
Reed stood from his chair, removing his Stetson and rubbing his head in confusion.
‘What are you jabbering about, Joaquin? That quake happened yesterday in Puerto Rico. Either get to the point or I’m outta here, goddamn your hide.’
Joaquin grinned and gestured to the screen.
‘This news report
is
the point,’ he replied, and looked at Murtaugh. ‘Isn’t it, Robert?’
The old man squinted at the screen as though confused, and then slowly his rheumy eyes began to widen as his jaw fell. The scrolling text on the bottom of the screen pinpointed the scenes of
destruction at the town of Puerto Plata, on the coast of the Dominican Republic.
Congressman Goldberg stood up out of his chair. ‘There hasn’t been an earthquake in the Dominican Republic,’ he uttered. ‘I haven’t seen anything on the news about
it.’
‘The anchor, Juliette, is on vacation at the moment,’ Murtaugh murmured.
Joaquin let the realization of what the men were seeing begin to dawn upon them, and as though on perfect cue, after the appalling scenes of destruction and loss, the news anchor smiled brightly
and the image changed to the weather forecast. At the bottom of the screen, clearly displayed, was the date. June 28.
‘That’s not possible,’ Reed stammered as he whipped his sunglasses off to reveal surprisingly bright blue eyes. ‘That’s this afternoon!’ He whirled to point
at Robert Murtaugh. ‘This is some kind of set-up. You must have pre-recorded the broadcast.’
Murtaugh, with some effort, struggled up out of his seat to face the Texan.
‘I can assure you, Harry, that I have done no such thing.’ The media tycoon turned his gaze upon Joaquin Abell. ‘But I also believe this to be some kind of pointless joke. I
have better things to do, the first of which will be to fire Juliette when I get back to New York.’
Joaquin shook his head.
‘I wouldn’t do that, if I were you,’ he said. ‘She’ll be the face of the disaster when it hits, seen more than any other anchor on television throughout the world.
That’s exposure you cannot afford to lose.’
‘Bullshit!’ Murtaugh spat. ‘You can no more look into the future than I can look up my own ass.’ His wrinkled features twisted into a grin. ‘Perhaps, Joaquin, this
is the result of you spending too much time looking up yours.’
Laughter rippled across the guests as they began standing and gathering their jackets. Dennis Aubrey looked across at Joaquin in surprise, but the younger man grinned happily for a moment before
speaking.
‘Perhaps, Robert, you should pay more attention to what I have to show you. It would be such a shame if your wife were to find out just how many times you’ve fucked her sister over
the years.’
Aubrey flinched at Joaquin’s sudden and unexpected profanity. Every one of the guests fell motionless, as though frozen in time. Slowly, Murtaugh broke his chains of disbelief and turned
to face Joaquin.
‘What in the name of God are you talking about?’
Aubrey felt a pinch of concern as Joaquin’s smile twisted cruelly. He produced a remote control of his own and aimed it at the projector. The news image behind him flickered to another
broadcast, another anchor for a rival station speaking silently. Behind her were images of Robert Murtaugh, and the scrolling text revealed his lover’s admission of an affair with the tycoon.
Aubrey picked up more words from her silent lips:
affair;
sordid; decades-long; divorce.
Joaquin watched as the rest of the guests stared in fascination at the screen, and all at once Aubrey realized that he had them right where he wanted them. Despite himself, he felt a quiver of
excitement.
‘What I’m talking about,’ Joaquin snapped, ‘is tomorrow’s news. It would appear that your lover will soon
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