this affair settled before-”
“I know,” I said, “before war breaks out in Gold Coast.”
“Gold Coast?” Lynchpin stopped, and turned to me. “You think this is a Gold Coast problem?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Oh no, this is much larger. In fact, when Pinnacle’s body is discovered every major city in the world will be under siege by white capes. This war you so casually mention, it will start here, but it won’t be contained.”
That was something I hadn’t considered. Black capes and white, fighting each other across the planet. “It’ll be genocide.”
Lynchpin put a hand on my shoulder. “Not as bad as all that. Massacre would be a better term. The Sindicate will fare better than most, but the other black cape families of the world, they may try to give as good as they get, but in the end …”
I stood there thinking about how many capes would die. How many regs? A hundred thousand? A million? Ten million? No wonder the bonus was so big.
“We’ll finish this tomorrow. You’ll come by my home at eight pm to make your next report. I’m having a party and believe that some in attendance know more about this business than they’ve so far admitted. I’d like you to see what you can see.”
“Sure thing.” I opened the door and headed to the elevator.
“And Dane, I don’t know how you plan to question Director Humphries about his letter, or how you’ll discover who wrote that death threat, but I expect both to be done when next we meet.”
I reached into my pocket. The papers were still there. I opened my mouth to object, but Lynchpin had already closed the door.
Chapter 17
Since I was forced to leave Jane outside of Henchmen’s Lynchpin was good enough to send me home in one of his cars, along with the promise that she would be delivered the next day after the damage his men did was undone. When I got back I called Widow to see if I had any messages.
“Where have you been?”
“I was having a drink with Lynchpin,” I said.
“Ha ha. Seriously, where were you?”
“With Lynchpin. We talked family, business… Nice guy. Taller than you think.”
“Fine. Don’t tell me. But if you carried a cell phone it would save my fingernails a lot of biting.”
“Got a comms in the car and a phone in the house. That’s enough.”
Widow took a couple of deep breaths. “Dane, is everything ok?”
“Why do you ask?”
“It’s nothing. Just a feeling. You usually tell me everything, but now I’m cooling my heels in the shade, and I know you got your reasons, but if you were inclined to act the gentleman and alleviate said concern all you’d have to say is ‘Sure Widow, I’m in it, but it’s not over my head.’ That would be enough. Say that and I’ll believe you.”
“Sure thing,” I said, “I’m in it, but it’s not over my head.”
“I don’t believe you. Now go eat something.” She hung up the phone.
That was good advice, so I went to the kitchen, fried up a steak with some eggs, and washed it all down with a couple of beers. It was a big meal, but it wasn’t the reason I was feeling so heavy. One full day down and I was still closer to disaster than an answer.
It wasn’t a comfortable thought to sleep on.
#
The next morning I was up before the sun, and the first thing I did was put on a pot of coffee. Then I shaved, showered, and threw on a black suit so fast I was ready before it was done brewing. And since one of the benefits of being invulnerable is that your mouth doesn’t scald so easy, I pounded every drop of java before it cooled a single degree, and ran out the door.
I found Jane waiting for me right outside my stoop, and as promised Lynchpin’s boys had given her a wash, a wax, and buffed out the dent I made with Bruizer’s body. I hopped in and took my jacket off, careful not to crease it, then placed it on the passenger’s seat. I was about to put the key into the ignition, but stopped. It occurred to me that Lynchpin knew a lot
“I know,” I said, “before war breaks out in Gold Coast.”
“Gold Coast?” Lynchpin stopped, and turned to me. “You think this is a Gold Coast problem?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Oh no, this is much larger. In fact, when Pinnacle’s body is discovered every major city in the world will be under siege by white capes. This war you so casually mention, it will start here, but it won’t be contained.”
That was something I hadn’t considered. Black capes and white, fighting each other across the planet. “It’ll be genocide.”
Lynchpin put a hand on my shoulder. “Not as bad as all that. Massacre would be a better term. The Sindicate will fare better than most, but the other black cape families of the world, they may try to give as good as they get, but in the end …”
I stood there thinking about how many capes would die. How many regs? A hundred thousand? A million? Ten million? No wonder the bonus was so big.
“We’ll finish this tomorrow. You’ll come by my home at eight pm to make your next report. I’m having a party and believe that some in attendance know more about this business than they’ve so far admitted. I’d like you to see what you can see.”
“Sure thing.” I opened the door and headed to the elevator.
“And Dane, I don’t know how you plan to question Director Humphries about his letter, or how you’ll discover who wrote that death threat, but I expect both to be done when next we meet.”
I reached into my pocket. The papers were still there. I opened my mouth to object, but Lynchpin had already closed the door.
Chapter 17
Since I was forced to leave Jane outside of Henchmen’s Lynchpin was good enough to send me home in one of his cars, along with the promise that she would be delivered the next day after the damage his men did was undone. When I got back I called Widow to see if I had any messages.
“Where have you been?”
“I was having a drink with Lynchpin,” I said.
“Ha ha. Seriously, where were you?”
“With Lynchpin. We talked family, business… Nice guy. Taller than you think.”
“Fine. Don’t tell me. But if you carried a cell phone it would save my fingernails a lot of biting.”
“Got a comms in the car and a phone in the house. That’s enough.”
Widow took a couple of deep breaths. “Dane, is everything ok?”
“Why do you ask?”
“It’s nothing. Just a feeling. You usually tell me everything, but now I’m cooling my heels in the shade, and I know you got your reasons, but if you were inclined to act the gentleman and alleviate said concern all you’d have to say is ‘Sure Widow, I’m in it, but it’s not over my head.’ That would be enough. Say that and I’ll believe you.”
“Sure thing,” I said, “I’m in it, but it’s not over my head.”
“I don’t believe you. Now go eat something.” She hung up the phone.
That was good advice, so I went to the kitchen, fried up a steak with some eggs, and washed it all down with a couple of beers. It was a big meal, but it wasn’t the reason I was feeling so heavy. One full day down and I was still closer to disaster than an answer.
It wasn’t a comfortable thought to sleep on.
#
The next morning I was up before the sun, and the first thing I did was put on a pot of coffee. Then I shaved, showered, and threw on a black suit so fast I was ready before it was done brewing. And since one of the benefits of being invulnerable is that your mouth doesn’t scald so easy, I pounded every drop of java before it cooled a single degree, and ran out the door.
I found Jane waiting for me right outside my stoop, and as promised Lynchpin’s boys had given her a wash, a wax, and buffed out the dent I made with Bruizer’s body. I hopped in and took my jacket off, careful not to crease it, then placed it on the passenger’s seat. I was about to put the key into the ignition, but stopped. It occurred to me that Lynchpin knew a lot
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