The God Game

by Jeffrey Round

  Henderson’s eyes roamed the crowd in search of a more promising question.

  Dan spoke up again. “Do you think the power plant contract cancellations will hurt your chances of winning in the election?”

  Alec looked confused for a second, then put on a brave smile. “Not at all. I wasn’t directly involved in the cancellations.”

  “Were you aware, sir, that Tony Moran and your former opposition critic, John Wilkens, were looking into irregularities involving your former ministry at the time of Wilkens’s death?”

  Henderson’s face blanched. He shook his head. “No, I wasn’t aware of that. John Wilkens was a good man and a good politician. This has nothing to do with me,” he said, waving to the crowd to indicate the session was over.

  Other reporters pressed in to ask further questions, but the press secretary waved them aside. “That’s all the minister has to say at present. Thank you for coming.”

  Dan slipped away from the crowd. Once outside on the steps, he pulled out his old cellphone. Bradley answered on the first ring.

  “Dan! What’s up?”

  “I owe you one,” he said. “Alec Henderson just announced his resignation to run in the federal election next year.”

  At three he closed his office and headed to the gym, decidedly a luxury when he was busy but a necessity the older he got and the more his joints fought back. Dan knew he wasn’t going to win over his body with a show of force, but he refused to let it take him down with a surprise attack.

  On leaving the gym, he saw there were four missed calls from Nick. That was unusual. He tried Nick’s cell. When there was no answer, he called home. Still no answer. Something felt wrong. He pressed his foot on the gas.

  Nick’s car was in the drive. It was all Dan could do not to run up the walk and into the house. He fought with the key until it turned. The bolt shot back.

  A moment of silence then, “Nick? Everything okay?”

  Shuffling sounds from the kitchen.

  “I’m … yeah.”

  Nick sat at the table staring out the window.

  “What’s going on? Everything all right?”

  A bottle of Dewar’s rested on the table before him. Nick avoided his glance as Dan picked up the glass and sniffed. Not to verify the smell, but to give himself time to think. In all their time together, neither of them had touched a drop of alcohol without the other being present. They both knew that the possibility it would happen one day was strong. In fact, it was highly probable, given their histories. Dan had dreaded this moment, but never once had he fooled himself into thinking it might not happen.

  When they met, they’d seriously discussed their mutual problem with alcohol, each acknowledging a long-term dependence and his decision to steer clear of it. In both cases it related to their sons. Dan’s drinking had stopped at Ked’s insistence, once the boy had grown old enough to recognize his father’s problem. Nick’s had started with the loss of his son to leukemia at age five. Both had suffered a decade of abuse where alcohol tore their lives apart. Neither wanted to go back to those dark days. They had that in common. Now here was the wolf at the door once again.

  “You’ve been drinking,” Dan said. He struggled to keep the accusing tone from his voice. “Drinking alone, I mean.”

  Nick’s head was down. “Drinking, yes. Alone, yes. I’m not drunk.”

  “Why are you drinking?”

  “I didn’t know where you were.”

  Dan sat back. “You’re blaming this on me?”

  He shook his head, keeping his eyes on the table. “No, Dan. There’s no blame. I had a problem and I needed something to steady me. You weren’t here and you weren’t answering your phone. I made an adult choice and had a drink. One.”

  Dan looked at the nearly full bottle. It was down a fraction.

  “Can you look at me, please?”

  Nick lifted his face. The afternoon light showed bruising around his left eye.

  “Oh, shit! What happened?”

  “What it looks like. I was in a fight.”

  “With someone you were trying to arrest?”

  “No. With another cop. In my office.” Nick reached across the table and picked up an envelope, tossing it to Dan. “This was taped to my locker today.”

  Inside was a card: BEST WISHES ON YOUR ENGAGE­MENT. Pink frills, hearts, and flowers. Dan opened it to a photograph of two naked men kissing, their erections pasted over with guns.

  “No way!” Dan exhaled slowly. “Someone at your division did this?”

  Nick nodded.

  “Was it the two guys at the cemetery the other day?”

  “I haven’t a fucking clue. I decked the first guy who laughed. Guilt by association is how I figured it.”

  “Did you hurt him?”

  “I sincerely hope so. I’ll find out when I go back. I’ve been suspended for a week.” He shook his head and smiled. “Stupid thing is, I don’t even know if it was supposed to be funny or insulting. You can never tell with cops. They can be such assholes even when they’re trying to be your buddy.”

  Dan laughed lightly. “And I caused a stir at Queen’s Park today,” he said, relating his recent adventure. “So I guess we could both use a drink.”

  “I’ve had mine. You go ahead.”

  Dan twisted the top off the Scotch and filled the glass partway, tipped it to Nick then swallowed. He made a face. “I forgot how this stuff burns.”

  “Don’t get used to it, okay?”

  Dan thought for a moment. “Will it be hell when you get back to work?”

  Nick nodded. “Probably. Word will get out. I’ll be shunned for a while. At least by the worst ones. There are a few who are okay, but they’ll probably avoid me for a while. If someone is cool with me then it will be read that he’s also a fag. It’s like high school there. It was all right when I kept it to myself, but now everyone will know.”

  “I don’t envy you,” Dan said. He looked at Nick’s black eye and laughed out loud.

  “What?”

  “Thing is, you look pretty hot right now.”

  “There’s always a bright side to everything.”

  Nineteen

  Sharks

  A phone was buzzing. Dan looked over. It was his old cell, lying on the dresser beside the new one. Will Parker’s name flashed on the screen.

  “Hello, Will. What’s up?”

  “Good morning, Dan. I know it’s abrupt, but I need to meet with you. Say, an hour from now?”

  Dan looked over at Nick, who had rolled over and covered his face with one arm.

  “Sure. What’s it about?”

  “In the interests of ensuring our privacy, I suggest we leave that till we meet in person.”

  Later, Dan realized it had felt more like a summons than an invitation. Your friend Will Parker knows a lot more than he lets on, Simon Bradley had said. Had he known then what was behind Will’s request, he might not have gone.

  The CN Tower was the single most prominent building on the city’s horizon, rising 553 metres above abandoned railway land, yet its actual whereabouts remained shrouded in mystery to many. Getting there was like finding the end of the rainbow. But it wasn’t North America’s tallest phallic symbol Dan had come to visit. Rather, it was an aluminum-clad labyrinth of aquatic showcases he was headed for. By chance, Ripley’s Aquarium made its home right next door, its entrance within easy shooting distance for any skilled marksman from the tower’s observation deck. Muzzle to target, rifleman’s rule. He got in line to buy his ticket.

  Will was just laying a knife and fork across his empty plate when Dan arrived at the cafeteria. He pressed a napkin to his lips, looked up, and offered a cautious smile.

  “Thought I’d take the opportunity to have a bite while I was waiting,” he said apologetically. “I never know when I’m going to have a
free moment.”

  He glanced up at the balcony circling the rotunda. “Lot of kids here today. How’s your son, by the way?”

  “Good. I’ll be seeing him in a week.”

  “Send my regards.” Will nodded and pushed his plate aside. “Have you been here before? Wonderful place, whether you’re an adult or a child. Let’s take a walk.”

  Dan followed him into a maze of glowing glass walls, the schools of fish turning and flashing under the lights.

  “It’s a good place to talk,” Will was saying. “The kids get so excited you can barely hear yourself. No one else would be able to overhear you if you didn’t want them to. We’re also underground, so our phones won’t work.”

  “And I thought I was secretive.”

  “I need to be wary. Every day of my life. I know things that would blow apart the lives and careers of some of the best-known people in the country. I can’t afford to slip. The Cold War is alive and well in the political system. Remember those Russian Matryoshka dolls?”

  Dan nodded.

  “Politics is like that: secrets concealed within secrets. Open one and you find another concealed inside. You never know when you get to the bottom of anything. There could still be something else hidden within.” Will looked over at Dan. “But you already know that, don’t you?”

  “I’ve guessed from time to time.”

  “I have to cover a lot of things up. Messy things. Other people’s mistakes. Mostly things I can’t talk about.”

  “Even when they involve murder?”

  “Especially when they involve murder, Dan.”

  The shushing of the water surrounded them, all but drowning their words. They stepped onto a moving sidewalk taking them past the largest displays.

  “So, are you telling me this Magus exists?”

  “I’m not telling you anything, officially or otherwise. I’m just talking. What if I said he exists? Or she? Or them? What would it prove? Publicly, I would still tell you it’s all nonsense, that such things can’t happen in an enlightened country like Canada. But this is politics and it’s a dirty business at the best of times.”

  A wolf eel watched them through the glass. Its jaws gaped as though it thought the two men might be food.

  “So, what are you telling me?”

  Will fixed him with a stare. “I’m telling you that you’re playing with fire. You need to watch out for the power behind the throne. It’s never the king who carries the dagger. It’s always the Iagos and the Brutuses. They’re the ones to watch.”

  “And the Simon Bradleys?”

  Will made a dismissive gesture.

  “The Simon Bradleys of this world are nothing compared to the people who want power, Dan. The people who want to take the country in a particular direction. Our current prime minister is a good example. He’d like to align us with the Americans and move us all to a more conservative place. Never underestimate him. He’s a smart man with powerful backers who stay well-hidden behind the scenes. That’s why he’s dangerous. So far, he’s carried off his agenda very successfully. There’s an election coming up. If he gets another five-year mandate, there’s no telling what he’ll do. We’ve all seen what’s happening. In the decade he’s been in power, we’ve gone from peacekeepers to war-makers. That should tell you a lot. We are slowly but surely becoming a satellite of the U.S. Some would say it’s inevitable, but we’ve managed to maintain a healthy distance for nearly a century and a half.”

  The sidewalk carried them along, past a million and a half gallons of water, the glass arching overhead as though they were at the bottom of the ocean. Captain Kidd. Jules Verne. The Titanic. A hammerhead shark drifted silently past, its dull, predatory eyes scanning for prey. The dark wings of a manta ray unfolded softly nearby, the two sea sisters strangely within striking distance of one another.

  “I appreciate the confidence, Will, but surely that’s not what you brought me down here to discuss.”

  “No, it’s not.”

  They had reached the heart of the aquarium. Will stepped off the sidewalk. Dan joined him. Others passed on the conveyor, oblivious to the pair’s temporary defection.

  “I love the sound down here,” Will said. “It’s like the pulse of the world.”

  He turned to watch as two more sharks floated overhead.

  “Have you ever noticed how often the feds refer to us as ‘the taxpayers of Canada’ these days, as though that’s all we are to them now? Just a source of income to run the government. It’s telling.”

  “But surely this Magus is a far step below all that. We’re talking provincial politics —”

  Will interrupted. “Daniel, I know you. You’re not naïve. Where do federal leaders come from? The testing ground is the provinces. We make young leaders here.”

  “Like Alec Henderson.”

  “Like Alec … and others. We are forging the future. Canada can no longer remain unaffected by the rest of the world. If there is a Magus — and I say if — then the Magus will be watching carefully to see who is coming up that ladder. If anyone is capable of making big waves in future then that person is going to be closely observed. Accidents are not allowed to happen. We can’t afford a false move on the chess board of politics.”

  “Let me guess. You think I’ve just disrupted that process by fingering an up-and-coming federal candidate with my questions.”

  “I’m saying you’ve annoyed some powerful people and they won’t let you continue doing it.”

  A group of schoolchildren drifted past, looking up in hushed awe as a giant turtle propelled itself gently above.

  “So you are talking about the Magus.”

  “Officially, the Magus doesn’t exist. Just rumours, a bogeyman to scare the impressionable into behaving.”

  “But unofficially? Just curious — is it a single person, a group? How exactly does it work?”

  “Even if I knew, I wouldn’t be able to tell you, Dan. This is the heart of darkness as far as politics are concerned.” He glanced over his shoulder, concern shadowing his face. “I’m afraid this is out of my league. You may never trust me again after today, but I had to consult someone else on the matter. He wants to speak with you. He insisted, in fact.”

  “Who?”

  Will made an apologetic gesture. “He’ll be here in a minute. Just — please forgive me for this. If you can.”

  “Forgive you? Who the hell are we talking about? The Attorney General?”

  “No. I’m sorry. Due to the allegations you brought me, I’ve had my hand forced. I hope you understand.” Will nodded at someone over Dan’s shoulder. “He’s here.”

  He held out his hand. Dan looked at the hand, but declined to shake. Will shrugged apologetically and stepped back on the moving sidewalk. Dan watched as it carried him away.

  A figure came up and stood quietly beside him. It was Steve Ross of the Canadian Security Intelligence Services.

  “Surprised?” Steve asked.

  He wore a casual shirt, a burgundy sweater, and loose-fitting flannel trousers. Just another middle-aged dad. Grey tipped his short-cropped hair. Dan recalled perfectly the last time they’d met. He’d put on fifteen pounds and started balding on top since then, but he was still as ordinary as they came. Someone who could blend into the woodwork. Mr. Nobody at your service. Perfect spy material.

  “I suppose I shouldn’t be,” he replied.

  “It seems you’ve come to our attention again, Mr. Sharp. You certainly do get around.”

  “I could say the same for you. Only I was invited.”

  “Yes, you were. By me, in fact. You’ve been stirring things up again. You know how territorial we guard dogs are.”

  “Well, I’ll back off then. I have no intention of snooping around in CSIS territory.”

  “Too late, I’m afraid. You seem to have found something of intere
st to us.”

  Dan shook his head. “I don’t know what I found, but it seems to be what got an MPP killed.”

  “You seem awfully sure it was murder, after an esteemed colleague of mine declared it suicide.”

  Dan thought back to the scratched-out Inconclusive above the coroner’s verdict of suicide. “Call it a hunch,” he said, “but most disgraced politicians don’t hang themselves from the underside of bridges.”

  “A pity. I wish more of them would. Do you know why he was hanged?”

  “To send a message, I would guess. To anyone else who might look too closely at whatever is going on in the provincial legislature.”

  “But hanging? Surely there are easier ways to kill a man.”

  “You would know.”

  Steve shrugged. “Who do we hang? Public enemies, traitors, horse thieves. Not too many of those around any more. Who else? Speakers of the House.”

  “He wasn’t a Speaker,” Dan said.

  “Not yet. Perhaps someone wanted to prevent him from becoming one.”

  “Maybe. The odd thing is he was murdered and no one seems to give a damn except his wife.”

  Steve watched him shrewdly. “What is she paying you to look into this?”

  “Nothing. I’m not officially looking into it.”

  “Well, now you are, it seems. We would like you to help find the Magus. We’ll pay you well for whatever information you bring us.” He stroked his chin and looked at Dan. “Welcome back. It’s good to be working with you again.”

  “No. This isn’t going to happen.”

  Steve managed to look surprised. “I’m afraid it is. Whatever made you think you had a choice?”

  “You think I’m bluffing?”

  “You’d be doing your country and democracy a big favour.”

  “Democracy — right. Remind me again. Wasn’t Adolph Hitler democratically elected? George Bush, the ex–coke addict and born-again Christian? Let’s not forget our own mini-fürher, Stephen Harper.” Dan shrugged. “What good is democracy when the people who vote are idiots?”