“I think it’s great,” Nick agreed, motioning at the kids dancing. “I told Rachel and Jean, boys mostly stood along the wall, and girls danced with each other when I was a kid. These kids are all dancing, and they seem competent doing it.”
“They dance all the time to their iPods and phones. I can always tell when they are listening to something by Bluetooth when they should be paying attention in class. They cannot keep still. I have confiscated many electronic gizmos this year. I of course give them to the parents. In the old days teachers probably confiscated only chewing gum, and comic books. We are well beyond those days.”
“Agreed. You mentioned your cousin. Will she be visiting in time for the wedding?”
“She is trying to arrange her escape so she doesn’t attract attention. I don’t know if she will make it for the wedding. Her name is Cala. I believe she plans to drive, so she can simply disappear. Once Cala settles here, and gets a job, it will be very difficult for my family to pressure her back. I will find out more soon. Thank you for asking, Nick.”
Nick spotted Phil Salvatore entering the gym, dressed in a dark gray suit, and looking formidable in a banker type manner. Sonny intercepted him, but Phil patted his shoulder, and continued on toward Nick. “I think Sonny’s Dad is heading our way. By his expression, I hope he wants to talk with you.”
“Gee, thanks Nick. Pardon me, but I am hoping he wants only you. Sonny is a good student, and apple of the teacher’s eye, a wonderful-”
“Suck-up,” Nick interrupted Dimah’s comical listings of Phil Salvatore’s son’s good qualities. “You should be ashamed of yourself, Ms. Kader.”
Phil was approaching too fast for Dimah to get in a last retort, so she elbowed Nick, while smiling at Salvatore. “Hi, Mr. Salvatore. I’m glad you could make it. Nick has been policing the older kids for us.”
“Call me Phil.” Salvatore smiled charmingly while shaking Dimah’s hand, and then Nick’s. “Yes, I’ll bet Nick has been policing these kids very well. I was wondering if I might have a word with you, Nick.”
“Certainly.”
“I will get closer to my bunch of young rebels. I will talk with you both later. Nick, I will discuss my cousin’s situation with you after this weekend if that is alright with you.”
“Of course, Dimah.” Nick and Phil waited until Dimah moved across the gym. “What can I do for you, Phil?”
“Have you heard the news from DC?”
“I’m working on a new novel I’m titling ‘Dark Interlude’. With book signings in the state of Washington this month, I’ve been trying to get as far along with my new novel as I can before the signings. We authors have to hawk our wares past, present, and future at every opportunity. The novel so far is going very well, and I admit I am out of touch concerning current events away from my keyboard. My wife Rachel didn’t mention anything out of DC. What happened?”
Salvatore stared at Nick, obviously trying to gauge whether he was indeed as innocently ignorant of the recent news or being deliberately obtuse. “If you had come up for air from your keyboard you would have noticed the National Security Advisor to the President, Lee Collister, died of mysterious causes last night.”
Nick furrowed his brow in an award winning look of questioning concern. “My condolences. Was he a friend of yours?”
Salvatore’s mouth tightened into a thin lipped clamp on something it took control not to disgorge. “No… he was one of my mentors… a boss, if you will. I had some trouble at my previous posting in DC because of a woman I worked for named Nancy Pettinger. She was accused of being a traitor, and died rather ignominiously in a sex scandal. I was caught in a web where the powers that be decided we were all tainted. Collister aided me in getting the posting here, and a way to earn my way back to DC. All I was to do besides grunt work in the office was report on happenings concerning your actions.”
Nick smiled. “My actions. You mean writing novels?”
“No. I mean finding men planting bombs on your house, and hitmen sent to your house you killed in cold blood. I know you were a consultant on the Nancy Pettinger case. Now she’s dead. A man I greatly admire had me looking into your adventures on the coast, and now he’s dead. Maybe all this is just a big coincidence, but I’m wondering if I’m going to be found dead of mysterious causes soon.”
Nick shrugged. “I don’t know, Phil. Have you done anything that would warrant someone killing you? You said yourself Pettinger died in some kind of sex thing gone wrong, and you don’t even know yet what caused this Collister guy’s death. It doesn’t seem like you’ve done anything to get killed for yet… according to what you’ve told me.”
Salvatore’s face took on a flushed appearance as rage seeped into his features. “Are you playing with me, McCarty?”
Nick allowed the Terminator to surface, not to impress Salvatore, but because he was getting awfully tired of talking to him. “Believe me, Phil. I don’t play with anyone. I’ll tell you what though. I will do you a favor. Wait one.”
Nick took out his iPhone, and called Paul Gilbrech.