The Killing League

46.

The Commissioner

“Welcome, friends, and thank you for joining me here at this lovely establishment.” The man on the screen smiled at the people in the room.

“You’re probably wondering why I picked this interesting location. Omaha, Nebraska? Sure, it’s storied in American history, especially in terms of the expansion of the West. You know, cattle and cowboys and Indians, that sort of thing.”

He smiled, almost a boyish grin of sorts.

“But that’s not the reason I chose Nebraska. It’s because Omaha is the closest city to the actual center of the contiguous United States. And I wanted to give everyone the same starting point. No unfair advantages, understand?”

He paused, to let the idea sink in.

“You’re also probably wondering about the rest of the people in the room.”

He swiveled his head, as if he were looking up and down the row of chairs to emphasize his point.

“The fact is, every person in this room, save for our rent-a-cop security guard in the back, is as equally accomplished in our “art” as the next person.”

The man on the screen held up his hands.

“Don’t worry, we won’t get into specifics right now, especially with our friend at the back of the room,” he said. “Let me just assure you that if you’re wondering whether or not I am serious, I am. Each of you is wondering about your secret hobby, and if every other person in the room has a similar hobby. I am here to tell you unequivocally, yes, they all share the same passion and enthusiasm for that particular endeavor.”

He paused and took a deep breath.

“You’re also wondering what this whole deal is. Well, I will tell you a little bit at a time, but you’ve probably guessed by now that it is a competition. Only one of you will win. This is officially the start of Round One.”

He held up a little bell and rang it, then laughed.

“Hey, we’re all here to have fun, right? Because we love what we do?”

He paused again, then took a deep breath.

“Each of you has a packet at the back of the room. In it, you will find your Round One target. You are to do what you do best in regard to this individual. If you are successful, you will be automatically advanced to Round Two. If you fail, you will either be dead or in prison. Either way, you will not advance to Round Two.”

He raised his voice a notch, and this time, his tone lost its joviality.

“You may feel an urge, or at least a thought, of going to the proper authorities with our little game,” he said. “That would be highly ill-advised. You know and I know what kinds of things you have been doing in your own little parts of the world. The authorities would have a great time with that.”

He stood and clapped his hands together.

“Now, gather your packets and go. I will be watching!”

The screen dissolved to black.

Only a logo appeared.

KL.