My 6-year-old granddaughter phoned me in panic just after midnight. “Mommy says the baby is coming! Help!” I asked, “Where’s daddy?” She answered, “He k!cked mommy’s tummy and left.”…..

When they were alone, he pulled two beers from a mini fridge and handed one to Harry. Runs an illegal bedding ring out of his lake cabin. Takes action on everything from college football to horse racing. Charges 20% juice on loans. Breaks legs when people don’t pay up. His main muscle is Rafe Gunner. Big son of a with no conscience and a short fuse.

Who’s he paying off besides Tims? City Councilman Dave Garrett takes a cut to keep the gaming ordinances loose. Judge Patricia Moss gets campaign contributions every election cycle. Sheriff’s Department looks the other way as long as the violence stays quiet. Harry nodded. Corruption was like rust once it started. It spread until the whole structure was compromised.

But that also made it predictable. Corrupt men were always vulnerable because they had to protect too many secrets. “You know all this, but you never did anything about it,” Harry observed. Delmare’s face hardened. “My sister Jenny was driving home from her night shift 2 years ago. Trent was coming back from the casino, drunk off his ass, and rammed her car headon.

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