The Trinity Game
empty northbound lanes. The headlights of a car swept fast around the curve in the far lane, an eighteen-wheeler just behind it in the second lane.
“Wait!” he yelled, but the kid was already committed, didn’t stop.
The car jerked to the left, tires squealing.
The semi’s air-brakes locked up its massive wheels.
The truck veered, blasting its horn, missing the car by inches.
The car veered into the third lane, straightened out, flew past.
The big rig skidded, jackknifed, and went over on its side, showering sparks, slewing—right through Shooter—off the road, and slammed into the billboard structure.
Silence. Then the billboard groaned, shuddered, and came crashing down. Blocking two northbound lanes of Highway 403.
The state trooper jumped into his cruiser and took off across the highway, siren wailing, roof lights flashing blue and red. Daniel and Julia followed in his car and skidded to a stop beside the overturned truck. The trooper was out of his car and peering through the windshield of the truck’s cab. He smashed the windshield with his Maglight.
The truck driver climbed out, stood up, and brushed himself down.
Daniel ran behind the trailer, searching the ditch for the remains of Shooter in the dark.
“Dude, that was some crazy shit!”
Daniel spun around as Shooter jumped down from his perch on the truck’s spare tire. “I’m OK, I’m fine,” Shooter said, shaking his head and grinning like a little kid. “Wild, man!”
“But how—”
“That big spare tire came at me, I just grabbed it and held on for the ride, prayin’ for a fuckin’ miracle.”
“Looks like you got one.” Daniel turned on his heel and headed back to the car, thinking:
And a shiny new polyester prophet walks amongst us. Goddamnit.
“I cannot believe what we just witnessed.” Julia shook her head again, sipped her double rum and Coke in the dim light of the bar.
“Uh-huh,” said Daniel.
“I mean, that is
not
something you could know was gonna happen ahead of time. It just isn’t.”
“Nope,” said Daniel.
“Your uncle actually predicted the future.”
“Sure looks that way.” Daniel swallowed some beer.
Julia looked at him for a moment, her eyes filled with concern. “Are you all right?”
“I don’t know what you want me to say, Julia. Am I being interviewed by a reporter? Are we two friends talking? What?”
“OK. That’s a fair question.” Julia’s cell vibrated on the table. She held up a finger, answered the phone. “Yes, Herb. When, tomorrow? OK, all right, I’ll be there. Six thirty, fine. Fine, gotta go.” She put the cell down, made a
sorry about that
face. “My editor. They want me on
Good Morning America
.”
“Congratulations.” Churlish.
“Come on, don’t be that way. Look, you’re right, I agree, we need an understanding…” Julia sipped her drink again, then reached across the table and put her hand on top of Daniel’s. Shespoke with gentle authority. “You phoned me, remember? You brought me into this, and I have a job to do. But everything you say is completely off the record. I’ll use what you tell me to help guide my investigation, but I won’t report what you say. OK?”
Daniel needed to believe her. He needed to talk about the chaos now swirling around his head. He also needed to get his fucking hand out from under hers.
Her phone vibrated again, and her hand left his. She pushed a button, and the phone went silent. “That’s what voicemail is for,” she shrugged. “Now talk to me, Danny.”
“OK,” said Daniel. “Truth is I’m having a tough time with all this. I came here to debunk his tongues act, and the thing turns out to be…” He drank some beer. “I’ve been to see him, actually spoke with him. First time in twenty years.”
“Must’ve been hard.”
“And he’s still a con man, same as ever, only…only this thing is really happening. His tongues act has become real. God has actually chosen this scumbag as his messenger. And what the hell does
that
imply?”
“You know I’m an atheist, right?” Like it was something he might’ve forgotten.
“I didn’t figure that had changed,” he said. “But the science you worship can’t explain this phenomenon either.”
“The fact that human understanding is limited is not evidence of a deity.” She sipped her drink. “Anyway, I didn’t mean to make this about me.”
Daniel sipped some beer. “All my life I’ve been searching for a miracle…and now
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