“Now get the hell out of here and don’t come back.”

Jake scrambled to his feet.

“And you’d better go see Professor Sinclair as soon’s you get back to the university. He wants to talk to you.”

Revelation

REVELATION

Jake was only half surprised to see that Nacho Perez was in Sinclair’s office. He was standing by the window, looking out at the snowy peaks of the distant mountains, hands clasped behind his back, rumpled suit jacket hanging loosely on his spare frame.

Jake had phoned Sinclair from his car as he drove back to the university. Even in the cell phone’s tiny speaker he could hear the fury radiating from the professor’s voice.

“You get yourself to my office the instant you reach the campus. Do you hear me? The very instant!”

Starting to feel angry himself, Jake had replied tightly, “I’ll be there.”

And Perez was there, too. As he stepped into the professor’s sizeable office, Jake wondered if Monster were downstairs in the parking lot, waiting for him.

Sinclair was in his shirtsleeves; he had pulled his tie from his unbuttoned collar. He shot out of his desk chair the instant Jake walked into the room.

“How dare you intrude on my wife’s privacy?” Sinclair bellowed before Jake could say hello.

“She invited me to visit her,” Jake said.

Leveling an accusing finger at Jake, the professor snarled, “You had no right to see her. I’ll charge you with criminal trespass, goddamn you! I’ll get you fired! I’ll break you!”

Jake glanced at the stubble-jawed Perez, who looked more bemused than annoyed.

Turning back to Sinclair, he said as calmly as he could, “Your wife is a gambling addict and you don’t want anyone to know about it. Well, now I know and if you try to make good on your threats the rest of the world will know, too.”

Sinclair’s fleshy face turned flame red. His chest heaved visibly. Before he could say anything, though, Perez took a step from the window toward Jake.

“Now wait a minute, kid. You saying you’ll keep your mouth shut about Mrs. Sinclair?”

“I’m saying that I understand why the professor here is under Senator Leeds’s thumb. Leeds will keep quiet about her addiction as long as the professor doesn’t support Tomlinson.”

Sinclair seemed to crumple. He sagged into his desk chair, mouth hanging open, hands fluttering purposelessly. He took in a deep breath and pressed both hands firmly on the desktop.

“It’s more than that,” Sinclair muttered, staring down at his hands. “She nearly bankrupted me before I could … make the arrangements to keep her under control. The senator has been … helpful … financially.”

“Your son’s job,” Jake said.

“More than that,” said the professor.

“So it’s your move, kid,” Perez said, his voice scratchy, harsh. “Whacha gonna do about this?”