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Back The Trickster
Chapters (74)
  1. The Trickster
  2. Copyright
  3. Dedication
  4. Contents
  5. Preface to the 20th anniversary edition
  6. Introduction
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. Keep Reading
  70. FURNACE
  71. Acknowledgements
  72. About the Author
  73. ALSO BY THE AUTHOR
  74. About the Publisher

‘Thank you. So Silver struggles on in the face of the fact that a silent killer is stalking its quiet streets, its quaint bars and restaurants. In fact as we stand here at the foot of the trails, the day waning, he could even be amongst the folk coming down off that hill of fear, looking for his next victim in the happy crowd of tired skiers. This is Robin Tyler, WCBN. Back to you, Marty.’

Pasqual exploded. ‘Oh come on! That’s a piece of bullshit!’

The camera was off, the neat beard already unscrewing it from its tripod. Robin looked innocently at her. ‘What’s the problem?’

‘You’re kidding! Are you deliberately trying to lose me customers? You said this was going to be a positive piece about how we’re carrying on in the face of adversity.’

‘That’s right. It was.’

The cameraman was folding the tripod up. Pasqual held up a hand and pointed a finger at him. He smiled up at Robin.

‘You just hold it right there, buddy.’ She turned back to the man with the mike, her finger still pointing at the cameraman as if it were keeping him there. The small crowd of onlookers had evaporated with the pay-off, gone to catch their ski bus or load up their cars. Pasqual was on her own. ‘Now we’re going to do that again, Mr Tyler, with a little less of the hill-of-fear crap, or I’m going to boot you and your crew right off this mountain and make sure that every other goddamn news unit here gets access to this location except you. You know I can do it.’

He looked at her, then at his cameraman, who raised one laconic eyebrow, and knew it was true. ‘Okay, calm down. I’m real sorry you feel that way, and I must say I think you’re wrong. It was positive and I think you would have been happy with it when you saw it go out. But if you want to do it again, hey, we’ll give it another shot.’

He pulled himself up into his broadcasting posture again, and waited for the camera to be screwed back on. Neat-beard gave him the nod.

‘Okay, Frankie, just for variety let’s have the strawberry filter on this one.’

Frankie half-smiled, and flicked a switch.

‘In ten.’

Ten was up.

‘A week ago, Silver, Alberta was just a sleepy ski town …’