Excerpt of Included!

JOHN HARTtimes before voice mail kicked in. “Jamie. It’s Adam. I need the names of thosebookies. Call me when you get the message.” I closed the phone and placed iton the seat beside me. Miriam looked so fragile, like she might break down atany second. “It’ll be okay,” I told her.“I know. It’s just hard. Dad’s so sad. Mom is upset. Grace ...”We were silent for a moment. “Do you think that Dolf could have killedDanny?”“As God is my witness, Adam, I have no idea. Dolf and I never knew eachother that well and I really didn’t know Danny at all. He was older, hired help.We didn’t associate.”A sudden thought occurred to me. Miriam said that George describedDanny’s beating as justly deserved payback. Harsh words, I thought, and picturedGeorge at breakfast the other day, the anger that rose in him as we spokeof Danny.Danny said I was a joke. He told Miriam that she shouldn’t date a joke.I’d suggested that Danny remembered a different George Tallman.Fuck him, then. That’s what I say.I studied Miriam. I did not want to upset her needlessly. As far as I couldtell, George Tallman did not have a violent bone in him; but I had to ask.“Miriam, did George and Danny have issues? Problems? Anything like that?”“Not really. Years ago, they were friends. The friendship ended. One ofthem grew up, the other didn’t. I don’t believe there were any issues beyondthat.”I nodded. She was right. Danny had a great power to make other men angry.It was the ego in him. Nothing more.“How about Dad and Danny?” I asked. “Have they had problems?”“Why would you ask that?”“The cops doubt Dolf ’s confession. They think that he might be lying toprotect Dad.”Miriam shrugged. “I don’t think so.”“Does the name Sarah Yates mean anything to you?” I asked.“No.”“What about Ken Miller?”She shook her head. “Should it?”216