by Jon Loomis
“Particle accelerator? What particle accelerator?”
“He said that if the honeybees all die, humans pretty much go extinct in four years. Four years!”
“What particle accelerator?”
“But there you are—being a freaking mammal like everything’s just fine. How can you say you’re not an optimist?”
Coffin raised an eyebrow.
“Jesus,” Kotowski said. “You’re relentless—no wonder you’re good at being a cop. There’s a new particle accelerator under the French Alps that’s seventeen fucking miles long. If the guys who are running it aren’t careful, they could produce a black hole that’ll destroy the planet.”
“Oh,” Coffin said. “Let’s go outside and have a smoke.”
“Oh?” Kotowski said. “Oh? A bunch of French physicists might accidentally generate a killer black hole under the freaking Alps and all you can say is oh?”
“What do you want me to say?” Coffin said, pulling Kotowski outside by his shirt.
“Well, some expression of concern would be nice,” Kotowski said. They stood in the sculpture garden, in the long shadow of a tall abstract bronze.
Coffin lit a cigarette and offered the pack to Kotowski. “Okay,” he said. “I’m concerned. Happy now?”
“Reasonably content,” Kotowski said, puffing at his cigarette. “More or less. For the moment.”
A fat skunk waddled across Commercial Street, ignoring them. The Long Point foghorn skwonked, even though there was no fog. Coffin looked up at the night sky. The stars were in sharp focus: Big Dipper, Orion’s belt. A meteor blazed and then winked out above the Pilgrim Monument. A good sign, a dark omen. “Well,” Coffin said, “you can’t ask for more than that.”
Acknowledgments
Many thanks to Richard and Alice Goldin for their amazing help and enthusiasm. Thanks to the L.A. Nation for buying so many copies of the first one. Huge thanks also to Gloria Loomis for buying the new furnace. And the new screen porch. And the new Telecaster. I am grateful also to Kelley and Maria for their guidance, patience, and encouragement, and to Bill Tapply and Chris Grabenstein for blurbing High Season. Thanks to Richard at All Things Digital for walking me through the ins and outs of home surveillance, and to marmar at DU for the best line ever. Thanks to all at UWEC who have expressed support for the writing of these books (and enjoyment in the reading of them). Thanks to my lovely family for putting up with my weirdness and coming to visit me in book jail. Incandescent love and devotion always to Allyson: What were you thinking?