Page 101 of Gideon

“Gideon took down the totem poles. It takes time to build new ones.”

“It’s taking too long. They’re getting ready to turn on us.”

“They can’t turn on us,” Fairfax said. “I’ve taken the fight out of them.”

“That’s what you think,” Cole said. “But I’m out there on the street every day. You don’t control these people anymore. You're nothing but a washed up?—”

Gideon heard a scuffle, then Peters said, “Knock it off. We don’t need to fight. We’re grown men. Let’s act like it.”

“Tell that to Mayor Fairfax,” Cole said. “He’s the one who’s gone overboard in his rage.”

“Come off your high horse,” Peters said. “We’ve all seen how you react under pressure. What we need to do is consolidate.”

“That’s what I’ve been doing,” Fairfax said. “Cutting the head off the snake. Gideon’s gone, and now they’re all drowning in their own misery.”

“At the church,” Cole said.

“Don’t worry about that,” Phineas said. “When things keep getting worse, they’ll turn on each other like they did last time.”

“The town is in such a mess,” Fairfax said, “they’ll be looking for someone to blame. And trust me, it won’t be me.”

“It’s not gonna be me,” Cole said.

“It won’t be any of us.”

“Then who?”

“Nikki Morris,” Phineas said.

Gideon flinched.

Cole laughed. “Is that who you’ve been lining up?”

“She’s the easy target,” Fairfax said. “Like her dad. You want to point the finger at anyone, the church is your best bet. Everyone is always ready to blame the church.”

“But Nikki isn’t leading anyone,” Cole said. “From what I heard, she’s their leader only because there’s no one else. She’s a small target.”

“And small targets can be hard to hit,” Peters said.

“They’ve lost everything, and they’re looking to her for answers,” Fairfax said. “When she can’t give them any, they’ll turn on her. It’s as simple as that.”

“You had better hope so.” Cole moved back to thewindow. “I don’t run away from a fight or complain about getting my hands dirty, but bringing all those people to the brink of despair is just plain stupid. That kind of behavior is what starts a revolution.”

Phineas laughed. “That’s over the top, don’t you think?”

“No, I don’t. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re on their way here right now with pitchforks and torches.”

“Yeah right. A bunch of lazy, whining nobodies,” Fairfax said. “You saw the way they bowed to those wooden monstrosities in the town square.”

“Excuse me?” Phineas said.

“Oh, come off it. You’ve always been in it for the money. Don’t tell me you got sentimental about them.”

“I take my job seriously.”

“You’re too full of yourself to take your job seriously. All you care about is looking good.”

“You don’t think I care about the wellbeing of these people?”

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