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I took a drink of the whisky. It was good. I looked at
Gershon. I was alive.
 Tony Rizzo, I said to Gershon,  what did you find out
about him?
The only thing I knew about the gunman was his name.
The police found his body in the snow. Tony Rizzo was the
name on the driver s license in his pocket.
 Tony Rizzo came from New Mexico, said Gershon.  He
was a hit man for anybody who paid him.
A hit man. A killer. And Ricky Klein had enough money
to pay him, I thought.
Gershon went on:  He spent four years in prison near
Santa Fe, New Mexico, from 1993 to 1997 for killing a
security guard.
 Only four years? I asked.
 He got out, Gershon said.  His friends helped him. He
jumped out of a window and onto a furniture truck. I
looked at Gershon. He was almost enjoying himself, I
thought. Well, it was different from parking tickets.
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 Anyway, I said,  I got everything from him.
 The whole story? asked Gershon.
 Well, almost everything, I said.  I got Rizzo to talk on the
ski lift. He killed Janine Anderson. And Ricky Klein was
behind it.
 Wow! said Gershon.  You re good!
I smiled.  That s the nicest thing you ve said to me, Bill, I
said. Gershon looked at me and smiled. Maybe we were
becoming friends at last.
 But there s someone else, I went on.  Someone Rizzo
called the  Big Boss, Big CJ . Janine Anderson knew a lot.
Everything, I think. About Klein, how he gave a lot of
money to this Big CJ. This man who was in the
Government Land Office.
 Government Land Office! said Bill Gershon suddenly.
He put his hand in his pocket and took out about five pieces
of paper.  I forgot! Here are the names.
I took the papers from Gershon and put them on the table
in front of me. I read through them. I was looking for a
famous name.
A few minutes later I looked up at Gershon.  Bill, there s
one name on here that & 
 Yes, I know, said Gershon. His eyes were big and round.
 Governor Clark Johnson & a member of the GLO!
 But it can t be! I said.
Clark Johnson! CJ! The Governor of Colorado. And the
man who everyone said was the next President of the
United States.
I drank my whisky. Now I could see everything.  Janine
Anderson had enough to send Klein to prison for twenty
years, I said to Bill,  and she had enough to finish Governor
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Johnson. She wanted to write all about it. Of course she had
to die.
 But how did Janine know about Clark Johnson?
 Maybe she guessed at first, I said.  She knew that it must
be someone important in the GLO. Someone who needed a
lot of money.
 Wow! said Gershon.  If this is true, it s big!
 Yes, I said,  it s big. Johnson was in the Government Land
Office when Klein built Alpine Resorts Colorado in
Redridge. Johnson needed money. He wanted to become
Governor.
 So Klein said,  You let me build Alpine Resorts &   said
Gershon.
  And I ll give you money! A lot of money. Millions of
dollars, probably, I said.  We can look at his bank account
easily enough.
 And then Johnson wanted to become President! said
Gershon.
 Yes, I said.  I think Janine really did have a big story. The
biggest.
The  next President of the United States took money from
Ricky Klein to let Klein build a new Alpine Resorts. What
was bigger than that?
 But now we ve got enough to send Klein to prison for a very
long time, I said.  And I think we can get Clark Johnson too.
 Wow! said Bill.
 Yes, I said.  Wow!
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Chapter 10 The Big Boss
 That s the story, I said to Jeff Mason.
Jeff now knew everything about Alpine Resorts and Ricky
Klein. And about Governor Clark Johnson.
 So that s why poor Janine died! he said.  Because of Clark
Johnson!
 Yes, and now we need to get Johnson, I said.
 What about Klein? asked Jeff.
 We can t find him, I said.  He knows about Rizzo and he s
gone  the police are still looking for him. We re going to get
Johnson, I went on,  and I need your help.
* * *
An hour later, Jeff called Johnson s office. I listened to the
conversation on another phone.  I want to speak to Governor
Johnson, said Jeff.
 I m sorry, but the Governor is busy now, said a young
woman.  Can I help?
 Yes, said Jeff.  You can tell the Governor that I want to
talk about my friend Janine Anderson and the money
Governor Johnson took from Mr. Ricky Klein. Jeff gave the
woman his hotel name and his telephone number.
Now we just had to wait. We had to wait for Johnson s new
hit man. Tony Rizzo was dead, but I was sure that Clark
Johnson had another hit man. Another killer. We waited in
Jeff s room. It was dark. Jeff was on the bed. Two of
Gershon s men waited near the window. They had their guns.
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I was behind the door with my gun. We waited one hour,
two hours. It was late at night and the hotel was quiet.
Then I heard a noise outside the door. Somebody was
trying to get in. The door opened and I could see a man. I
moved fast from behind the door. Then I hit him over the
back of his head with my gun. He fell to the floor like a tree.
He didn t move.
I turned on the light. Gershon s men came out with their
guns and stood around him. One of them took the hit man s
gun from his hand. Jeff got up from the bed and came over.
I looked at the man on the floor. He was wearing black
clothes and he had a black ski mask over his head. I took it
off and looked at the man s face.
I turned cold. I couldn t speak. Jeff looked at me.  Do you
know him? he asked.
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 Yes, I said quietly.  It s Eddie Lang. The man who killed
Scott.
 Tell me about Governor Clark Johnson, I said to Eddie
Lang.  He s behind this, right?
Eddie Lang looked up and saw all the police around him.
 Yes, he said.
* * *
The next day, I was in Gershon s office.
 We ve found Klein, he said.  He s told us everything. Bill
Gershon smiled at me.  Thanks, Flick, he said.  Thanks for
everything. I m sorry & 
 Forget it, I said, smiling.
I said goodbye to Gershon and the others  to Jeff and
Teresa, and to Janine Anderson s parents.
 Thank you, said Gene Anderson.  Thank you so much.
Then I got in my red Chevy and drove out of Pine Crest
and onto the highway. I looked back at the beautiful Rocky
Mountains. The mountains were white and the sky was blue.
Life was almost good. Janine Anderson s killer was dead.
Ricky Klein was going to prison for twenty years and Alpine
Resorts was finished. Better than that, Clark Johnson,
Governor of Colorado, was finished too. He could never be
President of the United States now.
I thought about Scott. I could feel him smiling at me.
 Good work, Flick, I could hear him say.
And, perhaps best of all, I thought, Eddie Lang was going
to prison for a very long time! Yes, life was good. I was in my
red Chevy and life was good.
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