Pike Island

by Tony Wirt

“It’s where the ghosts of all the fish killed on this lake live,”

“Yeah.” It took more than a second to find his voice. “There’s this weird-ass house back there that still has furniture in it, clothes still in the closets . . . all that stuff. But nobody lived there. It’s like the people just walked away one day, but nobody knows why or who they were.”

He’d called it a blood oath, and it worked because that story never seeped into the oral encyclopedia of small-town gossip that kept tales like that around for generations.

Just abandoned—furniture, clothes, everything. Like the people simply walked away fifty years ago and never came back.”

“We’re running for governor,” she said. Harry’s eyebrows shot up. “What?” “If leadership isn’t going to let us get anything done here, fuck ’em,” Krista said. “We go back to Minnesota and pass election reform there. We show how effective it can be—then, after a few terms, they’re going to be begging you to run for president.” Krista had expected Harry to

“The whole point has always been to shake up the system, to take on the entrenched power structure,” Krista said. “That’s everything you ever campaigned on. It’s why people voted for you.”

“But if we go back to St. Paul, you can make a difference,” she said. “You’ll still get to the White House eventually, but you’ll

The house was musty, dusty, and had a weird smell that Jake couldn’t place. But for a house that had been abandoned half a century ago, it was remarkably intact. And that was the most unnerving thing about it.

Squatters

“I think we go public with the threats and cop to it. It’s early in your career, and we’ve got a year until the next election. It will certainly be an issue there, but if we get through that first reelection, we can probably put it to bed.

but nothing major or anything.”

Yeahhhh ok

crappies

“This shit happens all the time. These fucking cops, politicians, guys like Andy . . . fucking evil. They don’t ever want anyone to know what they’re really up to, so they cover it all up. Kennedy, 9/11, that thing with the pizza shop . . .” He jabbed a shaky finger at her. “You’re gonna tell me the kind of people who do that shit can’t cover up a little drug lab in Minnesota? Don’t be naive.”

Shir was rge drug bust cocered up to protect abdy from his electiob? Does the ransom cone from someobe who wants his poaition

A conspiracy theorist would be easy to discredit if she couldn’t convince him to stay quiet.

“I’ve done everything I could to erase the memory of that trip, but I can’t because of this fucking scar. Because of him.”

Problems have a funny way of following you

“It’s not that, but why would the congressman not want to report it to the police?”

“You’ve got to help me stop him because this is just going to keep happening until somebody stops him. I’m not going to end up like his parents. Like Ryan.”

“I mean I can’t have anyone else get hurt because of me, okay?”

What did he do tocaue this fear

And he did. This is the culmination of a decades-long assault on women, and if you think it’s going to stop here, you’re delusional.

I want every woman out there to know I stand with you. Every gay person who just wants to keep the same rights as your straight brothers and sisters, I stand with you. Every trans person who just wants to FUCKING EXIST . . . I see you, and I stand with

Hey, I’m a cis white male, and as much as I empathize, there’s no way I can feel the pain of women today. I can’t feel the fear of LGBTQ+ people, knowing that the hard-fought victories they’ve won over the years can—and if we don’t do something, WILL—be ripped away by an activist, illegitimate court that is willing to put their own biases ahead of the Constitution of the United States. But I promise you this . . . I will use every bit of my cis white male privilege to fight for every person out there whose rights have been trampled today.

USsng the white savior method to helpthose marginaozed i hte politicians bc their mo is always so skewed but e intention is good

A real ally, not just someone paying lip service who would slink to the back when the chips were down. Someone who could be counted on to fight for everything they believed in. To be a bulkhead against the rising tide who wanted to marginalize people like her.

A true ally to these communities

“But I tell you, that Blake Bourdeau was a bad seed. Between you, me, and the lamppost, the whole family was no good. They used to own the resort out on Cedar Lake, and I

he’d been selling that junk from right behind the bar.”

“So, the problem I have is, I’ve got four stupid fucking kids out there that not only took a whole lot of money from me but also know where I make my money. You can see the issue I’m having, right?”

SOthe dnr or the cop is corrupt sndthe olne conductingthe whole drug operation

The flashlight’s beam was more potent at such close range, concentrating the light on the body below as Jake studied Blake’s face for signs of life. It was impossible to tell if he was breathing, so Jake slowly extended his hand under Blake’s nose.

Isthis why andy looked distraugt wt the fuhnerwl bc they knew how he died

codger

“Wait—the DNR was involved with the drug lab?”

An inskde heist or job...dnr was in on yhe drugs?!?!

knew it was all bull, but I wasn’t about to contradict a man who just found out his little girl was dead.”

“Once I signed that report, I was just as guilty as he was. Probably more so. Lying

The sherrif coukddt even investugste bc the hesds daughter was xonplkicit in te crine

“Somebody is saying they sold him drugs while he was staying up there back in high school. He denies it, but we can’t leave any stone unturned.

Just a tragic fire like the report said. Doc was also Sheriff’s golfing buddy for a whole lotta

Everyone was coveri it uo a toen conspiracy

This whole thing is her deal. Only reason I’m even here is because I bought some of their shit one time and now if I don’t do what she says, she’ll turn me in.

She had no doubt that Harry Leonard was a murderer, just like Jake had said.

“Nobody can ever know we were out there. Just forget this whole thing happened. Never talk about it again . . . even among us.” Andy reached into his pocket

how do you think that’s going to play out? If the cops covered up for a drug-dealing DNR officer, what do you