Unacceptable Risk

by Karl Lykken

About the Author: When not scouring the Gobi for death worms or munching on tarantulas in Siem Reap, Karl Lykken writes both fiction and software in Texas.

Excerpt

“I think Sunny is killing off the people in his dead pool.”

Frankie looks up from his cup of coffee, his bored, narrowed eyes telling me he’s not remotely convinced by my theory. “The pool’s worth five hundred dollars. Sunny’s salary must be six figures.”

Frankie gives his head a slight shake as he lowers his gaze back to his coffee, convinced he’s thoroughly dismissed my ridiculous idea. He’s never quite figured out how to argue politely, but there’s a limit to what I can expect from my fellow actuaries when it comes to social graces. “Hear me out, Frankie. I’m not saying he’s killing them for the money; I think it’s just some kind of sick game to him. I mean, he’s always been kinda off, and I just have trouble believing that three people who all happen to work at the same firm and all happen to be on Sunny’s list—which we all thought was the worst list in the pool, if you recall—would all die in the same year. It doesn’t figure. The odds of that are just so low.”

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