A Sit-Down with a Mob Boss

A few days later, Ames visited Dr. Moore at his home. The invitation had been unexpected but warm, and Ames sensed that Moore had something specific in mind.

Inside the study, Moore didn’t bother with introductions or explanations. He simply gestured toward a laptop on the table.

“Watch this,” he said.

The footage showed President Rum during the recent mayoral race in New Yew City. Rum had spent months publicly attacking one particular candidate, calling him a socialist, a communist, a danger to the city. He even claimed that if the man were elected, he would send federal troops to “take control of the city before it collapsed.”

Ironically, the attacks only boosted the candidate. He won.

The video shifted. Now Rum and the newly elected mayor stood together at a press conference. Both were smiling, almost jovial. Rum praised him warmly, calling him “a strong leader who will do great things for the city.”

Ames noticed the mayor’s eyes more than his smile—steady, controlled, calculating.

When the video ended, Moore remained silent. He turned, arms folded, waiting.

Ames didn’t need time to think.

“I’d say it’s obvious,” he said. “During their private meeting, Rum explained the rules of the game. Not politics—the game. He told him how power actually works. What he can do. What he cannot try. And what happens to people who imagine they can change the rules.”

Moore’s expression did not change, but something in his posture softened.

Ames continued, “Rum probably gave him examples. Maybe even used himself as one. Or… he pointed to Nedy. A reminder of what happens when you challenge the system instead of playing along.”

For a moment, the room was quiet.

Then Moore let out a small, almost private smile.

“No man,” he said quietly, “ever made a great discovery without the exercise of imagination.”

He placed a hand on Ames’s shoulder—brief but deliberate—then suggested they eat. They moved to the dining room and spoke about lighter things over dinner.

But as Ames drove home later, he realized something important. Moore hadn’t shown him that video to test his intelligence. He had shown it to see whether Ames could recognize the game in real time—not just in old events he had years to analyze.

And Ames knew, instinctively, that Moore had reached the same conclusion he had.