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Chapters (72)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Part OneThings Fall Apart
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. Seven Years Earlier
  24. 20
  25. Part TwoThe Borders of Utopia
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. Part ThreeWe the Creatures
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. Acknowledgments
  67. Tropic of Kansas
  68. Excerpt from Tropic of Kansas
  69. About the Author
  70. Praise for Rule of Capture
  71. Also by Christopher Brown
  72. About the Publisher

“Oh,” said Marianne. “That’s not helpful.”

“I know,” said Donny. “I’m sorry to blow your source.”

“I’m sorry I tipped you off. I hadn’t meant to. But she’s not my only source.”

“She’s not?”

Marianne shook her head.

“Who is?”

Marianne pulled an invisible zipper across her mouth.

“When will they administer the sentence?” she asked.

“Day after tomorrow,” said Donny. “Monday, when I should be back in Dallas with her.”

“They don’t want to spoil the May Day celebration in the morning.”

“Right,” said Donny. “I guess there’s some big parade tonight. They’re even letting her ride one of the floats. They put me in a cage right away, but she gets to rage. Last hurrah of the damned, I guess.”

“I hear it’s quite the party. Like Mardi Gras, but with better politics. We should go.”

“I can’t. I need to go try to salvage my case, and face up to the mess I left back home, which I thought I was going to fix with what I just messed up here. I have someone helping me, but it’s not looking good for Donny. Any chance you all are looking to hire any burnt-out war-crimes lawyers?”

“What if I told you the source you just burned gave me information that could help your case about the camps?”

“I’m listening.”

“She told me where they disposed of his remains.”

“The president?”

She nodded. “It’s here. In New Orleans.”

“Why would they go to the trouble of moving him so far?”

“For the same reason that you will find this information helpful. They buried him in the same spot where the AMR guards disappeared the prisoners. And we are not hiring, but I could use some help finding this spot.”

“Let’s go,” said Donny, standing.

“There’s just one problem,” said Marianne. “It’s underwater now.”

“So am I. Come on.”

42

What the crew at the Library were able to come up with by way of watercraft was not the fastest thing, but probably the one that could go the furthest into the shallows: a dinged-up old aluminum canoe still tagged as property of the concessionaires at City Park, on a trailer attached to a pedicab. There were no paddles, but someone had left a long wooden pole that worked to operate the canoe as a punt.

That meant that Marianne could concentrate on the search, seated in the bow, while Donny stood close to the middle, pushing against the bottom and scanning wide.