“He was to return to France for a civilian trial. He was escorted by a French agent. On the ship home, according to the report, he pushed the agent to whom he was handcuffed overboard. The agent was a large man who couldn’t swim and the bodies were never found.”

“And then there was one,” said Siri.

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

The Lightning Bug Angel

They’d chosen Hay Sok temple for a number of reasons. It was small and intimate and it had a history. Siri’s first Vientiane house, before it was blown to bits by a mortar, had overlooked the temple grounds. He and Civilai had often sat at the kitchen window there and drank too much and finished one another’s sentences. One night, Civilai had alerted Siri to a surprisingly large swarm of lightning bugs gathered around the main stupa.

“They’re trying to tell us something,” Civilai had said. “I feel this is a crucial moment in our lives.”

Siri had been head down at the time, engaged in conflict with a wine bottle. He was holding it between his knees and gouging at the foil top with a corkscrew. He completely missed the significance of Civilai’s sighting.

“I must be losing my touch,” he said.

“It’s incredibly beautiful,” said Civilai.

“There was a time I could just rip these things off with two fingers.”

“No, I see it,” said Civilai. “I see the shape clearly now. It’s an angel.”

“I’m bleeding here.”

“She’s beckoning to me.”

“They must be using some new alloy.”

“I’m coming, my darling.”

“I need a hacksaw.”

“This is where I shall be laid when it’s all over,” said Civilai, looking down at his young brother spouting blood.

“What?” asked Siri.

“My cremation. It will be here.”

“Then this will be the death of both of us.”

“Siri, what are you doing?”

“I’m trying to get to the cork.”

“There is no cork.”

“Eh?”

“It’s a screw cap, Siri. You’re hacking through metal.”

“Sacrilege,” said Siri. “Since when did wine come in screw tops?”

“A present from Australia. You don’t have to drink it if it offends you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”