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Back The Third Brother Save as PDF
Chapters (116)
  1. Cover
  2. Also by the Author
  3. The Third Brother
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. PART I
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. PART II
  67. 60
  68. 61
  69. 62
  70. 63
  71. 64
  72. 65
  73. 66
  74. 67
  75. 68
  76. 69
  77. 70
  78. 71
  79. 72
  80. 73
  81. 74
  82. 75
  83. 76
  84. 77
  85. 78
  86. 79
  87. 80
  88. 81
  89. 82
  90. 83
  91. 84
  92. 85
  93. 86
  94. 87
  95. 88
  96. PART III
  97. 89
  98. 90
  99. 91
  100. 92
  101. 93
  102. 94
  103. 95
  104. 96
  105. 97
  106. 98
  107. 99
  108. 100
  109. 101
  110. 102
  111. 103
  112. 104
  113. 105
  114. 106
  115. 107
  116. 108

Tweety pouts and backs off and starts to banter again with Paul, who starts hugging and touching her. Mike shrugs and Tweety smiles meanly at him and puts her hand on Paul’s thigh.

Mike tries to watch the pool. Two guys who look like twins start running the table. They are Thai, and distinguishable to Mike only as white T-shirt and blue T-shirt. They hover like dragonflies, and sink or miss at will, yelling in triumph, cracking the balls and disorienting the farangs.

Their behavior is “not in Thai character,” says Tweety to no one in particular. “Those boys.”

Mike wonders if they might be on yaa baa.

Suddenly Bridget is whispering in his ear and he can feel her breath the way he felt Tweety’s. It startles him.

“Relax, Mr. Mike,” she says.

32

On a vacation in California, when Mike was only five or six, the family passed through a ghost town. At least that’s how it seemed to Mike. It was really just a small cannery town called Moss Landing. Mike and Lyle both remembered short trawlers bobbing in the oily harbor. It was a Sunday morning, and the main drag was closed up, except for a weird old antique shop and the gas station. Their mother walked in on a whim while their father was getting gas, and the boys followed her.

Mike immediately found the most interesting piece, which was a 1971 Nikon Nikkomat. The camera was in bad shape with what looked like a bullet hole through the casing, small and circular in front and blooming out like a metal flower in the back. Mike put his little finger in the hole and then showed the camera to his mother. She bought it and told her boys not to mention it to their father and gave it to him for his birthday later that summer.

From then on, the camera sat on Mike’s father’s bookshelf. At first it was out of Mike’s reach. When he was tall enough to get it down, he often played with it. When he was older and stopped playing with it, he still took it down and turned it over in his hands. His mother forgot all about it. His father only occasionally looked at it. Of them all, only Mike valued the camera, having spent his childhood pretending to die as a war correspondent shooting combat pictures with it.

33

A uniformed policeman slides in under the metal guard. He is skinny, with a thin mustache, and has a gun on his hip. He narrows his eyes and customers at the bar stiffen. He scratches his chin with his truncheon. The hustlers disappear up the back stairs.