BooksBarbecue
Back Truth of the Divine Save as PDF
Chapters (70)
  1. Also By Lindsay Ellis and Available From Titan Books
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Author’s Note
  7. Part 1: It’s A Fool Who Plays It Cool
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. Part 2: Love Has A Nasty Habit Of Disappearing Overnight
  15. 7
  16. 8
  17. 9
  18. 10
  19. 11
  20. 12
  21. 13
  22. 14
  23. 15
  24. 16
  25. 17
  26. 18
  27. 19
  28. 20
  29. 21
  30. 22
  31. 23
  32. 24
  33. 25
  34. Part 3: A Crowd Of People Stood And Stared
  35. 26
  36. 27
  37. 28
  38. 29
  39. 30
  40. 31
  41. 32
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. 36
  46. 37
  47. 38
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. 42
  52. 43
  53. 44
  54. 45
  55. 46
  56. Part 4: Happiness Is A Warm Gun
  57. 47
  58. 48
  59. 49
  60. 50
  61. 51
  62. 52
  63. 53
  64. 54
  65. 55
  66. 56
  67. 57
  68. A Fiction Agreed Upon
  69. Acknowledgments
  70. About the Author

So she related to him everything she could think of that might be helpful—that you have to stay several steps ahead of the people you’re talking to, but you have to speak quickly because it can’t look like you’re lying or paraphrasing. That anything you say can and will be exploited by the military and the CIA, so when in doubt, keep Nikola’s words to yourself. That people like Sol will always know you’re paraphrasing, but he’s a known paranoiac, so fuck him. That if you need to improvise a quick excuse or explanation for something, play to people’s stereotypes they learned from movies. That you should use a different timbre when speaking for Nikola, as that helps avoid confusion. That Nikola must understand that part of your job is to omit or rephrase certain things, and he has to trust that you know what’s in his best interest.

After a couple of hours, Kaveh decreed it time for sleep. He yawned contentedly, pulled her into a little spoon position, and was asleep within minutes. She succeeded in waiting for him to fall asleep before she began to cry again.

Wed, Feb 20, 2008 at 5:16 PM

From: Leila Zargari <[email protected]>

To: Kaveh Mazandarani <[email protected]>

Subject: threat letter

This came tooyeh post. Not sure if we should be negarron vallee fersestadeem beh police. Thought you should know. miss you.

images

• • • • •

Wed, Feb 20, 2008 at 8:43 PM

From: Kaveh Mazandarani <[email protected]>

To: Leila Zargari <[email protected]>

Subject: Re: threat letter

I’m so sorry this happened. I’ll contact the Beverly Hills PD. Aslan yanee chi? He knows Eli is Jewish, but he threatens to bomb a mosque? Kheng! What mosque? We don’t even go. This feels like an empty threat. Did you tell mom?

• • • • •

Wed, Feb 20, 2008 at 8:51 PM

From: Leila Zargari <[email protected]>

To: Kaveh Mazandarani <[email protected]>

Subject: Re: threat letter

Na. Should I?

• • • • •

Wed, Feb 20, 2008 at 9:04 PM

From: Kaveh Mazandarani <[email protected]>

To: Leila Zargari <[email protected]>

Subject: Re: threat letter

Hanooz na. Let me look into it.

• • • • •

Wed, Feb 20, 2008 at 9:11 PM

From: Leila Zargari <[email protected]>

To: Kaveh Mazandarani <[email protected]>

Subject: Re: threat letter

Okay, but if I see anything else I think I should tell her. I’m not worried about us, but I am worried about you.

• • • • •

Wed, Feb 20, 2008 at 9:15 PM

From: Kaveh Mazandarani <[email protected]>

To: Leila Zargari <[email protected]>

Subject: Re: threat letter

I’m worried about me, too.

39

images

39

Kaveh wished he could say that this was the first time his family had been threatened because of him. There had been threats like this since even before he finished his Ph.D., and he suspected at least one or two had been manufactured by the CIA, J. Edgar Hoover–style, but it was hard not to blame himself at least a little.