American Tropic (26 page)

Noah tips the bottle up to the globe of sun. Inside the glass shines Zoe’s gold wedding ring. He uncorks the bottle and taps the ring out into his open palm. He closes the ring in a tight fist and stares at her. “What do I think?”

“Yeah, you’re supposed to be a lawyer, a smart guy.”

Noah reaches down and pulls Zoe up onto his boat. He holds her tight, his words close.

“I don’t think. I know: the pirate has his treasure back.”

I
s anyone awake? This is Truth Dog speaking to you for the last time from pirate-radio boat
Noah’s Lark
. Do you hear me? I’m on the line for you. I’m on the hook. I don’t want it to end this way. We can do better.
Call me before it is too late. The whole democracy idea in the beginning was to reinvent, to shed the skin of xenophobia, to climb that noble mountain and plant a flag of infinite possibilities for a new tribe. High hopes are these, my pilgrims, the dreams and schemes of those mad merrymakers, our Founding Fathers. Call Truth Dog. Tell him how lightning strikes you between the eyes and you see the flash of revelation across the ocean. This is your last chance. Rise and shine.

Are

                    
you

                                        
out

                                                            
there?

A Note About the Author

Thomas Sanchez is a descendant of cattlemen dating back four generations in California to the nineteenth-century Gold Rush. He was born days after his father was killed at the age of twenty-one in the Battle of Tarawa during World War II. Sanchez’s novels have received numerous honors, and he has been awarded a Guggenheim fellowship and is a Chevalier of France’s Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Sanchez is also the director of a forthcoming film documentary,
Into the Light
, chronicling the life of Jack Garfein, survivor of eleven concentration camps, Actors Studio icon, and legendary film director. Sanchez divides his time between San Francisco, Key West, and Paris.

Other titles available in eBook format by Thomas Sanchez

Day of the Bees •
978-0-307-76609-0
King Bongo •
978-0-307-76610-6
Mile Zero •
978-0-307-76608-3
Rabbit Boss •
978-0-307-49748-2
Zoot-Suit Murders •
978-0-307-49895-3

www.thomas-sanchez.com

For more information, please visit
www.aaknopf.com

ALSO BY THOMAS SANCHEZ

Rabbit Boss

Mile Zero

King Bongo

Day of the Bees

Zoot-Suit Murders