"Did she say anything?"

"She just kept sobbing it wasn't right, it wasn't fair."

"What wasn't fair?"

Clark shrugged. "That she got her brother back and I didn't."

Silence. Then: "What did you say?"

"I told her I was happy for her. I told her that Patrick coming home was good news, that we can still find my brother too. But she just kept sobbing. Then she said she needed to see her brother. She just wanted to make sure it was real or something. Like maybe she dreamt Patrick was back. I get that, don't you?"

"Sure."

"I used to have dreams like that all the time. Rhys would be home and it was like he was never gone or whatever. So I said I would drive her, but next thing I know an Uber pulled up. She got in and said she would call me soon."

"Has she?"

"No. But it was only a few hours ago. I'm telling you, Mr. Bolitar. She doesn't know anything."

*

There was no point in heading to the Moore house to question Francesca. Nancy or Hunter would just call a halt to it. Besides, Myron had other plans.

His dad was waiting in the yard when Myron pulled up. The two men headed out for breakfast at Eppes Essen, a "Jewish-style" (according to the brochure) deli and restaurant on the other side of town. Myron and Dad both ordered the same thing--Eppes's famed Sloppy Joe sandwich. Many of you associate Sloppy Joes with that ground possible-meat thingie in school cafeterias. This was not that. Eppes Essen makes the authentic Sloppy Joes, momentous triple-decker sandwiches with rye bread, Russian dressing, coleslaw, and at least three meats--in this case, turkey, pastrami, corned beef.

Dad stared down at his plate and then nodded his appreciation. "If God made a sandwich."

"That should be Eppes's slogan," Myron agreed.

They finished, paid the check, and drove to the high school just as the boys' basketball team ran out for warm-ups. Mickey was in the middle of the pack. The home team was playing its archrival, Millburn High.

"Remember the game you had against them junior year?" Dad asked.

Myron smiled. "Oh yeah." With Myron's team up by only one point, Millburn had an easy fast-break layup to win it with two seconds remaining. The Millburn player cruised in, ready to score the game winner, when Myron, trailing the play, somehow leapt over the guy and pinned the ball onto the backboard as time ran out. The Millburn players screamed for goaltending--hard to tell if it was or wasn't--but the ref didn't make the call. To this day, if Myron ran across one of the Millburn guys who'd played in that game, they would still good-naturedly complain about that no-call.

Ah, basketball.

The gym had a healthy crowd for the rivalry. Some people pointed and whispered as Myron walked by. Welcome to Minor-League Local Celebrity. A few came over and said hello--old teachers, old neighbors, those guys in every town who hang out at games even when their kids aren't playing anymore.

From near the foul line, Mickey spotted them and gave a quick wave. Dad--or in Mickey's case, Grandpa--waved back. Dad started to make his way up the stands. He always took the back row. He didn't want to be the center of attention. Dad never yelled, never called out, never "coached," never rode referees, never moaned, never complained. He might clap. When he got really excited during a big game, when Myron would hit a big shot, he might say, "Nice pass, Bob," or something like that, deflecting the praise. Dad never cheered for his own son. It simply wasn't done.

"If I have to cheer for you to know I'm proud," Dad once told Myron, "then I'm doing something wrong."

Never one to miss a moment of nostalgia, Myron flashed back to those long-ago days when he would warm up on a court like this and look across the gym and watch his dad take the steps of the bleachers two at a time. Not today, of course. Today Dad's movements were more hesitant and shuffle-like. He took frequent breaks. He grimaced and got out of breath. Myron put his hand out to help him, but his dad shook it off.

"I feel great," he said. "It's just the knee."

But he didn't look great. "Okay, Dad."

They sat in the top row, just the two of them.

"I like it up here," Dad said.

Myron nodded.

"Myron?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm fine."

"I know."

"Your mother and I are getting older; that's all."

And that's the problem, Myron wanted to say. He got it--to everything there is a season, turn, turn, turn, the earth revolves, life cycles--but that didn't mean he had to like it.

The horn buzzed. The players stopped warming up and headed to their benches. The guy on the microphone began, as every New Jersey high school basketball game must, by reading the state's sportsmanship policy: "'There will be no tolerance for negative statements or actions between opposing players and coaches. This includes taunting, baiting, berating opponents, "trash-talking," or actions which ridicule or cause embarrassment to them. Any verbal, written, or physical conduct related to race, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or religion shall not be tolerated, could subject the violator to ejection, and may result in penalties being assessed against your team. If such comments are heard, a penalty will be assessed immediately. We have been instructed not to issue warnings. It is your responsibility to remind your team of this policy.'"

"A necessary evil," Dad said. Then, motioning to the spot where the fathers sat, he added, "It doesn't stop those jackasses."

Mickey's short tenure at the high school had not been without controversy. He was back on the team, however unlikely that had seemed a few weeks back, but there were some residual bad feelings. Myron saw among those vocal dads his old nemesis and former high school teammate Eddie Taylor, now the chief of police in town. Taylor hadn't seen Myron yet, but he glared hard at Mickey.

Myron didn't like that.

Myron stared at the chief until finally Taylor felt his eyes, turned, and looked Myron's way. The two men glared at each other another second or two.

If you got a problem, you glare at me, Myron tried to say with his eyes, not my nephew.

Dad said, "Ignore him. Eddie has always been what the kids today call an 'ass waffle.'"

Myron laughed out loud. "Ass waffle?"

"Yep."

"Who taught you that?"

"Ema," Dad said. "I like her, don't you?"

"Very much," Myron agreed.

"Is it true?" Dad asked.

"What?"

"That Ema's mother is Angelica Wyatt?"

It was supposed to be a secret. Angelica Wyatt was one of the most popular actresses in the world. To protect her only child and her own privacy, they had moved to a large estate on a hill here in New Jersey.

"It's true."

"And you know her?"

Myron nodded. "A bit."

"Who's her father?"

"I don't know."

Dad started craning his neck. "I'm surprised Ema's not here."

They settled back as the game began. Myron loved every second of it. Sitting with his dad in a gym, watching his nephew dominate the game Myron so loved--it was simple and primitive and blissful. There were no pangs anymore. He missed it, sure, but it was way past his time, and man oh man, did he love watching his young nephew reveling in the experience.

It made Myron a little teary.

At one point, after Mickey made a turnaround jumper, Dad shook his head and said, "He's really good."

"He is."

"He plays like you."

"He's better."

Dad considered that. "Different eras. He may not go as far as you."

"Hmm," Myron said. "What makes you say that?"

"How to put this . . . ?" Dad began. "For you, basketball was everything."

"Mickey is pretty dedicated too."

"No question. But it's not everything. There's a difference. Let me ask you a question."

"Okay."

"When you look back at how competitive you were, what do you think?"

Mickey made a steal.

A cheer rose from the crowd. Myron couldn't help but smile. "I guess I was a little crazy."

"It was important to you."

"Ridiculously important," Myron agreed.

Dad arched an eyebrow. "Too important?"

"Probably, yeah."

"But that's one of the things that separated you from the other talented players. That . . . 'desire' is almost too tame a word. That need to win. That single-minded focus. That's what made you the best."

Win had often said something similar of Myron's playing days at Duke: "When you're competing, you're barely sane . . ."

"But now," Dad continued, "you have perspective. You've experienced tragedies and joys that have taught you that there are more important things in life than basketball. And Mickey--don't take this the wrong way--Mickey had to grow up young. He's already suffered more than his share of tragedy."

Myron nodded. "He already has perspective."

"Exactly."

The horn blew, ending the first quarter. Mickey's team was up by six.

"Who knows," Myron said. "Maybe his wisdom will make him a better player. Maybe perspective is as good as single-minded focus."

Dad liked that. "Maybe you're right."

They watched Mickey's teammates break the huddle and take the ball out of bounds to start the second quarter.

"I loathe sports metaphors," Dad said, "but there is one important thing both of you learned on the court and do in real life."

"What's that?"

Dad nodded to the court. Mickey drove through the lane, drew a defender, dished a pass to a teammate, who scored an easy bucket.

"You make those around you better."

Myron said nothing. His nephew had that look on his face, the one Myron knew so well. There is a Zen to being on the court, a calm in the storm, a purity, a concentration, the ability to slow down time. Then Myron saw Mickey's eyes flick to the left. He pulled up for a second. Myron followed Mickey's gaze to see what had drawn that reaction.

Tags: Harlan Coben Myron Bolitar Thriller
Source: readsnovelonline.net