“C’mon,” he said, leaning across the front seat to yell out the passenger window. “I’m in a tow zone.”
Rachel tossed Ethan’s bag through the back window.
“Hey,” Leonard said, “be careful.” Rachel wasn’t sure which concerned him more: his wreck of a car that was, nonetheless, a source of pride, or the grocery bag of shells on the back seat that had been the bulk of Curtis’s collection. Last night, the plan had been to go to one of the nearly deserted beaches at the south end of Sea Town, where they would stand on a jetty to say a few words for Jason and Curtis, then return the shells to the sea. Last night, it had seemed like the right thing to do—poetic and honorable. Now, in the light of day, Rachel wasn’t so sure. The idea seemed corny or worse. It felt false.
“Let’s get something to eat,” Rachel said, opening the door. She climbed in the front and gave Leonard a kiss; Ethan got in back. The car reeked of cigarette smoke and fast-food wrappers, but Rachel didn’t mind. It was Leonard’s car. It was all good. She tapped the hula girl on the dash to make her hips dance.
“What about the beach thing?” Leonard asked, pulling away from the curb. “You know, the shells?”
“Forget the shells,” Rachel said. “They’re not going anywhere.” Rose’s was on the other side of the island, just a block from the Atlantic City boardwalk and yet light-years from the gamblers’ orbit, a quiet refuge from barking slot machine bells and blinding casino floor shows. At seven fifteen in the morning, there was no traffic to speak of. Stray newspaper pages blew across otherwise empty roads, and traffic lights changed for their own amusement. In this open lace of streets and breezes, Leonard savored the opportunity to pick up speed. His engine roared as if delighted to be set free, and Ethan, leaning into the gap between the front seats, cheered Leonard on, encouraging him to go, go, go.
Rachel felt the familiar urge to steal. But in a speeding car with her boys, there was nothing to take that she didn’t already have. Her left hand found Leonard’s knee, her right, the escape of an open window. Among her free fingers the rushing air whipped and played. Rachel made a grab for it, letting the wind take her hand.
She held on tight.
acknowledgments
It may be true that writing a novel is a lonely process. But publishing a book—giving birth to it in the world—demands the skills, the talents, and the stubborn goodwill of many gifted people. I want to express my gratitude to those who helped put this book in your hands: Marcy Posner, Laura Godwin, Julia Sooy, Maggie Reagan, April Ward, Ana Deboo, Sherri Schmidt, and the people of Henry Holt. Thank you!
about the author
Jonathan David Kranz has done a lot of writing in his lifetime—advertising copy, columns for local newspapers, and essays for NPR’s All Things Considered—but this is his first novel. He lives in a suburb of Boston.
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contents
Title page
Copyright notice
Dedication
Prologue: Aftermath
Chapter 1: Following the Script
May 17, 2013
Chapter 2: WWJD?
May 24, 2013
Chapter 3: Plan Rachel
June 6, 2013
Chapter 4: Careful with Tools
June 23, 2013
Chapter 5: Green Ribbon of Freedom
June 30, 2013
Chapter 6: A Christmas Present
July 9, 2013
Chapter 7: Island of Misfit Toys
July 14, 2013
Chapter 8: Make-Believe Ballroom Time
July 19, 2013
Chapter 9: What’s Left Behind
July 25, 2013
Chapter 10: Claws
August 14, 2013
Chapter 11: Timmies and Tiffanies
August 19, 2013
Chapter 12: Circling the Tanks
August 29, 2013
Chapter 13: Rachel’s Children
December 13, 2013
Chapter 14: Time to Come Back
Chapter 15: Rats
Chapter 16: What You Do with a Broken Shell
August 13, 2014
Chapter 17: Fathers and Daughters
Chapter 18: Fire
Chapter 19: Going
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
Copyright © 2015 by Jonathan David Kranz
Henry Holt and Company, LLC
Publishers since 1866
Henry Holt® is a registered trademark of Henry Holt and Company, LLC.
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The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:
Kranz, Jonathan.
Our brothers at the bottom of the bottom of the sea / Jonathan David Kranz. — First edition.
pages cm
Summary: In their search for answers about their brothers’ mysterious deaths, two teenagers in a small seaside vacation town will discover just how far a man will go to protect his kingdom.
ISBN 978-1-62779-050-5 (hardback) — ISBN 978-1-62779-051-2 (e-book)
[1. Brothers and sisters—Fiction. 2. Death—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.1.K73Ou 2015 [Fic]—dc23 2014043029
eISBN 9781627790512
First hardcover edition 2015
eBook edition June 2015
Our Brothers at the Bottom of the Bottom of the Sea Page 18