THE MATLOCK PAPER

THE MATLOCK PAPER

Matlock walked down to the edge of the [Caribbean sea] water and let the miniature waves wash over his ankles. Like the sand on the beach, the water was warm.

He carried a newspaper sent to him by Greenberg. Part of a newspaper, actually.

KILLINGS IN CARLYLE, CONN.

23 SLAIN, BLACKS AND WHITES, TOWN STUNNED, FOLLOWS DISAPPEARANCE OF UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT

There followed a cold recitation of identities...

The article contained complicated speculations on the meaning and the motives of the massacre's strange cast of characters. And the possible connection to the disappearance of Adrian Sealfont.

Speculations only. No mention of Nimrod, nothing of himself; no word of any long-standing federal investigation. Not the truth; nothing of the truth.

"Did you bring cigarettes?" he asked.

"No. No cigarettes. I brought matches."

"Why did you bring matches?"

"A funeral pyre. Archaeologists place great significance in funeral pyres."

"What?"

"You've been carrying around that damned paper all day. I want to burn it."

"Jason said once that truth is neither good nor bad. Simply truth. That's why he sent me this." Matlock sat down on a large flat rock; Pat stood beside him. Pat reached over and took the two pages of the newspaper.

"This is the truth then." A statement.

"Their truth. Their judgement. Assign obvious labels and continue the game. The good guys and the bad guys."

"What's your truth?"

"Go back and tell the story. All of it."

Pat held the pages of the newspaper in front of her and struck a match on the dry surface of a rock.

The paper burned haltingly, retarded by the Caribbean spray.

But it burned.

"That's not a very impressive funeral pyre," said Matlock.

"It'll do until we get back."

(From ROBERT LUDLUM: "THE MATLOCK PAPER", Dell)

Kishalay Sinha [G]

THE INVISIBLE MAN

WF = "The Invisible Man"?

Kishalay Sinha [G]