The Sultans Tigers Excerpt

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

  • 7/27/2019 The Sultans Tigers Excerpt

    1/16

    ADVANCE

    READING COPY

    r

    NOT FOR SALE

    The author of Island of Thieves

  • 7/27/2019 The Sultans Tigers Excerpt

    2/16

    Coyrght y Joh Lacey

    A rght reerved. For ormato aot ermo to rerodce

    eecto rom th ook, wrte to Permo, Hoghto M Har-

    cort Phg Comay, 5 Park Avee Soth,

    New York, New York .

    Hoghto M a mrt oHoghto M Harcort Phg Comay.

    www.hmhook.com

    Te text o th ook et K

    Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

    Lacey, Joh.Te ta' tger / y Joh Lacey.

    . cm.

    Orgay hed Great Brta y Adere Pre, .

    Seqe to: Iad o Teve.

    Smmary: om, who come rom a og e o crma, trave wth

    h rogh ce to Ida to d a amy trearea ejeweed tger

    toe rom the Sta' throe hdred o year ago.

    isbn 9--544-9645-5

    [. Advetre ad advetrerFcto. . FameFcto.

    . UceFcto. 4. CrmaFcto. 5. IdaFcto.] I. te.

    pz7.l128su 2013

    [Fc]dc

    4464

    Maactred K

    K 9 6 5 4

    45XXXXXXXX

  • 7/27/2019 The Sultans Tigers Excerpt

    3/16

    My name is Tomreawey ad I come rom a og eo ar, cheat, crook, adt, theve, ad mgger.

    Tat what my ce ay, ayway.

    Id ke to eeve hm, t or amy cot etrey

    o crma, what wet wrog wth my dad? He roaythe mot hoet ero o the aet.

    He ot a rea reawey, ay Uce Harvey. Not ke

    yo ad me.

    Accordg to my ce, or amy orgay came rom a

    ma vage Corwa, a rgged corer o Egad that

    tck ot to the Atatc, otg ke a ger at Amer-ca. Te reawey caed themeve herme, t they

    actay made ther vg y racy, mggg ega good

    ahore ad hdg them the cave that rdde the Corh

    coat.

    My gradather wa a rea reawey too.

    He wat a rate or a mgger, t he ever dd a ho-et day work h e. He wa away rg rom ome-

    1

  • 7/27/2019 The Sultans Tigers Excerpt

    4/16

    2

    joshlacey

    oe, away earchg or a ace to hde, ad he et a tra

    o eeme a arod the word.

    I ever reay kew hm.I wh I had.

    We oy aw Grada oce a year, ometme eve e.

    Te at tme he came to the State or Chrtma, he drak

    too mch we ad had a g argmet wth Dad.

    e moth ater, he wa dead.

    He had a heart attack whe watchg V, ad that wa

    that, kat, he wa goe.

    A good death, my mom caed t, ad erha he rght,

    athogh t ot exacty what Id ca a good death. What

    wrog wth eg gawed to ece y raha? Or g

    rom a ae wthot a arachte? I Grada had ded kethat, I reay wod have ee rod o hm. Bt he ded

    ttg h recer, med rot o the V, accordg

    to the eghor who od hm, o maye that reay wa a

    good death.

    Grada had ved a over the word, t he et the

    at ew year o h e a ma vage o the wet coato Iread. We arrved Shao at daw o the mor-

    g o the era. (By we, I mea me, my mom, my dad,

    my tte ro, Jack, ad my g ter, Grace.) Dad reted a

    rght e Ford Foc at the arort ad drove acro the

    cotry to Grada vage.

    Not may eoe came to the era: jt ad a ew

    eghor.

  • 7/27/2019 The Sultans Tigers Excerpt

    5/16

    thesultan'st igers

    3

    Haway throgh the ervce, the door qeaked oe

    ad Uce Harvey tmed dow the ae. Sorry Im ate,

    he whered ody eogh or everyoe to hear. Te vcargave hm a ter ook ad carred o wth the ermo. Uce

    Harvey gred at ad d to a ew o the other de

    o the chrch. I gred ack whe Dad gave hm a drty

    ook. Tey mght e rother, t they dot ke each other

    mch.

    I wa ookg orward to takg to my ce. Earer

    the year, we had traveed to Per together, htg dow a

    tah o red god that had eoged to Sr Frac Drake.

    Later, ack the U.S., wed ee gve der at the Per-

    va emay, t I hadt ee my ce ce. I wated to

    kow hed had ay more advetre. Had he ee chaedy crook? Treateed y thg? Or eat ? Had he toe

    aythg? Or cheated ayoe? Eve ater edg a week

    wth my ce Per, I ddt kow very mch aot h

    e, t I kew oe thg or re: t wa a ot more teret-

    g tha me.

    Te ceremoy cocded wth rayer, the we hedto the graveyard ad tood e to hake had wth the

    vcar. Whe my tr came, the vcar med dow at me

    ad ad h warm Irh accet, So whch o the grad-

    o are yo? Are yo Jack or are yo om?

    Im om.

    Ah, the amo om. Yor gradather tod me a aotyo. He ad yo were o mche. I that tre?

    I oe o.

  • 7/27/2019 The Sultans Tigers Excerpt

    6/16

    4

    joshlacey

    He ao ad he aw hme yo. I ca ee what he

    meat.

    Reay? I ad. What ee dd he ay?Oh, th ad that. Maye I te yo whe yore a t

    oder. Chckg, the vcar et go o my had ad graed

    the ext e, whch haeed to eog to Uce Harvey.

    Yor ather wa a ovey ma, the vcar ad. Yo mt e

    mg h reece.

    Ive heard hm caed a ot o thg, ad Uce Harvey.

    Bt ever ovey. Maye he wa oveer to yo tha he wa

    to .

    Te vcar ooked a t ervo, ot watg to ay the

    wrog thg. I ddt kow yor ather we, t we thoght

    o hm a a vaed memer o the commty.Dd yo reay? Uce Harvey oded rred. So

    he ddt tea ay o yor ver? Or og yor hym ook

    o eBay?

    Actay, we dd have a ew thg go mg, ad

    the vcar. Te he otced that my ce wa mg. Ah!

    Yore havg a joke wth me, aret yo?Im o orry, ad Uce Harvey. I cat he mye.

    Eve tme o troe, t good to have a me o

    yor ace. Te vcar eamed ad moved to tak to the ext

    ero e.

    A my ce ad I waked throgh the chrchyard, he

    wked at me. I wked ack. Now we kew how Gradahad ee emetg h eo.

    Uce Harvey ad, How e, kd?

  • 7/27/2019 The Sultans Tigers Excerpt

    7/16

    thesultan'st igers

    5

    It OK. A tte org. How yor?

    I wod ay t good, t my dad jt ded o I roay

    hodt. How ote dd yo ee the od ma?Not very ote, I reed. He ometme vted or

    Chrtma. Bt he ad Dad away eded argg.

    He arged wth everyoe. Tat wa jt h way.

    Dd yo arge wth hm too?

    A the tme, ad Uce Harvey. Bt we away made

    aga. He wa ke that. Wed get drk together ad

    have a g row, the orget a aot t the ext day. It a ty

    yo wot get to kow hm etter. Dd yo ever come ad

    tay wth hm?

    Dad wodt et me. I dot kow why ot.

    I do, ad Uce Harvey.Yeah? Why?

    He kow that a ar a he cocered, the reawey

    gee ked a geerato. Yore more ke yor grad-

    ather tha yor ather. He mt have ee worred aot

    what wod hae the two o yo ever got together. Jt

    ke he worred aot the two o . Ad he rght, t he?Ah, heo, Smo. How are yo?

    Smo my dad. He ddt ook artcary eaed to

    ee h rother, t maye he wa jt eeg ad. I ge

    yo wod ee ad yor ather ded, eve the two o yo

    had ro argmet wheever yo haeed to e the

    ame room at the ame tme.Te rother hook had. Te Uce Harvey ked my

    mom o oth cheek ad ad heo to Jack ad Grace.

  • 7/27/2019 The Sultans Tigers Excerpt

    8/16

    6

    joshlacey

    Ive vted the vcar to jo or ch, my ather ad

    to Harvey. Ca yo gve hm a t yor car? Tere t

    mch room or.Sre. Where are we gog?

    Ive ooked a tae at a retarat o the coat. Aar-

    ety t very good. Yo ca oow me there.

    Great. I go ad get the vcar.

    Oce Uce Harvey wa trdg acro the chrchyard,

    Dad tred to me. Here are the key to Grada hoe.

    We ee yo there a coe o hor.

    I took the key ad tared tdy at my ather. Why are

    yo gvg me thee?

    Becae yore gog to go to the hoe.

    What am I oed to do there?Whatever yo ke. Read a ook, ay a game. It to

    yo.

    What aot ch?

    What aboutch?

    Why cat I come to ch?

    Yo kow why ot.Becae Im groded?

    Exacty.

    Bt th Grada era! Yove got to et me come

    to the ch!

    Im arad ot, om. Yore groded.

    Tat o ar!Yo hod have thoght aot that eore yo toe the

    go cart. We e a coe o hor. See yo ater.

  • 7/27/2019 The Sultans Tigers Excerpt

    9/16

    thesultan'st igers

    7

    Dad

    Dot Dad me.

    Bt, Dad I ad dot Dad me.

    Bt, Dad, t jt ot ar.

    See yo ater, ad my ather, howg ot a trace o

    ymathy. Go o. Go to the hoe.

    Grace tred to arge o my eha, whch wa ce o her,

    ad Jack ad he wodt md tayg wth me, whch wa

    ce o hm, too, t Dad aked they oth wated to e

    groded a we, ad o core they ddt. He tod them

    to go to the car. Grace gred at me ad Jack gave me a

    thm-, the they oed away. Dad tred ack to me.

    Im orry, om. I dot ke dog th. I wh there wereome other way. Bt yove reay gve me o choce.

    I ooked at my dad or a momet. Te I ad, Yore a

    dot.

    H ace tred red ad he tod me ever to tak to hm

    ke that, ad Mom ad I hod rememer where I wa, t

    I ddt care. I tred my ack o my aret ad wakedaway, ther agry voce oowg me ot o the graveyard.

  • 7/27/2019 The Sultans Tigers Excerpt

    10/16

    id been grounded for a moth. It wa my ow tdat. I had ee caght orrowg a go cart rom the oca

    go core. Te grodkeeer ad I wa teag. I ad I

    wat teag, I wa orrowg. Tey ad what the d-

    erece? I ad the derece that I wod have roghtt ack aga. Tey ad how do we kow yo wod have

    roght t ack? I ad yo have to trt me. Tey ad how

    ca we trt yo whe yo tea thg? I ad I wat tea-

    g, I wa orrowg, t y that tme o oe wa teg.

    It wa o ar. O core I wat teag ther go

    cart. I jt wated to have a t o ad drve arod thecore. Uortatey Id oy gotte a ar a the rt hoe

    whe two grodkeeer came rg ater me.

    I ged the throtte ad tred to oe them, ad roay

    wod have ome dot hadt ated a tree rght where I

    wated to go.

    Whch wa how I ow came to d mye wakg dowthe treet to Grada hoe whe the ret o my amy

    drove tweve me to the earet ce retarat.

    2

  • 7/27/2019 The Sultans Tigers Excerpt

    11/16

    thesultan'st igers

    9

    I wated to e there. I wated my ch. I wated to ee

    Uce Harvey. Ad more tha aythg, I wated to hear

    aot a the cray thg that Grada had doe h ogad dretae extece.

    Yeah, I kow, I hodt have toe that go cart.

    Eve etter, I hodt have gotte caght.

    Bt I codt he mye. Im a reawey. We do dm

    thg ke teag go cart.

    A I waked dow the treet, I thoght aot Grada

    ad wodered how he eded vg here, a wet vage o

    the weter coat o owhere. What dd he do a day? T

    vage eemed ce eogh, t t wat exacty exctg. I

    wodt have choe to ve here. Or de here.

    A the other hoe had mowed aw ad ed o rghtower, t Grada ooked a o oe had ved there

    or year. Pat wa eeg o the rot door. Tere wa a

    hoe oe o the wdow. Te rot garde wa a jme

    o weed ad rame, the odd roke otte ad what

    ooked ke the rema o a cyce. Becae Id ee here

    eore, I kew Grada hoe hadt ee wrecked theday ce h death; t had away ooked ke th. He ddt

    other wth xg t . Or eve ceag.

    Ide, thg were eve wore. Te hoe wa a dager

    oe. Te ktche k wa ocked ad the tove wa caked

    wth dred ood. I the haway, the ght wtch had ae

    o. Exoed wre drooed ot o the wa. It wa a mraceGrada had rvved o og.

    I wet htg or ood. Te rdge cotaed othg

  • 7/27/2019 The Sultans Tigers Excerpt

    12/16

    10

    joshlacey

    t ome carrot covered ack ot ad a ha-drk

    carto o mk wth a e-y date o three week ago, t

    I od ome ca o tomato o a coard. I oeedoe ad ted the cotet to a acea. Whe the o

    wa g hot, I ored t to a ow ad ate my ch

    rot o the V, ckg throgh every chae. Tere wa

    othg o. I ee orry or the Irh. Ter V ame.

    Grada had a ew ook ad there were ome od

    magae yg arod, t I ddt ee ke readg. So

    I exored the hoe, ookg throgh the room, okg

    arod, eeg what I cod d. I dot kow what I wa

    ookg or, t I hoed I mght cover ome cro trea-

    re rom oe o Grada advetre.

    I wa tadg h edroom, targ at the t adhrt hagg h wardroe, whe I heard a od ke

    reakg ga. It eemed to have come rom dowtar.

    I tood very t, teg.

    Had I maged t?

    Ye, I mt have maged t.

    Te I heard the oe aga. Aother mah. More gatkg. A omeoe wa kockg the ooe ece ot

    o a wdowae.

    Why wod ayoe wat to reak to th hoe?

    Maye t wat a ero. Maye t wa a cat htg or

    a warm ace to take a a.

    I decded to vetgate.I took three te aog the adg ad heard a od

    thm.

  • 7/27/2019 The Sultans Tigers Excerpt

    13/16

    thesultan'st igers

    11

    Tat wat a cat. Tat wa the od o eet ammg

    dow o the oor. Now I cod hear them crchg o the

    ga that theyd jt kocked ot o the wdow.I cod have r. I cod have hdde. I cod have ck

    to the wardroe Grada edroom or jmed ot o

    a tar wdow. Bt t wa dayght ad I wa my ow

    gradather hoe, o I thoght Id e ae to ook ater

    mye.

    Ayway, I kew what Id d whe I wet dowtar.

    A kd ke me.

    Who ee wod reak to a emty hoe?

    Ive doe t mye. I yore ored o a Satrday a-

    teroo ad the tow qet ad yor red are oth-

    erwe occed, what cod e etter tha eakg toa derect hoe ad okg arod? I ke eeg what

    et ehd. Sometme eoe have to get ot a hrry

    ad they dcard everythg a the jk they codt

    carry, cothe ad V ad t o ta h. Oce I od

    a twety-doar the crack o a ktche drawer. A-

    other tme, I od a whte ag ted wth atc g-rae. Who cod oy wat a hdred atc grae?

    I took oe a a memeto. It t o a he my ed-

    room.

    Ayway, that how I kew who wod have roke to

    Grada hoe. It wod jt e omeoe ookg or a t

    o exctemet. Some kd who ved th org tte v-age o the edge o owhere ad wated to get a kck rom

    exorg ome dead gy aadoed home. I I wa reay

  • 7/27/2019 The Sultans Tigers Excerpt

    14/16

    12

    joshlacey

    cky, he mght wat to hag ot wth me or the ext co-

    e o hor whe I wa watg or my amy to come ack

    rom ch.I jogged dow the tar ad headed aog the haway. I

    wa jt aot to tro to the ttg room ad make ome

    q, ookg orward to tartg the kd whod dared to

    reak to my gradad hoe, whe a ma aeared ot o

    the hadow.

    Not aother te, he ad, h voce ow ad threate-

    g.

    Who are yo? I tammered. What are yo ?

    He wg at me. I dodged ackward, t he maaged to

    gra me arod the eck. I hed h arm wth oth had.

    H ger reed to my throat. I trgged. Lrchedackward. red to wrgge ot o h gra. Te I et

    omethg reg to my de ad kew t wa a ke.

    Hed jt have to h a t harder ad the ade wod e

    dg etwee my r. I wet very t.

    He wa a g gy. Mch taer tha me. Mch roader,

    too. H eye were dark ad cod. Who here? he hed.Who ee?

    No oe, I ad, the cred mye or teg the trth.

    Why ddt I ay my red the ack et wa comg over

    or ch?

    Whe w they e ack?

    Who?He reed the ke deeer to my de. Whe w

    they e ack?

  • 7/27/2019 The Sultans Tigers Excerpt

    15/16

    thesultan'st igers

    13

    Soo.

    How oo?

    It dfct to thk traght whe yove got a kehg agat yor r, ad o, ke a dot, I tod hm

    exacty what he wated to kow. I ge I wa ervo. I

    eve tod hm the retarat wa tweve me away, wherea

    Id ee thkg traght, I wod have ad t wa jt

    arod the corer ad my ok mght e ack ay mte.

    I roay wod have tod hm aot eg groded ad

    the are o t a, t he terrted me: What yor

    ame?

    om.

    T way, om. Ad kee qet. I yo make a oe, Im

    goa hrt yo. Got that?Ye.

    Yo re?

    Ye.

    Come o, the.

    He ha hed, ha dragged me dow the haway ad

    to the ktche.I kew who he wa. Id heard aot th. Tere are theve

    who read the oca aer, ookg or aocemet o

    weddg ad era, the day that hoe w detey

    e emty. He mt e oe o them. We, he wa watg h

    tme today. Tere wa othg worth teag Grada

    hoe. Not e yo wated eeve ca o tomato o orome very mey ock.

    Te oy thg wa, th gy ddt ook ke a crook. Not

  • 7/27/2019 The Sultans Tigers Excerpt

    16/16