Third Rail by Rory Flynn

Author:Rory Flynn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Standing at the railing of the Brookline Avenue Bridge, Harkness hears the sound of the crowd come roaring out of his memory like static amplified. Third Rail brings back all the memories in high-def, whether Harkness wants them or not, and casts him in the staring role in The Incident, now projecting in the home theater of his mind.

The story begins when a three-run Red Sox homer shoots out of the ballpark into the indigo sky and bounces past the Lansdowne Street bars and nightclubs, just opening their doors. The crowd roars. It’s the last game of the playoffs and thirty thousand people gush into Kenmore Square to drink, chant, set fire to cars, harass Yankee fans, and beat up their friends—the kind of low-grade tribal violence that passes for celebration in Boston.

The plot turns darker when Harkness spots the Doyle brothers—pale faced, black haired, and swaying drunk. Billy, the bigger Doyle, clutches the ankles of Pauley Fitzgerald with both hands and holds him, squirming, head down over the railing of the Brookline Avenue Bridge, above the roaring Turnpike. His brother Dickie thinks this is the funniest thing he’s ever seen.

Harkness knows this film isn’t real, that it’s just Third Rail bending his memories, but he can’t stop watching.

“You!” His cop voice echoes. “Pull him back up. Now.”

Bleary and beer soaked, the Doyle brothers turn and squint. “Just havin’ some fun with Pauley,” Dickie says.

Harkness gives a quick smile. Best to try to keep drunks on the sunny side. “Doesn’t look like he’s having much fun,” Harkness says. “Pull him up now and you head home with everyone else.”

“And what if we don’t?” Billy sputters.

“What then, fuckin’ cop bastard?” Dickie, the smiler, reaches into the pocket of his running pants and waves a black-handled knife.

At least it looks like a knife to Harkness.

Third Rail summons up the circling crowd. “Drop him, drop him, drop him,” they chant.

“Fuck yooooouuuu,” Dickie shouts, and the swarming crowd laughs. A long howl comes from over the railing.

“Pull him up, now,” Harkness says.

Billy pulls Pauley up until Harkness can see his face again, a rictus of fear, forehead bloody from scraping on the bridge. He flails his arms toward the railing and manages to slap a hand on it.

“Stop.” Harkness unsnaps the guard and draws an invisible Glock.

Here, the film slows for the crucial final scene, the one Harkness replays in his mind every day.

There’s a clear line of sight to the target. Deadly force allowable—the Doyles are about to cause serious injury. Harkness drops into the stance, legs wide, arms out and bent slightly, and points his gun at Billy.

A car crossing the bridge honks at the sight of a lone gunman pointing his joined hands at nothing, shouting at no one.

“Pull your friend up, right now. Or I shoot.”

“Drop him! Drop him! Drop him!” the invisible crowd chants.

Billy shrugs, and pulls Pauley Fitzgerald closer so he can grab the railing. The Doyle brothers slip into the crowd. Harkness runs to the bridge to grab Fitzgerald by his wrists and pull him up, inch by inch, until he slides over the railing.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.