Page 386 "the Dead Sea was more active than any sparse communication we might have had"

From page 386 of the book:  I could no longer stand the gulf that ran between Owen and myself, I began to look for him.  One could say the Dea Sea was more active than any sparse communication we might have had...

[Three perspectives of the Dead Sea.]

Discovery site of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Page 403 "a story about John Adams and Thomas Jefferson"

From page 403 of the book:  "You know," I said, “you once told me a story about John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, that Jefferson kept waiting for Adams to die so that he could die in peace as well, knowing Adams wouldn't have to live alone in the world without him.  And that Adams felt the same way about Jefferson.  But when you told me they died on the same day you could've knocked me over with a feather.
  "I think Ebert and Revenant are the same kind of men," I decided.  "Like Adams was to Jefferson, and Jefferson to Adams."

John Adams, Thomas Jefferson

John Adams (one of my favorite Americans)

Illustration of the death of John Adams

Thomas Jefferson

Page 402 "...hearken to the Sirens"

From page 402 of the book:  He began to pour the remainder of the dirt from his hand and then continued: "'If therefore thou do but hearken to the Sirens, thou wilt be enamored;..."

(In Greek mythology, the Sirens were three dangerous bird-women, portrayed as seductresses who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island.)  (Text courtesy of Wikipedia)

The Bishop quotes from John Lyly [there a a few variations on the spelling of his name].

Page 398 "Lucian's body appeared on the doormat of the 115th Precinct"

From page 398 of the book:  Lucian's body appeared on the doormat of the 115th Precinct in Jackson Heights, Queens, at four o'clock in the morning on New Year's Day.  It was a mystery to the police as to who brought him.  He was covered with numerous bruises and cuts all over his face, neck, arms, hands, and legs.  His clothes were torn and saturated with dirt, blood, and grease.  It was a further mystery as to how his body was dumped in front of a police station without anyone seeing the delivery.  The desk sergeant was as angry as he was embarrassed, or he was angry because he was embarrassed, having been caught off guard with the results of an unrestrained assault placed on his doorstep under the noses of his entire staff.  He screamed for God to save him from the wrath of his captain, as he ordered Lucian to be taken to Elmhurst Hospital and admitted without delay.

The 115th Precinct, Jackson Heights, Queens, New York

Images of Jackson Heights, where I spent some of the happiest years of my life: (clockwise from top left): the subway stop at Roosevelt Ave; a typical J.H. street; under the elevated Number 7 train; a neighborhood; again under the elevated; and Elmhurst Hospital.

Page 390 "...while he drove the back streets of Flushing, around Kissena Park..."

From page 390 of the book:  In a clever, circumspect style, Sylvester had begun to ask questions about his cousin while he drove the back streets of Flushing, around Kissena Park, past Queens College, toward Grand Central Parkway. Maneuvering us away from the Long Island Expressway, due to an accident that had backed up traffic for a mile, he had kept at me with questions and accusations.
"Sylvester," I began, "I'm sorry you weren't told."
"Sorry! Being sorry is for assholes. I thought we didn't keep secrets."
"We don't," I said.
"Well?"
I looked at my driver, at his six-foot-two presence with a gentle face, mad eyes, and wet, curly black hair.
"You're right," I said. "Sorry. There haven't been secrets between us, but this time it was different."
"I don't think so," he bit his nails, keeping his eyes on the road ahead of us.
"Let me explain," I offered.

A view of Queens College

Aerial view of the Queens College campus

...past Queens College, toward Grand Central Parkway. Maneuvering us away from the Long Island Expressway,...

Page 392 "...likening him to Gilles de Rais"

I had given him Lucian's obvious virtues, likening him to Gilles de Rais or to any other child-molesting, drunken, abusive, criminal mentality developed over six centuries within the Hope of Hell.

A recreation of the Bluebeard story which follows a French Army captain, executed in Brittany in 1440. The list of his crimes include witchcraft, heresy, sacrilege, sorcery, the evocations of demons and the practice of unnatural crime against children, ending with their murder for his delight. (Text courtesy of Amazon.com)

Impression of Gilles de Rais from a Romanian website.

Gilles de Rais:  Gilles de Montmorency-Laval, baron de Rais (1404–1440).  A Breton knight, a leader in the French army, a companion-in-arms of Joan of Arc. He is best known as a prolific serial killer of children. (Text courtesy of Wikipedia.) 



Page 376 "My name's Emmanuel."

Clockwise from top left: Devil's Island cells; inmates of Devil's Island; another view of the cells; Devil's Island from the air; the three Isles du Salut, off the coast of French Guiana [i.e., Devil's Island is one of the three Isles du Salut]; a book on Captain Dreyfus, one of the more "celebrated" Devil's Island inmates; the movie poster for "Papillon" from the book by Henri Charriere (1906-1973).  I read Charriere's book when I was 16, back in 1971, at the recommendation of our neighbor (a close friend of my father's youngest sister). It made a robust impression on me. It is not a book for the squeamish, or the faint of heart.  And because I liked it so much, he gave me "Portnoy's Complaint" to carry on. 

 From page 376 of the book:  “Who are you?” Revenant stood close to him, taking in the dark skin, the black tousled hair, unshaven face, and broken teeth. His clothes were made of a hearty fabric from a foreign mill. His bare feet revealed the infestation of sand fleas having burrowed into his toenails.
“My name’s Emmanuel.”
“And what are you doing here?”
“I’m from the Isles du Salut.”
“Yes, I thought I could smell the prison steps on you,” Revenant stared.
Emmanuel smiled. “You’ve found my dinner I see.”
“I found a young girl named Oyami. Did you kill her?”
The man from Devil’s Island looked up into Revenant’s eyes and nodded.