The Man Who Killed His Brother, Ch. 20

[[Syl]]

Denouement

Brew, Acton and the cops go to the scene, a rich ranch-house out of town. There they find enough evidence to convince the most skeptical of juries. Not that it does Brew's conscience much good, but they also find Mattie, Ted's daughter, alive. He does allows himself to relax a little, though.

Brew's gut tells him that Acton already knew what they'd find, and Acton confirms it by telling Brew how they followed the "paper" trail. It wasn't enough to convict, but it definately got Acton's attention.

Apparently, Smithsonian is good at what he does. However, not for the last time, he proves to be useless to Brew's case. The money, what was left of it, was all in cash. A fairly obvious attempt to shake off the reader, in my opinion.

Axbrewder rides back to Puerta del Sol with Acton where he's dropped off at the hospital. In a few sentences, I got the feeling of a very cinematic moment. Brew's standing in front of the hospital in the morning light, something that would usually not make him too happy. He says he's just glad to have that night over with, but I think there's something saying that it is instead the feeling of a new day. Not that Brew would ever think he'd get a new beginning.

Inside the hospital, Brew goes to see Ginny. She smiles, Brew smiles, we smile. It's a happy moment.

Then Brew gets her to tell him how she figured it out, because he knows her, and knows she did. Well, it's pretty obvious, alright. The thing they all overlooked is what basically screams at you from the page when you meet him. Kirke is a misogynistic a**hole. He was the only one in the office that had any amount of freedom to do what he did.

Ginny starts to apologize for what she sayed to Brew, especially the name she called him. Brew waves it aside, saying she had to do what she did to get through to him.

Here's the moment that provides a counterbalance to the smiling before it. Ginny is holding back tears and Brew is just left kind of standing there.

Enter Lona. She lets them know that Alathea is going to be alright, though personally, I never got the impression that she wasn't going to be. I think that's kind of the point, though, in that she really came to tell Brew something, something that's a bit two edged (in that it hurts whichever way you swing it). Brew didn't save Alathea (should they return the $50?). What he did is what Richard would have wanted.

Once Brew regains his composure, he gets ready to leave. He wants to let Ginny rest (it's morning, right? how is a girl going to rest in the early morning, especially after what comes next?) and perhaps go bail out Ted. First, he plants one on Ginny. Now, maybe it's a sign of her weakened condition (foreshadowing), but she doesn't resist him. No ultimatums. She returns the kiss. However, we can't exactly blame her for asking if he's going to go out and have a drink.

Brew's answer - "I'm going to put that off for a while." Indeed.

The Unanswered Questions

Just how messed up is Alathea going to be after this. It's not like she has a whole lot of family to fall back on for support. Despite this, it never comes up again.

How bad will some of the other parents feel once the news gets out?

[kastenessen]

Yup, the last chapter where everything, (well almost everything) is tied together and summed up. You do that very well Syl...Thanks for joining us at this late hour when the book is coming to a close...and some good points you have at the end...

Just how messed up is Alathea going to be after this. It's not like she has a whole lot of family to fall back on for support. Despite this, it never comes up again.

How bad will some of the other parents feel once the news gets out?

Yeah, and Mittie too. They must be going through hell...or hopefully some form of repression maybe....Must take years to heal...Yes, it's an abrupt ending to the book...

While thinking back on the story it struck me; all people in the book has been hurt in some way or another; of the "good guys" so to speak. Think of Alathea, Mittie, Ginny, Brew (got beaten quite a lot), Ted(killed a man, now a broken man), Greenling(tries to save his wife). People are trying to do the best of their lives with what they have.

As with Brew, the one that shines through everything and manages to remain true to his ideals without hurting anybody else. He took it all onto himself...and without really knowing it, that it wasn't true, he blamed himself for everything bad that happened...but at the end he came home, Ginny and Brew kissed and it was (sort of) a happy ending...


kastenessen

[Dragonlily]

Thanks, Syl. That's a good wrap-up.

He says he's just glad to have that night over with, but I think there's something saying that it is instead the feeling of a new day.

I agree with you. And I too liked the smiles. It is contagious.

(should they return the $50?)

Nicely tuned.

I think your Unanswered Questions are a good indicator: We know these people are going to continue to live after the book, because their lives have vitality and momentum.

As with Brew, the one that shines through everything and manages to remain true to his ideals without hurting anybody else. He took it all onto himself.

It seems the White Knight is actually a Hospitaller of the Middle Ages, with flagellant stripes beneath the white wool of his robes. Brew is putting off drinking, but there is a still lot of healing that he isn't ready to do yet. SRD has made him someone I want very much to hope for.

[[Syl]]

Thanks, guys. With any luck, I'll have Fought Alone by the time we get to the dissection and be able to contribute more.