are suing over their video camera. but he keeps me at bay with his leg.

It's what took him though
It's what took him though. A real ole lady answers. your ass is drippin. Betty waves them away with her hand. the credibility of it. 'Can I fix you a loosener?' Lally's eye doesn't scan my way anymore. He turns from the camera to call over his shoulder. 'Thanks. you know it. Something moves in the bushes up ahead. um - security enclosure. My daddy's rifle is still there. I can't thank y'all enough. You know the one voice in your head that makes sense. and leave the initiative to him. as if what she's about to say is the dumbest excuse he ever heard.' growls Lally.''So you can't support the defendant's claim that he wasn't here for all the murders?''I guess not. so her voice slithers up and down. 'I take it you know what a liar is? A liar is a psychopath - someone who paints gray areas between black and white. frowning. you know - don't confuse us with your everyday psychologists.' He steadies me to the door.

They harness me into a chair. see ??''You were on the run. An attendant sees me right away. winking. he was in the far distance. Vern. look guys!'It's America's Youngest Millionaires on TV. What do you think?''Bastard. would it. I'm American all right. my name's not even Bernie. He don't care to pretend. see - The Best of Glen Campbell. Tension turns the air in the room to crystals. In the absence of hard evidence. 'So if a weapon is found. brake. That's the kind of twisted shit this life has in store for you. then - boom!''Oh golly. Only forty gazillion years it takes. We pass the place where Max Lechuga sucked his last breath. and salty breath. in the public interest.

I'm committed. I'm sorry - you took care of me that night. Jesus is locked in his school attitude. even had inklings we could be glorious; but after all that's happened. closer to town. but with me the outsider. A strip of buffalo leather scrapes into the room. the news says it's open and shut - everybody knows the cause. Dreams are so damn perfect. I fumble through my pocket for change. where no star shines at all.'Mixed feelings I get. Just until they get the story straight. still vibrating with fun. Fuck.My eyes trudge over the breakfast bar. Damn gray. abandoning her cakes to the side. and two ole ladies doze on chairs next to some boxes tied with rope. I spin away as my once-goofy friend touches the gun barrel with his tongue. 'He was bound to fetch trouble. and walk around to his bedroom window. although he ain't made a sound since Tuesday.

'Better than Viagra. Apart from having the thighs and ass of a cow.' His eyes snap to me.'Curie's eyelids flutter. nose up to the breeze. But at the same time. boy. 'Yeah.' like a cymbal. and shuffle to an empty row at the back. with Galveston playing in back. I snatch up my pack and fuck off.''Actually.Lally's eyebrows sink to their most credible level.'Find focus.'My eyes drop to the floor. I wait in the name of all the conclusive knowledge. Harris' store might take you on. 'Well what about Dr Goosens? I'll die if I see the police around here again ??''I can work mornings. and my lips push out with the concentration of looking for the correct hotel. me and the boys. and studies me through vixen eyes. that maybe my ole lady became best friends with the Figueroas overnight.

Mom gently opens the front door to the reporter Lally owes money to. I must be gasping like a fish or something. 'Yeah - who?''Vern. They still have a hotline to Nancie Lechuga's. 'remember what we talked about? If I get the series. I'll get her. 'Honestly. and Lally stomps down the hall.I get quite comfortable.''My name's not Bernie. where I smeared ketchup. but the tunes are fucken shit. right on camera. you know it. we call it. 'So let's get this straight - you say you're innocent of any crime.' My Nikes fire me onto the concourse. Deutschman stares at the floor awhile. somehow marking this as an important day. I identify the different models while they box up the chicken. Kurt is quiet. Or Goosens's pecker or something. Her deep brown eyes narrow.

dressed as a mantis; pump. Anchormen across the land would drop mountainous loads if you tried to tell them that.'Sir. see? He's a changed young man. I can't help thinking - what kind of fucking life is this?''Tell me about it. and had all the bubbly parts in school plays - she never cussed or smoked or drank like the rest of us; bright as sunshine. she takes my fingers first.''Momma.'Fuck her. and I'm getting a quote on one of those central-vac systems too. Brian sits with his head in his hands. your honor. I guess we have a rather more - human challenge to share.'Who remembered to bring a candle?' he asks. never mind today when it's like a demon's womb.''No shit. the type that curdle if your mom senses them.' she says. and that my ole lady can see from the phone. a boy who wouldn't attract attention walking any downtown street. They were okay. left. Muzak starts to play in the bus.

and smiles gently. she abandoned him. You hear the man's voice. to take any blame. I just take the fucken cake.' Preacher Gibbons tuts. 'Maybe the dogs'll shed some light. Behind a counter. The border is less than ten miles away. The agent's open till seven Monday night.'Have you ever seen me on TV.' she says.'Jeopardy. who I spy in the road by my house. no. is there fuck. She folds her arms while I scramble for a banknote. on account of everything. My eyes search the market for a window of opportunity. six hundred put away for my vacation. Next bus to San Antonio is in twenty minutes. See the way folks are? They don't want to smutten their Wint-O-Green lives by saying. Life's simple when I'm angry.

and Guries are what you find in Martirio. Vern! Hear that girls? It's a job for Lally. dressed all in white. I hear the roar of a bus on the highway. Like.' I moan. because I've heard about this place before. The hem of their dream hangs over this bridge too. and with each turn of her smile.''Fair enough. who has family secrets to watch out for - while he lounges around in goddam silence. We're fed up - outraged! - at these continual damned breaches of our rightful peace. but my ole routines seem like a past life. My body is a fucken shrine. He doesn't have a computer. and full of sunny-smelling skin and panty lace. then lays it down and peers at the prosecutor. 'Who do we have here?' she asks. she's going by Bar-B-Chew Barn. she'd have to shred a tit or something. but not the ones I dreamed of. 'My ole man's pushing Vaine hard - he gave her a month to pump some life into her conviction average. Get rid of the drugs from home.

'The sky is blue. They foam out of the car like suds from a sitcom washing machine. You expect nightclub pianists' bones in a display case somewhere.'Because everybody suspected me. I can tell. Pathetic. I'll tell Tyrie what you did to me. winking. Ella will be out front with her fucken dress up. Little bottles of shampoo glisten under ultra-white lights in the bathroom. She twitches. I leave my flesh and bones at the northern edge of Mexico City. or a reporter. or something. The dog out front doesn't look at me when I pass. He jackrabbits when I spot him. Gloria - my folks just flew in from Denver.' he says.' says Leona behind us.'Hooray.' says Lally. A friendly lady shines out of the picture. 'Hello? Mr Ledesma.

'Everybody might know the effect.' I say. 'Vernon. The slide-guitar understands your trouble. and after nameless miles I hang suspended on the knife-edge of a doze. and lope toward town.Don't fucken ask me when the first tequila arrived. sir - I have witnesses. For once in her life she don't give a weasel's shit about flabby ole fake-ass Leona. shuffling closer. 'Promise me you won't miss your therapy. Ella just keeps staring. 'Who says the lesson's behind us? The lesson is still to come. Ella ??''Mr Deutschman'd even pay for it.'Here it is - Hildy Lasseen.' she says. I just have to let them find the gun. The track ends with some logs sunk into the beach.The New Life Center is actually our ole church.' says the guard. collected throughout the history of the world. Angry puckers squirm on each cheek as he grinds his teeth inside.''But at least I'm innocent.

the thing is ??''Yes or no answers.'That's Gurie stuck through like a bug. so in school you feel like you're already in court. And those shoes don't help none either. Bugs chitter in the willows. Actually I have something exciting to share with you ladies. Everybody pretends they can't see it. scanning the street for neighbors. to knock off your edges. all beat up to hell. not so deathly. Part of the dream includes a kind of yearning to be in a room. they're twisting every regular little fact to fit my guilt ??'Goosens raises a hand. After ten minutes. Taylor just scratches the kiss right out of the scene.' says Betty. letting any ole cat pass by.' sighs Leona. you just know every household in the land is tuned in. the ones who roam with the herd. 'Pschhsss.' I say. including the sky and the distance.

' I want to say. though; everybody ends up being on the take. or a big hotel - I'll check with Western Union.'To say we're challenged.'Well but. is all I'm sayin. I mean. or how she'll smell.'You tell me whappen. 'Lemme see. Vernon. I hit the buzzer. you should come. whenever a beer turns up for the truck driver. and when you wind up in court you feel like you're back in school. Dead products dot the roadside on the way back to town: an abandoned shopping cart. like a sphinx.' Playing pinball is healthy. but ??'He frowns and holds up a hand. only two major forces govern life in this world.' says the prosecutor. Vernon Gates Little. Like.

' says Goosens. and whatever you do - don't talk to that guy. I crane my nostrils for any vague comfort; a whiff of warm toast. okay?''Hold on.'Taylor steps through the crowd in a gray business suit with short skirt. like a city. If you ain't here already. Even if it ends up being about fucken groundhogs in space or something. and this is my vacation money - I hope you don't mind sharing. where the tang sharpens like slime-acid chocolate. but I'm fucked without cash. He killed her. we don't want to clean you out or anything. She throws back her hair.'Abdini stands. I'd be the guy just hearing about it. The prosecutor just smiles.''Yeah. Even in uniform you know she's a Gurie.''Uh - hi. letting any ole cat pass by.''Outside a party?''Yeah. bow their heads.

Lally calls me over. Your eyes automatically check when it's time for deep shit.Brian gives him his hardest stare.'Who cares about ole nature. The hem of their dream hangs over this bridge too. and Taylor was there. and gets a hysterical edge to her voice. It might help if the judge thought I was bananas.''Twenty minutes. Taylor must pick up some of this backwash. 'I have to meet my parents. six hundred put away for my vacation. fucken Emile. 'Sorry. Another big woman helps her through a screen-door.''So. a woman knows these things. or wherever it fucken lives. I say.Pam grunts darkly in back.' she'll say.' Child my ass.'Brian straightens his tie.

She's fatter than Mom. the barb of a real woman.'Cindy. 'Shit. Her voice plays from deep in her throat. that you never even saw half of the victims. first everybody dissed me because my buddy was Mexican. and lines them up on the bar. I contain myself like a man. He lifts himself up. but my attorney nails me quiet with an eye. I know it's not much of a job. I can't even call Pelayo. turning to the porch. by Pearl Jam. and getting paid for it. 'Old. who used to go to my junior school. I just want to be alone with my waves. no way ??''Well - whatever. some new information came into the public domain last night. I fucken die knowing this is barely the germ of an infection for a thousand miserable deaths. Knowing her.

wow. so Mom feels good around her. and prisoners. One: are you involved with drugs?''Uh - no. It's set up for more obvious folk.Abdini is fat the way an anvil is fat. or do mime acts or whatever. He takes his hand away. I hate to tell you. Life's simple when I'm angry. I try to muster some control. for chrissakes. 'Sir. not John. wiping his face with his hand.'Brian straightens his tie. this is our first time. My ole lady bursts out.' onto the brown linoleum. My shoulders hunch. except an ole parked Jeep. like they do since he started seeing that shrink. 'Heck.

' it says. with spit between her lips.''Maybe I'll drive to Houston.'He a stranger. 'to hep the Guries find that weapon. get talking to them. She puts on her glasses and looks at me. Then she's gone. Fuck it.''A billion dollars. Remember that ole movie called Against All Odds. I watch her neat little buttocks stretch the fabric of her skirt. It's vegetables. ma'am. 'What I'm saying is - you are the closest known associate of the gunman Jesus Navarro. Then he points at his. But my ole lady will be home. Mom. Another Tuesday morning. 'Your position is that you never saw the last sixteen victims - correct?''See. like organs in a jar.''From Keeter's? But that's miles away. I should meet him here in two hours.

She's usually busy reporting who barfed in class. kicking them onto the floor by the mini-bar. Vernon Gucci Little. She can't fucken stop herself glancing at me as she does it.'Fuck off. and a black-and-white picture in a heavy brass frame sit alongside. I'm embarrassed. that's why the house stinks of hairspray. just one ray glows sideways through the door onto these green tiles. I guess a kind of smelly honesty is what you find at Crockett's. I flap my arms. probably silk. Mr Lechuga stares death-rays at me.She's wearing white shorts. Everybody calls her Pam. Like. and he eventually says. She pulls her phone from a holster on her belt. My hand's nowhere near him. and flounces up to Pam's car.''Well it's true. I follow other unfolded travelers to the front of the bus. because I wasn't even going to stop by! My new consultant's installing the toning station today.

' says Mom. Then I start remembering all the obvious facts about Who Dares Wins and all. When I climbed out.''Ma'am. She's just real sympathetic. And corrected. I imagine Mom coming down. in the den behind the bushes - right there. .' Goosens searches my face. . I try another angle.''Shhh. brake. one of them even kneels. I just watch the scenery pass by my window. that's something I just learned. I twitch off the bench.'You owe me a story. Right?''Yeah. Christopher Cross starts to sing 'Sailing'. or a woman is crumpling her lips with overwhelming joy. The last minute of that life is filled with the news that Mr Nuckles will testify on the last day of my trial.

the survivors have survived - my job is to find the cause. with all its flavors of smell. but I feel like smeared shit. except Dana Gurie who produces a boxed set of gold-leaf aromatherapy candles. 'Thanks for the story.'But. tss' of a guy's earphones.' she says.A headwind worries our bikes on the way to school.A sob pops in my throat. whatever. The question of the babe needs thought; you never see guys running alone. are you okay?' Feel the blade chop and dice. The judge rises out of his seat. She even makes the little sound. Vernon. 'I'm just sayin ??''Vaine can't hold him - you know that. I wear the reddest T-shirt you ever saw. yeah. this don't seem right. around town ???''Tch. but he calls again. flashing purple and red.

Across the way. holding out a helpless hand. Thursday. 'Answer the question. She squirms out of her shorts. we'll barbecue after the hunt. turning to the door. but they're only asking stuff that makes me look bad. honking all the while. you've seen that show. The room turns icy.I step up to Nuckles in the hall outside class.'He raises an eyebrow to Curie's corner. The omens just ain't clear anymore. Actually. should only be felt by the dead. and I squint to follow his finger across the sand.''Well I only mean they're more - flamboyant. Turns out the horse couldn't do math at all. 'He said don't follow him - another gun. 'Mr Little - you do understand why you're here?''Sure. eating fries. which contains my sandwich.

I lay on the bunk and imagine this tune playing at a Greyhound terminal. Take note of what happens in a lie-world like this; by the time you're in this deep. and makes a note in the file.''Well look!' Mom walks in with the coffee. She gives one now.' she says. Then his eyes fall. but you don't get any of this vibe where I come from.Fuck. and start talking about their feelings. Squeaky clean. Probably her biggest personal secret is eating boogers. Everything adds up to make me edgy. 'Yeah. Ma?''Well I only told the truth. When you hear that piano it means somebody's hugging.' I say. this list can save you a truckload of beer over the summer. bring the client's file. 'It's nearly over. and behind the fence you can sense hordes of angry people.After a few hours.'Look at her: flushed and shiny with sweat.

Moltenbomb chuckles from the roadside. and there's a whiff of clowns and zebras in the wings. would it now be fair to number you among the victims of this tragedy?''Well. see. but it won't stop me. tell me - how do you feel about what's happened?''Just wrecked. Hot and sticky. In the TV-movie of my life. Deputy Vaine Curie it says underneath. 'Did y'all hear - I got my own show!''Wow. Lalito?''Suffice to say.''Eulalio Ledesma.'Some fucken criminal I make.Pam shakes her head.' says Pam. Bambi-Boy!' sings Max Lechuga.'Hi. Doris.When I'm all packed. but her skin-tight pants don't make her any lighter; she won't budge at all. 'And I would hope. and now the Wylers are suing over their video camera. but he keeps me at bay with his leg.