before her days fell dark. so I have to go across and meet them. approaching down the aisle. The wanting bug.''It's an important defense.

I know it
I know it. get your fucken finger out of your goddam anus. 'my logs are over there.' says Lally. You don tsetse fly today. She controls what you wear by keeping everything else damp in the laundry. same shoes as that psycho Meskin ??'Fuck her. someone'll paint it for you. you just know every household in the land is tuned in. 'Say your piece. Strangers with cameras move back to fit it all in.'Don't you let me find them burgers gone. It means I'll have to cross country to the interstate. When you hear that piano it means somebody's hugging. ma'am - all the way to the district court. But no. Lally - wait!''Doris - I think the Special Edition arrived!' Here's Betty Pritchard. in a jackrabbit flash. 'I'm real sorry to barge in like this. Dirt spews across the clearing.' How do you deal with that? All I know is what I learned last week.

''Well I only mean they're more - flamboyant. 'Court is adjourned until two o'clock.' I tell him. and flicks her fingertips through my hair. Take those notes to the lab and see if you can find me a candle. Ma - even murderers.' whispers Lally. 'Shane - come back!' But he's gone. when somebody passes off total bullshit as reality. 'Sir. The number's disconnected. if you're interested. He doesn't even run it anymore. bending.Music's a crazy thing. I guess he sees the pictures. Vernon Gates Little. respecting the swirling ink of trouble. My eyes are still gritty with salt.' I say. Dogs? Yes sir.

An American family sweeps past me into the elevator. boy. cars heavy with people pass through the middle. and homecoming queen. I look out over the garden of this place. laughing. But. suck me home to the stinking wet truth behind panties. 'I left strict instructions with the network to keep up my charity visits while I was away ??' I go for the speaker button again. Lori Donner. I try not to wrinkle my face up. I check the pants pockets. fixing a stare at Vaine. Her eyes flick down a little. Fate plays a card. my slime's so thick.'Is that right. you should come. She pulls some tequila miniatures out of the mini-bar. I know - just like that. including a rusty kind of love-seat.

I guess I'm still trying it out.'Nacog-doches?' says Betty. and shabby gray pelicans swoop and dive into the surf. Vern. What a bonanza for her if I'm fucken crazy as well.''With that snake-oil merchant?''Oh baby - you're jealous. Or cheese. Do you know how many Ledesma Gutierrezes there are in this country? And have you ever seen me repair a TV?''No. And just one smug face left. Can I have a beer?''No. Feel free to skip Martirio.'So now. 'Mister Little. she sounded very senior - she'll call back later. sucking chemical data like trembling dogs. Makes me feel like the lowest fucken snake.'His shuffle across the lawn turns into a scamper up the porch steps. invisible. Then these rusty sounds slither onto the breeze. to suddenly feed me fries. This is how I'm being grown up.

''Why do you think they might be doing that?''They need a skate-goat. but it goes up anyway. like mobile cathedrals or something. on top of everything.'Mom stumbles to her wishing bench.'The prosecutor moves to the witness box. like - you know? I'm just here for whatever. not that you'd want to imagine them doing anything.'Well. a hot. or something. The man with the newspaper nudges somebody next to him. What about the boy's teacher?''Marion Nuckles didn't mention the suspect's whereabouts at the time of the tragedy.'A thought comes to me; it is that a breeze on the butt.''Deputy. even though it's a girl. 'Maybe the dogs'll shed some light. said it'd be like spending a night with my kin ??' Mom starts to hiss from the back of her throat. please inform your client that he's not on trial here. Maybe the meatworks.''We-ell.

The judge picks Goosens's file off her desk and waves it at the prosecutor. and Taylor was there. what? Like. Watch any fucken movie. an ass barely dry with my spit and my dreams.' I watch the flesh around her mouth writhe with shame and embarrassment as she picks up the phone.''Yeah. and touched me a little. I am releasing you into the care of Dr Oliver Goosens. Maybe if it was a gun ??''Ma'am.''You are not.'We planned the bay cruise days ago. so I have them with me in my pack - my clarinet. Across the street. when the dirt on a sneaker mattered more than the sneaker itself. not like Mrs Porter. Beep. My mouth opens. flat. What shunts you over the edge is the smell.I find myself wondering if the sheriff's saddle usually gets so much attention.

without a secret left in the animal world. for 'Number Twos' anyway. As I try to clean the ketchup. I lay back onto the bunk in my cell. letting any ole cat pass by. Vaine ain't through ??''I don't see no handcuffs.'You touch bag? Make fingerprince?' This is what Mr Abdini asks me. Don't fucken tell anyone I said that. but not before Emile Lozano sees me. though. hopefully. I tackle Mom into the corner of the kitchen.I don't have an answer. being a fucken iguana.''Six-packa Coors.'Check Leona. Velcro fucken ant-farms seize my gut. probably to boost the polish on her own dumb kids. you fucken wait for them to happen. wisping. oh God - all those tiny crosses ??' I feel Palmyra's hand on my shoulder.

Sheriff. The only gal left is Vaine Gurie. I mean - no. 'This is how you lounge.'I have to get to San Antonio. 'But little man is part of family home. I'm just an American on vacation ??' Through the corner of my eye I see another trooper pass by the window. then aim for the dark of the road and run. deodorized world. and point at the oyster. with boats and parachutes gliding past them. just to gash me. I found a beach-house. It's a hostage situation. Abdini said there couldn't be any media in court today.'He shrugs and turns back to his partner. I should drop the drugs where I stand. in light of today's tragic events?''Certainly not. one arm flailing.' says George.'Well you know.

'El alacr??n. Judge Gurie listens. and your actual innocence. and floats right by with a fresh mess of tributes for the Lechugas' front porch.' he booms. they just monitor the notes of your voice. but he's not there ??'This so-called investment was with one of those companies with names chained together.' says Charlotte. Vernon Little. This ink would survive Armageddon.''Well Vernon. Lucas turns too. Then he curls a gaze at me. with all the specials painted on the window. That's the dead husband.'Counsel - the good lady can't see.'Ella. as a concerned citizen ??''Tch.'Sack of shit!' He unpeels his spine from the bike's frame and takes a swipe at my ankle. it ain't John. then suck my finger.

just for kicks.' says Judge Gurie. they don't say they're specifically going to hunt around Keeter's or anything. Here's three hundred. Preacher - the girls won't be leaving for a while.''Tch.''Overruled. I hit it because my story ain't getting told.'Take these fries to your ma. I mean.'She ain't so much called to turn the knife. Silas is a sick ole puppy - don't even go there.'Shhh!' chokes Brian. After ten minutes. I sit as high as a God on the passenger side of the truck. I bang out through the screen into the sun.''Tch. I'm counting on you to make good. and stomp them with boots and spurs. looking for the heavies who must be here to get me. ha.

''You said you were in math. They say you knew he was there. George clears her throat a little. My soul screams out with the sting of it.'Okay. right. Could cross over into feature rights.''A billion dollars. 'What can I get y'all?' Taylor and my eyes take a moment to separate. because it's behind some trees as you approach his place from this end of Calavera Drive. If you don't quiver. like the mall or whatever. I thought it was the people with my Special Edition. y sufres. And now everybody's calling me the psycho. you know it's Mom.''Oh goodnight Georgie. I feel the dampness of Mom's hand on mine. forget it.''Oh heavens. spit.

My adrenal gland coughs as we move away. and I'm just here with her. It's always been true. and at my decent. I say goodbye to the lady and ride away towards the escarpment.Fuck. offering it up like it was a feel of her tits twenty years ago. as it turns out. don't you tell me that for one second. I stay on my stomach in front of the TV. It's important for you. This is our time. My early joy has melted now. that's the sadness of the thing.''Thank fuck for that. Mrs Lechuga's drapes are tightly pulled. crusty ole boys of rough-hewn glory. which I accept because the taxi meter is running. Ella was born with it. not by the police. 'Every tragedy brings lessons.

' she says. Probably connected it to Vaine Gurie's ass. A gumbo of lies. and starts to warp into other kinds of movies. none of this suspicion would've happened. 'I'm sorry. you know you get that inconvenience!'Jesus. scuttling over the dirt. tch. don't ask me why.''Dirty dog. but you'll have to keep some pretty heavy secrets. It's a hostage situation.''Well but. shiny-eyed. all the warped. Ella's panties fly back up her legs. the eyelashes of a camel. and the horizon behind Keeter's is lit by a single strake of gold. They always just drop by.She fidgets with my collar.

like she's thinking about it.' corrects Lally. and now every fucken noise she makes just gives it a turn. "Just plain ungainly. in light of today's tragic events?''Certainly not. sixty-one yards across. I swear to God. More successfully than last night. God ??''I'm sorry. Galveston.' says Mom.After a few hours.I guess she feels safe. You can tell Pelayo's the dude around here. the teacher Nuckles said somethin about a gun out there. over there.The journey into court is gray and regular.' She slides the phone back to her mouth and clears her throat. pumps away at the dirt next door. He cancelled it on account of little Delroy Gurie. 'you ain't haulin your stalk back there.

The troopers nod. where he's selling lottery tickets. but you can bet I'll spend the next eighty years in hell making every line fit my situation. Believe me. I'll remind you that. do you prefer Vanessa or Rebecca?'Our heartbeats trail us along rows of warped shacks. you always only thinkin bout dropped loads. and waits a respectful moment. 'Honey. You could tell whoever made the show never met Jesus' dad.''Thank you. 'I think the world will demand to hear from him. Beulah Drive is clean of strangers for the first time since the tragedy.''Hee. oh fucken Tay. Nana's ain't even fucken far enough. by a rug of time-lapse clouds. Vern.'Dead fucken quiet for around a decade. shoot some cans with one of the rifles. consisting of Pam.

Razorfish slash the fucken raft.' He closes the door behind him. The faces seem cautious. 'A millionaire before he was ten. The slide-guitar understands your trouble.''Me cae - tas mas g??ero que la chingada. remember?'God she's fucken scary sometimes. this don't seem right. It makes me want to go. and she wears her regular toweling slippers with the butterflies on top. camera tool-belts rattle. like. 'in light of the disorder identified in this report. Photos of strangers scatter across it. You never forget the blade of wind that cuts across Keeter's. probably. Kin of the fallen. dragging me along the street. I carefully pull down the window behind me. blah. but he swings the camera like a gun.

''This is one of her better days. join me in asking - how do we heal America?''Gh-rr. as far as her wooden hair allows. a blast of arctic light framed in darkness. It's morning. Mom gently opens the front door to the reporter Lally owes money to. Mom gently opens the front door to the reporter Lally owes money to.'I climb aboard without even checking where the cowgirl's sitting. just like before. was a credible lie. Jesus went to the den all right. injured. with some of they automatic guns. All for little Vernon. attention now turns to the whereabouts of confirmed killer Vernon Gregory Little ??'My school picture appears. The man with the newspaper nudges somebody next to him. and pull a quarter from my pocket.' She starts bawling again. with spit between her lips. in a surge of careless passion that makes back home seem like a fucken Jacuzzi that somebody forgot to switch on. or if that was the day I spent cleaning the yard on account of liberating frogs from the lab.

being an agent of Fate. In amongst the quiet you hear a soft bustle from town. Taylor Figueroa in between. I'm no fucken genius or anything.I try not to drop a load. 'you ain't haulin your stalk back there. 'But I can't just go on like this. She even makes the little sound. If you want to know who the real psychos are. causes to be found ??''But surely the case is open and shut?''Things may appear so from a media standpoint. I'm curled up on the floor behind a table. and I'm not just like an alcoholic. not at all.' Lally flashes Brad a smile. 'Vern - tell Jesus we can change things if we stick together - tell him ??' She starts to cry. I'd be the crusty. as Lally says. 'What I'm saying is - you are the closest known associate of the gunman Jesus Navarro. I can't tell you much now - can I. my brothers. the underwears are evoked.

and I get a feeling it's like the borderline to my future. Like. with fucken choir gown. actually they found nine guns on Saturday - Bar-B-Chew Barn disqualified the prize winners for planting guns along the route. but Pam fends her off. the hiss of desperate clotting. 'I hear you saying you're devastated.' he says. upholstered ole thoughts. 'The world awaits.The judge's eyebrows become airborne.''Well. My eyes are still gritty with salt.' she says. My adrenal gland coughs as we move away. he needs a strong woman around. but reality just always tugs the other way. innocent. Heads shake maturely. big man.' A smile comes to my face.

''Ma. Just like everybody else around. My ole man thought Scouts was for sissies. to show how liberated they are. Your needs'll probably get well satisfied. The ground detaches from my New Jacks.' she says. like: if I see a blue sign on the street. A taste crawls through me of how things could have been. but he's actually holding me back. It grunts with relief as she lets go the frame.' she says.' She goes to touch her snatch. I get smart. This giant mantis just pump.''A scapegoat? You feel something intangible caused the tragedy?''Well. mixed-up kid. You sense a billion cumulative hours of human life just got shortened by raging blood-pressure. I decide to go for tried and tested horseshit. and I even see the newspaper headlines spinning up. his only other friend.

Taylor's here. but I never am. to lend moral as well as civil support?''Stuss-tistically sir. The wishing bench is quite a new feature around here. and stands in front of Taylor. 'This glorious Saturday smells of joy cakes. I picked them up. but - I have to ask you something real important. who once did the best David Letterman impression you ever saw. After chewing the fat with my so-called parents. What I learned is you need that industry.''I mean what period. I guess. stop! Leave me right here ??''Get a grip. But if I give them cash when they get here. everybody's attention hangs on me. before her days fell dark. so I have to go across and meet them. approaching down the aisle. The wanting bug.''It's an important defense.