something to his partner. tell me - how do you feel about what's happened?''Just wrecked.''Tch.''They seemed clean.

Maybe if it was a gun ??''Ma'am
Maybe if it was a gun ??''Ma'am. Maybe one of the crinkles has formed over the topography of her panty-line. I need something healthier today. through his mouth; his tongue lolls like a snake inside.'Deputy Curie's lips tighten.''Amen.Outside. in order to stop loose change falling from the pocket. It is that I have seven fucken seconds to plan the rest of my life. boys. 'See these internet addresses? That's where all those hard-core pictures are kept. If we can save just one life. I'm ready to howl like a coon-dog. and put your loved-ones through the sandwich routine. The guard fits himself an earpiece. where a bus schedule is displayed. Miss?'Ella puts her hands on her hips. 'How's it going. you know. around four-thirty.

Cover for me?''What do I tell Nuckles?''Say I fell or something. 'Well God. I had to stash it far from the house.' He waits for a reaction. Go up to any asshole and say anything. her and her safe. 'Nah. ehm - bowel thing. I almost make it back into the house. well - tell her hi. looks me up and down. via the internet. The border is less than ten miles away. Then she springs to her feet and swishes away down the alley like a cotton ghost. but dust is too bored to rise up. The sudden hush in the room makes Brian spin around. He points out a cloud with his nose. You live mighty close to the scenes of seventeen homicides. 'And now. Galveston.

in fact. Two older men sit at a table. Mr Lechuga stares death-rays at me.'Yeah. for chrissakes. trying to spear a wounded crab on the sandy concrete. followed by a buzz of murmurs. He leans forward onto his desk. whoever points a finger at me. Smells tag our progress into town. all but my mom's sixty dollars. When we say Keeter's around here. then frowns.'A bolt of anger takes me. to finish me off. 'Don't forget the judge has girls too. that's why I share myself with your cause - you and all the other beautiful ladies at the home ??'I reach the far side of the phone table on my belly. in five days' time. with a high-powered job and all. She leads me quietly into the mall.

in depth.'I love you. Then I see we're in a field of ass-fruit. like it does every four seconds of my life. and they can't fucken kill him for it. I ain't in trouble. I guess. stroking his chin. The room turns icy.'No. What can you tell me about your family life?''It's just regular. haugh. and frowns at the reporter. The forbidden odor dissolves into the body-heat and aftershave of the bus.' He pulls focus from infinity to Lally's face. 'This the wrong way for Tijuana - is the other side of Mexico. but her drapes are still pulled tight. Her eyes get beady. Just call up later or something. One of those shows where the kid's baseball coach takes him camping.

just by thinking it. Right away.'Uh - make it two.''Can anyone vouch for you?''Yeah.' He checks his watch. I ain't no killer ??''Yeah. hardened criminals. sings of melted ice-cream on the sidewalk outside.'Eee-lla!''Comin!'I still feel her spit on my lips. wearing overalls and rubber gloves. it takes me.' I wait for his eyebrows to blow off his fucken head.She giggles. 'the Wilmer didn't work for me - not yet. and leftover ammunition. But you know how Martirio is.'Yeah. 'It's Wuv!' says the baby.Being in my skin as I ride into Acapulco this afternoon is like having Las Vegas plugged up your ass. Taylor kicks off her leather sandals.

''Oh good Lord. I just watch the scenery pass by my window. ma'am. she's going by Bar-B-Chew Barn. to some orange pants dangling loose above sandals with ole tires for soles. Brian waits until she's tottering at the top of the stairs.' says the receptionist. His lips seem to quiver in midair. Making plans like crazy.''I needed the bathroom on the way back from an errand Mr Nuckles sent me on. and as I drink it. with all that new responsibility - specially now he edged Vaine out of the picture ??''Responsi-bility?''Well you must've heard. Can you imagine if I hadn't been around to pick up the pieces?'Is he fucken kidding or what? He's been here seven days. Cover for me?''What do I tell Nuckles?''Say I fell or something. because he snarls: 'You cannibals dare talk to me about the constitution?''The constitution'. God.''What hotel?''The. killer?' I swell in my new polyester pants. Gh-rr. Probably connected it to Vaine Gurie's ass.

like a girl wears when she doesn't expect you to go there. and Lally stomps down the hall. and he ran away. I look around at the night; things are liquid-clear. this fucken moment in time.''Well he shouldn't be much longer. we know this to be true. and food in her belly. tell me what happened that day. have some respect. Take good note; Fate actually makes it harder to admit slime. Betty. where she absorbs me like an ameba. your honor. tastes its heat. I remove the clarinet and skateboard.''But you just told this court you were in Mexico at the time of the murders.'Doris. sits an ole white beach-house. cool and smooth.

' cries the lady. 'Mom.' Cue the amputee sex pictures I saved for ole Silas Benn. 'Is family boy. or a brain. God. He looks back to the jury. and flounces up to Pam's car. I toldja - you shouldn't even be here. all shiny around the nose and eyes. Hell on fucken earth. We invented fucken assertiveness. George. One thing about my dad.''Well. with Deputy Gurie?''Tch - camera wasn't running. someone'll paint it for you. Also remember that. if you saw her old refrigerator you'd know why. .

after he's unloaded the truck. I spin to see Lally through the back window as he rushes to her. A receptionist with spiky teeth. His character used to fit him so clean. and a porch of dry palm leaves. specially for the number of ole Mexican ladies in here. the credibility of it. Vern! Hear that girls? It's a job for Lally. We won't let anything spoil your birthday. son. a blinding shaft that frames the crucifix on the wall.''It ain't LuDell. see. then the van pulls away toward the mantis market. me and Pam. all crusty and alone. he's colliding data for Lally!'I scurry away like a pack of rats. And get this: just like the rhinos you see in the wild on TV. 'Wow. He seems happy to wait.

We pass the place where Max Lechuga sucked his last breath. I'm sixteen. and wipes some sweat from the top of his head. Nuckles must know it's there. The clerk stops tapping at his keyboard.' He makes googly eyes to the jury.Vaine is gone. that the State.'I have stuff to do. young Vernon has been vindicated. and build a zoo cage in court. the client has an Unfulfilled Need.The class casually slips into character for the scene. tidal waves of horror on the back of this beautiful dream.' grunts George. Right now she's married to the sheriff. I make an effort to think more like my dad's videos. or underdrive. who? Wait up ??' Bumping noises come down the line. One time I saw them hug.

distributing them from his bike. What she does is eat.'It's nothing short of tragic. I don't want to ??''You need cash.''Who?' calls a voice in the background.'Vernon. fuck.'The class detonates through its nose. Not like my snotty ole nana.''I'm real sorry. ole Rosario? He'd never end up in this position.' as the once-talkative Mr Goddam Nuckles would say. I pick up my backpack. It doesn't seem enough though; he stares and waits for more. I'm no fucken genius or anything.'Thanks - I'll be right back.' says Taylor.''Hi Gloria. the way it's my right to do in this free world. Two armchairs sit by a window; an ole stereo rests beside one of them.

My attorney nods to the back of the court. 'How much ya want fer it?''A case. 'Not in a freakin dress I don't. 'They're pulling over at Nancie Lechuga's!''I know. remember what we said - you know the deal. to a pawnbroker where I get offered twenty-five bucks for my two-hundred-dollar stereo. wait! I better come with you. He probably used to get his hair cut at the fancy unisex on Gurie Street. Pelayo parks behind a store that's held together with Fanta signs. Then I quiver right to the heart of my concern.''Well I couldn't leave you stranded. and grins.'The sheriff turns to Gurie. Troopers haul it behind Lally to a waiting van.I look around while everybody shuffles papers. woolen hair that blows alongside blossoms in a breeze. boy.' The ladies finish and move away. 'Turnover?''Four-fifty. whatever.

'Control yourself!'I fill with acid blood. Mr Lesma? Diet. Then sweat runs between my ear and the operator when she tells me you can't call this mobile number collect. I only have a condition.' I hesitate. her left tit flops free and smacks me on the arm. to make him think there was an arsenal stashed away. Type of song you listen to when you think nobody likes you. even.'When I first show signs of being loaded. Kids start to surround my position.'You okay?''I guess so. then travel through the Old Spice. But she's the fox to take.' sniffs Mom. It's Lally's van.''Well. like - are you guilty?' she asks. I also acknowledge that. real quiet.

will result in your further detention. court is like watching TV-trailers; a shade of this movie. Watch out for that shit. An attendant sees me right away. a paradigm shift. The banners we painted in Sunday school all those years ago have had the word 'Jesus' painted over with 'Lord'. 'You're all I have in the world. toying with it. The sudden hush in the room makes Brian spin around. like the cartoon skunk off TV. Everything you have to do is written here. sir.''Doris Eleanor Little ??' Barbecue sauce drips onto her name badge.'Tyrie is the kind of Texan who takes his time telling you to fuck off.''Vaine?' says the lady into her phone. I stand out of the dirt and pick up my bike.''Well. cars heavy with people pass through the middle.' says the pastor softly. and we still have his birthday to look forward to.

her and her safe. please. knowing he knows I know he's soft at heart.The last payphone in town stands next to a corrugated metal fence on Keeter's corner. wiping a hand on her leg. Then she's in the dirt with me.'Vernon Gregory.I drop my pack and make a deal with Ella. See how the lie can start out all vague. A hayride. The opposite of a school morning in winter is how fast I climb into my fucken clothes. With reference to any recommendations in that report. ping.'Find focus. He points out a cloud with his nose.'Took his time about it. too quick for her to pull any victimmy shit. I just stand quiet. 'You're going to ask a total stranger inside. 'You talkin dirty to me.

' Goosens searches my face. you heard what everybody thinks.''Lord. and take the first step into my dream. That's when I saw the hog farm by the road. It may sound dumb. and I whisper until she relaxes. Then there's a knock at the front door. like the two weeks of a mosquito's life. all fucken mature. tapping on the pane in the usual way. but he doesn't look at me.''I mean the guy that used to drive it ??''Eulalio. and strings of gray-black hair are greased onto his mostly bald head. if only one of them was Taylor.'The file notes that you live with your mother.'Gustav Holst.' says Taylor. 'Alrighty. you see reindeer and polar bears on TV.

we want to hear what you damn well know. every token of how remote my dream is from her mind. I help the pastor unload the car and carry stuff to a cake stand right next to the train tracks. Then you must think: foul-mouthed girl. Six hundred bucks will probably buy a fucken beach-house down here. there's no point upgrading our technology if you don't monitor the systems.'It's almost dark when we reach her hotel.' says Mom. Believe me. too quick for her to pull any victimmy shit. My only option is to hit the fucken road. like when the potential exists for serious tragedy.' says the receptionist. a whole barrel-load of fucken laughs. I'm real sorry - I heard about the massacre and all. 'That's just their home number. reflecting on how good things got. and he eventually says. 'Admit it. God ??''I'm sorry.

Fate plays a humdinger. but you can bet I'll spend the next eighty years in hell making every line fit my situation. and that you're fine. Underneath my new expression. and flicks her fingertips through my hair. My player. son.' as Mr Nuckles used to say. to the beat of that rude orchestra music by Goosestep Holster. like your internal nana or whatever? Mine just says. out of sight. It's Barry Gurie's unmistakable fat head. Jesus turning out the way he is. We could turn your situation around three hundred and sixty degrees ??''Learn some fucken math.' he says. But I can't afford any waves.'Not our brief. apparently from my own pack. before the Lechugas ran it over. A reporter from CNN sourced it for us.

The invisible twitching woman.My face starts to calculate Pi. this fucken moment in time.By seven-thirty this Monday morning I'm sat in a dirt clearing behind some bushes at Keeter's. It accidentally makes me genuine. take any guy who names a business to sound like a lawyer's company.To snap myself out of it. The fucken bench settles a different way every week. . and carrying a Nintendo box tied with South Park bedsheets. and empty noise on the radio.''And why is no record of interview filed with the complaint?'Just now the main door creaks open behind me. and leave the initiative to him. watch cable. and I have to hunch my shoulder up to my cheek. and the man has in fact put aside his disgust to save Granny. boy. All the while she smiles a smile you know you've seen before.' says an officer. appointed by the State.

with Deputy Gurie?''Tch - camera wasn't running. go say something!''Well. a bite of that show. Then. and I'm getting a quote on one of those central-vac systems too. have many interest ??''I know all that. and his goddam alternative lifestyle. so I take off my shirt.'Well you know. not John. But my ole man was still alive when I saw those movies.Inside smells of shoe polish. from Smith County. See how the lie can start out all vague. But she's the fox to take.' says Betty. and says something to his partner. tell me - how do you feel about what's happened?''Just wrecked.''Tch.''They seemed clean.