I DONt KNO if la  it used to be  or not. I knoook office youd figo  break it up and to figimes you o accommodate em.

    t  no otter not lose, neit see t  so muc maybe you see   I grabbed it just as  to fire and t  rig of my t t t man  ention of killin me. A fe  t many neit one of ttle top roads of a nigruck t ttin in t. ts  and I backed off some but truck es on it and I t, o stop take a look. So I  ts and gun out to ttin in truck. Ill tell you rig t. It skidded t sideo  into t t truck tin t sgun to  t and I just  it ty pieces to. I still   on to tc it  o roll but it didnt. It filled t full of dirt. t of one side of to a stop and I laid t, ol out, and I  pickup  leave out and I raised up and fired several ss at taillig they was long gone.

    Point bein you dont knooppin ake  out on to a car and you dont knoo find. I  set t cruiser for a long time. tor  ts ill on.

    Cab full of glass and dirt. I got out and kindly s back in and just  set t kindly collectin my ts. indsurned off ts and I just set take somebody t ually t officer and open fire, you  some  very serious people. I never sa truck again. Nobody else did neit tes no after it. Or tried to. I dont knoo Sanderson and pulled in at tell you to see  t cruiser. It  full of

    even from all t glass. I icized for t too. Parkin  t. ell, maybe I  I needed t cup  of coffee too, Ill tell you.

    I read tly I suppose just to try and figure out  Ive done all t good a job at  off. It keeps gettin  o one anot somewween.

    And t out togetravelin around try killin people. I forget  are t! t many of em. I dont t  kno. She generally is.

    BELL CLIMBED teps of t doo  and looked at telephone. Go ahead, he  said. Im here.

    t up. Sheriff Bell, he said.

    ened. he nodded.

    Mrs Dole bit. Yes mam.

    ook off  and put it on t he  bridge of his nose. Yes mam, he said. Yes mam.

    Mrs Do many dead cats in trees. I tly  if youll just leave tle bit, you hear?

    looking at it. Its money,  o talk to people about cats in trees.

    ell. Maybe you do.

    tton and put   up on the desk. Bell, he said.

    listening.  to t up.

    Get turtle. ts all rig here.

    he desk.

    All rigs on. Ill be ty minutes. And torbert? S trunk.

    o t of t and parked and got  out. torbert got out and anding by tudying tire tracks. You seen this, I reckon,  he said.

    Yessir.

    ell lets take a look.

    torbert opened trunk and tood looking at t of t  ly dried. o trunk and took sometpocket and unfolded it. It  ained receipt for gas from a service station in Junction texas. ell, he road for Bill yrick.

    I didnt look to see if he had a billfold on him.

    ts all rig. t dumb luck.

    udied t like a  ter.

    s a ter?

    Its a target round. You got the keys?

    Yessir.

    Bell s trunklid. rucks on terstate alked to Lamar. told  back in about tin and t t loadin o one of our units and  need a  er. You take Lamars unit back to Sonora  you. You got any money?

    Yessir.

    Fill out t same as any report.

    Yessir.

    e male, late ties, medium build.

    how do you spell yrick?

    You dont spell it. e dont know w his name is.

    Yessir.

    have a family someplace.

    Yessir. Sheriff?

    Yes.

    do or?

    e dont. Give endell your keys fore you forget it.

    t.

    ell lets not be leavin keys in ts.

    Yessir.

    Ill see you in time.

    Yessir.

    I  son of a bitch is in California.

    Yessir. I know w you mean.

    I got a feelin .

    Yessir. I do too.

    endell, you ready?

    endell leaned and spat. Yessir,  torbert. You get  stopped  old boy in turtle just tell em you dont kno it. tell  em somebody must of put here while you was havin coffee.

    torbert nodded. You and to come do me off of death row?

    If  get you out  in th you.

    You all dont be makin ligaway, Bell said.

    endell nodded. Yessir, . I might be one myself some day.

    Driving out 90 tournoff at Dryden  out and ted on  it.  it fall again. Cold  yelloo t above them.

    It ail.  up by one ip and carried it to tc in t top, sitting on tcions for miles. Any small t migure  to cross. Closing on t t in tration of  ter.  rucks running over it.

    ood t across t. So quiet. Low he wires.

    a. Beyond in tone arroyos  tracks of dragons. tains se sun and to t  t plains under a sky . t god lives in silence  in and pulled away.

    of t tape stretc. A small court out and  crossed treet.

    s happened, Sheriff?

    I dont kno got here.

    ape and  up teps. Lamar looked up  tom,  o pay here.

    t on them.

    You all go on, said Lamar. Me and to talk.

    Bell and  to play mumbledypeg  here.

    ters today I dont t t om tic.

    I hear you.

    You got anyto go on?

    Not really.

    Lamar looked a if I catc.

    ell, o catc.

    t boy was married.

    I didnt kno.

    ty-t boy. Straig to go out to  on the damn radio.

    I dont envy you t. I surely dont.

    I to quit, Ed tom.

    You  me to go out th you?

    No. I appreciate it. I need to go.

    All right.

    I just  somet never even seen before.

    I got t me call you this evenin.

    I appreciate it.

    ceps to  quit,  o need all of you .

    of t y in the bus.

    Sanderson, the driver said.

    Moss made en,  me out do t Aire? I got a bad leg and I  live do I got nobody to pick me up.

    t t.

    up off t  you was dead, she said.

    ell I aint so dont go to slobberin.

    I aint.

    you fix me some bacon and eggs wake a shower.

    Let me see t cut on your  o you? ruck at?

    I need to take a so eat. My stomacs been cut.

    of ts and  ttle formica table in tc ts t on the back of  your arm?

    his?

    Four.

    You got any more toast?

    t, Llewelyn?

    o hear?

    truth.

    about salting his eggs.

    You aint goin to tell me, are you?

    No.

    o your leg?

    Its broke out in a rash.

    Stered toast and put it on te and sat in te. I like to  eat breakfast of a nigakes me back to my bachelor days.

    is goin on, Llewelyn?

    s goin on, Carla Jean. You need to get your stuff packed and be ready to roll  out of . ever you leave you aint goin to see it again so if you   it dont leave it. t of  seven-fifteen in t you to go to Odessa and  till I can call you.

    S back in tc me to go to Odessa, she said.

    ts correct.

    You aint kiddin, are you?

    Me? No. I aint kiddin a bit. Are  of preserves?

    S up and got t of tor and set table and sat  back do and spread it h his  knife.

    s in t satc in?

    I told you  satchel.

    You said it was full of money.

    ell ts .

    at?

    Under the back room.

    Under the bed.

    Yes mam.

    Can I go back there and look?

    Youre free y-one so I reckon you can do .

    I aint ty-one.

    ell wever you are.

    And you  me to get on a bus and go to Odessa.

    You are gettin on a bus and goin to Odessa.

    am I supposed to tell Mama?

    ell, try standin in the door and hollerin: Mama, Im home.

    ruck at?

    Gone thins forever.

    o get dohe mornin?

    Call Miss Rosa over yonder. S got noto do.

    have you done, Llewelyn?

    I robbed t Fort Stockton.

    Youre a lyin sack of you know w.

    If you aint goin to believe me o get on back t your stuff toget about four ill daylight.

    Let me see t thing on your arm.

    You done seen it.

    Let me put somet.

    Yea salve in t if  out. ill you go on  and quit aggravatin me? Im tryin to eat.

    Did you get s?

    No. I just said t to get you stirred up. Go on now.

    nortexas and took route 349 south.

    o tation at S  dark. A long red  t back  in and paid.

    You all gettin any rain up your or said.

    be?

    I seen you was from Dallas.

    Cer. And  of yours where  Im from, friendo?

    I didnt mean not.

    You didnt mean not.

    I  passin time of day.

    I guess t passes for manners in your cracker viehings.

    ell sir, I apologized. If you dont  to accept my apology I dont know w else I  can do for you.

    hese?

    Sir?

    I said hese.

    Sixty-nine cents.

    Co ter. t up and stacked t taken ic package of caseet of to ood eating.

    ill the man said.

    I dont knohere?

    Is thin wrong?

    it?

    ithing.

    Is t hing?

    turned a  to   C t t of tore. tting te anothe cashews.

    ill thing else?

    Youve already asked me t.

    ell I need to see about closin.

    See about closing.

    Yessir.

    time do you close?

    Now. e close now.

    No a time.  time do you close.

    Generally around dark. At dark.

    Cood sloalking about, do you?

    Sir?

    I said you dont knoalking about do you.

    Im talkin about closin. ts alkin about.

    time do you go to bed.

    Sir?

    Youre a bit deaf, arent you? I said ime do you go to bed.

    ell. Id say around nine-ty. Somewy.

    Co hen, he said.

    ell be closed then.

    ts all right.

    ell why would you be comin back? ell be closed.

    You said t.

    ell we will.

    You live in t ore?

    Yes I do.

    Youve lived here all your life?

    tor took a hers place, he said.

    Originally.

    You married into it.

    e lived in temple texas for many years. Raised a family temple. e come  out  four years ago.

    You married into it.

    If ts t to put it.

    I dont o put it. ts t is.

    ell I need to close now.

    C of to tle bag and  placed it on ter. ood oddly erect, chewing.

    You seem to  of questions, tor said. For somebody t dont  to  say heyre from.

    s t you ever sa on a coin toss?

    Sir?

    I said  you ever sa on a coin toss.

    Coin toss?

    Coin toss.

    I dont kno generally bet on a coin toss. Its usually more like just to settle  somethin.

    s t ttled?

    I dont know.

    Cook a ty-five cent piece from  and flipped it spinning into t lig it and slapped it onto t above t, he said.

    Call it?

    Yes.

    For w?

    Just call it.

    ell I need to kno is were callin here.

    ching?

    t C time. Blue as lapis. At once glistening  and totally opaque. Like  stones. You need to call it, C call it for  you. It  be fair. It  even be rig call it.

    I didnt put nothin up.

    Yes you did. Youve been putting it up your  kno. You  knoe is on this coin?

    No.

    Its nineteen fifty-eigs been traveling ty-to get s   my . And its eitails. And you  o say. Call it.

    I dont kno is I stand to win.

    In t t. he licked his upper lip.

    You stand to hing.

    You aint makin any sense, mister.

    Call it.

    hen.

    Curned ly for to see. ell done,  he said.

    and  across.

    do I  ?

    take it. Its your lucky coin.

    I dont need it.

    Yes you do. take it.

    took t to close now, he said.

    Dont put it in your pocket.

    Sir?

    Dont put it in your pocket.

    me to put it?

    Dont put it in your pocket. You  know w is.

    All right.

    Anytrument, C even  notice. to  pay attention. And ting. And after t nots just a coin.

    For instance. Not could t be an instrument of? You see to separate t from ts of some moment in ory  migercs of some ot.  be?

    ell, its just a coin. Yes. ts true. Is it?

    Cer into   t and turned and  tor cc into tarted and pulled off from to ts never did come on. er and looked at it.  boter and just stood leaning th his head bowed.

    to Dryden it  eig at tersection in front of  Condras Feed Store s off and tor running. turned ts  on and pulled out on .

    te marks at t t ter and drove anoturned off t off  ts and left tor running and got out and e  and came back. tleguard and got out and closed te again and stood tening. t in t doted track.

    an old remnant, trung on mesquite posts. In a mile or so  on a gravel plain he engine.

    tinted so dark t out. A man got out on t  foro t in and  s ts go, he said.

    alked to he driver said.

    No.

    know ws happened?

    No. Lets go.

    t across t in the dark.

    o tell he driver said.

    it is t Im telling him.

    o Mosss truck Co study it.

    Is t ruck?

    ts it. Plates is gone.

    Pull up  a screwdriver?

    Look in there.

    C out o truck and opened the door.

    ion plate off of ts inside t it in  and came back and got in and put t  tires? he said.

    It  us.

    Cs go, he said.

    tance from trucks and o look at tood time. It  on t but   seem to notice. tood ing.  in urned it on and rucks and looked at t a small distance.

    hose dog? Chigurh said.

    e dont know.

    ood looking in at t into ts.

    he box? he said.

    Its in truck. You  it?

    Can you get anyt?

    No.

    Nothing?

    Not a bleep.

    Cudied tled .

    tunias, one of the men said.

    C ansruck and stood looking over t. Dead quiet. t been dead t. ol from tband of rousers and turned  around to anding and s t t. tually urned to look at t as epped bet and pulled  arap from ter Glock   to t in and started it and  backed around and drove up out of tohe highway.