E COME ty muc for a fact. I knos of tory t just plain aint so. Any family. tories gets passed on and truts passed over. As take as meanin t trut compete. But I dont believe t. I t trut.
It dont move about from place to place and it dont cime to time. You cant corrupt it any more t salt. You cant corrupt it because ts is.
Its talkin about. Ive compared to t disagree . But itll be . Quite a fe. But I never could find out hem did believe.
You alried to be available for your social events and I o tery cleanins of course. t you couldnt do it for t it I reckon and say t you just didnt em comin around at nig I t goes deeper t.
It is community and it is respect, of course, but t you mig to admit or even rong indeed. Very strong indeed. You get t dont to turn loose. So any little t respect.
I t in California t out rooms to old people and ty corture em first, I dont knoo say about t. I quote from ted o even try.
But ts took, youll notice. All t bring it.
ts all rig. t a w else you can do.
It AS ALMOSt A to Odessa and dark ened to truckers on t jurisdiction up tin a crime t right old buddy.
a city map at top and spread it out on t of t of a styrofoam cup. raced e on t on t beside c and started the engine.
t. As sook off and away sorry . S o he doorjamb.
Im sorry mam, . Your . I just ed to talk to you if I could.
You aint lyin to me are you?
No mam. I dont lie.
You drove up here from Sanderson?
Yes mam.
did you .
I just ed to visit tle bit. talk to you about your husband.
ell you cant come in o deat me get my coat.
Yes mam.
to t in a boot the rear and ordered coffee.
You dont know w, do you.
No I dont. I done told you.
I know you did.
ook off and laid it in through his hair.
You aint heard from him?
No I aint.
Nothin.
Not word one.
tress broug. how much money did he give you?
S ansart to say? .
I started to say ts some more of your business, aint it.
you just pretend I aint the sheriff.
And pretend youre w?
You know rouble.
Lle done nothin.
Its not me rouble h.
rouble hen?
Some pretty bad people.
Lleake care of hisself.
Do you care if I call you Carla?
I go by Carla Jean.
Carla Jean. Is t all right?
ts all rig care if I keep on callin you Sheriff do you?
Bell smiled. No, s fine.
All right.
t quit.
neither. he never has.
Bell nodded. lapped and sed in to come. taking you hem.
t t t is.
ell, ss why I married him.
But you aint heard from him in a while.
I didnt expect to hear from him.
ere you all havin problems?
e dont have problems. hen we have problems we fix em.
ell, youre lucky people.
Yes we are.
Sco ask me t, she said.
About havin problems?
About havin problems.
I just wondered if you were.
you kno and I dont?
No. I could ask you thing.
Except I tell you.
Yes.
You t me, dont you.
I dont know. has he?
No. . I know him.
You used to know him.
I know . changed.
Maybe.
But you dont believe t.
ell, I guess in all y I I never kne co say .
ell then.
I s true.
Do you really , Sheriff?
Yes. I do.
been chin?
No. been chin.
t dont mean be.
No. It dont. If long.
ell. dead yet.
I s more comfort to you t is to me.
table. co turn t it in t guarantee t t t. Its t.
You could put it in the papers anyway.
Bell studied .
Or .
ouldnt t?
I dont knoalkin about.
All right.
You care if I smoke? she said.
I till in America.
S tes out and lit one and turned into tco end? he said.
I dont kno know o end. Do you?
I kno.
Like livin er?
Somet.
Lle.
Bell nodded. You ougo be more Im sayin.
Sook a long pull on tte. Sudied Bell. S about as o be.
o t?
he never has.
nam.
I mean as a civilian.
he will.
S answer.
You some more coffee?
Im coffeed out. I didnt none to start h.
Sy tables. t cas eig over ter reading a magazine. My mamas got cancer, s got all t long to live.
Im sorry to .
I call o even say it.
Yes mam.
S knoer s diagnosed so live s. S worse.
h her?
I dont live t ignorant. t temporary.
Bell nodded.
I need to get back, she said.
All rig a gun?
Yea a gun. I guess you t bait settin up here.
I dont know.
But ts hink.
I cant believe its all t good a situation.
Yeah.
I just alk to him.
I need to t it.
All right.
Id die and live in urn snitcand t.
I do understand t.
I never did learn no scuts about t. I hope I never do.
Yes mam.
Ill tell you somet to .
I to .
You mighink Im peculiar.
I might.
Or you mig anyway.
No I dont.
out of ill sixteen and I got a job at al-Mart. I didnt knoo do. e needed t little it before I do ill about it come to me in tever it if I do t. I didnt kno Id kno never been in jail, but like you y-nintin goods and it and me and on. And directly ag and me and time do you get off? And t no question in my mind. Not t no ever.
ts a nice story, Bell said. I has a nice endin.
It like t.
I kno did. I appreciate you talkin to me. I guess Id better cut you loose, late as it is.
Subbed out te. ell, s to do no better t you done.
Bell picked up and put it on and squared it. ell, you can. Sometimes turns out all right.
Do you really care?
About your husband?
About my husband. Yes.
Yes mam. I do. terrell County o look after em. ts my job. I get paid to be t one . Killed, for t matter. Id better care.
Youre askin me to believe youre t.
Bell smiled. Yes mam, . I just makin up a trouble s killed t to live . But I can do it. I just you to t if you can.
All right.
Can I ask you somethin?
You can ask.
I kno supposed to ask a be a bit curious.
ts all rigeen. I look younger.
how long have you all been married?
t three years.
Bell nodded. My a fe in t. I t. Are you ready?
S again and eased up from t tes in ell you someteen is old enougo kno if you somet means to you its all t more likely itll get took aeen matter. I t t.
Bell nodded. I aint a stranger to ts, Carla Jean. ts is very familiar to me.
still mostly dark out table and reache phone.
Sheriff Bell, he said.
ened for about tes. te you callin me. Yep. Its just out and out is. I dont kno.
of t nine-fifteen in t in t tos taken in treet three hours earlier.
to em, the sheriff said.
I hear you, said Bell.
Dead bodies in treet. Citizens businesses all s up. Peoples cars. hing?
Can ake a look?
Yeah. e can go over.
treet ill roped off but t muco see. t of tel reet.
tires and glass s out of t-metal tle rings of bare steel around toreet s up and the blood hosed away.
in tel do you reckon?
Some Mexican dopedealer.
tood smoking. Bell reet. ood. s grinding in tte into treet. You go up Adams t a rail.
Goin yon way, I reckon.
If caug looks to me like tin toel and up treet yonder both.
do you reckon tersection taway?
I got no idea, Ed tom.
to tel.
kind of shellcasins did you all pick up?
Mostly nine millimeter gun a sgun and two machineguns.
Fully automatic?
Sure. ?
.
tairs. tel up.
tclerk got killed. About as bad a piece of luck as you could have, I reckon.
Caugray round.
c?
Righe eyes.
to tood. Somebody o be towels. s, Bell said.
s.
tclerk.
s?
No sir.
makes you say t?
You get t and youll see.
are you sayin Ed tom? t t h a Black and Decker?
ts pretty close. Ill let you t it.
Driving back to Sanderson it began to snoo t just before dark. from tc ed and turned in t.
t in ttle diningroom and ate. S on music, a violin concerto. t ring.
Did you take it off the hook?
No, she said.
ires must be down.
Ss just t makes people stop and think.
Bell nodded. I comes a blizzard then.
Do you remember t time it snowed here?
No, I cant say as I do. Do you?
Yes I do.
.
Itll come to you.
Oh.
Se.
ts nice, Bell said.
is?
the music. Supper. Bein home.
Do you tellin truth?
I do. Yes.
Do you t boy is still alive?
I dont know. I hope he is.
You may never any of this.
Its possible. t be t t?
No, I guess it .
You cant count on em to kill one anot I expect some cartel ake it over sooner or later and t dealin . too muc. t try boys. It be long, neither.
hink he has?
the Moss boy?
Yes.
o say. Could be in t too many millions. out of t.
Did you some coffee?
Yes I would.
S to tor and broug to table and poured do dont come put up .
I better not do it then.
Do you think hell send for her?
Bell stirred eaming spoon above t in t know, .
teenton and to tanks. Gas flares, pale in told o come in and told o s t even turn around. tood t. tor migand.
turned and looked at on C, is t correct?
Yessir, ts correct.
see him?
November ty-eig year.
o remember te?
I dont o remember it. I remember dates. Numbers.
tanding beainless steel and and t anyt. Not a picture or a piece of paper.
Nothing.
e got a loose cannon and a bunch of money.
Yessir. I understand t.
You understand t.
Yessir.
ts good. Im glad Ive got your attention.
Yessir. You tention.
took out a steel box and unlocked t and took out a card and closed t and put it a ells and ells stepped forook it.
You pay your oly.
Yessir.
t y-four hour period.
ts up from a thousand.
Yessir.
how well do you know Chigurh.
ell enough.
ts not an answer.
do you to know?
tapped like to know your opinion of he invincible Mr Chigurh.
Nobodys invincible.
Somebody is.
?
Some as somew vulnerable.
ts a belief t you have?
No. Its called statistics. Just how dangerous is he?
ells so you called me. so y of them around.
-out at Eagle Pass yesterday.
A s-out?
A s-out. People dead in treets. You dont read the papers.
No sir, I dont.
udied ells. Youve led somet you Mr ells?
In all y I cant say t c to do .
Yes, t else.
I guess ts it. ere these Pablos men?
Yes.
Youre sure.
Not in t you mean. But reasonably sure. t ours. t colossal goatfuck a fe. All right?
All rig .
Good ing, as o say. Once upon a time. In the long ago.
thing?
Sure.
I couldnt come back up in t elevator, could I?
Not to this floor. hy?
I interested. Security. Aleresting.
It recodes itself after every trip. A randomly generated five digit number. It doesnt print out any to you and you punc in. Does t ansion?
Nice.
Yes.
I counted treet.
And?
theres a floor missing.
Ill o look into it.
ells smiled.
You can see yourself out? the man said.
Yes.
All right.
One othing.
is t.
I my parking ticket validated.
tly. ttempt at humor I suppose.
Sorry.
Good day, Mr ells.
Right.
to tel tic ribbons up out of tanding at the old clerk had been. Yessir, he said.
I need a room, ells said.
Yessir. Is it just yourself?
Yes.
And for s be.
Probably just the one.
tourned to study t tired of people asking, w o your el?
Im not supposed to discuss it.
ts all right.
t be cas card?
Cas?
Fourteen plus tax.
. Altogether.
Sir?
I said altogeto tell me is. Give me a figure.
All in.
Yessir. t een-seventy.
ere you ook place?
No sir. I only started erday. t my second s.
t is it youre not supposed to discuss?
Sir?
time do you get off?
Sir?
Let me rep. time is your s over.
tall and t. ed briefly over tel. As if t be somet to came on at six, is over at two.
And wo.
I dont know he dayclerk.
before last.
No sir. he dayclerk.
ty t before last. here is he?
h us anymore.
yesterdays paper here?
out.
All righ some ice.
Sir?
Im just pulling your leg. You need to relax. t coming back. I can pretty near guarantee it.
Yessir. I o . I didnt even to take this job.
ells smiled and tapped top and up tairs.
o find tape still across bot on to out and in turned on t. eet back into tretc on ter a to turned tment in ttom and took out a suede leatolcase. ook out a stainless steel .357 revolver and back to took off s and stretc again ol beside him.
dark. to tain. Ligreet. Long reefs of dull red cloud racked over tern tol in and pulled outside of rousers to cover it and out and do.
It took fifteen seconds to get into Mosss room and t disturbing tape. tood t looking things over.
t to . into t and ble t and udied t. t tanding quartero them again.
into to tub and t along trousers. on tub and tapped on tiles.
t in and closed turned and stood.
t been slept in. tohe floor.
ained ain. I cra paid.
first ligreets and making notes in you could still see bloodstains in te of t. back to Main Street and started again. Bits of glass in tters and along t from curbside automobiles. t out you could see teardrop smears of lead t el. o tel and sat on teps and looked at treet. tec tre. Somet t up and reet and climbed tairs. tapped at ted. t in.
A darkened room. Faint smell of rot. ood until omed to t t slumped.
ells stood over tudying tilted for of t of dried brainmatter stuck to t of tton robe t e on a calendar on t notice. of took a small camera from pocket and took a couple of pictures of t t again. Not darling? old her.
Moss ing . A motorcycle. A dog. urned o tting on a metal c t of flowers. he man said.
Ive felt better. ho are you?
My name is Carson ells.
ho are you?
I t you some flowers.
Moss turned aring at there?
ell, Id say t to right now.
You.
Yes.
about t guy t come to tel.
e can talk about him.
talk then.
I can make him go away.
I can do t myself.
I dont think so.
Youre entitled to your opinions.
If Acostas people s t so good.
I didnt make out so good.
Yes you did. You made out extremely well.
Moss turned the man again. how long have you been here?
About an hour.
Just settin there.
Yes.
You dont o do, do you?
I like to do one t a time, if ts w you mean.
You look dumbern tin there.
ells smiled.
you put them damn flowers down.
All right.
on table and sat back in the chair again.
Do you knoimeters is?
Yeas a measurement.
Its about ters of an inch.
All right.
ts tance t round missed your liver by.
Is t or told you?
Yes. You knohe liver does?
No.
It keeps you alive. Do you know w you?
Maybe s me. Maybe it he Mexicans.
Do you know whe man is?
No. Am I supposed to?
Because somebody you really to knos tend to futures. Nonexistent, in fact.
ell good for him.
Youre not listening. You need to pay attention. t stop looking for you.
Even if s t make any difference to to ill kill you. Just for having inconvenienced him.
I ttle more than inconvenience him.
how do you mean.
I t him.
?
I sprayed double oug all over believe it done of good.
ells sat back in tudied Moss. You think you killed him?
I dont know.
Because you didnt. into treet and killed every one of t back into tel. Like you mig and get a paper or something.
kill ever one of them.
.
You tellin me ?
I dont know.
You mean well me.
If you like.
Is he a buddy of yours?
No.
I t maybe he was a buddy of yours.
No you didnt. on o Odessa?
o Odessa?
to kill your wife.
Moss didnt ans ting knoalkin about, he said.
I brougographs.
back do them.
am I supposed to make of t? he said.
I took tures tment on t up. till there.
Youre full of s.
ells studied urned and looked out t o do his, do you?
No.
You just o find t there.
I dont knoalkin about.
You didnt take t, did you?
product.
t .
No. I dont .
ells nodded. ful. Maybe I s you intend to do.
Maybe I should ask you.
I dont intend to do anyt o. Youll come to me. Sooner or later. You dont o give you my mobile phone number.
makes you t just disappear?
Do you knoook me to find you?
No.
About three hours.
You mig get so lucky again.
No, I mig. But t be good news for you.
I take it you used to h him.
ho.
this guy.
Yes. I did. At one time.
s his name.
Chigurh.
Sugar?
Con Chigurh.
cut a deal h him?
ells sat bent foroget paying attention, he said.
Maybe I just dont believe w you say.
Yes you do.
Or I migake .
Are you in a lot of pain?
Some. Yeah.
Youre in a lot of pain. It makes it o t me get the nurse.
I dont need you to do me no favors.
All right.
is o be, timate bad-ass?
I dont ts how I would describe him.
how would you describe him.
ells t about it. I guess Id say t have a sense of humor.
t aint a crime.
ts not t. Im trying to tell you something.
tell me.
You cant make a deal me say it again. Even if you gave ill kill you. t ts ever good odds. transcend money or drugs or anyt.
So him.
You asked about him.
ell me.
I guess because I t you to understand tion youre in it kno you. But I kno cut out for t youre not.
ell see, we?
Some of us he money?
I spent about t I just sort of ble in.
ells smiled. s. hink he found you?
Moss didnt answer.
about t?
I kno again.
ells smiled. ell good on you, he said.
Yeah. Good on me.
tcer on a plastic tray on table. Moss no more t it.
Do you some er? ells said.
If I somet son of a bitco kno it.
Its called a transponder, ells said.
I knos called.
Its not the only way he has of finding you.
Yeah.
I could tell you some t o know.
ell, I go back to said. I dont need no favors.
Youre not curious to know well you?
I know well me.
hich is?
Youd rathis sugar guy.
Yes. Let me get you some er.
You go to hell.
ells sat quietly knoalkin about. Ill take you out s .
ells smiled. tle s toe of and uncrossed oe under o dust it and recrossed do you do? he said.
?
do you do.
Im retired.
did you do before you retired?
Im a welder.
Acetylene? Mig? tig?
Any of it. If it can be .
Cast iron?
Yes.
I dont mean braze.
I didnt say braze.
Pot metal?
did I say?
ere you in Nam?
Yeah. I was in Nam.
So was I.
So make me? Your buddy?
I was in special forces.
I t w you were in.
I enant colonel.
Bulls.
I dont think so.
And w do you do now.
I find people. Settle accounts. t sort of thing.
Youre a man.
ells smiled. A man.
ever you call it.
t of people I contract o keep a lo like to get involved in t dratention. t like the paper.
Ill bet.
t going to go a lucky and took out one or till find you. to go. You can add to your troubles t t t dont eit?
Not to mention t agencies. Everybodys list t. And its t. You need to throw me a bone.
I dont really o protect you.
Are you afraid of this guy?
ells she word Id use.
You didnt mention Bell.
Bell. All right?
I take it you dont think much of him.
I dont t all. oe. Let me get t very comfortable. t you to t over. alked about.
ood and put a card on table next to t Moss. You t call me but you dont too long. t money belongs to my client.
Claimes not on your side. e can even let you keep some of it. But if I o recover t oo late for you. Not to mention your wife.
Moss didnt answer.
All rig to call alked to ty worried.
urned up tograp tcer but the nurse came in.