YOUNG PEOPLE ANYMORE to ime gro kno t you dont groer t you o. I ized peace officer ime. I  I greist preac tor of a little old country c to go to Lubbock after  about told em  set t cized em and buried em.

    y-one years old, maybe ty-t in tenin. It surprised me.  in scy- one  in our class at boot camp. Six  monter I  even t  peculiar at time. Four years later I ed  but o be neitalk about rigo smile at you. But I never  of doubts about t. In  my ts about t. I hope I never do.

    Loretta told me t s some percentage of try bein raised by ts. I forget  ty . Parents  raise em. e talked about t.

    ion come along and t  to raise to do it? ts s around and  t even raise t  t. On my better days I  t t kno Im leavin out. But  times are seldom. I imes  and I knoain as  deat t not of t t can slorain.

    I dont kno. But I do.

    I dont believe you could do t a ty unusual  t. Cook  and jailer and I dont kno kno. ell,  maybe t  fresuff a good  part of to fix em o come back even years later and t come back to see me. Ive  seen em to introduce ts and t go to ba ty bad t s on t o do about t?

    You aint goin to do not it. ts o do.

    C tion of 131 and opened telepory in ained pages till  to  veterinarian. tside Bracketville about ty minutes aoo t. ory in t  top  of teering  tes. t t onto the highway again.

    o t La Pryor and took to Uvalde. side of Uvalde  of tive and undid towel.

    t out and hobbled in.

    a sack full of veterinary supplies. Cotton and tape and gauze. A bulb syringe  and a bottle of s of four  inc bottle of Betadine.  out and got in tarted t c be t t  it.

    and carefully blotted t from  t of t onto toown.

    reet and turned nortty and east again on Nopal ill bleeding.  tape and  a t of t  ton.  t togetape into pocket. ook a  coat and ted traig  out. took out a s and cut off one sleeve  and put it in  and put tive and opened ting  ood to the door.

    t over o  and stood t ter part of a  minute. t tarted doreet.

    Outside tore on Main opped and turned and leaned against a car parked  treet. No one coming.  sleeve over t doo tank and dre out  again. aped tank and balled t op of it and taped it do it and turned and limped into tore. tle more toside exploded into flame taking out most of t of tore.

    tle gate and  dos aisles.  of syringes and a bottle of ablets and  find it but etracycline and sulfa. uffed  t and came out from beer in t doc  across t beore.

    t t off but no one paid any attention and Co of tore which was now in flames.

    o a motel outside of  a room at t ol under t in  tive and dumped tents out into tied s and laid out everyter-keys, billfold, tibiotic and t on tub and pulled off s  and reac tub and turned on tap. to tub w filled.

    looked like a snakebite. er  over turned er and studied t  uck to tissue. to put your  thumb in.

    of tub ter ill leaking a pale blood dilute s in ter and  patted o on toilet and took ttle of Betadine  and t of sore open t eettle and tipped it slo ttle do to  ts of clot  er running in ted. ip of t and ser and bent to his work again.

    ed time and tore open packets of four  by fours and laid ts. tic tumbler on ter er and drank it.  and drank t back  into tretc on the pillows.

    Ot beading of s on tle evidence t   all.

    back into tripped one of t of tic  o tetracycline and dre to t and pressed til a  small bead appeared at tip of t and slid to t leg and slohe plunger.

    ayed in tel for five days. o tc television on and  up in tc and  cever came on. calk s solution and took tibiotics.  morning   to told  need any service. Just toood tainly. old  t back up tood tudied t and  t the door.

    On t ies from ty  S dos and put ty  c eitook t c all  turning or looking. they spoke.

    t ress came.  table and .  tc trying not to  limp.  o turned.  t t. It could not be seen from taurant.  back to t  and tol in  across t and got into tarted it and drove  over te divider into t of tronics s door and out  onto the highway.

    ells stood on tousling hin and sandy hair.

    urned and leaned against took a picture of noticular and loanding

    trailed off to notopped and stood h his arms folded and his chin in his hand.

    boto take a picture. tc do ter. eps and came back. epped into to truck passed. A ligremor in tructure.  on along topped. Faint outline of a  bootprint in blood. Fainter of anotudied to see if t be blood on took  and  it ongue and passed it among tood looking do tand  of carrizo cane. tly in to Mexico it  .

    ells stood back and looked at tprints again. Some Mexicans s and dayparcels. ook out ure of the world.

    Bell sat at totting up figures on a or.  t thouse  lawn. Molly, he said.

    Sood in the door.

    Did you find anyt?

    S everyto find. titled and registered  to deceased people. t Blazer died ty years ago. Did you  me  to see  about the mexican ones?

    No. Lord no. heres your checks.

    Sook tte c it under her arm.

    t DEA agent called again. You dont  to talk to him?

    Im goin to try and keep from it as much as I can.

    ted to knoed to go h him.

    ell ts cordial of s. ified agent of  ted States Government.

    ed to knoo do he vehicles.

    Yea to try and sell t auction. More county money dooilet.

    One of em  a  engine in it. e migo get a fe. No  word from Mrs Moss?

    No sir.

    All right.

    ter office  you to call  Loretta and tell o Eagle Pass and Ill call  s me to come  might.

    You  me to  till youve quit the buildin?

    Yes I do.

    dorack be over  and put it on.  is it t  torbert says? About trutice?

    e dedicate ourselves ane.

    I to commence dedicatin myself t may come to ts  over. Ill see you in the mornin.

    opped at t a coffee to go and  to tbed  reet. Po dust. opped and  c and t in t truck and  pulled it over.  out and ting at tc of goodnatured arrogance.

    Bell put one  the driver nodded. Sheriff, he  said.

    your load lately?

    ts the problem, Sheriff?

    Bell stepped back from truck. Step out here, he said.

    t out. Bell nodded toruck. ts a  damned outrage, he said.

    took a look. One of tiedowns is worked loose, he said.

    arp and pulled it back up along truck over tic sing and  bound ape. t of t t. Dead bodies  aped.

    h? Bell said.

    I aint lost none of em, Sheriff.

    Couldnt you all of took a van out there?

    e didnt h four wheel drive.

    ied doarp and stood.

    All right, Bell said.

    You aint goin to e me up for improperly secured load?

    You get your ass out of here.

    sundourned on ts and got out and s t of tood leaning on t served for  top guardrail. atc into to t. A bound semi coming around ted  o vie  jump, S . tcing gears. Bell smiled. trutter is, he said, she is.

    Some t tion of 481 and 57 tting in t  gave off a single bleep and  silent again. Co topped. urned it and turned it back. ed the knobs.

    Not onto twilig.

    ook off  turned on ts. As o beep ime.

    el and got out and came limping around truck gun and tol all in a zipper bag and crossed t and  climbed tel steps.

    ered and got teps and doo  in and locked tgun across   staring at transponder sending unit to be  in tel.  Moss because  Moss  certainly dead.

    t left t of tacumbe Petroleum Group.   t  t t t  t  about t.

    en-ty at nig  but  t up and put tgun beuck tol into tband of rousers. t out and limped doairs to the desk.

    tting reading a magazine and he desk and rose. Yessir, he said.

    Id like to see tration.

    Are you a police officer?

    No. Im not.

    Im afraid I cant do t sir.

    Yes you can.

    opped and stood listening in tside his door.

    in and got tgun and to tape across it and o turned it on.  doo tried tion to t room and  opened tepped back and stood against the  hallway wall.

    raffic in treet beyond t but still  to ty on tgun. epped across to ther side.

    t in table.  on turning it in al t t t. .  tal in  and turned off t, pulling t be about t for a minute. t transponder on turned and  back doo the lobby.

    And ted for ells. No one .  in a leato t door and to  t eleven-teen and Cairs, tgun airs ells turned and looked back and C tgun to . hello, Carson, he said.

    t in ells room, ells on t o do trader. I could just go home.

    You could.

    Id make it ake you to an AtM. Everybody just  fourteen grand in it.

    Good payday.

    I think so.

    C tgun across ting  cive. Ive moved on, in a o  place t  t t t. t  it is t Ive sort of caugs not a bad t was  overdue.

    Its still a good payday.

    It is. Its just in the wrong currency.

    ells eyed tance bety years ago. Probably  not even t you o do, he said.

    C sloucing against his knuckles.

    atcc ts.  all before. So had ells.

    It started before t,  realize it at time.  doopped in a cafe in to looking back at me. I didnt pay any attention to e. But er to pay to go past  t was o ignore. Do you  know w I did?

    Yea you did.

    I ignored arted to pusurned and looked at  standing teetoottle gesture o come outside.

    If o. And t out. And I ed in t. And  and I killed  and t into my car. t kno  I  a sleeper . trying to get o sit up. trying to get o sit up. An er I side  of Sonora texas and I let ake me into toed to see if I could extricate myself by an act of  one can. t suc it o do. Do you understand?

    Do I understand?

    Yes.

    Do you ion of how goddamned crazy you are?

    ture of tion?

    ture of you.

    Cudied ells. tell me something, he said.

    .

    If to t use he rule?

    I dont knoalking about.

    Im talking about your life. In w once.

    Im not interested in your bulls, Anton.

    I t you mig to explain yourself.

    I dont o explain myself to you.

    Not to me. to yourself. I t you migo say.

    You go to hell.

    You surprise me, ts all. I expected somet. It calls past events into  question. Dont you think so?

    You trade places h you?

    Yes. I do. Im es I ill be here.

    ells looked out tchel is, he said.

    If you knew wc.

    I o o  until till nig.

    You know wchel is.

    Yes.

    I knoter.

    s t.

    I knoo be.

    And w.

    It  my feet.

    ells  cost you anyts  ty minutes from here.

    You knos not going to  you?

    ells didnt answer.

    Dont you?

    You go to hell.

    You t it off h your eyes.

    do you mean?

    You t as long as you keep looking at me you can put it off.

    I dont t.

    Yes you do. You s your situation. ty in it. Im  trying to help you.

    You son of a bitch.

    You t close your eyes. But you will.

    ells didnt anshink, he said.

    You dont knohink.

    You t its just greed. But Im not like you. I live a simple life.

    Just do it.

    You  understand. A man like you.

    Just do it.

    Yes, C. But t mean it, do they?

    You piece of s.

    Its not good, Carson. You need to compose yourself. If you dont respect me   you t where you are.

    You tside of everyt youre not.

    Not everything. No.

    Youre not outside of death.

    It doesnt mean to me  does to you.

    You to die?

    Yes.

    Just do it. Do it and goddamn you.

    Its not to get  tood t.  order to abandon o a point. Did you empt?

    ?  yourself get in tuation?

    ells looked out at treet.  time is it? he said.

    C and looked at cy-seven he said.

    ells nodded. By t tes. ell t. I time ago. Almost like a dream. Déjà vu.  C interested in your opinions,  do it. You  goddamned psyc and goddamn you to hell.

    urned o fend a be fended a Communion,  of  y casing off to it and put it in  and looked at cill a minute  away.

    doairs and crossed t to ells car and sorted out  t and rear and under ts. It al car and t but tal contract in t.  trunk. Not around to t and raised tment and tood looking at tel. anding t and puston and put it to his ear. Yes, he said.

    Moss made o to urned at tarted  back. t stood on  bueno, he said.

    Late in t roubling dream and struggled doo use teleper and listened to it ring. It rang a long time. Finally her answered.

    Its Llewelyn.

    S  to talk to you.

    Yes she does.

    Do you knoime it is?

    I dont care ime it is. Dont you his phone.

    I told  o  I? Cer and verse. I said: t o pass. And no o pass.

    Dont you   her on.

    thisaway.

    , Llehem words?

    here are you.

    Piedras Negras.

    am I supposed to do, Llewelyn?

    Are you all right?

    No Im not all rig? People callin  you. I errell County. S t you was  dead.

    I aint dead.  did you tell him?

    could I tell him?

    con you into sayin somethin.

    Youre , aint you?

    makes you say t?

    I can  in your voice. Are you okay?

    Im okay.

    here are you?

    I told you where I was.

    You sound like youre in a bus station.

    Carla Jean I to get out of there.

    Out of where?

    Out of t house.

    Youre scarin me, Lle of o go where?

    It dont matter. I just dont tay to a motel.

    And do h Mama?

    S.

    S?

    Yes.

    You dont kno.

    Lle answer.

    Do you?

    I just dont ther her.

    You dont think?

    You need to get out. Just take h you.

    I cant take my mama to a motel. S forgot.

    did the sheriff say.

    Said  do you think he said?

    else did he say.

    S answer.

    Carla Jean?

    She sounded like she was crying.

    else did he say, Carla Jean?

    o get yourself killed.

    ell, ts w he would say.

    S a long time.

    Carla Jean?

    Lle even  t  us to be back like we was.

    e will be.

    No . Ive t about it. Its a false god.

    Yea its real money.

    So cry. ried to talk to  s ansening to ly in Odessa.  do you   me to do? he said.

    S answer.

    Carla Jean?

    I  to be like they was.

    If I tell you Ill try and fix evert I asked you?

    Yes. I will.

    Ive got a number  can help us.

    Can you trust them?

    I dont kno kno trust nobody else. Ill call you tomorro t you. Ill call you tomorrow.

    ells   ans it  ells. I t the wrong number, he said.

    You dont o come see me.

    his?

    You know w is.

    Moss leaned on ter,  .

    heres ells?

    kind of a deal did you cut h him?

    I didnt cut any kind of a deal.

    Yes you did. o give you?

    I dont knoalkin about.

    he money.

    did you do h ells.

    e  need to concern yourself about ells.  of ture. You need to talk to me.

    I dont need to talk to you.

    I think you do. Do you know where Im going?

    hy would I care where youre goin?

    Do you know where Im going?

    Moss didnt answer.

    Are you there?

    Im here.

    I know where you are.

    Yeah? here am I?

    Youre in tal at Piedras Negras. But ts not where Im going. Do you know  where Im going?

    Yeah. I know where youre goin.

    You can turn all this around.

    hy would I believe you?

    You believed ells.

    I didnt believe ells.

    You called him.

    So I called him.

    tell me  me to do.

    Moss sed . S stood on  answer.

    tell me someting.

    I could be in for you er a plane. You  t about t?

    t  you .

    ?

    You  old me. Anyway, I o go.

    You kno be there.

    It doesnt make any difference whey are.

    So here for.

    You knourn out, dont you?

    No. Do you?

    Yes. I do. I too. You just  accepted it yet. So t Ill do. You  bring me t able. the same as you.

    I dont kno t. But ts t deal youre going to get. I   tell you you can save yourself because you cant.

    Im goin to bring you somet, Moss said. Ive decided to make you a special  project of mine. You aint goin to o look for me at all.

    Im glad to . You o disappoint me.

    You  be disappointed.

    Good.

    You dont o by god  bein disappointed.

    before dayligal go over it.

    t of t iff  of  t iff and bloodstained.

    ood in treet looking tos. ion he corner. A few cars passed.

    o ts at t corner and stopped and leaned  t t ook one no dry.  o vomit. ood  time. t on save t it ed iron bars to discourage loiterers. A cab  by and  it kept going. o o go out into treet and after a tering time o the curb.

    tudied ake me across the bridge?

    he said.

    to ther side.

    Yes. to ther side.

    You got monies.

    Yes. I got monies.

    ty dollars, he said.

    Okay.

    At te t in t country were you born in? he said.

    ted States.

    are you bringing in?

    Not anything.

    tudied epping out here? he said.

    Moss pus seat to ease  of  tood.

    o your shoes?

    I dont know.

    You dont hes on, do you?

    I got clothes on.

    t. ed for to t second space there?

    t the cab in gear.

    ould you mind stepping ahe vehicle?

    Moss stepped ao t the engine.

    Moss looked at to be ing for o say somet  .

    took  eel ce office. Anotood leaning against a steel desk. he looked him over.

    o drink?

    I aint o drink.

    o you?

    do you mean?

    o your clothes.

    I dont know.

    Do you ification?

    No.

    Nothing.

    No.

    t . s to  go te into ted States of America?

    I dont knoizens.

    Some American citizens. ?

    You do I reckon.

    ts correct. And how do I decide?

    I dont know.

    I ask questions. If I get sensible ans to go to America. If I dont get  sensible ans. Is t t t you dont understand?

    No sir.

    to start over.

    All right.

    e need to  w hes on.

    I got a overcoat on.

    Are you jackin h me?

    No sir.

    Dont jack he service?

    No sir. Im a veteran.

    branche service.

    United States Army.

    ere you in Nam?

    Yessir. tours.

    outfit.

    try.

    es of tour duty.

    August seventeen and sixty-six to September second nineteen and sixty-eight.

    tcime. Moss looked at oy ting  h his  elbows on his knees.

    Are you all right?

    Yessir. Im all rig a ll come and get me if you all  me go on.

    any money? You got change for a phone call?

    Yessir.

    iles. A guard anding tted  t someone to his man.

    o get into toaxi gone?

    Yessir. It was clean.

    I kno someone to help him.

    Moss. here are you from?

    Im from San Saba texas.

    Does your wife know where you are?

    Yessir. I talked to  a while ago.

    Did you all ?

    Did w?

    You and your wife.

    ell. Somew of a one I reckon. Yessir.

    You need to tell her youre sorry.

    Sir?

    I said you need to tell her youre sorry.

    Yessir. I will.

    Even if you t was .

    Yessir.

    Go on. Get your ass out of here.

    Yessir.

    Sometimes you tle problem and you dont fix it and t aint a  little problem anymore. You understand ellin you?

    Yessir. I do.

    Go on.

    Yessir.

    It  daylig out up treet. A bloody  serum he inside of his leg.

    People paid tle mind. urned up Adams Street and stopped at a clotore  and peered in. Lig t ted and  knocked again. Finally a small man in a ie opened t at  open, Moss said, but I need some clothes real bad.

    the door. Come in, he said.

    to section. tony Lama, Justin,  Nocona. t s and some clot some  medical problems and I dont  to  I can help.

    the man nodded. Yessir, he said. Of course.

    Do you carry the Larry Mahans?

    No sir. e dont.

    ts all rigy-ty-four lengt  size large. Some socks. And ss in a ten and a .

    Yessir. Did you  to look at s?

    Moss looked across tore. I t  any of tockmans s s?

    Yes tle better grade in tetson. A five X, I t is.

    Let me see tetson. t silverbelly color.

    All rige socks all right?

    e socks is all I wear.

    about underwear?

    Maybe a pair of jockey ss. ty-two. Or medium.

    Yessir. You just make yourself comfortable. Are you all right?

    Im all right.

    turned to go.

    Can I ask you somethin? Moss said.

    Yessir.

    Do you get a lot of people come in hes on?

    No sir. I  say a lot.

    o t  and  from ted  across  tape but t  stick. s and took t and pulled t and up to  ood and pulled t again  and undid t from its cardboard forms and endless pins.

    of t over ood looking do ts. takes longer to break in, he said.

    Yea in too. t. Lets try t . I aint been duded up  like t out of the army.

    t top t aken it from. to close tel, he said.

    Bell nodded. I aint surprised.

    t. t feller  pulled but to  me t tc never even imagined suching.

    never of left.

    I t about t too.

    t  t none of em live long  enougo tell it.

    tic, Ed tom.

    Yea tic though.

    ell w would you call him?

    I dont kno?

    Its done closed, as far as t goes.

    You got a key?

    Yea a key. Its a crime scene.

    here and look around some more.

    All rig.

    t transponder unit sitting on a he hallway.

    Bell picked it up and turned it in  the knobs.

    t aint a goddamn bomb is it Sheriff?

    No.

    ts all we need.

    Its a trackin device.

    So  rackin they found.

    Probably.  been settin there do you reckon?

    I dont kno be able to guess rackin, though.

    Maybe, Bell said. t t dont rattle right.

    It aint supposed to.

    e got a ex-army colonel  of  you o ID off of s.  fingers  s off. Regular army. Fourteen years service. Not a  piece of paper on him.

    hed been robbed.

    Yeah.

    do you kno t you aint tellin, Sheriff?

    You got ts I got.

    I aint talkin about facts. Do you th?

    Bell s know.

    You got a dog in t?

    Not really. A couple of kids from my county t mig of involved t oug to be.

    Sort of involved.

    Yeah.

    Are alkin kin?

    No. Just people from my county. People Im supposed to be lookin after.

    ransponder unit to the sheriff.

    am I supposed to do his?

    Its Maverick County property. Crime scene evidence.

    the sheriff shook his head. Dope, he said.

    Dope.

    t s to schoolkids.

    Its .

    ?

    Sc.