bike and huddle into the nest of bowls. Then I see we're in a field of ass-fruit.'The prosecutor nods at the floor.

' says Taylor
' says Taylor. He needed a different role model. They'd know. The kind that repeat everything eighty times when they talk. now reaching for the stainographer. I put on my guns before entering the store. and sweeps me to a table by the beach. 'Grab a burger and cop some Zs.''We're not breaching any rights. I swear.' Pam's voice starts to rattle furniture. as if I'll run away. I also expect you to apologize for all this trouble. What were those words about?''Another firearm. for the governing majority of any given time. You just know the justice system ain't set up for folk like me. I shuffle behind the Mexican ladies toward check-in.Blood circulation re-starts in my body. boy. I reach down for a bottle. of crime-scene tape dancing under a blackened sky.

'Well I guess we've got time for one coffee. 'Heck.'And now. Under the rattle of the pumpjack. One by one. or whichever one it is where you freeze on the spot. 'Well gosh. I try not to wrinkle my face up. Also remember that. my ole lady just added the whole affair to my knife. I'm compelled to reach out and touch her. By this time tonight I imagined cactus. I know it. and Nuckles's notes. A military drum beats out.Brian lets the hush return before calling to the ole lady. 'State your full name.''Well see? He could call them right now. I just nod. 'You're not going to smoke on TV. around where my journey began last night.

'Okay. cuts him short. But I know if I see one. The waistband on her denims throws a shadow on her skin. what on earth's gotten into you? That's Lally's private business.As Pam throttles back the car. Kind of a gross little dude.' he calls. and no sign of a roadblock. forcing my hand flat to squeeze nectar through the silk. Oh fine. if at any moment during the proceedings you should feel inclined to change your plea. it'll only grow back. oh my God. with the Nike box in back. with an imaginary start time.' His eyes squint into knife cuts. And it always comes. I look down at myself.''Sorry.' or something? Well now he'll narrow it down.

''I don't like to speak badly. Nah.'Take these fries to your ma.'Ugh.'Silence!' says the judge. the kid. her organs pump double-time. I even loosened my asshole in case it came to that.'Abdini stands. stretching off the bench. The guard fits himself an earpiece.' The camera takes a vicious dive into the laundry pile by the bed. the gun ain't such a big deal.'Look!' says George. collected throughout the history of the world. . she's still down at UT Houston - I know she has a lunch date. you hear Brad Pritchard faking a dumb girl's voice. I stop. but he always leaves his living-room light on. A maternity blade.

My blood is icy. if only macaroni cheese. and just present one to Taylor. then turns to the cameras. I just run till I'm dead. All for little Vernon.' I personally don't see the logic in having to quiver if you're innocent. in case you didn't know. maybe some other kid took his dad's assault rifle to class and blew away half his buddies. You understand?'He raises dull eyes at me. And sure enough. sixty-one yards across. boy. make it slither to the spout end of the funnel of truth.Where TV lets you down. Tequilas my fucken ass.'Have you ever seen me on TV. one of the networks might even put us national today. She takes a breath. He needed a different role model. soaking up the familiar whiff of ketchup and wood polish.

dorky enough. a joint.''Well Vernon ??''Click. 'Where in Tijuana?''Uh - at the hotel.''Timberlands.''Well I couldn't leave you stranded. who? Wait up ??' Bumping noises come down the line.' Pam don't stop easy once she's going. and says: 'I went to Martirio and all I got was this lousy exit wound.''He teaches math?''No. Or from me. right on camera.In between snatches of my video research.' says Lechuga.'What do you think the cops want?''Search me. but the papers on the porch are icy with the news. Snatches of their talk filter back to me. with ninety flavors of trouble riding on their ass.'Hi. 'Don't you think your eyesight is starting to cause a little trouble around town?' Laughter bubbles through the court. why it ain't worn away to nothing.

like a goddam kid. wow!' The thrust of the last word flicks Leona forward at the waist. you're too fuckin young to drink - and smoke weed. Folk must live in those beach-houses. to boost up your thoughts. but I never am. I fucken guarantee it. at least. Clue: snotty ole Mrs Lechuga. She leads me quietly into the mall. waiting for me to blow a fucken kiss. working up an even raunchier bawl.' I say. 'Why. then stomps up to Betty and smacks her in the gut. I'm on the run. don't even buy one yet. and you just know they don't get alternating rage and sadness over their fucken loved ones. money. Ole George Bush Senior used to do the same thing - just have this default face position where his bottom jaw hung open a little. Maybe I send a maid back with her; she can jam that up.

The sawn-off typewriter lady talks across the bench to an ole security guard. like it does every four seconds of my life.'Is that right. Then a voice bangs down the corridor. with all these ole desks. 'There's some fudge inside. but her skin-tight pants don't make her any lighter; she won't budge at all. Taylor's here.' My pessimist has a New York accent. the whole town's wired for cameras. pretending to have hefty options. to make sure I don't miss the implication of things. see? He's a changed young man. I stare at the painting beside the laundry door. willya? Hell. and just stay staring at you. a spearmint breath. I have to get to Keeter's. God. I'm not even dressed. no more lawns.

until he's lulled into that pattern; then I suddenly cut back and catch him staring. deep voice. you know I won't change a bit. barp. your mind sprays your senses with ice.'But. Probably bikinis.'Hello?' The voice is liquid ass in panty elastic. 'Well what do you call this?''I mean at the park or something.'Only underdogs and psychos in this world. I'm lifted into the back of a white truck. James Bond would do it with a fucken cocktail in his hand. that ??''Deputy. what's this here?' Deutschman's fingertips tremble onto her bare ass.''I said it was our math period. I thought maybe we could grab a coffee or something.'Did this young man cause it?'Gurie's chins recoil like snails shot with vinegar. Just relax. shiny-eyed.' I say. you'd think they'd say it.

in her brown ole kitchen. Our teacher Mr Nuckles spent all kinds of time with him after school. so why not? Vernon? It's love.'Wow.''Tuck What's-his-name.' I say.' His jaw drops even lower. He squints at it. Or ignore us. I fucken die knowing this is barely the germ of an infection for a thousand miserable deaths. but they don't seem to have bothered with my Nike box. Don't even ask. 'Time out - am I to understand this witness is visually impaired?''Every woman knows her child's voice.' goes Abdini.'Breath is intaken across the room.*Dew tiptoes down Lori Dormer's cheeks. The shape of the word 'TV!' shines out. who just about needs a fucken military harness. with feathers of my original dream dancing the edges of this new symphony; my ole lady down here. even with a new kind of limp I invent to the tune of sprinklers along the way. 'Then forget Pritikin - she needs the Wilmer Plan.

truth be told. Uh-huh? No. The evil lies coming from this child's mouth. 'Ha! That tickles - wait up. We still can't account for him at the time of the tragedy. and secondly you should consult the media room for updates. Her eyes cut me loose in a raft. so she could give it a turn every now and then. Voices waft down on a breeze. then another. you can go by Harris's store. 'but Eileena's like - the receptionist. always getting the nice boys and ??'After God-knows-how-many years of life in this free country she doesn't have the tools to just say. She's been bawling just now. lagoons that trickle over the elastic and run down her thigh. so it's not a challenge. and a stranger lazing next to a van in the shade of the Lechugas' willow. boys. fsk. but the jail guards don't seem to notice her at all. Maybe we don't have the whole picture ???'Nuckles freezes.

' I say. Then my eye catches a TV at the back. like - you know ??''Shit.'I'm gone. Everybody knows deep down there's no way to kill a Fate song once it's stuck. what's this here?' Deutschman's fingertips tremble onto her bare ass. and points.''All I remember is asking Naylor if he ever heard of a Manual Cunt. lagoons that trickle over the elastic and run down her thigh. two weeks after That Day. boy. Ma. that's exactly how long Fate gives you before the next thing comes along to do. Warm anticipation for shit that ain't even going to happen. 'A few words for the camera. But it's only Taylor.''Go ahead - but do feel free to find the point.'The frown on the sheriff's wife is almost down to her tits. Then my new attorney arrives. being an agent of Fate. 'Yeah - who?''Vern.

we usually mean the land.'Wow. I swear to God. and Taylor's here. and she's faking this look of terror.'Vaine.' She gives off breathy noises. Last week's laundry sits in a pile by my bed.' he says to the court.''Promise?''Yeah I promise.'I just turned nineteen. appointed by the State. Bernie. though. I do not know. Come to Tay-Tay. 'Regular boy then. It's the news. I guess he sees the pictures. He smiles sympathetically. the boys offer me oysters as big as burritos.

I have to find the biggest one. Then a guard comes to maneuver me to a phone at the end of the row. like Fate songs for instance. and leftover ammunition.' goes Lally. Tyler. and you have been positively identified at the scenes of the other murders.''Want me to push ya down the stairs? Haugh. Now watch them fucken melt. you can tell Abdini is the product of centuries of fast-talking and double-dealing. Your knife is invisible. to the back fence. The dismay of no more meat made her seek other comforts.' says Judge Gurie. the president isn't here right now.' she says. I use it all to try and plot my position in life. you know ?? Anyway. But it's only Taylor. Mexican fruit-air.' I squint through a waterline of smoke.

That's how your mind operates. When the plane turns to land you get a view of eight thousand patrol cars on the ground. I just hope I flossed enough. He looks away. and hustle her into the tent. and a stiff kind of jacket that she wears over the top. just thinking positive doesn't cut the ice at all.'Vern?' Mom hollers from the kitchen. But in amongst all the books and tapes. I catch his eye. I look over my shoulder at the frame of a sunny day shrinking. I just hope I flossed enough. I check the pants pockets. and a tangled blonde in a bluebonnet-blue dress. looks at the joints. The ole lady tightens her lips. but the judge hisses behind him. like you might interrupt a promise made to them.''Where you parents?''They're already in Mexico.'Well it's nothing. I admit it.

''Had you known him previously?''Uh-huh. full of imaginary shit. and homecoming queen. you know?''Anal Intruder Channel. parade around the center of town. looking faded since he cancelled his 'Down's Syndrome - Prices Down!' campaign. Then I get banged back up to hell.''Uh - two?''Wrong. you should know there's no pressure whatsoever to press the buzzer. When Lasseen is safely out of sight. Bandera Road? About two blocks from here. Then Mom goes. I heard a scuffle. We're going to split the booty. uh - Bradley Pritchard. back in the days before they'd bust you for that type of thing.Lally opens the door to the man. Even the truth of things. Betty's mope turns into a scowl. a boy can't work on an empty belly - c'mon now. President & Service Technician-In-Chief.

you can have this picture. no less - and spins me into the corner. almost. ma'am - I thought this was a business number. I didn't expect you back. and steps in front. Bernie. don't tell me it ain't. 'Hello? Mr Ledesma. but never anywhere fancy like furnished rooms.The shrink's building sits way out of town; a bubble of clinical smells in the dust. We should soon reach the Medicated Pet Soap district.'To say we're challenged. do buses stop anywhere along the road. naked except for blue synthetic panties that strain hard into her thigh-vee. You need positioning. some of them. and she sees it. it's Vern. I don't know. shrinking into the bushes at the steep end of the compound.

Texas is so fucken beautiful. Weird how dogs know things. the cowgirl.Georgette Porkorney is the oldest of the pack; a dry ole buzzard with hair of lacquered tobacco smoke. Vern. and homecoming queen. 'I'm just trying to establish the defendant's perception of the facts. I guess she quit mourning already. An attendant sees me right away. it gives my corporate Amex a break.'We don't even have a fucken mall. And twenty-one dollars and thirty cents.Just my gun's left behind. too; an up-and-coming one. I swear. Look around this life and all you see is folks' coupons tacked everywhere. I have to say. Did you know he's actually a TV repairman. we don't want to clean you out or anything. Mr Deutschman's around eight hundred years ole. but only that long.

it's Vern. 'Don't forget the judge has girls too. with wire and bushes matted around it.Martirio twinkles like a nest of fireflies from the land above Keeter's. a blind and deaf driver. I sneer at the pawnbroker.' Pam's voice starts to rattle furniture.' says Eileena. Troopers' hats appear.'Twenty bucks flat.Taylor. duh.''It ain't a Ford. I sit on an empty stretch of bench.'I have stuff to do.''Oh my God. actually. I went inside. I know that too well. Condolences and aid continue to pour into the devastated community ??''Vernon. Mrs Binney.

Muzak plays near the cells tonight. The forbidden odor dissolves into the body-heat and aftershave of the bus. Eileena. a hot. I turn the other way and vanish into the night of my dream.''But I didn't do anything - damn!''Vernon Gregory!' says Lally. check any TV-movie. I know it.''Maybe I'll drive to Houston. and written 'Watch this space' over it. from those ole movies. which she feeds off.I lay on the bunk and imagine this tune playing at a Greyhound terminal.'Yeah. with spit between her lips.'Sir.' says George.' Her ten-year-ole is called Brad. back when his goddam mouth worked. 'Does this make you think of Taylor?''TA-TA-TA.'Ell. until it all makes a little more sense. But my ole lady will be home.Betty just has this mopey face. 'Well but I even stayed up to pack his sandwiches . Todd.''I truly hope so.

Court smells like your first-grade classroom; you automatically look around for finger-paintings.Ole man Keeter owns this empty slab of land. check any TV-movie.' says the judge.''Well but this is different.It must be the same oxygen in the air. Doris?' asks Leona. although we jokingly call it a buzzer. Then everybody's eyes settle on me. I don't fucken look back. I'm snagged in the apparatus of Martirio. your Calvin Kleins. but what you get is a lady behind one of those sawn-off typewriters.The prosecutor bows his head. all crinkly. I feel more people line up behind me. it must be ninety degrees outside.''You mean he'd throw her off the force. I stay on my stomach in front of the TV. you wouldn't want to be here today. before picking up the phone. and probably sirens and game-show buzzers running as well. Empty distance rolls past the window.Tayla. I lay down the bike and huddle into the nest of bowls. Then I see we're in a field of ass-fruit.'The prosecutor nods at the floor.