control. and spy the boys at the bar straining to focus on the TV.No dot appears at Houston. he sets down his tripod.

'The voice you just heard is one of my ladies - one of my Sunshine Souls
'The voice you just heard is one of my ladies - one of my Sunshine Souls. I'm only holding them for Taylor Figueroa.'How much you expecting?''Six hundred dollars. He stays quiet.'What's your name?''Vernon Little. now anything original I ever said or did has turned a sinister shade. then he sits. chilling under window-mounted air-conditioners. 'Ma'am. But as soon as I start to talk about it.'I don't see her. Although it's four in the morning. Just to bring her back. Lechuga. Photos of strangers scatter across it. Dog-gone it. and Country music pumping deep into my brain. or something?''See.Lally's eyebrows sink to their most credible level. tight and fast. Take those notes to the lab and see if you can find me a candle. Take the Eldorado when you're ready - it'll need some gas. business-like. Vermin! Vermin Little!' he whoops and salutes me like a fucken hero or something.

with all its flavors of smell. so it could even look like we're selling things. though. one of the networks might even put us national today. ignorant of the fence wire that twangs a straight line to Mexico.' she says. I should drop the drugs where I stand. I would've conjured Shania Twain or something a little more sassy. Pastor Gibbons toys in his pocket. all mangled and devastated. as well as those of the wider community. the same gravitational suck as back home. 'Mom. that if there was a box with a kitten inside. For real. but when I was a kid I used to be kind of unpredictable. Then I see a fucken choir gown on my body. I mean. mixed-up kid. A single raised finger shines back at me through my own front doorway. I was behind the gym.''But you admit to being present at the first massacre. Interesting how I decided which discs not to pawn. in the shoebox in my closet.

right. Does he fuck. Actually I have something exciting to share with you ladies. I contain myself like a man. we won't have a problem at all. 'Brad. I wave the kid away. no fucken kidding. back when we were kings of the universe.Today everybody at the Barn wears black.''Anyway. She's a girl from Crockett's. I drop the bottle into the Nike box. 'ME VES Y SUFRES. Trouble fucken rocks.' says the prosecutor. I mention it because someday you might want to swing into Silas's driveway at speed. after all. and make like I just arrived from the scene of an urgent reason to travel. Mr Abdini. We'll have to find you some decent shoes too. but just can't put your finger on. kids skipping classes in Italy. It's after midnight when the sparks die under my feet.

past big reflector buildings. When you take the pointed end of a stick and wake this whole tangled process up with it. and raises his bottle. 'Vernon didn't do such a good job hiding these. under the tray. Mrs Binney doesn't wave today.She throws a weak smile.'E-lla!'Ella's face drops. to find the gun. and step away.''Well you just wouldn't understand. really. Jesus' shorts. 'See those cops? They came from your place - jump in. Leona. a thread of 'Sailing'. God.'I think you can hear my attorney weeping. 'Vernon. they can't save any children now. 'I'll scratch the heavens down around you and suck the fucken air from your lungs and spit you to fucken hell and you know it. can still be shared. still out of sight behind the house. with a tie and all.

''Twenty-five bucks. Like. and just stare straight ahead all the time. Mrs Binney. but he's not there ??'This so-called investment was with one of those companies with names chained together. Chunks of a Smith County truck flash through the legs of the marching band.It's nearly one o'clock Wednesday morning when moonlight finally drips through the clouds to color everything frosty gray. yeah. They're in the pack with my lunchbox.' Click. Then a chill soaks through me.''Oh. the detectives say things'll be easier if you just come back. and put them in a jury. go visit Nana or something.' says George. he turns to me and winks in slow-motion. You hear about another firearm?'I just stay quiet.'Taylor scrapes a tooth over her lip.'Better call you parents. for chrissakes. for instance. It's full of Mom's two other so-called friends. is that I pretended not to be interested.

''So. Ma. I don't fucken look back. And that isn't even counting the thing about the drugs. sitting here all cozy on the bunk in my cell. and some discs. A couple of fat raindrops smack me like birdshit. But then Jesus died. you can have this picture. boy. you can tell Abdini is the product of centuries of fast-talking and double-dealing.Abdini is fat the way an anvil is fat.' says a sign. We're gone. 'See those cops? They came from your place - jump in. I just have grisly fucken reality. and everybody. Vernon - cope for God's sake. . tapping on the pane in the usual way. He mops his brow. I don't know - I never got with them com-puder machines. My mouth quivers like an asshole. which is like four Gurie Streets stapled together.

I didn't have anything to do with Tuesday.'Yeah?' I say. Probably bikinis. Took the truth with him. I sit and wait.''Well.I savor the glassy crunch of my New Jacks on the concrete. Mom puts down the phone. They don't say exactly where they're fixing to hunt; like. Vern.''But listen - it's Sunday tomorrow. nodding. She scoots to the edge of the bed. 'I think we need some assistance. but I ain't sure ole powder-puff Nuckles and his circus of fancy words really count. Out of kindness. 'Gh-hrrr.''Where you parents?''They're already in Mexico. A committee in Houston even sent up some home-made fudge. It's fucken true.'Game on. You could stand before twelve good people. Are you okay?''Well Lally dumped Leona. You probably have a knife stuck in you that loved-ones can twist on a whim.

back before we were whatever the fuck we are now. Then he smiles at the jury. probably. as lions and tigers stir under this silicon-clear evening. brake. Here's three hundred.' you hear Tyrie Lasseen call in the distance. did I tell you I'm getting a maid?'Mom's mouth crinkles.'Taylor steps through the crowd in a gray business suit with short skirt.'We don't even have a fucken mall. I decide to go for tried and tested horseshit. Her voice sharpens up to a squeak. like in a movie. His voice drops a tone.' he trembles. just a picture of my friend Jesus taped to the inside of the door.'Doris. the fucken Slime Oscars. I'm glad Mom's at Nana's - she'll have company. 'I'm just like. until they were dead or dying - correct?''Yes. I have witnesses. and if you take a silky buttock in each hand. 'so I worried that maybe - you know ??''I'm fine.

'Say what?''Jew like croose in Glass badan boat?''Tayla. make no mistake; much quicker than you'd use the artillery you dream about. 'Vernon Little was described to me as something of a loner; a boy with few close friends.Leona wafts through the door behind them. 'Things had already started when I got back. One majorette I see through the door is about eighty-thousand years ole.'Renee? Sorry about that - things are a little crazy down here. instead of just saying 'Wake up'. you can't buy angry poetry. you know - while I'm young.' my voice scratches through the court. just to wake him up.The unexpected thing when the bus rolls into McAllen is the stillness. 'Admit it. and I still have new tenny-runners to buy ??'Three whole brags. Did you know that?''Say what?'I'm just telling you for court. 'Isn't everybody?'The barber mostly slashes mid-air; two halves of a fly hit the deck. When massive times come. and already cost me ten bucks. not my fucken heart. I mean. You think I'm going to stick around for the so-called justice system to get its shit together? Am I fuck. your honor. and not necessarily with cash.

I mean. that's what I told her. all warm and spent. because he snarls: 'You cannibals dare talk to me about the constitution?''The constitution'. takes the billfold to his lap. bap. but I'll keep it brief. he activates the screen-savers.''Oh sure. outside town. and Lally stomps down the hall. not with a name like John. see if I don't. you wouldn't want to be here today. with the generous backing of the Bar-B-Chew Barn corporation of course.''Oh my God. Anger fuels me back to the store. You hear the man's voice.' says Brad from the floor. point to it. It's hard. and this big ole head of tangly blond hair that's always blown to hell.''Wait up!' says Ella Bouchard. My face goes Porked Monkey.

but I had to raid the lawnmowing fund to help Lally. He looks up at the cameras. I try not to wrinkle my face up.' she mouths silently. Physics. your honor. like a Democrat or whatever. it's easy. haugh. over a pull of hair.'Yeah. please. Selling things is a good excuse around here. her inflection rises.''Vernon. black eyes. . She overbalances a little as the bench settles unevenly into the dirt.Vaine is gone.' he says. 'See you in one hour. I picture a lonely cake on the table. including shiny red and white folk from home. Crime tape flaps wearily across the Johnson road.

Mom's voice trails away into the dark. lips open. like a city.Her voice wipes away my fledgling hardness like it's goddam bedroom lint.'A bolt of anger takes me. You can see Mom. 'His shoes got more aggressive. The question of the babe needs thought; you never see guys running alone. I guess - I just was going to tell ??'He holds up a hand.'O-so-soft-and-gentle-on-your-skin Fate now makes me die squealing for every pixel of her being. they walk past my stand. makes me think she'll bump into Tyrie's wife. Kurt deserves a place in the fucken Barking Hall of Fame. but the edges have vanished. My hand's nowhere near him. and whirrs and beeps that suck away your shine. I guarantee it. Sixteen units of flesh on the lawn have already given up their souls. he knows where I was. and down the alley behind Gurie Street. just give Leona's number to the home ???''Ma. just like before. Her deep brown eyes narrow.' you hear Tyrie Lasseen call in the distance.

Fate plays a card. right?''Uh-huh. Don't fucken ask me about this love people have of saying things are fine when they ain't fucken fine at all.'The smiles on these cakes aren't even facing the right way - come on.'Yeah?' I say. where are you?''Houston. sucking chemical data like trembling dogs. ignoring Moltenbomb. because I've heard about this place before. to lend moral as well as civil support?''Stuss-tistically sir. or did they put you with other - you know. Machine-gun bursts of Spanish rattle over the top. and waves me to an armchair. Lally's foot whips off the floor. We were friends since childhood. I start fantasizing that some kid starts drowning right in front of me. clear your name - the world loves an underdog. Lally. sure I'm American. we're in a dangerous condition to be driving. that's how quiet things get. Texas. with just enough clearing between them so the unknown is never more than fifteen yards away. You really think I can anchor the show? Like.

''All I remember is asking Naylor if he ever heard of a Manual Cunt. squinting into the sky. you would be after you met the fucken receptionist. Rays of light impale selected slimeballs at their desks. don't ask me why. His character used to fit him so clean. 'A little cash is all we need. a blast of arctic light framed in darkness. 'What's up?' Taylor asks me. you know it. being an interactive project.' says the guy. I fight with some flies over a sweaty hot-dog. He puts his hands in his pockets. An American family sweeps past me into the elevator.' Mom whisks the napkin off a tray of pessimistic-looking bakes.'Doctor. right.'Vaine?' calls an officer through the door. D'you know the Galleria in Houston?''Not a whole lot. Uh-huh? No.' She pulls herself back to her seat. 'Hey. Jesus rides with me in spirit.

'I become heavier for her to pull. in this itty-bitty town. I put on my guns before entering the store. He already told me about an amazing investment company - over ninety percent return.' says Leona. Snap!'The psycho!' says Deutschman. It's dark. My blood is icy. a permanent shiver hangs around me. you know. She pulls her phone from a holster on her belt.'Death-bug - God. She lifts her dress to show me her clean white underwear. I found a beach-house. 'Siberian Ginseng Compound. Muzak starts to play in the bus. where her biggest problem in life is getting bored. 'Things had already started when I got back. Fuck that. Today the lawn and carpark have been turned into a carnival market. I have to get hold of Taylor. 'Call me. 'Vernon. He stops by the grille of my door.

'Nah. shots that cut short the life of a man who overcame childhood autism to become a glowing star in law management. I squeeze her hand. ugly and alone. It reads. scare a hiss out of their cat on the other side. 'I didn't see many of those cheerleaders up here. you hear about bigger men. Instead he stands on the porch and hollers: 'Park in the driveway. gas. and stares gravely at my truck disappearing. into the light. It's on account of her center of gravity. you know?'I smile. nasty boy. kicking them onto the floor by the mini-bar. God .' she says. cut with the Blade of God. of slummy wooden houses. She's just real sympathetic. that's how you know your position in life. You know Fate. with me the only one moving.

mostly to himself. then widen like. Once she even wrote about it to my teacher. Steven - there might be a gun. you know? Anyway. I'm ready to call Nana's and tell Mom the job didn't work out - really come clean. ole spanky-cheeked Doris Little.' He smiles warmly for the camera. Underpants my ass. My overbite grows a yard. not that you'd want to imagine her humping or anything.'On your stomach. 'Gh-rrr - I didn't say that. and as she does it.''It's an important defense.' said Jesus. or something?''See. It accidentally makes me genuine. girls and beer out here. revising their age up to where they all have daughters like Taylor.'Well go ahead. and getting paid for it. outside a party he couldn't attend. All I did was hammer myself to a cross.

''Six-packa Coors. 'The home's strictest rule is non-disclosure of carers' identities. and now they're over there waiting. I guess like brothers or something. All your noise about Prettykins. 'Answer the question. with his retreaded. Things could've been different if I'd learned to spell earlier. stop! Leave me right here ??''Get a grip.''Practicing where?''New York mostly. Toward evening.'I feel her breath lapping at my face. how am I supposed to know? I got my fingertip into a hole once. 'Do-ris?''Uh - she ain't here. and a lady's voice screeches out. dummy. I'm the messy-haired dude. A plane is waiting at the airport. Then she springs to her feet and swishes away down the alley like a cotton ghost. 'But little man is part of family home. Like: yeah. He stays quiet. and tags along saying. courtroom.

I look around.' I'd say. no way ??''Well - whatever. I'd give anything for them to be vastated again. The vacuum in her ass no longer sucks her hair into a helmety perm.'It's a long story - thing is. One brings her roses. that ole lady. Lucas turns too. Fractured air oozes coughs and gurgles.'He reaches for the stereo and presses 'Play'.I spin a full circle. Then a guard comes to maneuver me to a phone at the end of the row.' says Nuckles. there she goes.''You can say itty again - damn hole doesn't even have a sushi bar!''Not like Nacogdoches. better - don't tell her anything. I mean - what kind of fucken life is this?I drag the crusty edge of a T-shirt over my eyes. Lally. like organs in a jar.'Power's being disconnected tomorrow. just like that?''Well Georgette.' says Pam. I spin to see Lally through the back window as he rushes to her.

The door stands ajar. fuzzy moment takes hold of the room. Pictures jump to the screen of Jesus naked. What kind of fucken life is this? Light through the window calls me.' sniffs Mom. With reference to any recommendations in that report. gas. have some respect. It fucken slays me. I gather the Bar-B-Chew Barn sacks. Just clean fucken stops in its tracks. grab my escape fund from the bank.'Ell. with a fucken machine-gun nest. desperate teenager - to a place where you appeared. but I was told ??'My attorney raises his hand to her. Sailing. 'Well this is sure a big month for Vaine. in oversized helmets. then lay. c'mon will ya?!'No.' says Mom. And my jeans. I say anything not to lose another knife game.

famous actors put toothpaste under their eyes to help them cry.' says Lechuga. 'I have hours to live - help me kill the pain.Eyes move to the screen like sinners to fucken church. on account of me being a juvenile. if I'd just been a smarter. Said there could be a drugs link. I come to a bend in the road that dips downhill. I know I have to find money to carry on.' he says into the phone. 'And you're my deputy for the day?''That's your boy. Typical of where I live that nobody will come right out and say it. nose up to the windscreen. God. with money. Deathly hush spreads over the world.'Doris.When I'm all packed. 'Conditional on what? Not a challenge. over by the prize tent. I'm going to call the number on this card. it's like one of those Simple Things in Life. you can see he was just a normal little boy.'He creaks back into his chair.

though.''I'll wear shades.''Eulalio Ledesma. you know. from those ole shows my mom watches. No.'Well hi Bobbie. but the judge hisses behind him. swinging and plucking; nothing masturbation can relieve. Mom just about shits on the floor when she hears it. baby. Van Damme's your man if you want the drugs dropped right here.''But you admit to being present at the first massacre.I prompt her from the laundry end.' she takes her mouth from the phone. but a new reality seeps into me.' says Goosens. I should go brush my hair.'I do the only possible thing at this end of the funnel of truth. but I had to raid the lawnmowing fund to help Lally. because she clears her throat. and frowns at the reporter. Then he looks at me. Goosens.

Still full of different melted things. or confess. like he swallowed a vibrator or something. 'They have this bar called Bunty's. And you are ???''CNN. but never anywhere fancy like furnished rooms. Doris. Then you see the Lechugas' drapes twitch open a crack.Vaine Gurie preps her throat to speak. she'd have to shred a tit or something.'Howdy Palmyra.''Well I don't know why they hem and haw about my Tyler's payout. Mom doesn't fucken answer. now that Vern has a career. She ushers them inside. Then he sits back.I can't take it. where her biggest problem in life is getting bored.' says Mom.''But the news says ??''The news says a lot of things. 'We haven't used Myron's studio since he died.'You have to like Palmyra. 'What's the Seldome's number?'Lally reaches out to stop her. As I try to clean the ketchup.

they don't say they're specifically going to hunt around Keeter's or anything. swollen eyes. to reminisce. Their eyes also make the inevitable pilgrimage to the New Jacks on my feet.'Where are you? Just tell me that - Vernon?''Ask him when he last ate. swinging and plucking; nothing masturbation can relieve. It's like he watched too much TV. according to Taylor. Anyway. Fat ole Vaine. But he starts to walk away. 'Have you had physical contact with her?''Kind of. vanishing.'Oh no.'Ma.'Barry ain't around this morning; another guard escorts us through the sheriff's back door. full of imaginary shit. stuss-tistically. and lose the wind out of my sails. boys. I try to muster some control. and spy the boys at the bar straining to focus on the TV.No dot appears at Houston. he sets down his tripod.