lenced her with a flash of white teeth and a reassuring
nod. Obediently she disappeared behind the
shower curtain.-
When we were alone he kicked the trailer door
.. shut and moved opposite me, his back to the counter.
I stared up into the twin barrels of the rifle–a
deadly figure eight.
“I’m going to have to kill you,” he said calmly,
then shrugged apologetically. “Nothing personal,
you know? But we’re a amily and you’re a threat.”
The last thing I’d wanted to display was skepti-
· cism and I was sure I hadn’t. But his psychic radar
was hot-wired to go off unpredictably, the scrambled
apparatus of the truly paranoiac. He squinted
angrily and lowered the rifle, aiming at the tender
concavity between my eyes. Hunching his massive
shoulders he stared down menacingly.
“We are a family And we don’t need a blood test
to prove it.”
“Of course not,” I agreed with a mouth full of
cotton. “It’s the emotional bond t-hat’s important.”
He looked at me hard to make sure I wasn’t
patronizing him. I molded my face into a mask-of
sincerity. Froze it that way.
The axe swung loosely, whetted blade abrading
the floor.
310
l/ernum
“Exactly. It’s feelings that count. Our pounds elings
have been forged in pain. We’re three against the .
world. Our family is what it should bea sanctu-ar-y
against all the craziness out there. A safe one.
It’s beautiful and precious. And I’ve got to protect
it.'”
I had no plan for escape. For the time being there
was no hope but to buy time by keeping him talking.
“I understand. You’re the.head of the family.”
The blue eyes heated like gas flames.
“The only one there ever was. The other two
were evil, parents in name only. They abused their
rights. Tried to destroy the. family rom within.”
“I know, Dou I was over at the house this evening.
Saw that greenhouse. Read some diaries that
Swope kept.”
A terrible look oozed onto his face. He lifted his
arm and swung the ,/axe in a blinding parabola,
letting it smash into the counter. The trailer shook
as the plastic shattered. The movement had been
effortless, not even budging his rifle aim. There
was stirring behind the curtain but no sign of the
girl.
“I was going to destroy that shithole tonight,” he.
whispered, jerking the blade free. “With this. Shatter
every fucking pane. Take the house apart board
by board. Then burn it to the ground. But when I
got there the lock had been tampered with so I
came back. Lucky I did.”
He sucked in his breath, let it out with a hiss.
Iron-pumper’s breathing. He was sweating heavily,
sizzling with agitation. I fought back the fear, orc.ed
myself to think clearly: I had to steer his attention
to the crimes of the Swopes. And away from me,
“It’; an evil place,” I said. “Hard to believe people
could be like that.”
“Not hard for me, man. I lived it. Just like Sis
did.. My old man diddled me and beat me and told
me I was shit for years. And the bitch who called
herself mom just stood by and watched. Different
theaters but the same movie. When I said forged in
pain I meant’it.”
As he talked about the abuse he’d suffered, lots
of things ‘fell into place: the arrested development,
the exhibitionism, the hatred and panic when he’d
talked about his fther.
“It’s destiny, Nona and me,” he said, with a
satisfied smiIe. “Neither of us could have made it
alone. But some kind of miracle brought us together.
Made us a family.”
“How long have you been a family?” I asked.
“Years. I used to come up summers, worked this
field, roughnecking, sinking wells. The old bastard
had big plans for this place. Carmichael Oil was
gonna rape the land, carve it up, and squeeze every
greasy drop out of it. Unfortunately, it was dry as a
dead woman’s tit.” He laughed, banged the axe
head against the floor.
“I hated the work, It was dirty and demeaning
and boring but he forced me to do it. Every summer,
like a jail sentence. I snuck away any chance I