lapped it up. Couldn’t get enough. Had to have it
every day. In his house. In his truck. Picked me up
while I walked home from school and drove me up
to the hills to do it, What do you think of our old
friend, Ray, now, Doug?”
Houten shouted for her to shut up. But his voice
lacked conviction and he seemed to sag, looking
shriveled and helpless despite the big gun in his
hand.
She
continued to address the body, sobbing.
“You were so good and .trusting, Doug … You
thought he was being our friend, helping us. hide
out because he didn’t like tors any better than
we did… Because he understood. But that wasn’t
it at all. He would have given us up in a minute but
I threatened to expose him if .he did … To tell
everyone that he fucked me. And knocked me up.”
Houten looked at the Colt. Harbored a terrible
thought and dismissed it. “Nona, you don’t
“He thinks he’s Woody’s daddy, cause that’s what
I’ve told him all these years.” She stroked the rifle
and giggled..”Course now, maybe I was telling the
truth, maybe I wasn’t. Maybe I don’t even know.
We never did do any blood tests to find out, did we,
Ray?”
“You’re crazy,” he said. “You’ll be locked up.”
To me: “She’s crazy. You can see that, can’t you?”
“Is that so?” She put her finger around the trig-get
and smiled. “I guess you know all about crazy.
BLOOD TEST 325
All about crazy little girls. Like little old fat crazy
Marla, always sitting by herself, rocking and writing
dumb crazy poems. Talking to herself, wetting
her pants, and carrying on like a baby. She was
crazy, wasn’t she, Ray? Fat and ugly and a real
head case.”
.”Shut your mouth–”
“You shut yours, you old bastard!” she screamed.
“Who the hell are you telling me what to do? You
fucked me every day, taking sloppy seconds without
complaining. Shot your scum into me and
knocked me up.” She smiled eerily. “Maybe. Least
that’s what I told Crazy Marla. You shoulda seen
the look in those piggy little eyes. I gave her all the
details. About how you lapped it ug
more. Sheriff. I must have upset the
cause the next day
Houten bellowed and came at her.. -.
She laughed and shot him in the face.
He collapsed like wet tissue paper. She stood
over him and pulled the trigger again. Braced herself
against the recoil and put yet .another slug into
him.
I peeled her fingers off the weapon and let it fall
between the two corpses. She offered no resisto.nce.
Put her head on my shoulder and gave me a lovely
smile.
I took her with me and went looking for the E1
Camino. It wasn’t hard to find. Houten had parked
it just outside the gap in the fence. Watching her
closely, I used the radio to make my calls.
26
LATE ON a quiet Sunday afternoon, I stood on the
lawn across from the entrance to the Retreat and
waited for Matthias. Furnace-blast winds had strafed
the southern half of the state without letup for
thirty-six hours and though sunset was drawing
near the heat refused to dissipate. Sticky, itchy,
and overdressed in jeans,
calfskin jacket, I
circling the fountain.
He emerged from the main building encircledby
a cocoon of followers, glanced in my direction and
bade them disperse. They moved to a hilly spot, sat
and began to meditate. He approached slowly and
deliberately, staring downward, as if searching for
something in the grass.
We came face to face. Instead of greeting me, he
dropped to the ground, folded himself into a lotus
position, and stroked his beard.
“I don’t see pockets in the outfit you’re wearing,”
I said. “No place to hold a substantial wad of cash.
327
26
LATE ON a quiet Sunday afternoon
near the heat
and overdressed in jeans,
calfskin jacket, I sought
circling the fountain.
He emerged from the main buil
a cocoon of follOWers, glanced in
bade them disperse. They moved t
and egan to meditate. He appro
deliberately, staring downward, a
something in the grass.