point of the chin. Bernie didn’t go down—it took a lot to put Bernie down—but he staggered back. At that point I saw red, despite Bernie’s belief that I’m incapable of seeing red. The next thing I knew, Ruben and I were in the house, rolling around on a sticky floor.
I got a real good grip on his pant leg. Ruben wore very wide pants—I had a whole mouthful. He grabbed something off the floor, a lamp, maybe, and started beating me on the head. “Gonna kill you,” he said, and called me a lot of bad names. I growled athim and held on. And then Bernie was there, down on the floor with us. He got his arm around Ruben’s thick neck, in one of those grips he knew, and Ruben went all floppy.
Bernie rose. “Okay, Chet, let him go. C’mon, boy, you did great, now let go. Chet?”
I let go, maybe not right away. Denim scraps hung from my mouth, snagged on my teeth.
Bernie picked them out. “Good man. You all right?”
Never better. I didn’t feel a thing. Bernie turned, went quickly through the house. I stood over Ruben. His eyes fluttered open. I barked in his face. He flinched. You’re not the first, buddy boy.
Bernie came back. “She’s not here,” he said. “But you’ve got some interesting weapons, Ruben.” Bernie had an AK in one hand and a sawed-off shotgun in the other. “And all that dope—what do you think? Eight, nine pounds?”
Ruben sat up, rubbing his neck.
“It can stay our little secret,” Bernie said, pulling up a chair and sitting next to Ruben, the shotgun pointed casually at his head, “the weed, the guns, but I’ll need your cooperation about Madison.”
“Get your fuckin’ dog away from me.”
“Language,” said Bernie.
“Huh?”
“Can’t talk to Chet that way.”
Ruben blinked. “Get your dog fuckin’ away from me.”
“Good enough,” Bernie said. “We’re pretty reasonable, Chet and I.”
Ruben gave me a funny look. Like what? Like I wasn’t reasonable?
But I backed off, as Bernie wanted. And backing off, I noticed a half-eaten burger on the counter, a burger with the works. Didn’t touch the thing. Made no sense, but I just didn’t feel like it.
Bernie tapped Ruben’s shoulder with the shotgun, not hard. “Madison Chambliss,” he said. “Start talking.”
“Like, whaddaya wanna know, man?”
“Take it from the movie line at the North Canyon Mall.”
Ruben shrugged. “I was hanging out there, cruisin’ around, and she goes, ‘Hey, Ruben.’”
“So you knew her already.”
“Yeah.”
“From where?”
“Huh?”
“From school?” Bernie said. “Were you in any classes together?”
“Classes, man? Nah.”
“Was she a customer?”
Ruben looked at Bernie, then at me. I had this sudden urge to give his leg a nip.
“Yeah,” Ruben said. “A customer. She goes, ‘Hey, Ruben,’ and we talk a little, she’s in the market kind of thing. So we swung by here.”
“And?”
“I sold her a nickel bag.”
“And then you drove her home?”
“Yeah.”
“Where does she live?”
Ruben didn’t answer. I inched closer to his leg, staying in the sit position but dragging my butt along the floor.
“Or did you drop her at the mall?” Bernie said.
“Yeah, the mall.”
“Want to hear a prediction?” Bernie said. “Your future’s not too bright.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s move on. When was the last time you saw her?”
“Say what? That was the last time.”
“How about two days ago?”
“Two days ago?”
“Thursday,” Bernie said. “When Madison disappeared.”
“She disappeared?”
“Want a tip?” Bernie said. “Only smart people can pull off playing dumb.”
“Don’t get it, man.”
I was one short lunge away now. My lips curled back from my teeth all by themselves.
“Account for your whereabouts,” Bernie said, “starting from Thursday morning.”
“Thursday morning?” said Ruben. “I was still at County.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I was locked up, man. They got me for speeding
I got a real good grip on his pant leg. Ruben wore very wide pants—I had a whole mouthful. He grabbed something off the floor, a lamp, maybe, and started beating me on the head. “Gonna kill you,” he said, and called me a lot of bad names. I growled athim and held on. And then Bernie was there, down on the floor with us. He got his arm around Ruben’s thick neck, in one of those grips he knew, and Ruben went all floppy.
Bernie rose. “Okay, Chet, let him go. C’mon, boy, you did great, now let go. Chet?”
I let go, maybe not right away. Denim scraps hung from my mouth, snagged on my teeth.
Bernie picked them out. “Good man. You all right?”
Never better. I didn’t feel a thing. Bernie turned, went quickly through the house. I stood over Ruben. His eyes fluttered open. I barked in his face. He flinched. You’re not the first, buddy boy.
Bernie came back. “She’s not here,” he said. “But you’ve got some interesting weapons, Ruben.” Bernie had an AK in one hand and a sawed-off shotgun in the other. “And all that dope—what do you think? Eight, nine pounds?”
Ruben sat up, rubbing his neck.
“It can stay our little secret,” Bernie said, pulling up a chair and sitting next to Ruben, the shotgun pointed casually at his head, “the weed, the guns, but I’ll need your cooperation about Madison.”
“Get your fuckin’ dog away from me.”
“Language,” said Bernie.
“Huh?”
“Can’t talk to Chet that way.”
Ruben blinked. “Get your dog fuckin’ away from me.”
“Good enough,” Bernie said. “We’re pretty reasonable, Chet and I.”
Ruben gave me a funny look. Like what? Like I wasn’t reasonable?
But I backed off, as Bernie wanted. And backing off, I noticed a half-eaten burger on the counter, a burger with the works. Didn’t touch the thing. Made no sense, but I just didn’t feel like it.
Bernie tapped Ruben’s shoulder with the shotgun, not hard. “Madison Chambliss,” he said. “Start talking.”
“Like, whaddaya wanna know, man?”
“Take it from the movie line at the North Canyon Mall.”
Ruben shrugged. “I was hanging out there, cruisin’ around, and she goes, ‘Hey, Ruben.’”
“So you knew her already.”
“Yeah.”
“From where?”
“Huh?”
“From school?” Bernie said. “Were you in any classes together?”
“Classes, man? Nah.”
“Was she a customer?”
Ruben looked at Bernie, then at me. I had this sudden urge to give his leg a nip.
“Yeah,” Ruben said. “A customer. She goes, ‘Hey, Ruben,’ and we talk a little, she’s in the market kind of thing. So we swung by here.”
“And?”
“I sold her a nickel bag.”
“And then you drove her home?”
“Yeah.”
“Where does she live?”
Ruben didn’t answer. I inched closer to his leg, staying in the sit position but dragging my butt along the floor.
“Or did you drop her at the mall?” Bernie said.
“Yeah, the mall.”
“Want to hear a prediction?” Bernie said. “Your future’s not too bright.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s move on. When was the last time you saw her?”
“Say what? That was the last time.”
“How about two days ago?”
“Two days ago?”
“Thursday,” Bernie said. “When Madison disappeared.”
“She disappeared?”
“Want a tip?” Bernie said. “Only smart people can pull off playing dumb.”
“Don’t get it, man.”
I was one short lunge away now. My lips curled back from my teeth all by themselves.
“Account for your whereabouts,” Bernie said, “starting from Thursday morning.”
“Thursday morning?” said Ruben. “I was still at County.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I was locked up, man. They got me for speeding
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