He carried the large bag into the old root cellar, dropped it on the floor, and grabbed the broken-handled shovel he had seen earlier and went to work. If any damn fool ever thought of looking for it here it wouldn’t matter for he’d be long gone by then. He threw it in the hole an hour later and scooped the dirt back in the deep excavation and tamped it down, then carefully erased any trace of what he had done. It was finished. The farm house had burned back in the forties and nobody had ever rebuilt on the property so he thought it would be safe enough… and went out to the truck and sped off into the night.

The two boys cautiously stepped out of the bushes and crept into the root cellar. Jack said, “Gimmee that book of matches Ronnie.” Ron dug it out of his pocket and handed it over, “Ya gonna make a torch?” “Yeah, if we can find somethin’ that’ll burn; there’s a pile of old gunny sacks in that corner. One of them might take off.” He wrapped part of the rotted material around a slat from a broken orange crate and fired it off, but it was damp and moldy and smoked bad until it caught and flared up. “I don’t see a gawd damn thing, Jack. What was he doin’ in here so long, huh? Where’s that big bag he drug in here?” Jack was baffled too, until he saw the fresh dirt on the spade. “The sumbitch dug a hole in here! Over there! See the damp dirt? He got it all scratched over an’ stuff but it’s darker than alla that dry stuff! Maybe we oughta tell the cops about it; he mighta just planted a dead body!” Ronnie said, “What if he comes back and finds out we ratted on him? He might kill us or somethin Jack!” “Aw, he ain’t gonna kill nobody if he’s in jail, Ron! I think we better do it; I sure ain’t gonna dig it up myself! It prob’ly is a dead body! That was a gawd damn big bag…Maybe the guy’s girlfriend! Yeah; I bet they had a fight and he hit her and she got real mad and threw some shit at him an’ he just grabbed her and choked the shit outta her! Come on; let’s get back to town!”

They ran to where the bicycles were hid in the weeds under the bridge and left the fishin’ poles and tackle lay and lit out for home. Ron’s bike had a headlight that was run by a small generator above the rear brake but Jack was ridin’ dark and followed his pal all the way in to the city cop shop. Old Bill Munro was on duty behind the desk and he looked up from a stack of papers as they ran into the office, “Bill! We seen a guy plantin’ a stiff or somethin’! Out at the Coleson place! Yeah; drug a big sack into the old root cellar and was in there more’n an hour, then he run out to his truck and didn’t have no bag no more, so we went in and saw where he dug the hole!” Bill shoved his chair back; he was bored enough to maybe take a run out there and see what the boys thought they found. “Well, ya’s can leave yer bikes on the porch, boys. Jump in the back of the squad and we’ll go see what’s out there at the farm.” He checked the batteries in the six cell and grabbed two shortys for the boys and they took off out of town. Ron said, “Ain’t ya gonna turn the lights ‘n siren on Bill?” He laughed, “We find a body or somethin’ like that I’ll turn ‘em on. Can’t do it just fer the hell of it.” “Oh.” Jack was trying to remember what kind of truck the man had, suspecting that it could be important if they found illegal stuff, so they could catch the guy. He thought it was kind of faded red, a GMC half-ton with Iowa plates, maybe a dozen years old. He told Bill, and the man grinned, “Yer pretty observant for a young fella, Jack. Most adults wouldn’t remember half that much.” He slowed the squad and pulled into the lane, and lit the area up with the dual spotlights mounted on the front fenders, “That it over by the windmill?” “Yeah! Can’t see the hole ‘til ya get right up to it.”

Bill hefted the spade and sampled the damp earth on it with a finger, and then checked the place over where Jack was anxiously dancing around. “I think you boys are onto somethin’ here; let’s get back out to the squad and I’ll radio the Sheriff and have him bring out the Coroner and some more help; I don’t want to disturb the site anymore than we already did, in case the man did plant a body in that hole.”

Twenty minutes dragged by and then the boys saw the flashing lights and heard the sirens and Ron elbowed Jack and they both grinned widely. Yeah! Sure did beat fishin’ under the bridge! Jack asked old Bill; “Do ya think we’ll get a reward for findin’ it?” Bill Munro laughed, “First we gotta find it! All we know right now is he might have buried ‘somethin’,’ so keep your shirts on! The Sheriff will know what to do when he sees the place.” They waited…

Sheriff Joe Sam Simpson and the Coroner, Wade Eberette, climbed out of the lead car and Bill went over to them and made his initial report. A pickup truck with two men parked alongside the sheriff’s car, followed by a rescue truck and ambulance from the fire department. After setting up perimeter lights and a   few tripods with spots inside the root cellar the men went to work and quickly removed the freshly turned soil from the excavation, stopping when they hit what one of them thought was firm yet soft enough to give when the sharp edge of the spade struck it. The coroner leaned over the hole and said, “Easy now! If it’s a body we don’t want to damage it! Use your hands!” The two men down in the hole didn’t like it much but they knew the man was right and bent to their task. A minute went by and then the boys heard Donny R. Williams’ soft mutter, “Jesus H. Christ…” Sheriff Joe Sam said, “Whatta ya got?!” Donny said quietly, “A girl.”

Tim Smeths gently finished cleaning the damp earth from the bag and they lifted the remains up to where Roger Stilldorf and Pete Wilcocks could take it from them, and then the firemen carried it outside where they laid it under the lights so Wade could get a better look at it. “Open that bag for me, Tim.” Jack and Ronnie tried to push their way through the men to see it too and Joe Sam caught them by their collars, “Whoa; I don’t think you boys ought to see this. Wait over by my car.” “But we found it! Come on Sheriff! We ain’t little kids, damn it!” “Ain’t neither one of ya more ‘n ten years old!” “So? If it wasn’t fer us ya wouldn’t even know about it; maybe never!” He shook his head, knowin’ the ration of shit he was gonna get for allowin’ it, and let go of them, “Okay; but stay outta the damn way!”

Wade got down on his knees and shined his light on the girl’s battered features… “Aw…gawd dammit! It’s Rosy Johnson… how am I ever gonna tell her mama?” Jack elbowed Ron; “Rosy!” Ronnie croaked, “I heard him! Shit, Jack! She’s Jimmy’s sister!” The stunned boys stood there as they carried the body to the ambulance and were hardly aware of old Bill leading them to the squad but came out of it a little as the caravan headed back toward town with all emergency lights and sirens splitting the night.

The town came awake. A young stenographer took down what the boys had to say, and afterwards led them to a seat on the bench by the wall, “You won’t be in the way here, boys. Do you want some milk and donuts?” They realized then that they were famished after the long day in the country and both nodded vigorously. Suzy Ertman got the stuff for them, and then typed Bill’s statement, and that of the Sheriff and firemen.

Wade Eberette had taken the cold remains to the morgue and he and John Tillitsen opened the bag; both of them became ill at what they saw exposed before them. The girl had been beaten severely, strangled nearly to death, and disemboweled. Her heart was missing. John wiped the puke from his face and said, “Any of that could have killed her, but what was the actual cause of death?” Wade cleaned his mouth at the sink, “It looks to me like she was still alive when he cut her heart out…and it wasn’t long ago; rigor mortis ain’t set in yet! Let’s get back to the jail.”

All of Rosy’s friends were called in for questioning, and by dawn they found out that the girl had been dating a boy from a farm in Iowa near Cascade for the last week or so. Her mama was still deep in shock and sleeping, heavily sedated, at the hospital. Joe Sam had the boy’s description of the red pickup truck flashed across four states, along with what Rosy’s friends thought was a decent police artist sketch of the perp. The only name they could come up with was Leroy…Something. About six feet, 160, brown hair and eyes, with a tattoo of a green lizard on the left bicep. Joe Sam sighed and got up from the desk computer and shook Jack and Ron awake, “Well boys, ya done a good job. I’ll take ya’s home now. It looks like we’re only about eight or nine hours behind the guy. If ya’s hadn’t been out there and seen him we might never have uncovered the crime. Ya can be proud of yerselves.” Jack yawned and said, “Did anybody tell Jimmy? Where is he?” Joe Sam nodded and replied, “He’s with his ma at the hospital.” “Will ya take us there? He ain’t got nobody else…” The Sheriff thought; Damn! Jack’s right! With the dad deceased for goin’ on two years and the mom sedated nearly into comatose the boy was all alone! Wade; Jeezus! He enlisted Suzy Ertman and hustled the kids and her out to the car and flipped on the lights and siren and hauled ass.

Skinny little Jimmy was found at his mama’s bedside, eyes red from the crying, narrow shoulders tucked in like he was afraid of a beating from someone or thing, looking as lost as a human can be. Jack and Ron ran over and grabbed the boy and wrapped their arms around their friend and all three of them began bawling. So did Suzy. So did the big Sheriff; he had never seen a thing so fuckin’ sad…

Mama suffered a stroke as she slept in the hospital bed and died before noon. Wade stood there looking down at his sister; never again would he see their smiling happy faces; Erma and Rosy were with the Lord now…he would take Jimmy home with him and raise him as his own son…it was the only thing to do. He dried his eyes and left the room, taking Jimmy’s hand and leading the shocked child out to the car.

The whole damn town was at the funeral two days later. There was still no news about the killer, and when the folk met at the church basement for dinner after the service Wade asked Joe Sam, “What in God’s name did he take her heart for, Joe Sam?” “I don’t have a clue Wade, old friend. Maybe she broke his and he was payin’ her back; we’ll never know ‘til we get him back here in a cell and beat it outta him.” “You’d do that?” “Yer gawd damn right I would!” “Can I help?” They shook hands. Suzy Ertman stopped to talk with them and smiled shyly at Wade; he was such a handsome man…she said, “It must be tough for you, Wade.” “Yeah. Tough. Only family I got left is little Jimmy, now.” She softly squeezed his arm and said, “I know…if you need help… you know; a sitter or somethin’, all ya gotta do is call me, okay?” He grinned crookedly and held back the tears that wanted to flow at her kindness, “Thanks Suzy! I could use a little help with him; the trauma of both of them dying is ripping him up and I don’t know much about kids; what the hell do I do?” “I could stay for a few days…” “Would you?!” Joe Sam nodded, the knot in his own throat preventing further speech, and moved off to refill his coffee. Jack and Ron caught up with him there at the urn and Jack tugged on his sleeve; “Sheriff? I just remembered somethin’ else!” “Joe Sam looked down and smiled, “What’s that Jack?” “That truck had a green door on the passenger side!” Joe Sam dropped his coffee; “Damn! I gotta get that out on the wire! You boys want to ride along?” “Yeah!” They rushed to the office where he had the deputy revise the ‘wanted’ and flash the news across all bands and post it on the ‘net. Almost immediately a desk phone rang and the deputy listened briefly and handed it to Joe Sam. He too listened briefly, said “Thanks,” and dropped the phone on the desk. “They found the truck, Jack. It’s over in Waterloo by a corn field, parked with a bunch of old junkers. The dirty sonofabitch hid it in a damn junkyard! The fuckin’ green door! What a kid! Ya wanna be a cop when ya grow up Jack?” Sid’s Towing went out and dragged the truck to the impound lot where it was gone over by the FBI for prints, and Rosy’s heart was found in a zip-lock bag under the seat

Leroy Cording had a long string of misdemeanors behind him, and had done some time in Eldora, the old Iowa boy’s state reformatory, for beating his mother’s dog to death in their living room. Highly unstable, he had been paroled on his twenty-first birthday; they couldn’t legally keep him longer. Nobody in his home town had seen him in four years. There was no way of finding him unless he was arrested and fingerprinted for another offense. Joe Sam was so fuckin’ depressed at the news he went to the corner bar that night and drank so much Old Gran’dad he had to be driven home.

He sat at his desk the next day wonderin’ how such an evil asshole had been allowed to run loose, and vowed he was gonna beat the dirty mangy bastard senseless when he finally did get his hands on him; that little Rosy had been a beautiful child, and Wade’s only niece. His friend was sufferin’ bad and if not for Suzy bein’ with him gawd only knew what might happen… he sighed and got up and left the building.

School days were gonna start in a few weeks… Jack and Ronnie had finally talked Jimmy into goin’ on a hike with them. They left town and followed the creek for three miles to an old mill they knew of, the moss covered ruin a beacon to young scavengers. It was full of old equipment and tools used at the turn of the twentieth century, and the huge wooden wheels were still in place, as well as the large grindstones used to process grain. It was the best place they had ever found to catch pigeons…

Their young lives sped by…they had traded the bicycles for dirt bikes when they were sixteen, and the power and excitement of the machines crept into their blood. At eighteen Jack bought a Harley, and the following summer so did Jimmy and Ron. Sure; they were older machines, but they were all the boys could afford, and they tore them down over the next winter and went through the motors and trans and then chopped the fuckers into their own personal dream rides. Jack stood back and admired the three radical beasts in front of the shed and smiled. Sally said, “You guys are gonna look like fuckin’ outlaws on them things, Jack!” He said, “Aw, you know we ain’t nothin’ like that, Sal! Just three old pals that’s got bikes is all.” “How come ya’s never come around no more? Ain’t nobody in town seen ya’s all winter.” “Why; ya miss me?” “Maybe… ya used to like me when we was in school.” “I still like ya Sally… wanna go ridin’ with me sometime?” “Really? On that thing?” “Hell yeah! It’s all rebuilt; a brand new machine!” “But ya said it was a ’59; that’s more than fifty damn years old!” He grinned and climbed on and kicked it into life, “Get on!” “No! I ain’t gettin’ on that old fucker! Ya nuts or what?” “Come on Sal; I’ll go really slow. I promise.” “Well… okay but ya better take it easy Jack! I’m already scared…”

Ron and Jimmy came out of the shed when they heard Jack fire the bike and watched the pair putt away. Ron said, “Let’s go,” and they hopped on their choppers and quickly shot down the dirt path behind their leader, admiring the way Sal’s ass molded itself over the small pad seat with her feet way up on the pegs like that. Jimmy yelled, “I gotta get me one of them!” Ron was just thinkin’ the same damn thing, and as they pulled onto the main drag and paraded through town he eyed every female on the street and finally saw one eyeballin’ him…he stopped and grinned at her, “Hi Judy! What’s up?” “Whatta you guys doin’ Ron?” “Goin’ cruisin’. Wanna come?” “Yeah!” “Climb on behind me, baby. Ya won’t fall off if ya hang onto the sissy bar. Or ya can just hang onto me…” She stepped over the ass of the bike and then settled herself onto the seat and put her arms solidly around his ribs and said, “I’m on!” He said, “Awright!” and let out the clutch. Jimmy looked back at them and said to himself, “Hope I run into Samantha,” and a block down the street there she was… he stopped. “Hey.” “Hey yerself. How come them guys got girls on behind ‘em and you don’t?” “I couldn’t find you…” “Were ya lookin? I been downtown all day, ya big asshole…” “Wanna go for a ride?” “I thought ya’d never ask!” She climbed on and laughed at how things happened; she’d been wantin’ Jimmy to notice her for five years!

The group ran out to the waterfall ten miles from town and sat under the willows out of the hot sun. Samantha was a little shy and a little unsure of her herself with boys. She had always admired Jimmy’s strength though, after that shit happened with his sister and mama and he came out of it all with a good mind and attitude. She didn’t know it but he’d been in love with her since they were nine. He sat by her feet and looked up into her bright green eyes… “Sam. Have I ever told you how pretty you are?” She shook her head in denial, a little shocked at his sudden interest. “I guess I haven’t, have I? I always wanted to though.” “Oh yeah?” “Yeah. I hope I didn’t wait too long…I think you are a beautiful girl. I think I’ve loved you forever. I never had the guts to say anything though…” “Jimmy… do ya mean it?” He nodded and she slid down on the grass next to him. “Jimmy…”

Judy was mildly aroused from the vibration of the beast and the close heat of his body as they rolled down the road and when they parked her nips were erect and hard; she wasn’t wearing a bra and hoped Ron wouldn’t notice…He grinned and took her hand and led her closer to the falls, “Pretty, ain’t it Judy?” “Yeah! Too bad we didn’t bring some beer…” He put his hand behind her head and pulled her close and kissed her… long and sweet…and when he let her go she almost fell down. “Ron…” He gently touched the stiff nipple of her right breast and she had an instant though small orgasm…”Oh! Ronnie! What are ya doin’ to me?” “Nothin’! I just couldn’t help myself, baby! Are ya mad at me for touchin’ ya?” “No! I ain’t mad… Are ya gonna kiss me again?” “Want me to?” “Yeah…”

Jack and Sally wandered around the far end of the pool and he sat on the rocks and pulled her down on his lap. “Nice day huh?” She smiled, “Yeah… thanks for not scarin’ me.” “I wouldn’t ever do that Sal; you’re special.” “I am?” “Sure are; to me, anyway…” She decided she was gonna kiss him; just a little one, maybe… so she did. It was nice…she let it linger for a long moment and then leaned her head back and looked up at him. He looked back at her with such a tender expression on his face and in his eyes that her young heart swelled and she drew him down and kissed him again; harder, and with a sudden hunger. Jack’s head began to spin and he dove down into the kiss with everything he had. When they quit they were both pantin’ and blowin’ steam and smilin’ at each other like fools. Jack said, “Wow!” She said, “Me too!” and they laughed and hugged one another and then kissed again but it was gentler and much, much sweeter…

The six of them became bonded and inseparable, always together, and rode the blacktop roads all that long hot summer. They took blankets and cold beer along in the saddlebags, and Ron had made a sling on his sissy bar that cradled his Gibson Dreadnaught like a baby in mama’s arms. His deep rich voice stirred them all, and the old love songs he sang made the girls yearn for somethin’ they’d never had… and before long they found out what it was.

“Jesus Christ, Jack! Do it again!” He put his tongue back where it had been and she perked right up and threw her head back and howled at the moon. Samantha said, “What the hell’s he doin’ to her? Jimmy whispered, “Want me to show ya?” “Will it hurt?” “No!” “Okay…” So he did… she went wild. “Oh Gawd Jimmy! Oh Jesus! Oh! Oh FUCK!” He grinned into her fine little muff and buried his face in it.

Judy said, “Ronnie?” He said, “Hmm?” She said, “What do ya think them other guys are doin’?” “Well, baby doll, sounds to me like they might be gettin’ friendly…””Ya mean ya think they’re havin’ sex or somethin’?” “Yeah I do darlin’… does it bother ya?” “A little…” “Ya want me to tell ‘em to stop or what? They might get a little pissed!” “No! It don’t bother me that way! I was just wonderin’ how come we wasn’t doin’ anything…” “Ya want me to put this old guitar away?” “Yeah…” So he did. She said, “Them girls was really hollerin’, wasn’t they? What made ‘em do that, Ronnie?” “Wanna find out?” “Well…whatta ya gonna do to me?” “Take yer shorts off and I’ll show ya!” “But I don’t know if I’m ready to do it!” “I know sweetheart…I’ll just kiss it a little for ya…” “Is that what them other guys are all doin’?” “Yeah, just kissin’ it an’ stuff…” “Ya won’t bite me will ya?” “No!! I’ll be real gentle!” “Well… ya think ya might make me holler? I ain’t sure I want them to know!” “Well, if ya had somethin’ in yer own mouth maybe ya wouldn’t holler…” “Oh yeah? Like what?” “This!” “OH RONNIE!” “Wanna try it?” “Okay!”

Then suddenly summer was gone.

They read about a young lady in Texas found in a swamp that had been beaten, strangled, gutted, and had her heart ripped out, which was never found. Several months later the same thing happened in Oregon, only there were two of them. Then, as spring got off to a good start and they got the bikes out of the shed and spit-shined ‘em with the girls’ help, Joe Sam rolled the squad car to a stop and got out and took a seat in the shade on an old milk can, “Hi kids.” “Hey, Joe Sam. What’s up?” “Ya been listenin’ to the news?” “Naw; ain’t had time with the girls all out here with us, ya know?” The shed had been turned into a hangout, and was complete with bunks, stove, and canvas walls to kind of partition it into private quarters where young people in love could be alone. He grinned at them, “Yeah, yeah, I know! Well, here’s the thing; the FBI got in touch with me this mornin’. They think they got a serial killer on the loose that already murdered more ‘n a dozen girls. They all kind of looked alike.” “What’s that got to do with us, Joe Sam?” “Jimmie; they all kind of looked like Rosy. Same damned stuff happened to ‘em....” He stood slowly and stared at the Sheriff, “Ya think it was him; that fuckin’ Leroy?” “That’s what they said. It sure does look that way, boys. Every- one was hopin’ that maniac crawled in a hole somewhere and died but I guess the fucker didn’t.” Jimmie scowled darkly, “Where was the last one. And the one before that?” Joe Sam got up and spread a map on the hood of the squad car, “Here, and here. Before that, here…I’ve got ‘em marked by dates, see? He’s workin’ his way across country, and seems to be headed for Florida.” “Gawd damn,” Jimmy said, “is there any way of findin’ out if the sonofabitch did that shit to anybody right after he murdered Rosy?” Joe Sam got thoughtful…”Yeah, should be able to pick shit like that out in the blink of an eye with the gawd damn computers we got now days; I’ll get Suzy to figure out the keywords and run a search and get back to ya’s if anything comes up.” He took his leave and Jack said, “Are we goin’ after the fucker Jimmy?” Jimmy said with a mean look in his eye, “I am.” Jack said, “Then I am too,” and Ron merely nodded his approval of the plan and said, “We know what the fucker looked like ten years ago, and the green lizard on his arm should be easy to spot if he ain’t wearin’ a jacket. Florida, huh?” “Yeah. Florida.” Sally said, “Jack; ya ain’t goin’ without me!” Samantha put her arms tight around her man, “Jimmy! I go where you go!” Judy wrapped both arms around Ron and whispered, “I’ll die if ya leave me behind; I love you.” They were all goin’.

Suzy and Wade got married a year after the deaths and had two children, girls eight and five, and both Jimmie and Samantha hated like hell to leave the little ones but when Joe Sam told the group that they could track the scumbag all the way across the United States by his grisly atrocities from the time Rosy went down to last week they packed their shit in a small bag and tied it on the bike, as did Jack and Sal and Ron ‘n Judy.  Joe Sam had given Jack a small package ‘just in case’ when they said goodbye out in front of the jail; three flat black automatic nine mils with the numbers filed off. Each had two spare clips. Jack said, “Thanks for everything Joe Sam; ya been a damn good friend.” “You too, boy. Well; see what ya’s can do…if there’s anything left of the dirty muthafucka save it for me ‘n Wade.” “You got it; later!” They rolled out of town and caught the Interstate south.

A fine film of dust powdered the bikes, kicked up from the red clay of Georgia. They wound their way south after a short tour of the Indian Mounds and stopped in a State Park late in the afternoon and pitched their tents. “Butt sore baby?” Sally grinned, “Yeah it is; wanna kiss it and make it better for me?” “Been wantin’ to all day…” So he did. Later they sat around the fire and Ron entertained everyone with a song he’d been workin’ out in his head as they thundered down the road that day;

I got a big ol’ fire buildin’ up in me, from the woman ridin’ on my tail;  every time she moves I can feel her heat, and her nearness makes my ol’ jeans swell…

She’ll be a lot closer to me tonight, as I get down on her and ring her bell…yeah then she’s gonna ride me hard all night long and in the mornin’ too, just as well….

There’s a turn ahead just on down the road and where it leads no one can tell but the curves that make me wanna blow my load are the sweetest things I ever felt…

She’s dangerous to my way of thinkin’ but I think to myself; what the hell….    she dazzles me and I thank the good lord that he put me underneath her spell.

Judy yanked the guitar out of his hands and climbed on and did a good imitation of fuckin’ him silly right in front of everyone and they all clapped at the fine performance and crawled off into the tents.

The group stayed in a cheap motel in Florida that night, worn down from the long run, and laid around for two days at the beach a mile away to work the kinks out. The boys could have lounged under the umbrella watchin’ the frisky girls for a week but they were still quite a way from their destination. Jimmy said, “I think maybe we oughta stop at Dade County and check in with the Sheriff; Joe Sam said he was a good man and might have some idea of where the asshole might turn up down here.” Jack said, “The fucker might hunt on college campuses; maybe pretend to be a teacher or somethin’; he’s gotta be mid thirties or thereabouts… a young girl might trust some sonofabitch like that, huh?” Sally said, “Not me! I’d think the fucker was a perve wantin’ to stick it in my ass or somethin’!”

Sheriff Timothy Baines had met Joe Sam at a convention inMiami ten years back. “How the hell is ol’ Joe Sam doin’ anyhow? Sounded like he had a damn cold on the phone.” Jimmy said, “Well, he came down with the fuckin’ throat cancer, Sheriff. Been smokin’ them Ultra-lights since last year but it was already too late; Camel got him.” “Damn! He gettin’ the radiation treatments?” “Yeah; they say it’s gone into remission now but that shit always seems to come back and bite ya in the ass.” Baines said, “Don’t it… well boys, here’s my idea; that murderous prick is headed this way for sure. A body was found in the swamp this side of Baton Rouge three days ago; been dead about two weeks. It looks to me like this fuck goes maybe five or six weeks between the killin’s. Only question is; where’s he gonna pop up?” Sally told him Jack’s idea about college campuses and Baines nodded, “More ‘n half the young girls were dragged off from ‘em. That don’t necessarily mean he’s gonna show up at one though; he been known to snatch ‘em just about any damn place.” Ron said, “I think he’s here already.” The Sheriff had to agree with him.

The sad truth about a serial killer is the fact that, according to the FBI, while a profile may eventually emerge, acts occur randomly and it is virtually unpredictable where or when the next will take place. Sometimes a year or two will go by; sometimes a matter of days. After promising to keep in touch with Sheriff Baines they lit out for the Keys, and shot out the long bridge to see what was out there, and camped on a small island where several yachts were riding at anchor. Samantha said, “They’re so fuckin’ beautiful ain’t they Jimmy?” He grinned, “Maybe I can talk one of them into takin’ us on a cruise…” and stepped onto the dock and said hello to a man wearin’ a Captain hat. “How ya doin’?” Clyde Barnes said, “You one of them that came in on the choppers?” “Yeah; slipped down from Indiana for a couple of weeks. Last time we’ll all have a chance to be together like this; Jak ‘n Sally are gettin’ married on September 12th.” “Ya don’t say! What do ya think they’d think of a pre-honeymoon cruise? I could run ya’s out to Bermuda for a couple of days!” “Shit man! Really? What would we do about the bikes and our stuff though?” Clyde said, “Henry and Loretta ain’t goin’ out again until Friday; they’d keep an eye on your rides for ya. They spend most of their time right here in dock since Loretta got the leg amputated.” “Jesus; what happened to her?” “Shark. Yeah; they was out there swimmin’ in the lagoon… see? Right across the Key on the other side there. That dog-gone Loretta’s half dolphin; just can’t stay outta the water. Anyhow, it’s a good thing Henry was keepin’ an eye on her or she’da bled out. Tried to save the leg but it was chewed up too bad. Took it off at the knee.” “Is she an older lady?” “Naw! That’s the sad part; only twenty-nine. She gets around awright on the prosthetic but she don’t go out in public no more. Wanna go meet ‘em?” “Yeah!” “Wait’ll I call the ol’ lady and tell we’re goin’ over. Hey; Patty!” A slinky redhead in a black string bikini peered up from below deck, “Now what the fuck do ya want? Oh; sorry. Didn’t know ya had company!” Clyde grinned at Jimmy, “Ain’t marriage a blissful thing? Patty; we’re goin’ over to Henry and Loretta’s, ya wanna come along?” “I was just talkin’ to her on the phone; they said to come on over.”

Jimmy told the rest of the group to tag along as he and Clyde and Patty passed them and they all fell in behind Clyde, who introduced himself and his sexy bitch of a wife and congratulated Jack and Sally as soon as their identities were revealed. Sweet Sally blushed ferociously and looked down at the sand, not knowin’ how to react to the statement, but Jack took Clyde’s hand and pumped hell out of it, “Why, thank you sir!” Clyde said, “I was tellin’ yer friend Jimmy we could maybe take ya’s for a little pre-honeymoon cruise to Bermuda…” Sally’s eyes shot back up to the man’s face, “Wow! Really?” “Yeah; I think Henry and Loretta will be happy to watch yer stuff so ya’s ain’t got a thing to worry about.” “Cool!” She looked at Jack, wonderin’ why he hadn’t said anything about them gettin’ married to her… when she dropped back to the rear of the group he wondered what she was up to and fell in step with her, “What ya thinkin’ about with that frown on yer face sweetheart?” “How come everybody but me knows we’re gonna get married? Ya never said nothin’, or asked me nothin’; maybe I don’t wanna get married!” “Aw, Sally! That was just some bullshit Jimmie handed the guy!” “Ya mean…ya don’t wanna marry me?” “Hey; I never said that! Of course I want to!” “That man said we was gonna get married September 12^th!” Jack scowled and scuffed the sand with the toe of his boot…”Is that when ya want to?” Sally stopped in her tracks, “Are ya proposin’ to me, Jack?” “Fuck! Yeah; I guess I am! Ya wanna get married Sal?” “Really Jack? Are ya fuckin’ around? That’s serious shit!” “I ain’t; I mean it. We both know we fit together…might as well make it legal.” Ron yelled, “You guys comin’ or not?” They took the opportunity to seal it with a kiss and then strolled toward the group standing on the pier waitin’ on ‘em with their arms wrapped around each other, happy as hell. Ron looked at them closely, wonderin’ what the fuck was goin’ on… and found out with great surprise when, after everyone was introduced to Henry and Loretta, Jack told everyone, “Sally ‘n me are gettin’ married September 12^th, and hope ya all can come!” She smiled up at him with a flushed face and dreamy eyes… Judy narrowed her eyes and glanced at Ron suspiciously as they were led onto Henry’s yacht and Loretta limped out with a big jug of champagne; “A toast to the happy couple! Grab a glass! You must be Sally! How pretty you are! Ya wanna stay that way stay outta the fuckin’ water!” She grimaced as a stab of pain shot through her stump and said, “I gotta get offa my foot; find yerselves a seat.”

Samantha nudged Jimmy in the ribs after they settled into a plush seat under the awning, “Jimmy; what the fuck’s goin’ on? How come they never told us before now?” Jimmie laughed and ducked his head and smothered it in her curly hair, “Ah, Sam! It’s all my fault! I was just feedin’ Clyde a line of shit so we could maybe get a ride!” “Ya mean they ain’t gonna get married?” “That’s the funny part; they are! Sal musta got pissed and Jack got caught up in it!” He laughed again and Samantha said, “Jim; that ain’t funny… marriage is sacred… I know they really love each other, and Jack just told us they were gonna do it. Look at ‘em! They never looked so fuckin’ happy in their lives!” Jimmy looked. “I’ll be damned,” he said, and was surprised when Samantha got up and went to stand at the rail by herself, starin’ thoughtfully out to sea… Jimmy sat there sippin’ at the water glass full of $300.00 a bottle wine and lookin’ at Samantha’s profile… she looked sadder ‘n hell. Damn.

He set the glass down and joined her, “Hey.” “What?” “Whatta ya doin’ over here by yerself?” “Nothin’.” “Why?” “I don’t know.” “Aw, come on Sam! What’s buggin’ ya?” “You don’t love me.” Jimmie was shocked; “Now that’s bullshit and ya know it! How many times have I said it?” “Sayin’ and provin’s two different things.” “This is all about Jack ‘n Sally gettin’ married, ain’t it?” He saw the tear slide down her cheek as she said, “What if it is?” He turned her to face himself and picked her chin up with a finger, “Hey; I was only jokin’ around with Clyde; I didn’t know Sal would suck Jack into that shit! What am I s’posed to do?” “Nothin’!” She pulled away and went to the far side of the boat and stared off into the hazy distance, extremely depressed. Jimmy growled, “Fuck me,” and followed her. “Hey.” “What?” “If I told ya I loved ya and asked ya to marry me, then would ya believe me?” “Whatta ya sayin’ to me Jimmy?” “I was wonderin’ if maybe ya thought we oughta have a double ceremony September 12^th…” “Jimmy! Do ya mean it?” He grinned sheepishly, “I’m a fuckin’ idiot; I should have asked you a long time ago. Do ya wanna get married?” “Yeah!”

They told everyone. Judy smiled for them… Ron coughed and took a sip of champagne and wouldn’t look at her. Then he got brave and did…she was lookin’ right back and she was pissed. He said, “So. Judy. Whatta ya think; September 12^th all right with you?” “For what?” “You know; to get hitched!” “That’s a hell of a way to ask me, Ron! Are ya askin’?” “Well…yeah! Will ya marry me or not? I feel left out!” “Is that the only reason?” “Hey; you know the reason… you’re my soul mate. You’re the one. I love you more each and every day. Now will ya do it?” She laughed, “Christ; ain’t none of us even knocked up or nothin’! Hell yeah! All of us on the same day? Wow! Hey! Samantha; Sally; guess what!”

Loretta went below for more juice and Henry fired up the grill, he said, “Ya’s gotta stay fer supper! Ain’t every day shit like this happens!” Clyde said, “I got another case of champagne over on the ‘Betty’!” Patty said, “Ya know, I’m still pissed about ya not changin’ its fuckin’ name!” He said, “Well, dammit; I ain’t found a good sign painter yet! I’ll get around to it!” Jack said, “I got my brushes in my pack; I’ll change it for ya Clyde. Might keep ya from havin’ yer sack ripped off some night when yer sleepin’.” Patty said, “I might chew it off but I wouldn’t ever rip it off!” It became a fine party…Henry and Loretta promised they would take good care of the bikes and stuff, and early next mornin’ they chained everything to the dock right next to Henry’s boat and left on the excursion to Bermuda, after Jack cleaned the lettering quill and put his brushes away.

Leroy squatted behind the bush rubbin’ his joint; yeah! That one… he watched as she climbed into the red Volvo and left the lot, and then the crazy fuck scrambled into the van and got out on the road behind her. Daytona Beach; surf and sand; ya gotta like it! He whistled happily as the red Volvo turned off and flipped his blinker on and took the turn, and put the tape back in; ‘gonna steal yer heart away…’ he grinned and followed the little car into the secluded lot near the apartment complex and parked under a tree and got out and ran to where the unsuspecting victim had shut her sweet little car off for the very last time. She got out. He was on her like stink on shit, the well-practiced choke-hold applied flawlessly, and then stuffed the wad of cotton in her mouth and quickly wrapped the long leather strap around her four times and slung her over his back and ran to the van, tossed her in back, jumped in and clubbed her senseless and then tied her securely to the large tool box bolted to the floor. He took her out to the swamp, where he had planted the other two, and spent the next two days torturing and beating her and rubbin’ his cock in her face, chokin’ the shit out of her when she refused to suck it, and finally pulling the Collector’s Edition Bowie knife from under the seat and slicing her open. He grabbed the still-beating heart and tore it from the cavity and cut the ropy arteries and vessels and quick as he could stuck his cock into the left ventricle. “Ahh! Damn that was good!” He laughed all the while he dug out the shallow hole under the cypress tree and stuffed the body in, “Tell ‘em all I said Hi!” Then he went to the van, crawled inside, and took a well-deserved nap. In the morning he was heading for Miami; the cunt capitol of the world. They were all cunts! ‘Specially that bitch mother of his! He was payin’ her back though, gawd damn her maggoty soul…he wondered if anyone had found her yet. Probably not; he had buried her deep…

Clyde said, “There she is! A beauty, ain’t it?” The white sand and tall palms swaying in the breeze above the rolling breakers was incredible; none of the group had ever imagined they would end up in Bermuda when they left on the quest, and to have the trip given to them like this was like a gift from the gods. Clyde pulled up at the dock and the boys jumped off to tie the ‘Patty’ down. Then Clyde led them to the registration desk; “Eight; two days!” The manager looked up from his Hustler magazine, “Back awready Clyde? Ya just left! Eight huh? Adjoining?” “Yeah! Send over a case of champagne right away willya? We’re havin’ a weddin’ reception!” "Damn! Open to everyone? We got twelve other guests…” Clyde laughed, “Bring ‘em over! Bill me for a dozen cases of Old Bohemia Lager while yer at it!” “Ya sure that’s enough?” “Well… whatever ya think! Is it too late in the day to roast a hog? Kinda like to do it up right!” Jack looked over at Jimmy with a raised eyebrow and Jimmy shrugged, why not? If  Clyde wanted to share the wealth it was fine with him!

They were sicker than dogs on the boat two days later, as it pitched and heaved through the tossing whitecaps on the return trip. Sally puked all over Jack as she tried to crawl past him on her way to the head and he muttered, “Oh Jeezus…” and moments later was dumping the contents of his stomach over the rail. Clyde joined him. “I don’t think that hog was done cookin’, boy. Ah well… hell of a party huh?” Jack said, “Ya do shit like this all the time Clyde?” “Only when I get the chance! Got a biz’ness in Chicago but the fucker runs just fine without me! I keep spendin’ the fucker and the fucker just keeps pourin’ into the bank. Hell of a thing!” Jack said, “I’d say! So yer on sort of an extended vacation, huh?” “Yup; been extended fer about six years now! Man; my fuckin’ head hurts!” Jack laughed and went under the awning and dozed off next to his fiancé.

They arrived back at the dock as twilight crept over the lagoon and had a drink with Henry and Loretta before crawlin’ into their tents to rest up for the long ride to Miami the followin’ day. Sally whispered, “That Clyde’s a crazy fucker, ain’t he? Ohh; that feels good!”

At a small motel seven miles south they went to ground. The call to Sheriff Baines had not sounded good; in the last three weeks five girls had mysteriously disappeared. The locations indicated an almost straight line from Louisiana to Miami. Jimmie told them all, “It looks to me like we’re in the right place at the right time; now all we gotta do is figure out where the slimy prick eats and buys his gas. Easy, huh?” Timothy Baines had made it clear; if they spotted the scumbag they were to do nothing and immediately report the whereabouts of the suspect to the proper authorities, which they promised faithfully to do. Jimmy smiled at his companions, “The only report is gonna be the one from my nine mil after I shove it up his ass…” Ron said, “What about Joe Sam ‘n Wade? They deserve to be there when we stick it to ol’ Leroy, don’t they?” Samantha said, “So; what do we do, haul the prick all the way back home?” Jack said, “Well, we could. One of us could rent a van, and you girls could take turns drivin’ the damn thing…” Judy said, “Yeah, right…with a snaky muthafuckin’ killer in the back? Fuck you!” Ron laughed, “Hey! I could rent a little cargo trailer for the bike! Ya see the fuckin’ things everywhere! I bet there’s a place right here in Miami that’s got ‘em.”

As they cruised the streets on the lookout for the spook with the green lizard tattoo they kept an eye out for one of the trailers, and Ron spotted a ratty-lookin’ one sittin’ in a yard by a run-down trailer park with a ‘for sale’ sign on it and wheeled in. After he beat on the door for five minutes an elderly biker jerked the door open, “Fuck ya want? Can’t a guy get a little sleep around here?” “Saw that ‘for sale’ sign on that trailer out there, man.” The hairy tattoo-covered beast stuck his head out the door, “That yer ride?” “Yeah; like it?” “That fucker is awesome, man! Kinda looks like mine; come on, I’ll show it to ya!” He led Ron around the house into the shed and flipped the light on. A long lean chopped green Pan-head was resting peacefully on the oil-soaked floor. The extended chrome springer fork was seven fuckin’ feet long. Ron said, “Wow! Can I sit on her?” “Go ahead, but don’t get no fancy ideas; she ain’t ever gonna be for sale. Gonna put her in the house under glass; can’t ride no more but I like to look at her; a lifetime of memories is packed in that old machine.” “I know what ya mean, man; my bike is doin’ the same for me. That’s how I met my woman and everything else good in life.” “Yeah. You got it.” He shut the light off and closed the shed and Ron said, “Whatta ya think ya gotta get out of that old trailer?” “I got five hunnerd on it.” Ron nodded and said, “Ya got the hitch setup?” “Fuckin’ right I do; how ya think I pulled the fuckin’ thing around?” “I might give ya four for all of it…” “Ya might not too! I said I got five on it; the gawd damn hitch stuff cost me two! Ya want it or not?” Ron pulled the wad from his pocket and counted it out, “There ya go, man. I gave ya five and a half, hopin’ ya’d show me how to mount the damn thing!” “Cool! Lemmee grab some wrenches…” Judy shook her head, “You guys and yer wheelin’ an’ dealin’! Is it big enough?” “Might hafta break his fuckin’ legs but that’s awright…”

It needed new tires and the tail light remounted and the boys fixed all that shit and cleaned it good during the next few days when they weren’t out on the road. They scoured every fast food joint and gas station they came to but saw nothing of Leroy Cording so far. They had been approached by dozens of pimps and drug dealers, and several biker gangs, all wantin’ to buy their old ladies and put ‘em to work. They all refused to sell, and took a day from their labors and went to the beach.

Samantha said, as she rubbed oil on her golden leg, “Is everybody in this fuckin’ state insane? Look at that crazy fucker over by the hot dog stand…” They looked. He was tall, skinny, brown haired, and nuts; he was choking a girl and bendin’ her backwards over a trash can next to the stand and three other girls were trying to rip his hands off the poor girl’s throat, all of them yellin’ and screechin’ for the cops. The boys jumped to their feet and ran to the girl’s assistance, tackling the weirdo and taking him down. Ron gave the prick some of what he had been handin’ out and choked the shit outta him until he quit strugglin’. Jimmie said, “Look; there on the left bicep; a green lizard…” There was a van parked ten feet away with the door hangin’ open and the motor runnin’. Jack said, “He was gonna toss her in that van,” and the others agreed with him. Jimmy said, “Well fellas; let’s toss him in the van and take him out to the motel!” And so they did, leavin’ the scene as two squad cars came into the area and turned onto the beach. A careful inspection of the van turned up the knife and a large box of zip-lock bags. In the bottom tray of the toolbox was a gore-crusted lump of tissue in one of them; a heart…and several more in varyin’ stages of rot under the seat.

 Jack said, “Now what? We got him, and we know it’s him that we were huntin’ for; do we notify the ‘proper authorities’ or drag his ass to Indiana?” Jimmie kicked the fucker in the face one last time and said, “I for one would just as soon take him out in the swamps and make him see the light.” Ron stepped up and said, “Let’s see if he’ll fit in the trailer!” Jack said, “Aw, the damn thing is too short, Ron! Ya threw yer money away!” Ron Grinned when Judy said, “All we gotta do is break his legs and bend the fuckers a little…he’ll fit.” Jack laughed, and a second later so did Jimmy, “Good plan!” He twisted the asshole’s legs up onto a stump and started jumpin’ on the thigh bones. It looked like fun so they all took turns; and heard the gratin’ snap when they gave. The prick was unconscious but that woke him up and he screeched like he’d just had his nuts ripped off. When Jimmy kicked him in the chops he shut right up and went back to sleep.

“No! Yer gonna hafta twist that one up behind his back; I don’t see how it’s gonna work otherwise!” Jack and Ron grabbed the leg and bent hell out it, forcing a muffled scream from Leroy’s gagged jaws, and while they twisted Jimmy leaned his weight on the upper body and Leroy popped down into the trailer. “There! Four days crammed in that dinky space will do his ass good! We gonna take the evidence along or make a discreet call to the cop shop and tell ‘em where to find it? We’re probably gonna get our asses in some pretty deep trouble but; I say we make the call and then haul ass for home so Wade ‘n Joe Sam can have a hand in the execution. We’ll leave the paper with the prick’s record and fingerprints on the front seat; his prints gotta be all over the van; he’s been livin’ in the stinkin’ thing for a long time. Pack yer shit and we’ll get out of here and make the call when we get out of the city.” They left Miami.

“None of us will ever be able to get married now,” Samantha said sadly as they camped for the night. Jimmie knew she was right, too; they would all be guilty of murder and god only knew what else if they carried the plan to the end and took revenge on the killer. He was having doubts… Ron was having fun tormenting the doomed fuck through the air vent at the rear of the trailer when Judy said almost the same exact words to him. He stopped what he was doin’ and looked at her long and hard, “We’re in the wrong, ain’t we?” “I’m startin’ to think so Ronnie; if we do what we wanna do to the fucker we’ll never be happy again. They’ll catch us and put us in prisons far away from each other!” She started cryin’ real hard and he felt real bad suddenly… gawd dammit! All that fuckin’ around and now they’d prob’ly hafta turn him over to the cops! Unless Jimmy just wanted to blow the fucker away and dump him somewhere off in the woods or a swamp like he did to all those poor girls he murdered…

Sally was very quiet as they climbed into the sleepin’ bag… “What’s the matter baby?” She sighed, “Oh Jack. I just don’t know if we’re doin’ the right thing any more. I wanna kill the dirty sonofabitch too but should we? Don’t that make us just as bad? ‘Vengeance is Mine, sayeth the Lord’!” “Yeah babe, but it also says in the ‘good book’; an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth! Hey!” “Where ya goin’ Jack!?” “I’m gonna knock all the fucker’s teeth out!” “Can I come?!” “Yeah; come on!” As Jack was opening the trailer everyone came over to see what the hell he was doin’ and Sally told ‘em, “I don’t know how though; maybe with a rock or somethin’!” Jack grabbed ol’ Leroy by the hair and forced his head back and the killer’s eyes bulged in terror; ‘it wasn’t supposed to be like this!’ Jack grinned and said, “Ron, hold his head! Jimmy, you grab his bottom jaw and pull the fucker open!” Jack took the small vise-grip from the belt case and rapped on the exposed teeth a few times, chippin’ hell out of ‘em and breakin’ the front two off close to the gums. They all laughed as the tears squirted from Leroy’s eyes, then jack got serious and latched onto a molar… nice fuckin’ scream! He clamped the vise-grip on another…Sally said, “Let me pull one!” They took turns. Judy said, “It ain’t fair the sonofabitch has got all that hair…” and yanked a wad loose… yeah; got a good screech out of the bloody mouth of the beast! She peeled his scalp. Samantha said, “I heard the Vietnamese used to pull our boys’ fingernails out by the roots when they was in the prison camps over there…” Jimmie looked at her. She had a wild glint in her green sparklin’ eyes…he wrenched one of Leroy’s arms up out of the trailer and twisted it until it broke, “There; can ya get at ‘em?” “I think so; hold him still! Jack; gimmee that vise-grip!” He gladly handed it to her and folded his arms and smiled. A half hour later they dragged the screamin’ fucker outta the trailer and took out his toenails too, and Judy said, “We oughta cut his balls off! And circumcise him!! Stick a burnin’ piece of wood up his asshole!!!” Ron said, “Well, awright, but he’s gonna bleed pretty bad…” Sally said, “We can cauterize whatever’s bleedin’ with a hot iron, Jack!” He thought about it… “Yeah; that’ll work!” Leroy was still conscious and was absolutely terror –stricken, but the feelin’s he was feelin’ weren’t shit to what he felt as every idea the girls had was carried out. Then the sun was comin’ up, and old Leroy was feelin’ no more pain, out cold from the severe and prolonged agony he had been put through. They stood lookin’ at the wreck of the mangled body… Judy said, “Don’t move him; I’m gonna get the camera!” They carefully moved Leroy this way and that, positioning the arms and legs so there was no denying they had been broken in several places and would be impossible for the best of surgeons to set straight. She took some pictures of the ruined, burnt and badly blistered asshole, the stump of the cauterized penis, the raw black ragged wound where his scrotum had hung, the smashed mouth and torn cheeks where Jack had gotten a little carried away in his dentistry, the scalp job inflicted on him, and close-ups of the tips of his fingers and toes…”Yeah! These are great!” They all looked at the little digital screen and had to agree; they were good shots indeed. Jimmy said, “For Joe Sam ‘n Wade.” Ron said, “Cool,” and Jack smiled, “They’ll like that. We gonna haul his ass back to Miami now, Jimmy?” “Yeah; might as well… I’d still like to kill the prick but Samantha’s right; we’d all end up in prison for life, and the fucker just ain’t worth it. I just hope we gave him a little of what he gave his victims…” Sally snickered, “Oh; I think we did that all right! Let’s go; I’m tired.”

Timothy Baines took the call himself, “Gawd dammit Jack! Yeah, yeah; we got the van and everything; he’s a guilty muthafucker awright. But ya tampered with evidence; abducted the sonofabitch; tortured the cocksucker! Aggravated Assault and Battery! Forcible restraint without due authority! Illegal transportation of a suspect! I could go on all night! Where are ya’s?” Jack said into the phone, “Sorry Sheriff Baines; I can’t tell ya. Ya can find the trailer in the lot at Sparky’s Shrimp House. He’s still alive but if ya wanna get him into a courtroom ya might want to hurry. ‘Bye.” He hung up and jumped on the bike and Sally climbed on, “Hit the road Jack!” He shot out of the truck stop and cranked the throttle, catchin’ up with the others in a quarter mile, and shot past ‘em headin’ north. Samantha started singin’ that old rocker; Indiana wants me, and they all joined in. Yeah… they were goin’ home.

Joe Sam threw his weight behind them and they successfully fought the extradition, though the judge placed them all on probation for five years and they were not to leave the state durin’ that time period; hell, they didn’t want to go anywhere! They all got married September 12^th and Sally was pregnant as a muthafucka when spring rolled around… the boys worked in the shed buildin’ choppers for the bandits and boys from all over the state came, wantin’ bikes built by the famous men responsible for the capture and severe and lastin’ punishment of the murderous muthafucka , Leroy Cording. Thirty-nine victims of the beast had been found to date… that’s just about how many really bad wounds were inflicted on the monster, by the way… and the dirty sonofabitch lived in a wheelchair from which there was no escape on Death Row. Couldn’t feed himself…couldn’t shit without an injection of both laxative and lubricatin’ ointment…couldn’t walk… couldn’t talk without the tube in his throat…couldn’t scratch his nonexistent balls. He would remain on Death Row for a minimum of ten years, after which time his last appeal would be filed…and denied.