as i looked about the room, dumbstruck, Earl hurriedly pulled on a shirt and then ushered me up the stairs to the kitchen. He got two beers out of the fridge and motioned—actually, more like directed—me to take a seat at the table. He set his handgun on the table where I could have reached it if I’d wanted to. I didn’t.

“What’s this about a detective, Zack?” Earl asked. He did not look amused.

I was having a bit of trouble collecting my thoughts. “A police detective, he just left my place.”

“What was he asking?” Earl took a nervous swig of his beer. “Was he asking about me?”

“No. He was asking about that guy they found down by the creek.”

“Are you sure? You’re sure he wasn’t asking about me?”

“No,” I said, more emphatically this time. “I’m telling you the truth. It was about the guy in the creek.”

Earl nodded, slowly, but he was still eyeing me warily. “I heard about that. On the radio.”

“Yeah, well, it did kind of make the news. It was that guy with the petition, who talked to us the other day.”

Earl downed some more beer. “Okay. I remember him. You found him?”

I nodded. “The cops say he was murdered. So they had a lot more questions for me, since I came across him when I was out for my walk.”

Earl was shaking his head, like he wasn’t listening to me. “Shit. Thank God it was about that and not me. I’m running a business over here and can’t afford to have the cops finding out about it. So, why are you over here then, if it wasn’t about me?”

“I just came over here to tell you about it. Thought you’d be interested. Looks like maybe I caught you at a bad time.”

Earl took a deep breath, let it out slowly. He ran his hand lightly over the gun. “So, Zack. You gonna turn me in?”

“Jesus, Earl.” I finally twisted off the cap of my own beer and had a swallow. “It’s so fucking hot in here.”

“There’s a lot of humidity in a greenhouse kind of operation,” he said matter-of-factly. “That’s why I keep a lot of beer in the fridge. And bottled water, soft drinks, that kind of thing.” He got out his cigarettes, some Winstons, tucked one between his lips and lit up. “I notice you didn’t answer my question.”

“What question?”

“About whether you’re going to turn me in.”

“Look, Earl, it’s not like I’m worried about the pot, exactly. I mean, everyone’s doing it, I gather, not that my own kids are.”

“Of course,” Earl said.