“How much time do we have before they get here, baby?” said Heather.

“A few hours,” answered Slider. “Terrell said he’d be here before sunup.”

“Where are you going?” said Donny.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” said Slider. He held up Donny’s Swissfōn. “What I do know is this thing will work wherever I take it.”

“Oh, man, don’t take that,” said Donny. “Come on.”

“You’re not going to be needing it where you’re going,” said Slider.

“Where’s that?” said Donny.

“Out there,” said Slider, pointing at the open window. “Where they were going to send her.”

“Where the wild things are,” said Heather.

“At least you’re giving me a chance,” said Donny.

They both laughed.

“You both should come with me. Back to Dallas.”

They both laughed harder.

“Slider, I am on the verge of getting the outcome you wanted in the case for your parents. For your parents and all the other victims. We will be able to make them pay.”

“With what?” said Slider. “With money?”

“Yeah,” said Donny. “Enough to shut down the company. Kill it, for all intents. And make them accountable. Names, dates, how and why. The truth will come out. We will publish their records, shame the perpetrators, and honor the victims. And hopefully prevent something like that from ever happening again.”

“Money won’t bring my parents back,” said Slider.

“Neither will killing people,” said Donny. “What if I told you I found where their bodies are?”

“You don’t know shit,” said Heather.

“Slider knows. Because he’s dumped bodies there himself.”

“What are you talking about now, Donny?” he answered.

“Out there by City Park. In that culvert.”

A weird look came over Slider’s face. The first time Donny had seen him look scared.

“What’s he talking about, Slider?”

“I’m talking about where they buried the President. Or what was left of him. In the same place as his victims.”

Slider looked at him with those crazy blue eyes, the tattoos dancing on his shirtless frame. Then he lifted up the cage Donny was in and tossed it over as hard as he could. It felt like wrecking a very small car.

“Don’t make all that noise!” said Heather.

“You’re lucky I don’t stick you,” said Slider, poking the knife through the bars. “It’s time, anyway.”

He came over, opened the door, and dragged Donny out by the tie around his neck, keeping the knife in his other hand.

“Sit here,” said Slider, pushing him up against the wall. From there he could see the guns lined up against the opposite wall, underneath the posters of Maxine Price and the red armadillo.

“I know you did it, Daryl,” said Donny.

“You don’t know shit, Donny.”

“Who helped you?”

“Fuck off.”

“I don’t blame you for doing it.”