“I’ll give you a hint, Goliath. If I was going to fight you, you’d be the last one to know. You wouldn’t find out until the knife was sliding along your throat.”

Statue seemed mystified by Condley’s unbending composure. He peered boozily at Condley, his huge head waving from side to side as if buttressed by a gentle, changing wind. “Any one of us could beat the fuck out of you.”

“I’m a lot meaner than you think.”

Grinning, Statue made just the slightest move toward Condley. Before he made it off his bar stool, a banana knife had appeared from nowhere and was making a dimple in his throat. Surprised, Statue turned slowly to see sweet Maria, her feet apart like a boxer, pressing the knife forward.

“No fights in my bar,” said Maria. “And you don’t ever hurt my lovely Brandon. He is my prince.”

Statue’s arms were up in the air, his hands open in surrender. Condley laughed quietly, dropping his own banana knife onto the bar. “Could have come from over here just as easy, Statue. Forget what they taught you in all that aerobic training. This is a fucked-up world we live in and people don’t like to be pushed around.”

Maria pulled away her knife and started laughing. “I can hook off my jab too,” she said, shadowboxing for him and proving it, throwing a jab toward his stomach and coming up with a quick hook that just grazed his chin. Then Statue started laughing. Within seconds they were all best friends. Maria’s banana knife and quick hands had magically brought them closer together. After five beers the reddening strawberry on Statue’s throat was a treasured little prize.

Statue sat back down and slapped Condley on the back. “What do you do, man?”

“I’m a bone picker,” said Condley.

“What does that mean?” asked Black Goliath.

“I go wherever they tell me to go and do whatever they tell me to do. Yesterday I was in Viet Nam, now I’m here, tomorrow I may be in Borneo. Picking up bones.”

“You’re a spook!” No Neck sounded triumphant, as if he had finally solved a puzzle.

“I did that once, a long time ago. But I am now totally legit. I find the bones of dead heroes and I bury them. That’s it. Mostly in Viet Nam.”

“Sorry about that. Sounds boring as shit, man,” said Black Goliath.

They grew quiet, as if embarrassed for him. Maria finished wiping the tables and now walked lazily to the jukebox and punched in a dozen numbers.

“It has its moments,” said Condley, absently watching Maria at the jukebox. “And it keeps me in Asia. I like that.”