She nodded. “His old .45. First time I’ve seen it out of the closet. He’s been acting paranoid for a few days. The doctor calls it ‘hypervigilance.’ He says people get that way sometimes when the end is close.”

“It’s closer than he thinks,” Snake muttered. “But we didn’t come for no shoot-out. Besides, it wouldn’t look right.” He looked hard at Wilma. “You got to go in there and get that gun, Willy.”

She reddened at this childhood nickname. “How’m I s’posed to do that?”

“Hell … you’re his sister. You’ll figure something out.”

“Wait a second,” Sonny said. “Even if we get that gun, if Glenn’s all paranoid, he could fight us. That won’t look right, either.”

“He can’t fight you,” Wilma assured them.

“Shows what you know,” Snake said. “I saw Glenn break a Jap sergeant’s neck while he had two bullets in his back.”

Wilma shook her head as though exhausted. “He ain’t what he was no more. There ain’t much left now.”

Sonny felt weak with grief and regret.

“What am I supposed to do when you’re finished?” Wilma asked.

“Swallow a coupla Glenn’s sleeping pills,” Snake advised. “Then go in your room and go to sleep. When you wake up in the morning, call his doctor and give the news. Glenn was feeling poorly when you put him to bed, and he was dead when you woke up. That’s all you know.”

Wilma’s eyes had gone wide. “You want me to stay in the house all night with his body?”

Snake shrugged. “It ain’t as bad as you think. I spent all night in a foxhole with two dead buddies, and one was in pieces. Remember, Billy’s gonna take good care of you for this.”

Wilma’s thin lips communicated skepticism. “What about the funeral?”

“Pay that out of your own money,” Sonny advised. “Billy will take care of you on the back end, plus some.”

“You’ll do fine,” Snake said, giving her a brittle smile. “You always was a good old girl, Willy.”

“I wasn’t always old,” she murmured. “Ya’ll are asking too damn much, you know that?”

“I know,” Sonny said, earning a glare from Snake.

She folded her age-spotted arms in front of her and gave them a disgusted look. “But I guess there’s no other way. Just swear you’ll leave me in peace when it’s done. And keep that damned Forrest off my back.”

“Don’t worry about Forrest,” Snake said. “He’s gonna make sure you get a nice piece of change out of this.”

“Bullshit. Nothing’s changed since high school, Snake. Five minutes after you screwed me, you’re were kickin’ me out of the car. Forrest fooled around with my grandniece a few years back, and he’s no different than you.”