Amy stared at me, a little frown working up on her face. I gave her a pat on the bottom, and kissed her again.

“T’tell the truth, honey,” I went on, “I really felt like I was doing the right thing for them fellas. They weren’t no good to themselves nor nobody else and they must’ve known it, like anyone would know a thing like that. So I was doing ‘em a pure kindness by fixing it so they wouldn’t have to go on livin’.”

“I see,” Amy said. “I see. And do you also feel you’d be doing Ken Lacey a pure kindness if you kept him from going on living?”

“Him especially,” I said. “A fella that mocks his friends, that hurts people just because he’s able to hurt ‘em—‘Ken Lacey!’” I said. “What do you know about him?”

“Only one thing, Nick. All I know is that you somehow seem to have arranged things so that Sheriff Lacey will be blamed for the two murders that you committed.”

I swallowed, and said I just didn’t know how she figured that. “It sure ain’t my fault if Ken comes down here an’ gets drunk, and pops off all over town about what a tough fella he is. I figure that if a fella wants to get all the glory out of braggin’, he has to take the blame along with it.”

“I don’t figure that way, Nick. I won’t allow you to do it.”

“But, looky,” I said. “Why not, Amy? What’s Ken to you, anyways?”

“He’s a man who may be falsely convicted of murder.”

“But—but I just don’t understand,” I said. “If you don’t mind about me killin’ them two pimps, why . . .”

“You haven’t been listening, Nick. I mind about them very much. But I had no way of knowing that you were going to kill them. In the case of Sheriff Lacey, I do know your plans, and if I allowed you to carry them Out I’d be as guilty as you are.”

“But”—I hesitated—“what if I just can’t help myself, Amy? What if it’s him or me?”

“Then, I’d be very sorry, Nick. It would have to be you. But that circumstance isn’t likely to arise, is it? There’s no way you can be incriminated?”

“Well, no,” I said. “I can’t think of none offhand. For that matter, there’s a good chance them bodies will never be found.”

“Well, then?”

“Well . . . god-dang it, Amy, it’d be a lot better to let things go like I planned!” I said. “A whole lot better. Why, if you knew that god-danged Ken Lacey like I do, some of the mean things he’s done—”

“No, Nick. Absolutely, no.”

“But, doggone it—!”

“No.”

“Now, you looky here, Amy,” I said. “It just don’t look to me like you’re in any position to be givin’ orders. You got guilty knowledge, like they say in the courts. You know I killed those fellas an’ you didn’t say nothin’ about it, so if you try to do it later you’re incriminatin’ yourself.”