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Back We Were Killers Once Save as PDF
Chapters (65)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. Dedication
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Three
  7. Four
  8. Five
  9. Six
  10. Seven
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. Eleven
  15. Twelve
  16. Thirteen
  17. Fourteen
  18. Fifteen
  19. Sixteen
  20. Seventeen
  21. Eighteen
  22. Nineteen
  23. Twenty
  24. Twenty–one
  25. Twenty–two
  26. Twenty–three
  27. Twenty–four
  28. Twenty–five
  29. Twenty–six
  30. Twenty–seven
  31. Twenty–eight
  32. Twenty–nine
  33. Thirty
  34. Thirty–one
  35. Thirty–two
  36. Thirty–three
  37. Thirty–four
  38. Thirty–five
  39. Thirty–six
  40. Thirty–seven
  41. Thirty–eight
  42. Thirty–nine
  43. Forty
  44. Forty–one
  45. Forty–two
  46. Forty–three
  47. Forty–four
  48. Forty–five
  49. Forty–six
  50. Forty–seven
  51. Forty–eight
  52. Forty–nine
  53. Fifty
  54. Fifty–one
  55. Fifty–two
  56. Fifty–three
  57. Fifty–four
  58. Fifty–five
  59. Fifty–six
  60. Fifty–seven
  61. Author’s Note
  62. Acknowledgments
  63. Also by Becky Masterman
  64. About the Author
  65. Newsletter Sign-up

The kid grinned and reached out with the shotgun to Perry. He said, here, you have to do one. We all have to do at least one. So Perry looked a little dazed at how things were going, but he took the gun as if he wasn’t in charge, and he went into the other room. Mr. Clutter was screaming and the shouting kept on, shoot him, shoot him. But it seemed Perry could not shoot with Mr. Clutter screaming. That was when he must have put some duct tape over his mouth, and not before the way we told it, because the screaming lessened to something that happened only in Mr. Clutter’s throat. All I could hear over that was do it, do it.

I did not go into the other room just yet because I was putting a pillow under the boy’s head. I know this was crazy as he was already dead. I found the shell casing which had rolled partway across the floor. Then I heard Mr. Clutter making a different noise, more gurgling than screaming in his throat. When I went into the other part of the basement I saw his throat had been cut to make him quiet for Perry. Perry was still holding the gun. He yelled to see Mr. Clutter choking his blood away and that is when he finally shot him. Even so it was a few seconds before he was totally still, and all I was aware of was the three of us breathing hard. The boy cursed as if he was sorry it was over, as if he could not get enough killing and was sorry there were no more people to kill. I thought about this later.

There was so much blood in the basement we could not avoid stepping in it. We were afraid of leaving evidence that could come back to convict us, but with the other house nearby, and the chance that people who lived there might hear the gunshots and come to investigate or call the police, we figured we should leave quickly. I said I had two shotgun shell casings, and Perry said he had the one from Nancy’s room. He found the other close to his feet, lying in a pool of Mr. Clutter’s blood.

When we got in the car the kid put his hand in his pocket and drew out a handful of coins. Here is some change, he said, as he handed it to Perry over the front seat of the car. I found it in a cookie jar in the kitchen when I went to get the knife.

Perry asked him if he still had the knife and he answered yes.