I flew on meth. I killed Nigger King. I'm scared now. I escaped Jeff City. I refuse to go back. I'm a hero. I'm a martyr. Hey, World, take that.

Wayne waits. Wayne geezes Jimmy up. Wayne shoots Jimmy then. Jimmy dies on a speed rush.

Panic. Suicide. Your stock "lone assassin"-gone on crystal meth.

Wayne watched the New Rebel. Fred O. stood outside. Jimmy walked in. Fred O. looked over. Fred O. saw Wayne and winked.

Wayne winked back. Wayne shoved off. Wayne drove to the Lorraine Motel.

He parked close in. He checked the lot. He checked the balcony. He checked the wino pad. He checked the brush patch. He checked the street.

The patch was thick, It flanked a cement wall. A passageway led to Main Street. They perch in the patch. They shoot or don't shoot. They walk to Main Street.

Wayne watched the motel. Negro men hobnobbed. They stood on that balcony.

No cops attendant. Dwight Holly confirmed said. Dwight Holly tapped cop frequencies. Memphis was uptight. They had riots and marches. They had cops alert on Code 3. More shit was planned. One more march boded. It was set for April 5th.

He'd be dead. Memphis would burn. Wayne _knew_ it. Jimmy would shoot. Fred O. said so. Fred _knew_ it.

Fred O. ran Jimmy. Jimmy ran L.A. to Memphis. Jimmy made stops in between. Jimmy was wacked. Jimmy took hypnosis courses. Jimmy went to bartender's school. Jimmy shot meth. Jimmy bought skin mags. Jimmy jacked off and read porno books.

Jimmy joined the Friends of Rhodesia. Jimmy placed swinger ads. Jimmy got rhinoplasty. Jimmy stalked Dr. King in L.A. Jimmy stalked March 16/17.

Fred O. surveilled him. Fred O. _knew then_: He'll shoot proactively. Fred O. recruited him _proactive_. Fred O. was cloaked as "Raul."

Fred had King's travel plans. Dwight Holly pouched them. They came from an FBI source.

King went to Selma. He arrived on 3/22. Fred O. and Jim Ray were there. The conditions were sub-par. Fred O. stalled D-day.

King stayed in Selma. Jimmy drove to Atlanta. He knew King lived there. King foxed him. King flew to Jew York. King had business there.

Dwight got a tip. His Fed source pouched it. RED RABBIT to Memphis. Arrival 3/28. There's a garbage strike there.

Dwight recruited Wayne on 3/30. "Raul" goosed Jimmy Ray Cash perks and meth-Memphis dead-ahead.

It was NOW. Fred said so. Fred knew it. Jimmy was strung out. Jimmy craved the "Bounty" Jimmy craved this mock Holy Grail.

Wayne watched the balcony. Wayne saw activity

Dwight ran death-threat checks. The Memphis Feds supplied facts. King logged eighty-one death threats. Klan threats mostly

King blew them off. King shined them on. King scorned security.

Wayne watched the balcony Wayne saw Dr. King. They went back. They intertwined. They had symmetry

He went to Little Rock. He enforced integration. He saw King there. He saw that fuck film. It was FBI-shot. He saw King there. He killed three coloreds. King indicted Las Vegas. King almost went there. He killed Bongo in Saigon. King hated his war. He killed Wendell Durfee. Wayne Senior found Durfee. King served his vengeance cause.

Wayne Senior knew:

You _want_ it. I _made_ you. It's _yours_.

He killed Durfee. Dwight suborned him. He joined Wayne Senior's cause. It's Wayne Senior's Hate School. It's the postgrad course. Coloreds foist chaos. Coloreds breed discord. Coloreds spawn doss.

Wayne Senior said you learned. Wayne Senior said you paid. Wayne Senior said you earned this shot.

Wayne Senior bragged:

Ward Littell's retiring. Mormon heavies love me. I'll get his Hughes spot. It's certain. I know. I was told.

Carlos Marcello called me. We talked. We discussed Littell's retirement. We discussed general business. We discussed the Hughes spot.

Carlos said this:

Littell worked for Hughes _and_ me. _You_ take that full spot. Littell suborns Nixon. Littell retires then. _You_ go from there. _You_ work with Nixon. _You_ secure our requests. _You_ insure our warranty.

Wayne Senior said this:

My son the chemist. You know him. _I_ know he's outgrown Pete B.

Carlos said this:

We'll find a spot. We'll bring Wayne in. It's adios to Pete B.

Wayne watched the balcony. Wayne saw King laugh. Wayne saw King slap his knees.

I hate smart. I've killed five. You can't outhate me.

111

(Bay St. Louis, 4/3/68)

Castoff-9:16 p.m. Light wind. Course south-southeast.

The last gun run. The kadre kurtain kall.

Pete walked the deck. His pants fit tight. He wore three guns in. He wore his shirt out. His gut bulged. The silencers chafed.

He flew in. They held castoff. He flew in late. He looked for Wayne in Vegas. He tapped out. Carlos called him.

Carlos was Carlos. Fuck the Big Lie. Carlos was brusque:

"You found some things out. So what? You were never dumb, Pete."

"Bob's off somewhere. He's working with Wayne. He don't get hurt like the rest."

"Don't act aggrieved. Bring me some scalps. Remember, you owe me for Dallas."

The boat pitched. The boat dipped. The boat leveled. Pete walked the deck. Pete thought it through. Pete fought butterflies.

They're below deck. Get them alone/get them together. Hit the arms locker. Get a shotgun. Choke a tight spread.

Pilot the boat. You know how to. Head for Cuban seas. Lure Fuentes on. Lure Arredondo. Kill them/scalp them/dump them. Scalp and dump the rest.

Six snuffs. Butch haircuts. Scalped per kadre kode breach.

The boat ran smooth. Automatic pilot. Glassy Gulf seas.

Pete climbed the bridge. Pete read dials. Pete ran instrument checks. It's OK. You know how. You'll do it.

He walked below. He got flutters-biiiiiig butterflies. The main cabin stood full: Stanton/Guйry/Elorde/Dick Wenzel.

Pete jittered. Pete twitched. Pete bumped his head on a beam.

Stanton said, "They don't build these boats for giants."

Guйry said, "Which is my problem, too."

Flash said, "I do not have that problem."

Wenzel said, "You're a shrimp, but you're dangerous."

They laughed. Pete laughed. Pete went lightheaded.

Four men/no sidearms/good. All relaxed/sipping scotch/good.

Note this oversight. Note this fuck-up and glitch:

You _could_ have brought Seconal. You _could_ have spiked the scotch. You _could_ have killed them asleep.

Stanton said, "We'll refuel at Snipe Key."

Wenzel said, "They're meeting us eighty knots out. It's the only way to rendezvous before dawn."

Pete coughed. "It's my fault. I was late."

Flash shook his head. "The last time. We no go without you."

Guйry shook his head. "You were always the one with the… _qu'est-ce que_… 'greatest commitment.'"

Wenzel slugged scotch. "I'll miss the runs. I hate the Reds as much as the next white man."

Flash smiled. "I am not white."

Wenzel smiled. "In your heart you are."

Pete faked a yawn. His chest pinged. His pulse raced.

"I'm tired. I'm going to lie down for a bit."

The guys smiled. The guys nodded. The guys grinned and stretched. Pete walked back. Pete shut the door. Pete ran a cabin check:

Four units/low bulkheads/four sleeping sacks. Please get drunk. Please crap out. Please crap out in shifts.

He opened the cargo hold. The boat rolled. The boat rolled _trиs_ light. It rolled too drifty-sans-gun-ballast light.

He popped the storage door. He looked in. He hit the light.

Bam:

Empty/_no_ guns/_no_ ordnance packed tight.

He got butterflies. Huge now. Sized like King Kong.

No guns. _No gun run_. Loose ends scheduled up. _They_ kill _you_. They dump _you_. They kill Fuentes and Arredondo.

The boat pitched. Pete dug his legs in. Pete popped the shotgun rack. He got moths-big fuckers-way up in his chest.