I HAD TO TAKE HER at her word. Not a lot else you could do. I never saw her again. I wao tell her that the way they had it in the papers wasnt right. About him and that girl. It turned out she was a runaway. Fifteen years old. I dont believe that he had anything to do with her and I hate it that she thought that. Which you know she did. I called her a number of times but shed hang up on me and I t blame her. Thehey called me from Odessa and told me what had happened I couldnt hardly believe it.
It didnt make no sense. I drove up there but there wasnt nothin to be done. Her grandmother had just died too. I tried to see if I could get his fingerprints off the FBI database but they just drew a blank. Wao know what his name was and what hed done and all such as that. You end up lookin like a fool. Hes a ghost. But hes out there.
You wouldnt think it would be possible to just e and go thataway. I keep waitin to hear somethin else. Maybe I will yet. Or maybe not. Its easy to fool yourself. Tell yourself what you want to hear. You wake up in the night and you think about things. I aint sure anymore what it is I do want to hear. You tell yourself that maybe this business is over. But you know it aint. You wish all you want.
My daddy always told me to just do the best you knew how ahe truth. He said there was nothin to set a mans mind at ease like wakin up in the m and not havin to decide who you were. And if you done somethin wrong just stand up and say you do and say youre sorry a on with it. Dont haul stuff around with you. I guess all that sounds pretty simple today. Even to me. All the more reason to think about it.
He didnt say a lot so I tend to remember what he did say. And I dont remember that he had a lot of patieh havin to say things twice so I learo listen the first time. I might of strayed from all of that some as a younger man but when I got ba that road I pretty much decided not to quit it again and I didnt. I think the truth is always simple. It has pretty much got to be. It o be simple enough for a child to uand. Otherwise itd be too late. By the time you figured it out it would be too late.
CHIGURH STOOD AT THE receptionists desk dressed in suit and tie. He set the case in the floor at his feet and looked around the office.
How do you spell that? she said.
He told her.
Is he expeg you?
No. Hes not. But hes going to be glad to see me.
Just a minute.
She buzzed the inner office. There was a silehen she hung the phone up. Ght in, she said.
He opehe door and walked in and a man at the desk stood up and looked at him. He came around the desk and held out his hand. I know that name, he said.
They sat on a sofa in the er of the offid Chigurh set the case on the coffeetable and it. Thats yours, he said.
What is it?
Its some mohat belongs to you.
The man sat looking at the case. The up a over to the desk and leaned and pushed a button. Hold my calls, he said.
He turned and put his hands oher side of the desk behind him and leaned bad studied Chigurh. How did you find me? he said.
What difference does it make?
It makes a differeo me.
You dont have to worry. Nobody else is ing.
How do you know?
Because Im in charge of who is ing and who is not. I think we o address the issue here. I dont want to spend a lot of time trying to put your mind at ease. I think it would be both hop