Prayers For Rain

held on tight. His eyes rolled back into his head and his cheeks puffed in and out.
“Look at me.”
Cody wrenched his eyes back to focus and looked up into my face.
“If the insurance doesn’t pay for her car, Cody, we’re coming back with the bill.”
The panic in his eyes ebbed as clarity replaced it. “I never touched that bitch’s car.”
“Bubba.”
Bubba took aim at Co

“Okay, Cody. It’s a game. And this is the last inning.

Then he sliced a pretty fluid backhand through the air and connected with the Audi’s rear window.

I gave her my eats-his-veggies-loves-his-mom smile

trying to get some oxygen.
“Okay, Cody. It’s a game. And this is the last inning. Understand this: I hear a woman-any woman-is being stalked in this city? Gets raped in this city? Has a bad fucking hair day in this city, Cody, and I’m just going to assume it’s you who did it. And we’ll come back.”
“And paralyze your dumb fucking ass,” Bubba said.
A burst of air exploded from Cody Falk’s lungs as he got them working again.
“Say you underst

myself thinking, What if that woman was my sister? My mother? You see?”
Cody tried to twist his ear from my grip, but I held on tight. His eyes rolled back into his head and his cheeks puffed in and out.
“Look at me.”
Cody wrenched his eyes back to focus and looked up into my face.
“If the insurance doesn’t pay for her car, Cody, we’re coming back with the bill.”
The panic in his eyes ebbed as clarity replaced it. “I never touched that bitch’s car.”
“Bubba.”
Bubba took aim at Cody’s head.
“No! Listen, listen, listen. I…I…Karen Nichols, right?”
I held up a hand to Bubba.
“Okay, I, whateve

urine rose from a burgeoning stain along his left p

said. “Anyone in the house?”
“What?” He