第5部分(第4/7 頁)

e　all　right………！'

〃Yes；　thank　you；〃　Marjorie　said。　〃But　you　tell　the　Lord　to　wait　long　enough　for　you　to　put　me　through　to　the　high　sheriff's　office　down　Tefton；　all　right？〃

The　Trapingus　County　high　sheriff　was　a　whiskeynosed　old　boy　with　a　gut　like　a　washtub　and　a　head　of　white　hair　so　fine　it　looked　like　pipe…cleaner　fuzz。　I　knew　him　well；　he'd　been　up　to　Cold　Mountain　plenty　of　times　to　see　what　he　called　〃his　boys〃　off　into　the　great　beyond。　Execution　witnesses　sat　in　the　same　folding　chairs　you've　probably　sat　in　yourself　a　time　or　two；　at　funerals　or　church　suppers　or　Grange　bingo　（in　fact；　we　borrowed　ours　from　the　Mystic　Tie　No。　44　Grange　back　in　those　days）；　and　every　time　Sheriff　Homer　Cribus　sat　down　in　one；　I　waited　for　the　dry　crack　that　would　signal　collapse。　I　dreaded　that　day　and　hoped　for　it；　both　at　the　same　time；　but　it　was　a　day　that　never　came。　Not　long　after　…　couldn't　have　been　more　than　one　summer　after　the　Detterick　girls　were　abducted　…　he　had　a　heart　attack　in　his　office；　apparently　while　screwing　a　seventeen　year…old　black　girl　named　Daphne　Shurtleff。　There　was　a　lot　of　talk　about　that；　with　him　always　sporting　his　wife　and　six　boys　around　so　prominent　e　election　time　…　those　were　the　days　when；　if　you　wanted　to　run　for　something；　the　saying　used　to　be　〃Be　Baptist　or　be　gone。〃　But　people　love　a　hypocrite；　you　know　…　they　recognize　one　of　their　own；　and　it　always　feels　so　good　when　someone　gets　caught　with　his　pants　down　and　his　dick　up　and　it　isn't　you。

Besides　being　a　hypocrite；　he　was　inpetent；　the　kind　of　fellow　who'd　get　himself　photographed　pet　that　point；　running　southeast　through　low；　wooded　hills　where　families　named　Cray　and　Robite　and　Duplissey　still　made　their　own　mandolins　and　often　spat　out　their　own　rotted　t