Life or Death Read Online Free Page A

‘Pledenten’.
    To their west a jungle of clouds has swallowed the sun before it dips below the horizon. It’s like watching a flame burn through a soggy piece of newspaper. Audie leans his elbow on the windowsill and keeps watch for roadblocks or police cruisers. He should be clear of them by now, but he doesn’t know how long they’ll keep looking for him.
    ‘Where are you fixing on spending tonight?’ asks Ernie.
    ‘Haven’t decided.’
    ‘There’s a few motels in Pleasanton, but I never stayed in any of ’em. Never had the need. You got cash?’
    Audie nods.
    ‘You should call your girl – say you’re sorry.’
    ‘She’s long gone.’
    Ernie drums his fingers on the steering wheel. ‘I can’t offer more than a bunk in the barn, but it’s cheaper than a motel and my daughter is a good cook.’
    Audie makes noises about declining, but knows he can’t risk checking into a motel because they’ll ask him for identification. Police will have posted his photograph by now.
    ‘That’s settled then,’ says Ernie, reaching for the radio. ‘You want to listen to some music?’
    ‘No,’ says Audie, too abruptly. ‘Let’s just talk.’
    ‘Fair enough.’
    A few miles south of Pleasanton, the truck pulls up in front of a gaunt house beside a barn and a stunted grove of cottonwood trees. The engine dies clumsily and a dog wanders across the dirt yard, sniffing at Audie’s boots.
    Ernie is out of the truck, mounting the steps, calling out that he’s home.
    ‘We got a guest for supper, Rosie.’
    In the depths of an open hall, a light shows from the kitchen where a woman is standing over the stove. Broad-hipped with a round, pretty face, her skin is a milky brown and her eyes elongated, more Indian than Mexican. She’s wearing a faded print dress and bare feet.
    She looks at Audie and back to her father. ‘Why are you telling me?’
    ‘He’ll want to eat and you’re doing the cooking.’
    She turns back to the stove where meat hisses in a frying pan. ‘Yeah, I do the cooking.’
    The old man grins at Audie. ‘Best get you washed up. I’ll find you some clean clothes. Rosie can wash those later.’ He turns to his daughter. ‘Where do you keep Dave’s old clothes?’
    ‘In that box beneath my bed.’
    ‘Can we find sumpin’ for this fella?’
    ‘Do what you like.’
    Audie is shown to the shower and given a fresh set of clothes. He stands under the hot spray for a long time, letting the water turn his skin pink. Luxuriating. Daydreaming. Prison showers were truncated, regulated and dangerous activities that never made him feel cleaner.
    Dressed in another man’s clothes, he combs his hair with his fingers and retraces his steps along the hallway. He can hear a TV. A reporter is talking about the prison escape. Audie looks cautiously through the open door and sees the TV screen.
    ‘Audie Spencer Palmer was nearing the end of a ten-year sentence for an armoured truck robbery in Dreyfus County, Texas, in which four people died. Authorities believe he scaled two fences using bed sheets from the prison laundry after short-circuiting one of the alarm systems with a chewing gum wrapper…’
    A young boy is sitting on the rug in front of the TV. He’s playing with a box of toy soldiers. He glances up at Audie and then at the screen. The story has changed. A weather girl is pointing to a map.
    Audie squats on his haunches. ‘Howdy.’
    The boy nods.
    ‘What’s your name?’
    ‘Billy.’
    ‘What game are you playing, Billy?’
    ‘Soldiers.’
    ‘Who’s winning?’
    ‘Me.’
    Audie laughs and Billy doesn’t understand. Rosie calls from the kitchen. Supper is ready.
    ‘You hungry, Billy?’
    He nods.
    ‘We best hurry or it might all be gone.’
    Rosie makes a final survey of the table, putting a knife, fork and plate in front of Audie, her arm brushing his shoulder. She sits and motions to Billy to say grace. The boy mumbles the words, but says ‘amen’ clearly. Plates are passed, food