Part 7 (1/2)

'What's that, an eighty-nine softtail cla.s.sic?'

'Eighty-eight.'

'You restore it yourself?'

'I did.'

'Turquoise and black, I like that. And the black leather saddlebags with the silver studs. Cool. What engine is that?'

'Evo V-2.'

'd.a.m.n, that's a fine ride.'

The thug admired the bike then Nadine perched high in the back seat and finally turned his attention to Book.

'You Mexican?'

Book glared at the agent.

'Do I look Mexican?'

'You look like an Injun, but we don't get Injuns around here no more, just Mexicans.'

The Hispanic agent's expression seemed pained. He took a step slightly in front of the thug. He was either the good cop in a good cop/bad cop routine or genuinely embarra.s.sed by his partner.

'You look familiar. Where have I seen you?'

'On national TV, you dopes,' Nadine said from behind. 'He's famous.'

'Who you calling dopes?' the thug said. Then he turned to Book and said, 'Were you the bachelor?'

A look of recognition came across the Hispanic agent's face; he smiled broadly.

'No, he's the professor. Bookman. I watch you every Sunday morning. It's an honor to meet you, sir. I'm Agent Angel'-AHN-h.e.l.l-'Acosta.'

'John Bookman.' They shook hands then Book aimed a thumb at the back seat. 'My intern, Nadine Honeywell.'

'And this is my partner, Wesley Crum. Please excuse his bad manners, Professor, he was raised by the scorpions in the desert.'

'Funny,' the thug named Wesley said.

'Did you come to Marfa to see the art?' Agent Acosta said. 'Judd's boxes? Chamberlain's crushed cars? Flavin's fluorescent lights?'

'Uh, yes,' Book said. 'That's why we're here.'

Agent Crum's eyes loitered on Book's back-seat pa.s.senger. 'I got fluorescent lights in my trailer,' he said with a grin, 'if you want to see them.'

Nadine sighed. 'Dope.'

Agent Crum's grin turned into a frown.

'Enjoy your stay, Professor,' Agent Acosta said. 'Bienvenidos.'

Book fired up the engine and gunned the Harley through the light and turned north on Highland Avenue. He saw in the rearview the two agents engaged in an animated conversation.

'Dopes, Ms. Honeywell?'

'I call them as I see them, Professor.'

They cruised slowly up Highland, apparently the main street in town. It dead-ended at the courthouse that loomed large above the low-slung buildings. They rode past the Marfa City Hall on the right and then a row of refurbished storefronts occupied by the Marfa Public Radio station, the Marfa Book Company, and a shop called Tiend M that sold handmade jewelry. On the very visible side exterior wall of one building graffiti had been painted in large strokes like a billboard: The Real Axis of Evil is the US, UK, and Israel. A city crew with brushes prepared to paint over the message, no doubt unappreciated in West Texas. They crossed El Paso Street, and Nadine pointed again.

'Food Shark!'

Parked under a large shed with picnic tables was a silver food truck with 'Food Shark' stenciled across the side and a few customers at the service window. A sign read Marfa Lights Up My Judd. Bicycles were parked under the shed and foreign-made hybrids at the curb; one had a b.u.mper sticker that read WWDJD? On the north side of the shed ran railroad tracks; Book hit the brakes hard as the crossing arms came down. The red lights flashed, and a train whistle sounded; a cargo train soon roared through downtown Marfa on its way west to El Paso. Hanna's train still came through town, but it was now the Union Pacific.

When the arms rose, Book accelerated over the tracks and across Oak Street and past Quintana's Barber Shop, the state Child Protective Services office, and the Iron Heart Gym. Other than the activity under the shed, downtown Marfa sat silent-no car horns, no sirens, no squealing tires, no sounds of the city. There was no traffic and few pedestrians. No joggers, cabs, pedicabs, or panhandling homeless people that one encountered in downtown Austin. It was as if the town were taking a siesta. Across Texas Street was a building with a replica of an oil rig on the roof; on the far side of Highland sat the two-story, white stucco El Paisano Hotel.

'Back in the fifties, they filmed Giant here,' Book said. 'All the stars stayed there.'

'That was a movie?'

'You've never heard of Giant?'

'Nope.'

'It's an epic about Texas' transformation from a cattle economy to an oil economy.'

'Sounds exciting.'

'It's a cla.s.sic. Rock Hudson played a cattle baron.'

'Never heard of him.'

'He's dead. James Dean played a ranch hand turned oil tyc.o.o.n.'

'Never heard of him either.'

'You've never heard of James Dean?'

'Is he on Twitter?'

'He's dead.'

'Well, there you go.'

'What about Elizabeth Taylor? She played the cattle baron's wife.'