know I ain?t meetin? unexpected company, see what I mean?”
The owners retrieved their animals arid took them into the pit. For the first time the two animals were
aware of each other, although they were tail to tail across the arena. Hackles rose like stalks of wheat
down the back of the scarred old warrior. The bulldog hunkered down, sleeked out, his lips peeled
back to show gum and tooth.
Neither of the dogs made a sound, no growling, no barking. It was eerie.
The betting was done. The crowd grew quiet, leaning forward on the benches.
The referee, a lean man with a warty face and a jaw full of chewing tobacco, whistled between his
teeth and the place was silent.
“Gentlemen,” warty-face said, “face yet dogs.”
I turned away, looking over at Nesbitt, who was wide-eyed, waiting for two dogs to tear each other to
pieces.
“So let?s get on with it,” I said.
I heard the referee cry, “Pit?”
The crowd went crazy. The dogs still did not bark. I was to learn later that they are trained to fight
without a sound. It conserves energy.
My companion was really into it. He was on his feet. “Get „im, ya little pissant!” he screamed.
“So let?s get on with it,” I yelled to Nesbitt. “This isn?t one of my favourite things here, with the
dogs.”
“You know what?s goin? down, man. Do I look like I wanna end up a chopped liver sandwich?” he
said, without taking his eyes off the pit. He was almost yelling so I could hear him above the crowd.
“Okay, speak your piece,” I said.
“Look, Kilmer, I didn?t have nothin? to do with Jigs gettin? pushed across.”
“What are you telling me for?”
His speech came in a rush. He was talking so fast he almost stuttered.
“I?ll tell you why, see. Because I was eyeballin? you in the restaurant up until you left. You had
breakfast with a couple of guys, then you talked with a couple of other guys, then you went down and
got your own car, okay? 1 drive on out the highway ahead of you, see, wait at [he, place, at Benny?s.
You pass it goin? in. I was there when you come by. It was exactly five to eleven.”
“So?”
“So I couldn?t of killed him. Shit, I talked to him on the phone right after you finished breakfast.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
