volume one IN THE D U D L E Y C L A R K - Ohio Vine Tours

and who knows what else to track your every move, know every
book you read, what groceries you buy, what motels you stay at,
restaurants you eat in, schools you go to, grades you make, work
record, birth record, medical record—
How can you disappear in a world like this?
Roy’s always figured no one could disappear as much as he
has, but that was before he met Pete.
What, exactly, does he know about Pete, anyway? Besides
being a font of film lore, he might be a murderer in hiding, which
would account for his gun. Or maybe he’s a witness to something
terrible and the Feds put him here for safe keeping until the trial.
Or maybe he was a hit man for the C.I.A. Or maybe—
Roy’s thoughts drift as he lurches alongside the movie,
sometimes galloping, sometimes cantering, mostly barely keeping
up—always hearing the voices, seeing the pictures, watching
the story unfold—and yet at the same time not. As his mind
darts in-and-out of focus, he becomes aware of this creepy bit of
knowledge—starting in his tingling loins, ascending his curving
spine, clutching his bald scalp in a painful grip—that he has no
real place to be, no real time to be in, no guides or rules to tell
him what he ought to do with the few years he has left. Should
he wander like Cole, or live like Pete and be a dress-up cowboy,
stay stoned and watch old movies? Roy has no ties, other than
Rick—who is, in truth, more of a noose than a tie—and no
friends to speak of…except for Pete.
Bean enters the big, empty theatre. Gas lights flicker. He
has bathed and pomaded his hair and wears his gray Civil War
uniform, dangling sword scabbard banging his knees. With
money fleeced off strangers pretending he was a Judge, he’s
bought every single ticket in the house and told his men to guard
the doors.
Tonight it’s just Roy Bean, the hanging judge, and Lillie
Langtry, the Jersey Lily.
He can’t decide where to sit so he picks up a seat and places it
in the center aisle.
But it’s no good. Cole’s already inside, gun drawn, eyes
narrowed—
Why do shootists always narrow their eyes?
2 ROY ROGERS IN THE 21ST CENTURY