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it came in view, he was pleased because there was only a foot or two of water in the doorway. He put on his waders. He took the Saiga in case somebody showed up. His supply of water would be a good enough reason to kill them.
    Inside there were some parts cartons floating about, along with the swollen body of a dead man. He smelled pretty bad. Stephen made his way around him carefully, not wanting him to start breaking up and smell even worse. He went behind the counter and back into rows of shelves where the parts were stored. He had to go down four rows before he found the carburetors. They were on a shelf just within his reach. He also took a couple of water pumps and some belts, because these were things that could easily break and would be impossible to repair. Then he retraced steps past the stinking dead man, whose bloated body bobbed a little in the slight wake his passing made. Now he saw the wisdom in his decision to tow the bodies to the creek.
    The trip back was uneventful. The dead soldiers and cows and goats were still in the same place. The vultures were still patiently watching. Angela looked at the dead men as they passed, the boat’s wake causing the bodies to bob. At least here in the open there was not much of a smell. He hoped Angela was not thinking of her parents.
    Then Angela turned from the dead men to look back at him.
    â€œThe dead stink,” she said.
    â€œI know,” he said.
    â€œMy parents are like them.”
    He had no idea what to say so he just nodded. He wanted to say that they were dead, that now it did not matter. But he thought better of it.
    â€œDon’t you think so?” she said.
    He hated it that she was pressing him. He wondered why she would ask him a question like that.
    â€œThey’re dead,” he said.
    â€œYes, they are,” she said.
    He opened the throttle a little.
    â€œYou watch out for trash,” he shouted. “I don’t want to run into somebody’s dead cow.”
    She turned around and fixed her eyes on the water ahead of them.
    By the time they reached the house it was late afternoon. He brought the boat up to the dock slowly, looking for any sign of the return of the man. He did not want to tell Angela about him. His letting the man escape would make him look foolish.
    Perhaps he had enough time before dark to install the carburetor.
    â€œIf you wish, you can take a shower,” he said to her.
    â€œYou have a shower?” she said.
    â€œAnd plenty of water and power to heat it.”
    He told her he would switch on the water heater and then go work on the engine.

    It was almost dark when he finished with the engine. When he turned it on, it purred, no sign of any problem. He walked up the steps and smelled something cooking. She had found the leftover venison stew his father had made. She had transformed herself into a nice-looking girl, not exactly pretty but nice-looking: brown hair that was close to blond, nice breasts, long well-shaped legs. She looked good even dressed in a pair of his shorts and one of his T-shirts.
    â€œThose clothes of mine need to be burned,” she said.
    They ate dinner on the screened porch. As they ate the stew, he could not help but think of his father. When he made the stew, he had complained that he had no carrots. He never had any luck growing carrots in his garden.
    She told him she was a senior at LSU, majoring in math. Her parents had expected her to become an accountant, but she wanted to have an academic career.
    â€œThey weren’t pleased with that,” she said. “There’s no money in it. My daddy pointed that out right away. To him those washing machines were the most important thing in his life. Now he’s dead because of them. And nobody tried to steal a single one. Those thieves were after other things.”
    He recalled that his father had never seemed particularly concerned about the fate of the shop.
    â€œMy father cared about this house, not