Page 11 (1/2)

Standing there, gazing up, I didn’t realize that the croas an omen, or that Poe’s famous verse would, in fact, serve as the key to unlock itsHad I understood then that this shrill croas my raven, I would have acted much differently in the hours that fol­lowed; and Pico Mundo would still be a place of hope

Failing to understand the i, where I found Elvis sitting in the passenger’s seat He wore boat shoes, khaki slacks, and a Hawaiian shirt

All other ghosts of my acquaintance have been li when they perished

For instance, Mr Callaway, lish teacher, died on his way to a costume party, dressed as the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz Because he had been a nity and poise, I found it depressing, in thehis death, to encounter him around town in his cheap velour costuround after hio of this world and moved on

In death as in life, Elvis Presley makes his own rules He seee or in the movies, as well as the clothes that he hen not perfor His attire is different from onean i

pills and depressants, he died in his underwear or maybe in his paja­mas Some say that he was found in a bathrobe as well, but some say not He has never yet appeared to me in quite such casual dress

For certain, he died in his bathroom at Graceland, unshaven and facedown in a puddle of voreets me clean-shaven and without a beard of upchuck

On this occasion, when I sat behind the steering wheel and closed the car door, he smiled and nodded His smile had an unusual melan­choly quality

He reached out and pattedsym­pathy, if not pity This puzzled and so that would warrant such an expression of coust 15, I still cannot say how much Elvis knew then of the terrible events that were about to unfold I sus­pect he foresaw all of it

Like other ghosts, Elvis does not speak Nor sing

He dances soot some cool moves, but he’s no Gene Kelly

I started the car and punched up some randoazine stocked with the best work of her idol

When "Suspicious Minds" came froertips, he tapped the rhythm on the dash­board as I drove out of Camp’s End

By the tihborhood, ere listening to "Mama Liked the Roses," fro of Rock ‘n’ Roll had succumbed to quiet tears

I prefer not to see hi

"Blue Suede Shoes" wears a cocky smile and even a sneer better than he does tears

Karla Porter, Wyatt’s wife, answered the door Willowy, lovely, with eyes as green as lotus petals, she unfailingly projects an aura of seren­ity and quiet optimism that is in contrast with her husband’s doleful face and mournful eyes

I suspect Karla is the reason that Wyatt’s job has not worn him down to total ruin Each of us needs a source of inspiration in his life, a cause for hope, and Karla is Wyatt’s

"Oddie," she said, "what a pleasure to see you Co ready to destroy so a few people to dinner, we’ve got plenty extra, so I hope you’ll stay"

As she led h the house, unaware that Elvis accompanied us in a "Heartbreak Hotel" racious of you, but I’ve got another engagement I just stopped by to have a quick ith the chief"

"He’ll be delighted to see you," she assured me "He always is"

In the backyard, she turnedthe words BURNT AND GREASY GOES BETTER WITH BEER

"Odd," Chief Porter said, "I hope you’ve not co"

"That’s not rills - the first fired by gas for veg­etables and ears of corn, the second by charcoal for the steaks

With the sun still more than two hours above the horizon, a day of desert sunshine stored in the patio concrete, and visible waves of heat pouring off both barbecues, he should have been -dead sea of Pico Mundo He was, how­ever, as dry as the star of an antiperspirant commercial

Over the years, I have seen Chief Porter sweat only twice On the

first occasion, a thoroughly nasty un at the chief’s crotch from a distance of just two feet, and the second occa­sion wasout the bowls of potato salad, corn chips, and fresh fruit salad on the picnic table, Elvis seemed to lose interest when he real­ized that no deep-fried banana-and-peanut-butter sandwiches would be provided He wandered off to the swi pool

After I declined a bottle of Corona, the chief and I sat in lawn chairs, and he said, "You been coain?"

"Yes, sir, off and on all day But this isn’t so ht be soon"

I told hius Man at the restaurant and later at Green Moon Mall

"I saw him at the Grille," the chief said, "but he didn’t strike me as suspicious, just… unfortunate"

"Yes, sir, but you didn’t have the advantage of being able to see his fan club" I described the disturbing size of Fungus Man’s bodach en­tourage

When I recounted my visit to the small house in Camp’s End, I pre­tended, rather ludicrously, that the side door had been standing open and that I had gone inside under the iht be in trouble This relieved the chief of the need to conspire with

"I’h-wire artist," he reerously narrow line soreat respect for your balance, sir"

"Son, that sounds perilously like bullshit"

"There’s so him what I found in the house, I o swarm Even a man as sympathetic

and open-minded as Wyatt Porter will become a skeptic if you force too much exotic detail upon hiot your atten­tion, son?"

"Sir?"

"You keep looking over toward the pool"

"It’s Elvis," I explained "He’s behaving strangely"

"Elvis Presley is here? Now? At esticulating"

"Gesticulating?"

"Not rudely, sir, and not at us He looks like he’s arguing with him­self Sometimes I worry about him"

Karla Wyatt reappeared, this tiuests in tow

Bern Eckles, in his late twenties, was a recent addition to the Pico Mundo Police Department He had been on the force just two ernails, was the assis­tantbeauty shop that Karla owned on Olive Street, around the corner and two blocks from where I worked at the Grille

These two had not arrived as a couple, but I could see that the chief and Karla were engaged in so

Because he didn’t know - and never would - about ure out what to make of me, and he had not yet decided whether he liked me He couldn’t understand why the chief always made time for me even on the busiest of days

After the new arrivals had been served drinks, the chief asked Eckles to coet on the com­puter to the DMV while you make some phone calls for me We need to work up a quick profile on this odd duck from Camp’s End"