The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer Page B

was living with Gary Gilmore.
     
    Next day, Gary asked Spencer if he was serious about the car. He wanted to know if they could go down that afternoon and look at one.
    Rikki didn’t like the news one bit. Nicole was the best thing in his family as far as he was concerned. He told Sterling that if Gary did anything to hurt her, he would kill him.
     
    At V.J. Motors, there was a 6-cylinder ‘66 Mustang that seemed to be pretty clean. The tires were fair, the body was good. Spencer thought it was a reasonable proposition. The car sat on the lot for
    $795, but the dealer said he would move it at five and a half for Spence. It beat walking.
    Yet when Rikki saw them together, he realized that Nicole liked the guy a lot. Gary came over to Rikki and said, “Man, you’ve got the most beautiful sister in the world. She’s just the best person I ever met.” Gary and Nicole held hands like they were locked together at the wrist. It was all different from what Rikki had expected.
     
    So that Friday when Gar got paid, Spencer took him back to the car lot and it was arranged that Gary would put up $5o, Spencer McGrath would add another $5o against future salary, and Val Con-lin would carry the rest of it in hi-weekly $5° payments. Since Gary was getting $4o a week and taking home $95 of that, the deal could be considered functional.
     
    Gary wanted to know if he could take time off on Monday to get a license. Spencer told him all right. It was agreed that Gary would stop for his license Monday morning, pick up the car, and come to work.
    Sunday morning, Gary brought Nicole over to meet Spencer and Marie McGrath. Spencer saw a very good-looking girl, hell of a figure, not too tall, with a full mouth, a small nose and nice long brown hair, She must have been r9 or 2o and looked full of her own thoughts. She was wearing Levi’s that had been cut off at the thigh, a T-shirt, and no shoes. It sounded like a baby was crying in her car, but she made no move to go back.
     
    Gary was immensely proud of her. He acted as if he had just walked in with Marilyn Monroe. They were sure getting along in
     
    64 THE EXECUTIONER’S sONGp>
    supergood shape. “Look at my girl!” Gar was all but saying, “Isn’t she fabulous.
    When they left, Spencer said to Marie, “That’s just about what
    Gary needs. A girl friend with a baby to feed. It doesn’t look like she’ll
    him.”
    be too much of an asset to He squinted after their car. “My
    God, did he paint his Mustang blue? I thought it was white.” “Maybe it’s her car.” “Same year and model?”
    “Wouldn’t surprise me a bit,” said Marie.
     
    10
     
    Since Spencer lived next door to the work shed in Lindon, Marie could look out the window and see when Gary was there half an hour ahead of time. Some mornings, she would ask him in for a cup of coffee.
    While sipping it, Gary would put his feet on the table. Marie would walk over and slap him across the ankles.
    “Now, there,” Gary said to Brenda, “is a lady who knows her own mind. She’s not wishy-washy.” He grinned. “I put my feet up just to annoy her.”
    “If she’s such a nice woman, why do you want to annoy her?” “I guess,” he said, “I like an ankle slap.”
    Brenda didn’t want to hope too hard, but, God willing, Gary might come around the bend.
    She wasn’t too happy, therefore, when he brought Nicole to her house. Oh, God, Brenda said to herself, Gary would end up with a space cadet.
    Nicole just sat there and looked at her. She had a little girl by the arm and didn’t seem to know the arm was there. The child, a tough-looking 4-Year’°ld, looked to be living in one world and Nicole in another.
    Brenda asked, “Where are you staying?”
    Nicole mused herself. “Yeah.” She mused herself again. “Down the mad,” she said in a soft and somewhat muffled voice.
    Brenda must have been on radar. “Springville?” she asked. “Spanish Fork?”
    Nicole gave an angelic smile. “Hey, Spanish Fork,