"The cops rounded up Billy and the rest, practically sent the whole police department after them.
"There was a big trial. Billy tried to make them believe what had really happened, but it was no use. His prints on the murder weapon were all the proof anyone needed.
"He got the big one. The death penalty."
Rubbing the thin, sandy hair of his goatee, Larry stood frowning in the trench; he looked confused and distraught, as if he'd heard the startling words for the first time just as they had left his lips.
At length, he cleared his throat. He opened his mouth as if he were about to speak...then closed it once more. He brought his hands together, kneaded them nervously, shuffled in the dirt.
At last, he managed to continue; his voice was low, taut, somewhat hoarse.
"The big one," h
