For Geoff Cooper, Michael T. Huyck Jr., and Michael Oliveri.
We are ka-tet. All for one and one for all . . .
To many men life is a failure
A poison worm gnawing at their heart
Then let them see to it
That their dying is all the more a success
— FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE
Thus Spake Zarathustra
Rejoice, young man, in thy youth
But know that God will bring thee
“I’m going to kill the bastard!”
— BABY FACE NELSON TO JOHN DILLINGER
“Forget it and grab the money!”
— JOHN DILLINGER TO BABY FACE NELSON
Farewell happy fields
Where joy forever dwells
Hail horrors, hail . . .
Thanks to Cassandra; Sam, who came along at just the right time; Anne Groell for the French Sushi; Josh Pasternak; Rich SanFilippo, for the bat and the murder ballads; Ed Gorman; Larry Roberts; Alan M. Clark; Duane Swierczynski, my partner in crime; Cullen Bunn; Judi Rohrig; Officer Tom O’Brien (no relation to the main character); Maria Cotto, for the swearing lessons; Carl, for help with the drugs; Matt Warner (drop and give me 1,000); Gina Mitchell; Mark Lancaster, for once again being my eyes and ears; Adam Pepper, who read this on the back of scrap paper; John Urbancik, for reading this during the carnival instead of going to Heaven by answering three easy questions; and finally, to the memory of the foundry sage Robert Fitro, whose wisdom is not forgotten.
