At the Memphis Airport departure terminal, the black Pantera sits askew with one front wheel on the sidewalk and the other hanging over the gutter, spinning slowly.

The engine is wheezing and the driver's door is open, a red scarf oozes out of the driver's seat and down onto the metal skin. A gathering crowd cautiously approaches the lopsided car, shoving and trying to peer in. Smoke pours out of the engine.

The black limo screeches to a stop behind the crowd. Red is the first out and lurches towards the onlookers. Other bodyguards clamber out and follow him, fearing the worst. Peewee has ketchup smeared across his face. Lardass turns to Red.

"Maybe E's dead?"

"Shut up, Lardass."

"I'm just saying -- "

"I'm just saying shut up. Why you got to open your mouth all the time. I'm trying to think here."

It's been a bad summer for Red. Probably the worst ever. Where had all the fun gone? He'd been with E since the beginning. He'd been like a brother to him. Loved him like a brother. Given his life to him. Been through all the highs, been through everything. All the girls, all the pills, all the guns.

Peewee starts sniggering to himself.

"Maybe E's brains is mashed up all over the windscreen!"

"Cousin Peewee, shut the fuck up."

"Maybe the kryptonite got him. Kryptonite can do that Red!"

"Cousin Peewee, how come you got to be the fucking family retard all the time?"

Cousin Peewee blinks

"What's a retard, Red?"

"Cousin Peewee, when the good lord was handing out brains you weren't even standing in line, were you?"

Cousin Peewee blinks again.

"What line, Red?"

Red shakes his head, takes a deep breath and moves through the crowd and smoke. He approaches the sportscar and leans in to look into the driver's seat, and sees that it's empty. He slams his fist on the roof.

"Shit!"

He wipes his mouth on his hand. E sure had been acting strange lately. Well, more strange than usual. Red put it down to that fag hairdresser filling E's head with all kinds of crazy shit. Making him read all those spiritual books about new eras and secret gardens and heavens on earth and, well, it made no damn sense to Red.

Red hears the rumble and roar of an American Airlines 707 taking off. He looks up as it lifts and rises overhead.