‘Okay,’ Mrs Cutler said, ‘you can let him lie down now.’ Neil carefully laid Alex down on the pillow while Mrs Cutler lifted his legs onto the...bed. Neil climbed down as Mrs Cutler tenderly tucked the duvet around her son. He was already half asleep. With a sigh he turned over on his side and curled up, sinking fully into sleep. Mrs Cutler stroked his hair then got to her feet. ‘Thank you,’ she said to Neil who was standing, immobile, staring down at Alex. ‘We should go downstairs and let him. So it wasn’t the dogs, but the thought their barking might attract attention which motivated the novice cross burners to make a modest increase in the pace of their work.This lack of urgency would prove a grievous error. The barking dog in back was Belle, short for Beelzebub. She was the bad-tempered by-product of a brief but turbulent liaison between a vicious Rhodesian Ridgeback and a brutal Catahoula Cur; the latter being a local breed raised to herd and fight wild hogs. Her distinguishing. He asked if we would sing ‘Bridge Over Troubled Waters’ at her funeral today. I could tell that he was trying not to cry when he asked. I told him we’d be honored to do that for Jane. I hope I didn’t overstep my boundaries, Steve, but I just couldn’t refuse him.’ ‘You know I won’t mind. We were going to go to the funeral today and pay our respects to our friend and classmate. We’ll just plan on doing that song. You do such an incredible job with it, I’m not surprised he asked. You were great. “Well, what is it?” I said perplexed.His hands fumbled together behind him, his naked chest and torso on display. Then Guy delivered his lines, “I misbehaved with you at home and I apologise for it Madam. I ... I wish to earn your forgiveness.”I stared at him awhile; before recalling what Iris had shared with me earlier in the day;“Remember Margo, in the bedroom, always exercise your authority and discipline over the boy! The cock between his legs is yours; not his!”Iris had described some of.