True Crime
BY DONNA TARTT

Things were getting hot in Idaho. Smiling,
strangled, in his distinctive red-and-silver pickup,
he seethed with the name of actress Elke Sommer.
Full moons seemed to bring out the worst in him.
So did eighteen year old neighbor Debra Earl. Lake Charles,
	Louisiana.
Prognosis: poor. Following a late dance at the VFW hall, 
Authorities recovered a diary, a favorite rifle, a sales receipt 
For antifreeze. "I have a problem. I'm 
A cannibal." He spoke of plans 
For a G.E.D. degree, a part-time candy business. 
Stick figures of his first-grade sweetheart 
Were scratched along the barrel of his gun.