ICE MAN
The 2012 prophetic story that set the stage for the novel Dutch never got to finish.
Dutch was beginning work on his 46th novel when The Atlantic asked if he would like to write a story for their July/August 2012 issue. Dutch was eager to respond. He loved the short story form. He used the pages he was working on and submitted a story called Ice Man
.
This story introduces Victor—an Apache bull rider who rides three bulls—each over 1800 pounds, named Cyclone, Spanish Fly, and Bulldozer—to victory and is declared Top Bull Rider at the All-Indian National Rodeo in Palm Springs. He walks away with $4,000 and a new saddle. To celebrate, Victor and his Mojave friends, Nachee and Billy Cosa, drink at a Mexican restaurant in Palm Springs, reveling in stories about bulls, rodeo legends, and Hollywood vampire flicks—classic Dutch dialogue grounded in character and humor.
Then tension. The Ice Man Cometh (apologies to Eugene O’Neill.) A man in straw Stetson and an attitude. He watches the boys, listens to their banter, and makes his move.
“He stood there a moment adjusting his hat, setting it
close on his eyes, the curved brim pointing at Victor. Now
he used both hands to pop the snaps on his U.S. Government jacket. He held it open so they could read the words reversed in white on the dark T-shirt. It said in capital letters: ICE MAN
He said, ‘Fellas, you happen to know what I.C.E. stands for?’
Victor could tell him it meant Immigration and Customs
Enforcement, you turkey, but said, ‘Does it mean you deliver ice to places like this one for drinks, maybe shrimp cocktails? I understand it’s what icemen do, but I don’t think I know any.’
‘What I deliver,’ the Ice Man said, ‘I take illegal aliens to prison. People speaking foreign tongues and think obeying the law’s a bunch of shit, refuse to follow the goddamn law of the land.’”
Then he demands their names.
Victor answers:
“My Mimbreño Apache name is Deer With Horns Running Through the Woods Being Chased by a White Dude Wearing a Cowboy Hat.”
The Ice Man is not amused and arrests all three for “mouthin’ off.” He scoops up Victor’s prize money and says, “I’m placing these boys under federal arrest.”
Dutch wasn’t making a political statement; he had just found the perfect villain for one of his favorite set-ups. An intolerant asshole who abuses power, secure in his own righteousness.. Dutch had been writing this kind of guy for decades—he's instantly recognizable in both his Westerns and his urban crime stories.
The difference here is that the Ice Man does not get the comeuppance at the end of the story this character usually gets Retribution would no doubt come later in the novel Dutch left unfinished on his desk.
But Ice Man stands as one of his best short stories: tight, funny, and brutal.
Ice Man is available at the Atlantic web site but you have to sign up for a free trial. It’s worth it. You can also read it here.