Summary

"Cortes the Killer" starts off with the first person narrator, Beatrice, returning to her childhood home for Thanksgiving. As she walks down the driveway, readers learn that Beatrice's family farm is surrounded by chains of stores and is the only farm left in the countryside. Beatrice recalls that it was never much of a farm, as her parents were never very talented farmers. Her parents ended up leasing their land to a soy bean company and taking jobs with a loan company and an advertising firm. Her father did not enjoy his office job but her mother thoroughly enjoyed the mental stimulation of her advertising job that turned myths into consumable material.

The scene changes to Beatrice, her brother Clem, and their mother finishing their Thanksgiving dinner with Beatrice still as the first person narrator. Clem is described and readers learn he...