It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I had expected to jump out of bed, kiss Boots on the cheek, then Bimmer my way north. But I awoke so far south, the john looked like the arctic. In Boots’s place, a note on my dresser apologized for having left so early.

I felt a pang of loss when I realized she was gone. But then, my relief at finding myself alone quickly flew its flag. And the moment it unfurled, I knew my restless slumber had delivered me to Trouble City. I tried to motivate myself into clothes, but the closet seemed too far away.

The day threatened to plunge into serious bleak. A day to drug myself to oblivion. My only regret: I hadn’t saved any pizza for breakfast.

Actually, there was more regret than the pizza. Much more, but I couldn’t acknowledge it. Not until I self-medicated and crawled into a cocoon. That’s how days like this worked. I lit a cigarette, found a bag of Fritos, and grabbed my stash.

But the Bakelite rang before I tumbled horizontal and I forced myself to hoist the receiver. I figured Boots and figured if I didn’t get the phone before the couch got me, it might be a long time before we spoke. After yesterday and last night, that just didn’t seem right.

Only all my figures were wrong and my dick knew it at her first silky note. “Remember me?”

Disgusted by my instantaneous reaction, I threw the cigarette into the ashtray. “You’re impossible to forget, Alexis.”

For the first time since awakening I felt the pain from Clifford’s beating. I suppose that meant I was coming alive. Terrific. I dragged the phone along with my body to the kitchen table, sat, and lit another smoke. I left the stash in the living room but didn’t go back to get it. I wasn’t that alive.

“It was good between us, wasn’t it?”

“A helluva night,” I slid, caught on the line like a deer in headlights. “How did you get my number?”

“Lou gave it to me.”

“Lou?”

“Don’t fret, darling,” Alexis chuckled, “I told him I wanted to thank you again for our wonderful evening, that’s all. It might be difficult for them to appreciate us sleeping together. You know, semi-incestuous.”

“Tactful,” I managed.

“It would be difficult for you as well, if our night wasn’t kept undercover, wouldn’t it?”

I exhaled a lungful of smoke, “It’s already difficult.”

“Learning new things about yourself always is.”

I felt myself grow embarrassed, “I wasn’t thinking of, of...”

“Our dance,” Alexis finished with another easy laugh. “You were thinking about your girlfriend.”

“I guess.”

“Well,” she said in a teasing tone, “if the time we spent together is so troublesome, let’s chat about your detective work.”

“My what?”

“That look-see you gave the Hacienda when I left the other morning. You know, both of us have family staying there.”

Surprise, surprise. Concern for Lou’s safety hadn’t been completely trumped by my depression. Or maybe anything was better than talking about the lighthouse. No matter; Alexis opened the door and I eagerly followed which somehow seemed too familiar. “Living there is more accurate.”

“Lauren makes that crystal clear,” Alexis snorted angrily.

“What’s with you and that house, anyway?” I asked. “Your mother thinks you want it for your father.”

“Of course she thinks that. My mother can’t stand my relationship with Dad. It drives Lauren crazy to play second fiddle. To anyone, but especially her daughter.”

“You’re forgetting about Anne.”

Alexis paused, “Anne’s not much competition to anyone.”

Her answer sparked my curiosity, but I remained silent as she continued talking.

“It’s exactly what I told you the other night. I despise watching the house decay. If I could afford it, I’d fix it myself. But I can’t. What I can do is find a buyer. Believe it or not, I’ll be able to set up both my dad and Lauren with money in the bank and a little left over for me.”

Mother and daughter had decidedly different views of the same situation. Of course, I didn’t know how much Alexis meant by ‘little.’ “Lauren really doesn’t want to sell.”

“Sooner or later she’ll have to,” Alexis said grimly. Then, in an abrupt change of pace, her voice became light and teasing. “You’re slick, Matt Jacob. I’m doing the talking even though I asked about your job.”

“I don’t have a job, Alexis,” I answered carefully. “I didn’t find anything the other morning and now the police are guarding the Hacienda. What’s your interest?”

“Concern. I know you were looking for my mother’s mythical stalker and wondered if you made any headway with the people who did the drive-by.”

“I’m not involved,” I lied. “Chief Biancho doesn’t want me mixing in.”

“I spoke to Teddy and he says the shooting was a gang initiation.”

“That’s what he told me too.” Part of me wanted to get off the phone as fast as possible, but I’d become interested in Alexis’s ‘concern.’ “Teddy say anything else?”

“Just that the two of you talked.”

“Yeah, we had a pleasant conversation,” I said, rubbing one of my many aches. I’d begun to think of Biancho and Clifford as one. Time for more Ibi’s.

“He wanted to know how long I’d known you, that sort of thing.” Alexis paused then added, “Don’t worry, I didn’t tell him about the lighthouse either.” Alexis laughed into the phone, “You did it again! I’m doing the talking.” She paused then added, “You are a tricky bastard.”

“Just my personality.”

“Your multifaceted personality,” she whispered seductively before reverting to matter-of-fact. “Anyway, Teddy is serious. He doesn’t want anything screwing up this investigation.”

“He doesn’t have to worry about me,” I said, wondering about their relationship and whether Biancho enlisted Alexis as well as Clifford in his mission to keep me from nosing around. “I know better than to cross a cop.” Had the scars to prove it.

“Good, because Ted was really intense. I don’t want anything to happen to you that I don’t do myself.”

Too late for that. “Listen, Alexis, before you hang up...”

“Clairvoyant?”

“That’s your mother’s specialty.”

The mutual laughter covered an awkward moment before I asked for her address and telephone number. I told myself it was for work and hoped to hell I meant it. Alexis acted flattered and gave me the information for both her home and office. I pressed my luck and asked for the rest of the family’s. Explained that I wanted to leave Lou and Lauren alone, but felt weird not knowing where people lived.

“That’s the least of your weirdness,” she jabbed, but gave them to me anyway.

Any hesitation I’d had about getting out of the house was gone. Rather than hurtling me deeper down the sinkhole, Alexis’ call reignited my worry about Lauren and Lou as well as my angry questions about Clifford’s visit.

I downed the Ibi’s with bourbon, retrieved my stash and rolled a good sized joint. I was never too angry to do my head. Boots hadn’t been rash with her concerns. I did want to confront Biancho. Demand to know why he felt it necessary to contact Washington Clifford and possibly send another message through Alexis. I wanted to lean on the son of a bitch until I got some answers. Hammer him because I had no answers of my own.

Armed with Boots’s warning, the smarter me prevailed. Instead of writing my own invite to the slammer or more slaps, I grabbed all my old taxi street guides and began to place the Browns and Rowes where they belonged. I didn’t have, and didn’t want, a computer. Hell, my flip-top cell phone still annoyed me.

Except for Stephen, they all belonged on the North Shore. Stephen lived in town.

I sat back in my chair leafing through the Boston guide until the hair on my neck bristled. I quickly found my building-by-building city map and forgot about my growling stomach. Stephen’s home was catty-corner from Lauren’s car trash.