Behm rang off, and Todd decided to get some fresh air. The night was surprisingly chilly, and he was about to go back inside when he saw the bike parked across the road.

It was a Harley. The same kind of bike Janis and her (lover) partner were riding. Whether it was also the actual same bike Todd couldn’t be sure. The Harley was picked out plain as day under a streetlight, like it was in an Edward Hopper painting. Todd forgot all about going back inside and crossed the road stealthily, or as stealthily as a man can cross a major road at night with cars flashing past.

The bike was cold to the touch. Whoever it belonged to had left it here for at least a couple of hours. Todd looked around to see if there were any (lesbian bars) bars in the vicinity, but there was nothing, just a few random stores which had all shut up for the night. Todd had no idea what to do next—he was hardly going to leave a note on the windshield—so he just turned around and crossed the road again, feeling far from intrepid, and went back to his room.

Todd went to bed, but he couldn’t sleep. He kept thinking about the book. He turned on the light and went back to the desk.

The book was gone. Todd’s was still there, but the other All My Colors wasn’t where he’d left it. Cursing, Todd looked on the floor by the desk. Nothing. He stuck his head under the desk and got nothing for his troubles but a banged head. He widened his search. The book wasn’t under the bed, and he hadn’t kicked it into the bathroom or the closet.

Todd spent a half hour investigating every nook and cranny in the room before finally giving up. He turned on the TV and went over to close the drapes. The bike was still there. He watched TV for a few minutes—a local news station whose stories would have been interesting to only the very local—and then gave up the day as a bad job. He got ready for bed. One last trip to the window showed him what he knew already. The bike was still there. Goddammit, Todd thought. He didn’t take kindly to being intimidated.

The book, he thought. She took it. While I was out looking at the Harley, the Dyke on the Bike must have come in here and taken the book. It was the only logical explanation. Todd turned off the room light and went over to the window again, a lone figure in pajamas glaring out into the night. The bike hadn’t moved. Todd didn’t know what he was expecting to see but he felt disappointed. Is that it? he thought. Well, screw you, I’m not leaving it here.