Paul found himself riding the Harlem-bound 3 train in a very distraught state. When he hit Harlem, the first stop he had made was to Spooky’s. He wasn’t home, but after Paul fed Elaine the story about him having to get something for Jah, she allowed him to come in and scour through Spooky’s arsenal. Paul sifted through a variety of handguns before he finally found a black .40 inside a plastic bag. The gun looked worn, but he was sure they wouldn’t hold onto it unless it worked.

Originally, he was going home to shower, but a very disturbing voicemail Marlene had left him altered his course: “Paul, this is my fifth time calling you and I’m feeling like a real chickenhead right now. You know what? As far as I’m concerned, you can stay wherever you are. I’m through. Have a nice life with one of those bum bitches you love so much and try not to let her flush your life down the toilet all at once.” If he wasn’t sure before, he was damn sure now that she was pissed off.

Paul decided he should call her and get a sneak preview of what he was in for. He punched in her cell number and got the automated service telling him that the number was no longer in service. He tried it again and got the same message. Paul even called her house phone, but the result was the same. As a last resort, he tried her job and was told that Marlene had taken a leave of absence. Frantic, he spent most of what he had left in his pocket and took a cab to her house.

Paul rushed up to the front door and tried his key. It slid smoothly into the lock, but wouldn’t turn. He tried banging on the door and shouting her name, but no one answered him. Looking up at the window, he saw that the curtains were all drawn and there was no sign of movement anywhere in the house. Marlene had just up and vanished.

The ride back into Manhattan was less than pleasant. There were no seats on the bus, so he took the subway, which was sweltering without air-conditioning. He had racked his brains, trying to figure out where Marlene could’ve disappeared to, but he came up blank. She didn’t have many friends and her parents lived in a different state. He could barely keep himself from panicking as the possibilities of something possibly having happened to her kept popping into his head.

He got off the train and walked hurriedly to his building. He still looked like walking death and really didn’t want to see anyone. He had planned on going home to take a shit and a shower and continue working on the mystery of Marlene’s disappearance. As Paul neared his building, he was very surprised to see who was waiting for him.