Jack moved quickly then, washing his face, brushing his teeth, and slicking back his hair. He’d take a shower later when they got back. His mind raced as he recalled Lionel’s clear, concise, articulate report. The young guy had it going on. Cosmo couldn’t have picked anyone better to provide security for Happy Village. It simply blew his mind how much Lionel and the Cavaliers knew about the tenants at Happy Village. He wouldn’t be afraid to bet the farm that the kid knew more about the residents than Gentry Lomax did. Which was a good thing as far as he could tell.

“Okay, big guy, let’s hit it!”

Cyrus stared at his owner. Couldn’t he see that he’d been ready since the moment the phone rang? He didn’t bother to bark. Sometimes his owner wasn’t all that sharp early in the morning.

Jack blinked when he stepped out of the elevator. Vegas would never cease to amaze him. The lobby was just as full and busy as it was last night when he entered the elevator to go up to bed. He spotted Ted first because he towered over everyone else at six-four. The red hair also helped. He waved but didn’t break stride. “Outside, everyone! Where’s the van?”

“Dennis is getting it,” Maggie said. “I called in the food order. What’s going on, Jack? What happened? And where is Abner? Does anyone know?”

Charles held up his hand. “He’s with Avery in the conference room where they have everything set up. I just sent him a text. His return text said to go without them. They were too busy.”

Outside, the humidity slapped at them with a vengeance. Jack strained to see through the low-lying, swirling fog that seemed to be everywhere. “I’m starting to hate this place,” Jack mumbled to no one in particular. “How can it be so damn hot and humid at seven o’clock in the morning? Where is this fog coming from?”

No one bothered to reply because they were all moving the moment Dennis pulled alongside them in the rental van. Everyone piled in and buckled up, even Cyrus, who knew the drill. He knew the wheels did not move until he was safely buckled in.

With little traffic leaving Babylon, Dennis pulled away just as Fergus exploded with, “All right, we’ve waited long enough. What’s going on? What happened, and where are we going at this ungodly hour in the morning?”

Jack repeated Lionel’s phone call verbatim. “So to answer your question, we are going to Happy Village. When we get there, we are going to go to Magnolia Terrace and knock on Mr. Pete Hershel’s door. If no one answers, I am prepared to pick the lock. We are not going to involve Gentry Lomax in what we’re about to do. Any questions?”