Ken said only that he needed the basement for "drug-related matters." Darrell never asked for more information. But Darrell loved to share his own tales of debauchery. He'd describe everything in graphic detail, and Ken would ask the appropriate questions with the appropriate leer on his face, even though it didn't much interest him that Darrell finally got Lydia to let him in the back door, or that Sarah liked her nipples twisted, hard.

They coordinated their schedules to make sure Darrell's side chicks didn't freak out because somebody else was in the house. Darrell's own schedule was further complicated by the fact that Lydia and Sarah knew about each other and were cool with it—though not cool enough to double up, damn it—but Jackie would not only lose her mind if she knew about Lydia and Sarah, but she'd freak if she found out that Darrell wasn't really divorced. "She'd tear my balls off and feed them to me," Darrell said with a chuckle.

Ken drove home, hoping Vivian would be asleep when he got there.

She wasn't.

"Where the hell have you been?" she asked.

"I love you too," he said, giving her a kiss. He made sure to give her a dose of his whiskey breath before their lips touched.

"I asked you a question."

"Am I not allowed to have friends? You have friends. Jared has friends. But not me, oh no, no friends for Kenneth! Why, he'd be shirking his grown-up responsibilities if he went out and enjoyed himself for once."

"I don't stay out all night with my friends."

"It's not all night. It's one-thirty. When did we become so old that we have to be in bed at a reasonable hour?"

Vivian ignored the hypothetical question. "And I call or text you to let you know where I am. How hard is it to send a text?"

"I have large thumbs."

"Don't be a smartass."

"Fine. I'm sorry I was out so very late. I had a few drinks and wanted to sober up before I drove home."

Vivian clenched and unclenched her fists. "Please stop lying to me. I know where you were and what you were doing."

"Is that so?"

"Are you going to tell me who she is, or should I wait to see her picture on the news?"

"I didn't kill anybody," said Ken, lowering his voice so Jared wouldn't hear.

"Bullshit."

"I didn't kill anybody! I wasn't out on a hunt! I promised you that I'd tell you when I was going, and I'd never break that promise."

"You're out there too often. You're going to get caught."