I gave him the quickest possible summary. Trixie missing. Body in basement. Me handcuffed next to it. The Flint investigation. Possibly a couple of stun gun–selling bikers on Trixie’s tail. It appeared that she had a daughter she’d never told us about. Me suspended from the paper. Sarah demoted. Wasn’t sure she still wanted me around the house. Paul fired from his job. Nasty Russian ladies putting people’s fingers into deep fryers.

“Other than that,” I said, “things are pretty good.”

Lawrence’s expression never changed the whole time. He kept eating his roast beef and mashed potatoes. Finally he put down his fork, picked up his napkin, and daintily dabbed at the corners of his mouth.

“Aren’t you going to ask how I’m doing?” he asked.

I waited a moment. “How are things with you?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Pretty good. Kent and I are still off and on.” Kent, who owned a restaurant in the city, and Lawrence had been seeing each other for a couple of years. “Work is good. Fairly steady. Like I said, I’ve got some corporate stuff. They throw money around like nobody else.” He waved the waitress over for a coffee refill.

He sipped some, ran his tongue around the inside of his mouth, and said, “You are seriously fucked up.”

“Yes.”

Lawrence shook his head back and forth sadly. “Even by your standards, you are seriously fucked up.”

“Yes,” I said again. “I can see why you’re a topnotch investigator. You size things up right away.”

Lawrence put another forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth. “You need any help?”

“I don’t want to impose,” I said.

Lawrence grinned. “Really, if you run into some trouble, give me a shout.” The grin faded. “I’ve told you this before, so I won’t get all mushy on you. But every day I’m around, since that night, I owe to you. You’re annoying, kind of a pain in the ass, but if you need me to cover your back, I’m there.”

I allowed the corner of my mouth to go up a notch. “You’re not going to hug me, are you?” I asked.

Lawrence shoveled in some roast beef.

“Ewww,” he said.

After lunch, I got on the road to Canborough. I figured I could be there by midafternoon. I didn’t expect to find Trixie there, but I thought I might learn more about what it was that prompted her to disappear.