He was in the second group of nine to swear on the Truthstone.”“You have a sharper eye than I do, my love, and a sharper memory as well.” he tol... her with a smile. “But I do remember him, now that you’ve mentioned it.”He looked to the sun, well above the uneven horizon, then to the volcano that had been erupting the last time they’d visited. It still rumbled quietly and smoked tenuously, and its copious outflows of lava and ash had hardened, making it noticeably larger.“Well the sun’s up, but. “What?”“A fucking book, a good fucking book, what the hell do you want?” My sister sighed deeply, “I’m bored.” “And ---, what should I do about it? Go watch TV or something, don’t you have to fold laundry and vacuum before mom comes home?”Erin leaned toward me, snatched the book from my hands then threw it across the room. It smacked against my window then fell open faced to the floor. Her eyes glinted with catty playfulness as she watched my reaction, “What the fuck? What’s gotten into. ”Missy saw a big glistening black eye peer in at her, as the rat hungrily examined her from her ears to the tip of her tail. A thrill of excited fear ran through her. For the most part, rats and mice did not mix. The big brutes tended to kill and eat any mice that they thought were invading their territory. Thankfully the back wall of the club was neutral grounds. The rats seemed to head there just for the perverse thrill of it, and the bragging rights due after mounting a lowly little. I called her a taxi and sent her home.A knock on the door, not long after Abby left, surprised me. I hadn’t been expecting anyone so I checked the security cameras that had been installed. There was a uniformed police officer at the door ... Angela!“Are you here to arrest me, officer?” I said, opening the door and smiling at the beautiful woman who stood there.“It depends.” she said with a scowl, “Did you do anything illegal in Los Angeles?” She followed me into the house and closed the door.