‘Bad economy. Parlor went down the shitter.’ ‘Your portfolio was good,’ Jack said then looked at me and back at Kyle, ‘You done any of your ...wn?’ ‘Yeah my thigh pieces. And Anya’s got a small ankle tat and lettering on her shoulder that I did.’ I gave Kyle a dagger stare. I didn’t want Jack to know that. I kind of felt like I’d cheated in him. ‘Oh yeah? Well let’s see ’em.’ I wanted to play ignorant, but he looked right at me when he said it. I pulled my pant leg up and showed him the zodiac. Wilson to assume the appropriate position and just laid in. The room's absolute silence was broken by the crack of the cane on Mr. Wilson's middle aged buttocks. "ONE!" he cried. Luisa flexed her arm and made the cane zing through the air a couple of times. The cane's second impact made everybody jump in their seats. "Ouch! TWO!" he screamed, surprised that such a scrawny girl could wallop him so hard. Luisa delivered with composure the third stroke. A red line appeared on Mr. Wilson's ass, on. Cords of blue and purple crisscrossed her formerly cream shoulders. I did not dare look at her thighs, afraid of what I would find there.Lynette sat down on a high backed chair and crossed her hands behind the stair back. Olga tied her wrists together behind the chair and, to my increasing alarm, fastened her elbows to the upright sides with leather straps and her waist to the bottom of the backrest with a belt.Brett pulled a device I hadn't seen before from the chest."A knotted knout," he. Let's do this," I said. "Let's take a quick yes or no vote, the question being: should I hire a private investigator to look into the bombing? Grace, would you go first? Yes or no, please, no explanation." No," she said."Mary?" I said."No." James?" I'm beyond peripheral on this, Brent," he said."Not so. You love Grace. That makes you involved," I said."Then considering the way you phrased the question, my answer is no." Agnes?" May I defer my answer until James explains why his no vote was.