I was still in my driveway when I opened my eyes slowly to the cold, humid air. I needed to see Raquelle. She would know where to look for a dark thought. I reversed onto the neighborhood street, the engine humming louder as I gave the gas pedal some encouragement, before putting the car in drive and turning onto the main street. The night road was calm, save for a few oncoming cars with bright headlights that made me squint. I flipped my high beams off and on as they passed. The road curved and street lights and speed limit signs became more frequent. I slowed to a roll as I drove through downtown [[Website/Limerence/Clear Water]]. A few pedestrians milled about under the glow of street lights, and cars crawled over speed bumps like beetles on rocks. It must be early enough to still be out, which was good. I had time. I drove further, took turns that made the buildings less charming, the houses less quaint, and found myself amongst strip malls and warehouses. *[[Website/Limerence/Tease]]* was there, in pink neon lights, the flickering outline of a woman and pole, switching between her standing upright and bending over. I pulled into the gravel lot, nearly empty save for a brown Lincoln I hadn't seen before and a motorcycle I had. The engine choked off. I stepped out into the cool mountain air and closed my door with a soft thud. I walked up to the club entrance, a dingy and dark black metal door. I pushed it open to reveal a small foyer. Lights and sounds jumped at me and I was bathed in a soft red glow. A man with a dark leather jacket and sunglasses scanned my ID, and he gestured for me to go inside. In the center of the room was a woman, twirling in circles and lifting her legs in long sweeping curves, to the delight of a man in a booth, who stared at her, captivated by her fluid motion. She turned her head at the chime of the door, like a dog expecting to be fed, and smiled at me, gesturing with her finger for me to sit down. The other man turned and frowned at me, a stranger interrupting his hypnosis. The hostess, in heavy makeup and an uncomfortable looking push-up bra, prowled towards me with a tray in hand, asking where I wanted to sit. I wasn't planning on eating or drinking. "Actually," I said, "I'm just here to see [[Website/Limerence/Raquelle]]. When is she on?" The woman forced a smile. "Raquelle left a couple of hours ago. Her next shift isn't until next Wednesday. Booth, bar, or view?" I frowned. "Bar, thanks." She led me to the long wooden counter, and the barman asked if I wanted anything to drink. "Hey Ralph. Gin and tonic." I said. "Hendricks if you have it." In a few fluid moments, he passed me a glass. I sipped from it, watching the girl on stage. Her act was finishing up soon, I had seen it before. I leaned over to the bartender. "Ralph." He raised his head in acknowledgement. "Got any whippits? Or know anybody?" He tilted his head in the direction of a man sitting in the far corner of the room, phone in hand, suit and tie. "Thanks Ralph", I said, and stuffed a couple of dollars into the "Just the tip" jar. I lifted my glass, finishing off the drink, and then headed over to the man in the booth. The man glanced up as I walked over, his face glowing with his phone's screen, suddenly darkening as he turned it off. I slid myself in the seat across from him. "Word says you're the guy to go to for a good time." He chuckled. "Jesus, [[Website/Limerence/Frank]], what the hell are you doing in here? You gave me a scare." "Me?" I laughed. "I'm the least scary guy here." He shook his head, smiling. "So what, the usual?" I glanced around the room, the dancer was teasing the other guy for more tips, but otherwise it was empty. "Not this time." I said. "I need some information." "Oh really now?" he seemed surprised. "What kind of information?" "What do you know about dogs... golden retrievers. Or birds." He looked at me quizzically. "Or..." I continued, "really anything. Word on the street. I just want to know what's happening around town, if anything is going down." He reached into his messenger bag, and pulled out a notebook. It was small and well worn. He flipped through it and slid it toward me, with his finger on a name: "[[Website/Limerence/Roger F]]". "Who's that?" I asked. He pulled the notebook back towards him. "You tipped the bartender?" I nodded. "[[Website/Limerence/Roger F|Roger]] is this guy who's been running a scheme on tourists the past few months, nothing violent, just scams. That's all I got." It was not much to go off of. "That's it? Nothing else?" He shrugged. "Look, if I tell you more, I swear to God they'll find me faster than a rat finds cheese. They know leaks and they know how to plug them." He leaned in closer. "The last guy they caught was working with the police. Know what happened?" "They caught him." I suggested. "Yeah they caught him. Police found him at the bottom of a cliff, his eyelids cut off. Think about it." I nodded. "Yeah that's a no thank you for me. No worries man, relax, I'm not a rat." I was sliding out of the booth to leave when he grabbed my arm. "I know we go way back", he paused in contemplation, "but if this comes back to me, I swear to god I'm going to tie your legs into a knot and hang you up like a Christmas ornament." "Took you a while to think of that one?" I asked, and looked at his notebook. He moved it away involuntarily. "Don't worry, message received." and I walked out of the ruddy club. I promised myself to never come back, like I had several times before. At least this time I knew two things I didn't before. One, [[Website/Limerence/Raquelle]] was back on Wednesday. Two, I needed to look into someone named [[Website/Limerence/Roger F]]. Back outside the club, I felt like having a cigarette. Not that I really smoked, but I saw the allure of confidently welcoming my end with the simple act of breathing. I felt like I needed to be on the offensive, staring down death. I should eat, go home, move my body. The "shoulds" kept stacking up, and a text from [[Website/Limerence/Nancy]] asking where I was, set them spilling over the edge. I got back into my Corvette and retraced the well worn path that took me up into the hills. I pulled into my driveway and honked the horn twice to let Nancy know I was back, and went to the door. It was Sunday, and I had to wait until Wednesday to see [[Website/Limerence/Raquelle]]. I was sure she could help me find a dark thought, but I didn't think I had that much time. [[Website/Limerence/Kilmer's Release]]