Clara (Fourteen of Twenty)

Dara had homework, but she said she'd look for H.S. after that. Meanwhile, now that we had a real lead, I couldn't sleep. Night was young, I wasn't getting younger. Time to drink my way to an answer [I swear, he uses his investigations merely to justify his alcoholism. -Dara].

Gotta figure, big guy with a scar on the back of his head, can't be too hard to find. I took a trip down to Chopper's. 4 halfway houses in walking distance. Lots of slobs and dames fresh out of jail end up in those homes, end up coming here. Don't know if there was ever a night when they didn't close Chopper's because of a good fight.

It was a biker bar's biker's bar. Heavy metal, loud music, leather jackets. Slob like me shows up in a tan trench coat, they know it's gonna be a fun night. Not even cops are stupid enough to come here. Sure, I was stupid going in, but hoped I'd get smarter before I left.

I squeezed through the crowd, smelling sweat and tears. Each step I could feel peanut shells under my feet. Couldn't hear them cause of all the rock music and yelling. Made it to the bar, grabbed a bourbon, stood by the jukebox. Wasn't anyone head and shoulders above the crowd, but I didn't figure the slob would be stupid enough to come in. Not while he had a house guest to entertain.

Not 5 minutes pass before this slob with a handlebar mustache and leather chaps over his jeans tells me I'm in his way. I ask him if he's heard of H.S. He tells me it's time to move out of his way. I tell him he can keep on moving, unless he wants to take it outside. So, we go outside. Truth is, I was still feeling like a slob over the red herring. He didn't look like he knew a thing. I just needed to do something right on this case.

Turned out he was sloppy quick, the worst kind of quick. I put him down with a couple punches to his gut, then helped him up and back inside. Bought him and his friends a round. Apologized for not moving. He told me he wasn't looking for a fight, just needed to use the can, and I was in the way to the bathroom.

Problem is, at Chopper's, you can't have just 1 fight. It's why I only had the one drink. Took me another 3 slobs to get H.S.'s name, Deke Winters. Just as my face started healing, too.

Soon after, my phone rings. I take it outside. Dara tells me H.S.'s name is Deke Winters [If Trace showed a little patience or restraint, maybe he wouldn't get himself into these situations. -Dara].