It felt good to be working again. A relief that, much like a hooker, kept me warm inside.

Stopped in at Johnny Law’s to visit Captain Pike. Seeing his name on the door, I’m always torn between Star Trek jokes and fish jokes.

He looked up.

“Any leads yet, Park?” he growled.

“Nice to see you too. I got one- how much cabbage does the Jane stand to make with her old man sittin’ on a slab?”

“Ah I’d forgotten what a pleasure it was to talk with you- sarcastic AND cynical.”

Sarcastic and cynical. I liked it. Maybe I could finally give my bean-shooters names. The big one would be Sarcasm- loud, obvious, and as blunt as head trauma. The tiny derringer would be Cynicism. I’d keep it on me when people told me to trust ‘em. Sure, I trust everybody. I also keep my gun on me anyway. We was old pals. It’d kept me alive more than once. And if both of us were cynical, it’d do it again.

“Always follow the money. That’s the first thing we learn in school. Remember being in a school…Pike?” A fish joke- Zing!