impressive than the outside. The lobby is empty, the floors scuffed. Thereâs about two inches of dust on the vinyl furniture and the scarred sofa tables. My allergies immediately flare up. Through watery eyes, I glance at the directory on the wall beside the elevator.
Morgan Kane, PI, Floor 2.
After I push the button, the elevator fires up and heads down. The way it creaks and groans, Iâm guessing it hasnât been serviced in about a hundred years. The doors open, emitting a musty smell that reminds me of the Billingtonsâ basement. I step inside and push floor two. The doors close, the thing lurches, and Iâm on my way to where? The nearest freak show if Iâm not careful.
The second floor is dark and eerie. I hear music and glance down the long hallway. Thereâs a light shining through a door nearly at the end. I head that way. Once I reach the door, I knock, but the music blares so loudly I doubt Morgan Kane can hear me. I test the knob. Itâs unlocked. The door swings open.
Inside, a man stands before streaked floor-to-ceiling windows. He faces the uninspiring view of yet another dilapidated building across the street, but the man is inspired nonetheless. His fingers move over an electric air guitar, head swinging wildly to the hard rock of Led Zeppelin. His hair is shoulder length and dirty blond. He wears skintight black leather pants and snakeskin cowboy boots. Beneath his unbuttoned wrinkled shirt, flashes of skin peek at me and a ring through his left nipple catches the flimsy light streaming through the windows.
I donât know who he is, but he is not what I expected Morgan Kane to look like, so I assume Iâm in the wrong place, which is a better dilemma than this guyâs. Heâs in the wrong decade.
âExcuse me!â I yell, trying to be heard over the music.
He jumps in the air, goes down on one knee, and plays the shit out of his air guitar. I jump in the air when he suddenly breaks into song. Something about mamas sweating and grooving. More air guitar playing. Now some head butting with a few hip thrusts thrown in. Iâm repulsed and mesmerized at the same time. I would shout out again, but Iâm still hoarse from shouting over the wind during the underwear shoot. I spot the stereo, walk over, and switch it off.
The pounding music thankfully stops, but the rock god parties on. He continues to play and leap about in odd fashion for a good five minutes. Suddenly he stops, cocks his head, and turns to face me. His eyes are red rimmed and muddy brown.
âYou my ten oâclock?â he asks without missing a beat.
âThat would depend on whether or not youâre Morgan Kane,â I answer without missing one, either.
âIn the flesh.â He lays the air guitar aside and moves toward a desk on the other side of the room. âStep into my office,â he calls behind him.
I donât step anywhere. Iâm freaked out by the fact he laid an imaginary guitar aside. Thatâs when I have an epiphany. There are people in the world way weirder than I am.
Across the room, Kane digs around the top of his desk, comes up with a pack of Marlboro reds, shoves one between his lips, and lights it up. I donât remember the last time I saw someone smoke inside a public building. My eyes immediately water. I sneeze.
âBless you, cupcake,â Kane calls in a smooth Southern drawl. âNow bring it on over here and letâs talk business.â
Cupcake? As Cindy often points out, I am freakishly strong. I could probably swing Kane around the room by his nipple ring. Iâm disappointed that he doesnât look professional. I canât believe I actually got a reference on this guy. Last year one of the models I know asked him to find her little sister, whoâd gone underground with some type of porn ring. Kane had found her. Heâs supposed to be good at finding people, but Meagan hadnât said anything about the