"thank you, is mr. anderson in?"

"i wouldn't know." the lighting way up here made simpson's face even pastier, he looked almost like a dead man.

"simpson?"

"yes ma'me?"

"you said the butler's desk, is that the fancy piece of furniture with the pull down that i saw when i came in?"

"indeed ma'me."

"you said the second level, is there a basement?"

"catacombs ma'me, hardly a basement." suddenly, the thunder sounded so loudly i could hear what he said next. god, let me find a human to talk to. "if the master is in, he will be second door to your right ma'me."

i didn't even knock, just busted in. pork pie was lying on a couch, a headset over his ears, he had on a brown suit, white shirt and a red tie. and his hat, of course.

"carlee baby!" he shouted. "you're late." he took off his headset and hugged me.

"and who in the hell was that?"

"who?"

"simpson."

pork pie smiled. "scary son-of-a-bitch, ain't he?"

"and how." rain beat against his windows.

"old family retainer, carlee, worked for my granddad."

"god pork, how old is he?"

"hunnerd and one, best i can remember."

"that tie will have to go, pork."

"what's wrong with my fuckin' tie?" he growled.

"don't you own a brown tie?" i asked.

"i have seventy-three brown ties, missy, three with andy's babe on 'em."

"one of those world be nice pork."

"god dammit, wome: 'tie don't match pork,' fuckin' son-of a-bitch."

"you'd better straighten your ass up pork, i've come a long way, and spent a lot of time with your old family retainer, who scared the shit out of me."

"he's also my body guard, i'm in a lot of trouble, carlee."

"your body guard? god, he's a hundred and one

"he's good though, real good."

"i've got to go now, porky," a young female voice declared.

"porky?" i snickered.

"that's fine baby, and ya'll come back friday, melissa," he replied.

"porky?"

"shhhh, now, you'll embarrass her."

the little thing appeared at the door way, she didn't look a day over seventeen, she had on less clothes than i did. "i'm sorry porky, i didn't know you had company," she said sweetly.

"it's ok melissa, i invited carlee this morning."

"before i go porky, i was wondering if you have any need for my bra now?"

pork pie turned as red as i had ever seen him, except when he was mad and about to stroke out. "in ma bathroom honey, sorry 'bout that." melissa wiggled toward his bathroom, she had a cute butt.

"what the hell does she need a bra for pork, she's barely budding?"

pork pie looked directly at my breasts and rolled his eyes. "she's my housekeeper carlee."

melissa returned with bra in hand. "kiss me bye porky." she stood on tippy toes just to reach his lips. "i'll be back around eight, friday," she said and winked at him. pork pie waved her out.

"my god in heaven, pork, a hundred year old butler/body guard, a fourteen year old housekeeping cutie and living in a safehouse: man, you really are in trouble."

"it gets lonely in a big house like this, carlee."

"ok, start talking, and i'm not loaning you my bra, besides my boobs are three times the size of melissa's"

"right, well, anyway, you remember willow banes?"

"no, never heard of her," i answered.

"she was sysco bolin's boss - mean, made sysco look like little red riding hood. she was the one who had terry's - sysco's - my truck highjacked. a few weeks ago she probably wasted terry, and put a hit out for me."

"wait!" i snapped. "where's sidney?"

"welfare people's got him."

"and why in the hell didn't you call me pork!"

"now simmer down gal, i did call you."

"fuck! you called me this morning!"

"i'm sorry carlee, but my phones were bugged."

"did this willow bug the fuckin' pay phones around town as well!"

"i couldn't get to them angel, this hit was heavy, mega bucks, half the druggies in louisville would shoot me on sight for that kind of money."

"so you holed up here with sweet meat and simpson?"

"until it was safe enough to call you in, sweetie."

"i'm not flattered, pork pie, now how do i get to sidney?"

"i have a number."

"is terry dead?" i asked.

"more than likely."

"god, write the number down for me."

there was a knock on pork pie's door. "miss, your car keys don't work."

"yes they do simpson, you have to jiggle them a little and turn the steering wheel to the right."

"i thought you bought a new lexus baby."

"shit," i answered.

"you must move it miss, there's a cattle truck behind you which is trying to get by."

i took the keys from simpson's hand. "i'll be back pork, don't go anywhere." i decided to go down the stairs rather than chance the hundred year old elevator with a one hundred year old man. why would sysco's boss take vengeance against pork and terry, i wondered, as i ran down the stairs. didn't make sense, if willow had highjacked pork's truck with sysco's dope on board, it seemed to me like she should be running in the opposite direction. there was definitely more to this than met the eye. but then, there usually was when pork pie was involved.

"is that your car!" an angry driver yelled. cows were mooing in the back of his truck.

"sorry, won't be a minute!"

"good, cause in two minutes i'm gonna run the son-of-a-bitch over."

fuck you, i thought. "no sense in getting nasty, bud!"

"i'm in a hurry, lady," he answered.

"who ain't!" i snipped. i got in my car, hell, it was in drive, no wonder pork pie's body guard couldn't get it to work. i really needed to see sidney, and to get hold of captain harry zimmerman. what a mess.

"you go girl, you don't have to listen to his bullshit," a black lady walking by said.

i smiled. "and you have a great day, too."

the nearest pay phone was three blocks. eastern parkway was a lovely old street, steeped in history, simply beautiful. i got out and dialed the number pork pie had wrote down for me. "child welfare, division eight, this is angela, how may i help you?"

"angela, i would like to speak with sidney sypes."

"and who are you, may i ask?"

"a friend, who just found out that you are holding him."

"we don't 'hold' our wards, miss."

"can i talk to sidney?"

"not on the phone, but i will be glad to make an appointment for you to see him."

"an appointment, i need an appointment to see him?"

"yes miss, those are the rules."

god, sidney was in prison. i contained myself, and thought of the first time i met sidney. "where are you located?" i asked.

"do you know chestnut street?"

"yes, i know it."

"go to 47th, we're on the left."

"can i come now?"

"if you give me your name." i told her, then headed out.

traffic was terrible, but i made it to the child welfare institute without incident. the building loomed over the street, it was bigger than pork pie's safe house. institute was right, it was as scary as any other institution i had seen before. i walked up and slowly opened the door. an isolated lady sat at a desk.

"angela?"

"yes, please come in, miss," she said as she got up from her chair. she shook my hand and smiled pleasantly. "you came to see sidney sypes."

"yes, hope i'm no bother."

"just please sign the log, miss mccord." god, it was like filling out a resume, they wanted to know everything about me. my hand was sweaty, i almost dropped the pen. god, i had no reason to be mad at pork pie: what he told me about not being able to contact me was probably true, melissa was his business, simpson was over a hundred.

"miss mccord!" i jumped. "your misconceptions about our role in society, and about this institution are clearly in your head."

"i, i have said nothing about your institution, angela."

"you didn't have to miss mccord, it's written all over your face."

"i'm sorry ma'me, i'm just nervous, i just found out about sidney, and quite frankly, i'm scared to death."

angela slightly smiled, which i took to be a good thing. "we just have a job to do, miss mccord."

"can i see sidney now?"

"he won't be wearing an orange jumper."

"angela, perhaps you're the one with the misconceptions, now i'd like to see him." i looked directly into her eyes. i didn't scare her though, hell, i hadn't scared anyone today, from mr. crab to pork pie to angela. and meat - jason, i kept thinking about him in my mind of potpourri. angela led me to sidney's room.

"carlee!!" he hollared, and ran to me. i hugged him tightly.

"oh baby, i'm so sorry, uncle pork pie just notified me today, i came as quick as i could." i was crying, sidney held me close and played with my pony tail.

"it's alright, carlee, i'm fine, they're real nice to me here." i couldn't do anything but cry. "hey friend, are you here to help me spring this joint?" gosh, little sidney was trying to cheer me up, that made me cry even harder.

"she's a weeper, pal," angela said.

"naa, she's as tough as nails, angie, really," he said.

i didn't feel tough, i had never felt weaker. "how long have you been here honey?"

"since the second day after dad got killed. i stayed with uncle pork pie that night, he was real nice to me, carlee, then miss lissell and captain zimmerman came for me, and i've been here ever since."

"oh god, baby, i am so sorry."

sidney hugged me tight. "uncle pork pie told me 'shit happens, make the best of it.' and i'm trying, ange is my buddy, we watch tv together."

i felt bad about my feelings for angela. "thank you angela, i feel better already," i said.

i needed to get in touch with harry and lissell, but i had to spend some time with little sidney. angela left, and i looked around sidney's room. it wasn't bad - tasteful, a small television, a fridge, snacks laying around. "sidney, were you and your dad living comfortably before all this happened?"

"gosh yes, carlee, uncle pork pie put us up in an apartment near a school, he gave dad a job at the stable, we were doing fine, no rent either. i got to play with andy's babe when i wanted to, got to feed him and everything."

"what happened, sidney?"

sidney looked down. "wil 3; will 3; willow carlee," he stammered.

"who's willow?"

"a lady, meaner than miss bolin, she got mad, said she'd been framed, said she didn't steal the stuff from daddy's truck, put out a thing for uncle pork pie, you know, a hit or something, offering a million dollars for him dead, even put it in the paper."

"did you ever see this willow, sidney?"

sidney seemed to shudder. "yes, she broke into out apartment by the track, her and two other mean men, she had eyes as cold as steel and the guys with her grabbed daddy, she asked me where pork was."

"and what did you say?"

"nothing carlee, i promise, i was too scared."

poor little sidney, god, where did the zoo go? "what happened next sidney?"

"they took him carlee, and left me all alone."

"did you know where uncle pork pie was?"

"i thought i knew, but i wasn't going to tell them."

"good boy," i said.

"i'm missing school, carlee."

"i know sidney, i'll have to work on that."

sidney smiled. "i can always count on you carlee."

where to start, where to start. i kissed sidney and told him i'd get things straightened out. i thanked angela and drove to the police station. lissell was in quantico and harry was on vacation, san salvador, they thought. what in the fuck was harry doing in san salvador? i headed back to pork pie's safe house.