In his lavish office, Bricks Bennet was every inch the successful businessman. He greeted Studs Fedora warmly and invited him to sit,...

In an office the polar opposite of Studs Fedora's, the high-priced receptionist gave him the cold shoulder. Studs proffered his business...

An hour later Studs Fedora marched through the doors of the downtown office building where the rich and powerful made the deals that...

Bloch, the police detective in charge of the Lotts case, listened with a patient expression, clearly waiting for Studs Fedora to run out...

The next day when Cara went out, Studs Fedora did too. He eased gingerly into his suit and made his way to one of his least favorite...

Even drowning in Cara's embrace, Studs Fedora's mind was racing. The pieces simply would not fit. But then, like a ton of building...

Cara told him to forget it. She said she cared about Studs, not the money, and then she showed him how much she cared. Studs Fedora...

The days crept by as Studs Fedora tried to put himself back together. Cara nursed him, and he nursed a bottle. And all the while he...

Studs tried to rise, and nearly screamed in agony. Al, good old Al, told him to be still and offered him a slug of bourbon. Studs...

He lay, heavily bandaged, on the billiard table of the pool hall in his building. Studs Fedora vaguely remembered being stabbed and...

The blur before his eyes resolved itself into the ceiling of the pool hall in Studs Fedora's building. Three concerned faces leaned over...

Looks like he's coming around... He's lost a lot of blood... Studs heard the words from far away. He felt as though he'd been...

Cara rushed into Studs Fedora's arms, trembling with fright. Studs felt himself trembling as well, but was it from the fight or from...

Studs wheeled and caught the second thug a stunning blow with the shovel. He raised it, ready to smash the guy's teeth, but stopped and...

Studs seized the shovel and leaped over the loose soil of the grave at the thug nearest him. Plastic met plastic with a satisfying thud....

From the shadows stepped two thugs. The faint light glinted off the knife and brass knuckles they brandished as they demanded the records...

According to the plans in the Legotown Archives, all the landowners had the same address. Studs Fedora and Cara Lotts paid them a...

In the Legotown Archives they spent hours searching through filing cabinets, checking property records against Studs' list of slums Lotts...

Studs Fedora followed Cara Lotts to her husband's office, hoping to find a lead among his records. Instead they found chaos. Lotts'...

Studs apologized. She forgave him. He offered a refund. She refused him. He quit the case. She forbade him. He went back out into the...