The Lawson Municipal Court stood towering in the lukewarm air. A warm front had hit Business Park and draped the February day in thick fog. The building had never looked more imposing to Mina, looking more like a haunted manor with all the mist.

"Welp…" Mina said, her pink heels at the foot of the building. "Suitable atmosphere for a suitable client."

She turned to her handsome ex-prosecutor boyfriend dressed in his finest suit.

"Pardon my pun," she said, "But I don't have the foggiest how I'm gonna do this."

"If puns were illegal," Blind answered reaching his hand to fit hers. "You'd be a master criminal, dear, so of course I'd pardon you."

"Thanks…" Mina said with all the energy of a deflated balloon. She was feeling lost and doubtful again after another wonderful night watching Ninja Kitty and cuddling.

Blind placed his hand on her shoulder. "But right, you'd like some advice. Well, I can tell you as someone who isn't able to see clearly that sometimes when you are blinded, you have to feel along the tangible edges to find the truth."

"Hmmm" Mina said, placing her fingers to her smooth chin. "I guess I have to reach ahead to find the answers even if I can't see going forward. I think I get it."

Blind nodded and pulled her close to him. "And you'll never know what you find either! The truth is out there somewhere."

Mina nodded happily, repeating him like a happy lovebird. "The truth is out there somewhere. Okie doke. I think I can handle this."

But as soon as she stepped inside the lobby, her mood changed. Himbolake, dressed in a dapper pink-and-purple suit and tie, paraded over to her and seized her away. "Hey baby, I need to run things by you before our little order and law episode."

He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Blind and nodded his head over to a potted ficus. "Over here," he said and he grinned at Blind who frowned disapprovingly.. "Looking slick, slick. Don't worry, ain't gonna steal your girl. We are just strictly business, no pleasure!"

Mina nodded with a scowl. "Trust me, Willy. I'd rather make out with a cactus."

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Himbolake twinkled his fingers. "Ooh what a prickly ice queen we have here, speaking of cactuses."

Mina rolled her eyes and walked over to the plant. "Let's just skip this foreplay and get this over with."

Himbolake grinned a million dollar smile as he strutted across the room, but it faded when they reached the ficus. "Ok girl…" he said. "Time to lay down the law with you."

"What law?" Mina asked. "You seem to be married to Anne Archy."

"Who?" Himbolake asked, raising an eyebrow. "Don't know that celebrity babe by that name but she sounds like a thrill. "Anyway, listen up…toots. I need you to take notes here."

Mina reluctantly removed a shiny Ninja Kitty headed ball point pen and matching notebook from her purse.

"But first…"Himbolake removed a package of Take My Breath Away mints from his pocket and began to chew them loudly in her face. She wanted to gag. He was eating his own murder weapon to mock her.

Himbolake swallowed the minty morsel. She wished it was poisoned, but no such luck.

Instead he thrust a finger in her face in an equally obnoxious manner. "You are to defend me and my character. I am the No Stick Frying Man and if one piece of evidence from that butch prosecutor sticks to me, I will make sure there's no justice."

Mina gasped over his code word. No justice meant…Blind's Gramma was finito. She would sing her last soul song.

He continued to skirt the surface of criminal misdeeds with his metaphors. "And if the hand of justice still wants to have fingers of justice, I'd make sure I'm scot free!"

"Ugh…" Mina thought. "These justice metaphors are making him legally impenetrable. Why couldn't she be named Divine Jones instead."

"Look toots," Himbolake declared. "I'm only gonna say this once. My character is a sweet talking, sweet dressing and sweet lady chasing family man. I write the most macho lyrics and croon then in the sweetest falsetto and it melts ladies' hearts."

Mina's eyes expanded."Melts ladies' hearts?"

But Himbolake quickly clarified himself. "Not literally of course for that would be a crime. Metaphorically I mean. Like I also make hearts shoot out of their eyes and their tongues roll down to the floor."

Mina wrinkled her nose and gagged for his words. "Excuse me," she said, pointing her ball point pen at him. "Am I describing your character or a Saturday morning cartoon. I love cartoons but you're a bad one."

"Hey," Dustin smirked. "I'm just making sure you nail my character. There's one innocent verdict here and it's gonna be may!"

"May?" Mina asked. "Who's May?"

"Me!" Himbolake screamed. "That's my accent. I'm a Midwestern gentleman, smarty skirt."

The hulking bailiff with the round cueball head approached Mina and Dustin. "The substitute justice has stated two minutes until court is now in session…"

"Substitute justice?" Mina said, pursing her lips and tapping her cheek with her pen. "Sweet lawdy. Wonder who it could be?"