Meanwhile the search for TJ escalated. There were false sightings everywhere. People who never knew him were asking all over town "Have you seen TJ?" The whole matter became some sort of inside joke that most would never understand. Someone had printed flyers with TJ's photo on it, and they were appearing everywhere. Someone was making announcements regarding a public seance where it could be determined if TJ was on another plane. Nack Redding dedicated a song to the missing man and made periodic requests for information regarding his whereabouts, while life went on like it always did around the house, but not inside. Inside it was quiet. Almost creepy.

TJ's disappearance seemed to bother Jak the most. He became quiet from late afternoon on, only using one word answers to any dialog directed his way. There was something on his mind. Although the others had given up the search when it became dark, he didn't until much later. He loyally cruised around that chunk of forest hoping to catch TJ on the road. He finally quit when he mistook a deer crossing the highway for TJ a second time. Being worn from the intensity of his focus, he returned to the sanctum of the Boom-boom room.

It was quite dark out now. Jak sat at the bar and filled a rocks glass full of ice. He clacked the cubes around in the glass as he slowly wandered around the to back of the bar to examine the array of bottle necks. Most were clear. Reaching way in the back he produced one that never seemed to go down-a bottle of bitters.

Jak carefully filled his glass to the top and then stopped to gaze into it. As he stared, he began imagining a hideous looking face in the ice. It was a man who seemed to be screaming in anguish while his face melted down and around one the side of the cube. It was an extremely disturbing hallucination to Jak who quickly slammed the glass down and backed away a bit. He rubbed his eyes, as he tried to slow his breathing back down. After a minute he regained his composure and picked it up again. He starred back intently into the glass but this time he could only see the cubes. There was something else going on in the booze though. He observed currents swirling vertically through the liquid. They were mesmerizing. Perhaps it was due to the effect of the melting ice; the change in temperature or the density variance between water and bitters.

He closed his eyes and raised the glass to take a drink but before it touched his lips he quickly put it down a second time. His gaze now directed out through the window to the parade of freaks out in the street wandering in and out of the bars. It never seemed to end. He looked up at the shelf above the window and saw TJ's tools of the trade-a matching Bong, Beer Mug, and Shot Glass. Weapons in the battle of sobriety, waiting to be reloaded. He felt more depressed than ever.

Jak thought about the deep and meaningful conversation that they had with TJ before he took off. He knew this: TJ was going to get purified. His words haunted Jak:

"Look at where we're at! The kitchen door of the Shawnee National Forest. The evidence of God is overwhelming. Purification lies here. There are absolute things here-the sun, the earth, the water, they're pure. I am what is not pure in this picture. But I trust that I'm in the right place."

Jak became silent on that thought-when he was abruptly interrupted by a frantic pounding at the front door. "Go away!" he yelled over his shoulder.

"Open up-it's the police, son. We have a search warrant." The answer was not a good one. Great that's all he needed was a bust. He knew that any action would be taken out on him since he was the only one there. His heart raced and the adrenaline began pumping as he walked over to open the door. "Ah-wait; wait just a minute" he said. "I--I've got to put some clothes on."

"Open up NOW!"

Jak ran back over to the bar and began powering down his glass of bitters. At least he was going to go through this experience with a buzz.

Things were not going well in the limo either. The vehicle was too long to fit in a normal spot, so they had to settle for last row. They were car bound now because the limo had become a posh island in a small sea of mud. Sunni was playing out events in her mind; wading through muck to go to the bathroom was out of the question, and as a result, so was the consumption of alcohol. Burke had his reasons for not opening the wine either. The wine bottle sat in the ice bucket like a forgotten promise. They had to lower the privacy panel so that they could see the screen. The presence of the chauffeur now had more of a chaperone feel about it.

Burke never did find a comfort point in this leather trimmed simulated rosewood environment. He was still looking for a handle to the situation. He felt like the secure blanket of his secret feelings for Sunni was being taken away. She was onto him, but how? He apologized. "I'm sorry Sunni, I guess this wasn't such a good idea. No chance for romance here."

"I believe in what you said earlier about the romance being something that we add to the situation."

"Why do we need romance anyway?"

"I can see it in your eyes, Banyon. You need it. You need me don't-cha?" Sunni shook her head yes while was asking him.

Burke looked down and agreed by shaking his head yes, yet never uttering the word. He nervously began fidgeting with one of the limousine's switches. The privacy panel responded by obediently snapping up. "Can I get you something?--a Coke?--some wine?" he asked. He crawled over to the bar and filled a rocks glass with ice.

"What's wrong?" Sunni asked. From her view he was making this more difficult than it needed to be.

"Sometimes I'm afraid to look into your eyes for fear it will show. I-I thought it was wrong; I didn't want it to happen. It just did. Like a favorite song or a time, you became my favorite person. It's like....no you're going to think this is really dumb." He stopped short really feeling dumb; already saying much more than he ever he'd imagine himself saying.

"No go on, really I need to hear it." Sunni said, while gently touching his hand.

It's like-like my world has five seasons: Spring; Summer; Fall; Winter; and Sunni." He cringed inside. He couldn't believe that something so sappy was coming out of his face.

"That's one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. But why did you wait so long?"

Burke was silent. He was beginning damage control on his exposures. Before his silence became a problem Sunni intervened. What do you wear when it's Sunni? She asked.

"Sun glasses" Burke said softly. "The kind that you can't see any truth behind." He turned his head and murmured to himself. Burke needed to continue on. "Listen Sunni, about your shoes.."

"I saw you give them to that old lady, that was sweet."

"You did? But how?"

"I was on my way back to the party when I saw you."

"You were? Who were you with?"

"It doesn't matter Burke you did the right thing, even if you weren't honest with me." In a single statement she had declared him a hero and villain.

"Oh but it does matter, it matters to me," Burke said, locking tightly to the topic.

"A friend was driving me back to the party" she answered. Sunni now was caught in the honesty trap.

"Sunni, what about me? I thought I was your friend."

"You are."

"You brought me out and then abandoned me in a place with two half naked tattooed guys. A four hundred pound lady began stalking me. That's how you treat a friend? Didn't you read Cinderella? You left me at the ball." Burke was doing his best to control his building anger, but was having a difficult time.

"The prince was supposed to find the enchanting young lady, not give away the glass slippers to the first bag lady that he comes across!"

"What happened at Lothlorian? Another friend? Am I not your friend? We were dancing. At least I was having fun." Burke was looking at the same woman that had command of his secret heart, but the light she was in now did nothing to flatter her.

"Banyon, I'm sorry."

"You can't break a heart that's been broke."

Without warning Burke opened the door to the limousine and stormed out. Sunni watched with trudge through the mud toward the concession stand great anticipation and disappointed when he did not enter but kept on going. She waited for him to look back over his shoulder, but he never did.

She lowered the privacy panel once more. "Home James" she said.

"My name is William" the driver answered.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm being silly--it's just that I've always wanted to say that" she replied through tearful eyes.