“Marvin, for the love of God take the damn hood off,” I say, pinching the bridge of my nose. Thin hands with long fingers reach up, shaking with barely contained excitement to lower the hood. Pianist’s fingers my grandmother would have called them, though Marvin has never spent a moment in front of a piano. The hood falls away to reveal a head of unruly black hair, glasses perched on the end of a slightly hooked nose. His dark eyes are bright with excitement behind the lenses and a smile curves across his thin lips. They stare with reverence into the bag. I smile slightly. “Holy Krypton! Action Comics #23, first appearance of Lex Luthor and first mention of the Daily Planet.” His voice is barely above a whisper, as if just saying the words out loud would attract a horde of rival comic collectors bent on snatching the carefully wrapped copy from his hands. I look at him pointedly. “That is what you asked for right?” His eyes flick up to me. “Yes, but…” He lifts a finger to stroke the cover, pausing to frantically wipe his hands on his napkin before touching it. A shiver runs through him. I raise an eyebrow. “Uh, Marvin. Do you need a moment alone?” His awestruck gaze never leaves the cover. “No… Maybe. Where on Earth did you find it?” “A magician never reveals her tricks. Now, about that information,” I barely finish before he’s diving into his messenger bag and sliding a thumb drive and a folder across the table at me. He almost knocks over my beer in the process, but I catch the bottle and take a swig. “Everything I could find on one Rayland Wells. Hard copies cause I l know you’re old-school about that. Photos, video, and extra copies on the drive.” I reach out, snagging the thumb drive and sliding it into my pocket before flicking open the folder. I skim through the first page as Marvin slides the comic into the padded pocket of his bag, moving his laptop to make room. “Anything jump out at you?” I ask. Marvin and I have been working together ever since I busted him for hacking into an advertising company’s database to change photos and verbiage for an upcoming campaign for a real estate mogul. The company had been known to use bullying tactics and targeted elderly homeowners, including Marvin’s grandparents. The mogul was now under investigation and Marvin had gotten a slap on the wrist for his vigilante justice. But hey, his grandparents got to keep their house, and now I had a computer whiz to help with research. One who only wanted to be paid in rare comic books, which as luck would have it, I had in spades. “Lots of under the table, shady business dealings, a few semi-active investigations that are dead in the water, and one or two cold cases he’s been tied to but never amounted to anything.” Marvin flipped the cover down on his bag, patting it fondly before reaching for his beer. He took a sip and set the bottle down, snagging a couple of fried from the basket between us. Benny’s Bar wasn’t my first choice, but Marvin swore up and down Benny had the best burger and fries in town. I still hadn’t worked up the courage to try one. Maybe when my feet didn’t stick to the floor when I came in, or if I needed a really good excuse for getting out of jury duty I’d give them a chance. “So, slimy,” I said, glancing up at Marvin over the edge of the folder. He nodded. “Definitely slimy. So much so, that nothing seems to stick to the guy. Usually that means money and connections.” “I gotta feeling it’s a lot of both, and plenty of experience in handling problems.” Marvin lifted his beer again. “Sounds like a super villain, boss. My advice? Stay away,” he said before taking a sip of his beer. I looked at the profile picture in the folder. A predatory gaze stared back at me. “I don’t think he’s going to give me a chance to, Marvin.”