Dallas, Texas, June 2006; the temperature is in the 100's, and so is Carl Jennings' bank account. After years of just keeping Pegasus Investigations afloat, he realizes it may be time to give up. His mood is not helped by his beloved Mavericks' loss in the NBA finals. Carl doesn't immediately recognize the pierced, tattooed, young man waiting at his office. The kid, who performs with a freak show, wants him to find a missing girl. Carl's depressed state explains why the slow recognition; his bank account explains why he accepts the case, even though the kid took a swing at him once. When the missing girl turns out to have more aliases than the client has tattoos, Carl realizes the case may be a major challenge. When the girl turns up dead, Carl has to decide if he is willing to work for a former adversary who may also be a murderer. It's amazing what some people will do to save a client, especially a client who pays with cash money.