January came and went. Lou and Rory both testified at Nate Hanks’ trial. The forger was convicted of art forgery, intimidation, and attempted assault with a deadly weapon. Unfortunately, the murder charge was dropped, as there wasn’t enough evidence to prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt, despite Rory’s testimony about what Hanks had said to him.
The two men found living together made their lives easier, despite the initial feeling they had each lost some privacy. “Hell,” Rory said at one point soon after he moved into the apartment. “If I want alone time, I’ll go down in the basement and work on my jewelry.” That was where they’d set up his studio, since it was standing empty after Hanks’ arrest.
Lou rarely wanted time to himself, but when he did, he returned to his past habit of going
