Mick was the smartest guy in my neighborhood. Sure he was homeless, but Mick took that as proof of how smart he was. Hebragged that he never had to pay rent, and he never worried about paying car insurance. Every morning he'd sit at the bus stop and laugh at all the people who had to go to work. There was only one thing Mick was afraid of -- the police. There were laws against vagrancy, because, as Mick pointed out, "People always assume homeless people will eventually rob them."

We were standing at the bus stop, and the sun was just coming up. I'd missed the 8:30 bus, and I'd have to wait for the 8:50. But in the next 20 minutes, I'd also be solving a mystery.