I finish the cigarette and go back to bed.
Things are going to get weirder and worse before they get better. I can feel it. Goddamn skinheads are bad enough, but smart skinheads mixed up with hoodoo? That’s bad news.
I go back to bed. Candy rolls over and drapes her arm over me, only it’s not her arm. It’s Chihiro’s arm. Things can’t stay like this. Things have got to change.
WHEN I GO downstairs in the morning, I have a headache. Vincent’s door is closed, but Kasabian’s is open. However, the store is closed and there’s nothing playing on the big screen. I go to Kasabian’s door and knock. He looks up at me, holding a piece of paper in his metal mitts.
I say, “You have some aspirin? I can’t find any upstairs.”
He shakes his head.
“No. What I have is this.”
He hands me the paper. It’s on L.A. County Court letterhead. It reads, Dear Mr. Kasabian, As you may be aware, L.A. County has conducted several studies that will eventually lead to an extension of the 101 Freeway to serve the region and assist our county with economic development. The site portion of the study has recently been concluded, and this letter is to notify you that your property may have to be purchased for the freeway extension.
The rest of it is all a lot of property parcel codes and legal noise. I hand the note back to Kasabian.
“What does that mean?”
He drops the letter on his bed.
“It’s called eminent domain. It means that the county can come in and take Max Overdrive and there’s not a goddamn thing we can do about it.”
“How is that even legal?”
He shrugs.
“It’s the government. They’ve got more money and lawyers than regular people, so they can do pretty much anything they want.”
“It doesn’t even make sense. The 101 is like a mile down the road. To bring it out here, they’d have to knock down half of Hollywood.”
“Someone’s got a theory,” he says.
Candy comes downstairs.
“What’s going on? What’s all the whispering?”
“Remember when we got tossed out of Chateau Marmont?” says Kasabian. “Well, it’s going to happen again.”
Candy looks at me.
“What’s he talking about?”
“We got a letter, and according to Atticus Finch here, it means that the county can come in and take Max Overdrive out from under us.”
“What? What about the store? Where are we going to live?”
Kasabian picks up the letter again, stares at it. I try to read it over his shoulder, but it still doesn’t make much sense to me.
“Can’t we get a lawyer and fight it?” I say. “This is bullshit.”
Kasabian laughs.
“Lo
ok around the room. We’re three dead people in a store full of movies that doesn’t exist. Plus, we’re broke. What lawyer is going to work for us?”
“Maybe a Sub Rosa one,” says Candy.