I don't do my job to catch the bad guys. Why would I want to do that? No, I do my job to make order out of chaos.

Of course, having information to use is one thing. Knowing what it means and how to use it is a different story.

It revealed a cruelty that really made one wonder if the universe was such a good idea after all.

IN MY LIFELONG STUDY OF HUMAN BEINGS, I HAVE FOUND that no matter how hard they might try, they have found no way yet to prevent the arrival of Monday morning. And they do try, of course, but Monday always comes, and all the drones have to scuttle back to their dreary workaday lives of meaningless toil and suffering.

It really is better to be lucky than to be good.

I let it ring. I wanted to breathe for a few minutes, and I could think of nothing that couldn't wait. Besides, I had paid almost $50 for an answering machine. Let it earn its keep.

Mutilated corpses with a chance of afternoon showers. I got dressed and went to work.