A man with a big grin and an even bigger dip keeps her coming back to the Desperado Dive.

Walked in on a Friday at the Desperado Dive, Neon buzzin' low and the fiddle comin' live, He tipped his hat and flashed that grin — Lord, I was done right then, Quick-quick, slow, slow — girl, here we go again.

[Verse 2] He offered up a calloused hand, said "Darlin', trust the beat," One turn 'round the hardwood and I lost my own two feet, That right pivot spun me like a record on a Sunday spin, Quick-quick, slow, slow — and I fell clean in.

[Chorus] He's my big-dippin' two-stepper, king of the sawdust floor, Eight counts down to heaven and I'm comin' back for more, Quick-quick, slow, slow, he rocks me like a prayer, Dips me to the rafters with my boots up in the air, Oh, that big-dippin' two-stepper's got me swept up everywhere.

[Verse 3] The jukebox jocks were watchin', all the barflies raised a glass, He waltzed me past the pool tables, smooth as polished brass, Every gal at the Desperado wished that grin was aimed her way, Quick-quick, slow, slow — but he asked ME to stay.

[Chorus] He's my big-dippin' two-stepper, king of the sawdust floor, Eight counts down to heaven and I'm comin' back for more, Quick-quick, slow, slow, he rocks me like a prayer, Dips me to the rafters with my boots up in the air, Oh, that big-dippin' two-stepper's got me swept up everywhere.

[Bridge - half time, swaying] Now I've been led by wranglers, been twirled by oil men, But none of 'em could dip me down and pull me up again, When the steel guitar goes cryin' and the lights burn low and dim, Every quick-quick, slow, slow — leads me back to him.

[Verse 4] So if you're at the Desperado when the band strikes up at nine, And you see a gal gone dizzy with a smile she can't confine, That's me down in his eight-count dip, my heart hung on his grin, Quick-quick, slow, slow — take me 'round again!

[Final Chorus - big finish, gang vocals] He's my big-dippin' two-stepper, king of the sawdust floor, Eight counts down to heaven and I'm comin' back for more, Quick-quick, slow, slow, he rocks me like a prayer, Dips me to the rafters with my boots up in the air, Oh, that big-dippin' two-stepper — (hold it now...) That big-dippin' two-stepper — (dip it low...) That big-dippin' two-stepper's got me swept up everywhere!

What started as gashapon machines has not only become one of the biggest crazes in the world, but also a multi-billion dollar market.

From SKULLPANDA to Labubu to Sonny Angel, tiny figures are being collected and traded by millions of consumers, turning the blind box trend into a multibillion dollar industry.

Blind boxes can be traced back to Japan, decades before the current craze. “Lucky bags” offered shoppers mystery assortments of merchandise, while gashapon machines let customers insert money to receive a randomly selected toy inside a capsule. Japanese toy company Bandai entered the game in 1977 and developed its GASHAPON brand around the concept of these “mystery capsules”.

These machines were originally made as fun toys for children, but eventually developed a large adult following as manufacturers introduced more popular figures and higher-priced collectibles. By 2024, Japan's capsule-toy market alone had grown to approximately 80 billion yen and the modern blind box took this element of surprise and repackaged it for the new generation.

Now consumers are buying identical sealed boxes from a collection without knowing which design is inside. Your average series contains several common characters and one extremely rare "secret" figure. This idea encourages collectors to continue buying boxes in hopes of completing the set or finding the rarest character.

No company has capitalized on this idea more than Chinese brand Pop Mart. Founded in 2010, Pop Mart’s earliest hit came from MOLLY, a wide-eyed girl created by Hong Kong artist Kenny Wong. Pop Mart turned MOLLY into one of their signature figures and began building a business model centered around artists and blind-box collections. Their strategy produced an entire universe of characters, including SKULLPANDA, HIRONO, and LABUBU and these characters are generating enormous amounts of money.

In 2025, SKULLPANDA generated approximately $490 million in revenue, while MOLLY generated $431 million and HIRONO generated nearly $259 million, making it known that the business is no longer dependent on one viral character. Altogether, Pop Mart reported 5.5 billion in revenue in 2025, but Pop Mart isn't alone. Japanese collectibles have also found an entirely new generation of fans in the U.S. with Sonny Angel and Smiski which have both gained their own followings with glow-in-the-dark figures hidden inside mystery packaging.

According to a Hong Kong Stock Exchange filing, the global pop-toy market grew from approximately $19.8 billion in 2019 to $38 billion in 2024 and is projected to surpass $104 billion by 2030. So why are adults spending so much money on these mystery toys?

Part of the reason comes from the element of surprise. A blind box creates anticipation and buyers don’t get to choose what character they will receive. Knowing that there is a figure that is more rare than others also makes the experience more exciting. Social media has amplified the craze even further as unboxing videos and rare pulls generate millions of views, basically turning each purchase into a potential viral video.

It is clear to say that blind boxes have evolved beyond a simple toy trend into a combination of art, entertainment, and collecting. These tiny characters can be hooked to your purse or be displayed on your desk, giving consumers a new form of self-expression, and with the blind box market expected to surpass $100 billion, the mystery inside each box has turned into a very big business.

As an LA native, I’m sharing the places and experiences I think are actually worth your time, from some of my favorite restaurants to the best shopping spots across the city.

Kelli (00:00)

If you're planning a trip to Los Angeles, I feel like every LA guide always tells you to do the same exact things. Go to Hollywood Boulevard to see the stars, visit Santa Monica Pier, go to Malibu and hang out on the beach, walk down Rodeo Drive to do your shopping. I'm not saying you shouldn't do these things, especially if it's your first time here. I'm just somebody who's 24. I've lived in Southern California my entire life, and I feel like there's so much.

more to do in LA than the stereotypical tourist experience.

I grew up in the San Fernando Valley, which by the way, people love to say isn't LA, but I'm sorry, come on, it's LA, it's in Los Angeles County. So I will happily say that I am from Los Angeles. I've spent my entire life going all over the greater Los Angeles area, from the valley to downtown to Hollywood, to the west side to Malibu, and everywhere in between. So if one of my friends told me that they were coming to LA for a week, what should I do? This is exactly what I would tell them.

Today I'm going to talk about food, beaches, shopping, hiking, nightlife, and some of the experiences that I genuinely think are worth spending your time and money on. We're gonna begin with food. One thing I will defend Los Angeles on forever is our food.

I genuinely think we have one of the best food markets out here, and one of the best things about living in Los Angeles is just how culturally diverse the scene is. You can literally wake up and get Vietnamese food, have Mexican food for lunch, Korean barbecue for dinner, then get ramen at midnight, and somehow if you're still out at 2 a.m., you can end your night eating tacos from a taco truck.

You can find almost any cuisine here. And because LA is so cult and because LA is so diverse, you're not really getting that watered down version of it either.

There are communities throughout the entire city where you can find incredible Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Thai food, Armenian, Persian, Mexican, Salvadorian, Filipino food. The list goes on.

So if you are visiting LA, please do not spend your entire trip eating at chain restaurants that you could have just gotten at home. Try something new, try the hole in the walls. I'm going to give you a few of my personal recommendations.

In my own territory, the San Fernando Valley, if you want that very pretty, classy Los Angeles restaurant experience, I would recommend Casaléna This is where I would go if I want to get dressed up and have a very nice dinner, take some photos. The restaurant is so gorgeous and it gives you that upscale SoCal atmosphere that people picture when they think about eating out in LA.

It's Italian inspired. My favorite is definitely their vodka pasta. This would be a great place to take a date. It's great for a birthday dinner, a girls' night.

Anywhere where want to experience dinner and a warm atmosphere. It's more of a splurge than just a casual restaurant stop. But if you are visiting LA and you want that beautiful, fancy dinner where you can get your Instagrammable photos at, Casaléna is definitely one of my recommendations.

Going in a completely different direction is Crane and Elephant. This is one of those places that I love because you can come here late at night. They're open until 2 a.m. every single night, and this is the spot in the valley to get late night delicious food.

Their ramen and curry are so good. And if you've been out

All day and you're starving and you don't want fast food, Crane and elephant is where you should end your night at.

Now for some amazing Vietnamese food in the valley, my favorite is Khuu Bistro. This is a very small mom and pop shop. I'm Vietnamese, so I'm going to be a little bit pickier about Vietnamese food. I actually want the flavors to taste right, and here at Khuu Bistro, they really throw down in that kitchen.

This place right here is so delicious. It is owned by the nicest Vietnamese couple.

If you want a really authentic Vietnamese meal without having to go all the way to Little Saigon in Orange County, you need to make a stop at Khuu Bistro.

Now straying away from the valley, we're gonna go over the hill. And once you're there, there are obviously thousands of restaurants, but there are a few that have stood out to me because you're getting an experience along with the food.

That's one of the most important things that I think you should think about when you are here in Los Angeles because you also because you want to get your money's worth.

Perch is one of those places. If you're visiting downtown, you should have one meal where you can get an amazing view of the city. Perch is right in the middle of downtown LA and has beautiful panoramic views where you can sit there and look at the skyline and really think, wow, I am definitely in Los Angeles.

Perch has French-inspired food, the atmosphere is beautiful, and it is absolutely stunning if you can get a reservation around sunset or at nighttime when downtown is completely lit up.

If you're spending the day in Santa Monica, Meat on Ocean is one place that I really like. It's right by the ocean. Their steaks are to die for. And their apple dessert is one of those desserts that you will think about every single night.

Then there's Yamashiro, and if you have never heard of Yamashiro, you've definitely seen photos and videos of it online. This is one of those viral, trendy restaurants, but it is a historic Japanese-inspired restaurant sitting right above Hollywood, and you are going to also get those beautiful views that overlook the city.

Not only does Yamashiro have delicious food, I would also recommend this as a great date night spot if you're really looking to impress somebody. Because if you go when that sun is starting to set

you're gonna watch LA light up below you and that is the kind of experience that I think is worth paying for.

So moving away from food, if you want something completely different from that Beverly Hills luxury shopping, go to downtown LA because you can go to the Jewelry District to get some beautiful jewelry, or you can go to Santee Alley to get all of the fashion basics, all of your accessories, things that you do not want to pay outrageous prices for.

Sante Alley is one of those spots where the environment itself is part of the experience. There's vendors everywhere. Clothes food, shoes, accessories, handbags, beauty products, anything that you could think of. You can walk around Santee Alley for hours, and compared to a lot of the shopping that you can do in LA, you'll find things that are actually useful and affordable here.

Do not go to Santee Alley thinking it's some luxury polished shopping experience. That's not what it is. It's fun because you are walking through this busy part, negotiating deals and finding little random gems, experiencing a completely different side of Los Angeles.

Now moving on to some actual shopping centers and malls that I would visit if you need to do some shopping while you're here. These places won't absolutely destroy your bank account like Rodeo Drive would. But if you are visiting, I recommend setting a shopping budget because there's always something to buy.

I think I've been to every major mall in the Los Angeles area at this point. And if you actually want to shop and not just walk past designer stores, visit Westfield Topanga and the Grove. Westfield Topanga is in the San Fernando Valley. This mall is huge.

You have a wide range of different brands, restaurants, and there are those luxury stores there as well. You can spend hours here, they have a store for everyone.

On the other side of the 405, the Grove is definitely something worth visiting in Los Angeles. You get that shopping experience, and you also get that outdoor California day atmosphere.

You can walk around, shop, get something to eat, and on the weekends they do have the original farmers market, so you can make a whole afternoon out of that as well. It's kind of touristy, but one of those experiences that I can get on board with.

Another thing that I have done that I think is absolutely worth it, especially if you're here on a trip with your friends, is renting a boat in Marina Del Rey.

You can find a bunch of different options online for boat rentals depending on your comfort level and your group size. They have smaller boats, Duffies, and yachts, and you can also rent the boat with a captain as well.

This is such a great activity to get your friends together. You can bring your own snacks and drinks, make a playlist, bring a speaker, and just go out on the water for a couple of hours. This is another activity I would recommend to do during that sunset. It is so beautiful and it makes you totally feel like you're on vacation, even if you live here.

Also, if you're splitting the cost between your group, can be such a reasonable price for your party. This is 100% something that I would choose over spending an entire afternoon walking around Hollywood Boulevard.

Now this one might sound obvious, but if you've never been to LA, you need to go on a hike at least once. One thing that I always feel like I take for granted as somebody who grew up here is how beautiful LA actually is geographically. We have everything. We have mountains, canyons, ocean, city life, and on some trails, you can see all of it.

There are so many different hiking trails as well. You don't necessarily have to do the most popular or the most famous ones. You can find a bunch of different ones that will lead you to beautiful finds, beautiful views. My recommendation is to go early, especially if you are here during the summer. Do not start hiking around noon because it will be a hundred degrees already.

You should get up early, grab a coffee, and start your hike in the morning before that sun hits its peak and then finish it before the day gets really hot.

If you get up really early, you can have your hike done by 9 or 10 a.m. and still have your entire day ahead of you. Make sure you definitely bring water and check the weather and the trail conditions before you go.

If you're going to the beach, I definitely recommend taking the canyons. You have these winding roads that are surrounded by the mountains and it eventually opens up to the ocean. Listen to some music and spending the time to drive along the coast is something that you must do when you are here in SoCal.

Now, if you are having your beach day, I definitely think Santa Monica and Venice are a little bit overrated if your goal is to actually have a relaxing one. Santa Monica and Venice are iconic. There's so much to do over there. But if you want somewhere

That you can just relax, lay out and tan, and step into the water for a few hours, I would recommend going further towards Malibu. Once you start getting away from the very touristy areas,

There are so many beaches that you can find along the coast that is much more my version of an LA beach day. Make sure you bring some food, your sunscreen, a beach blanket, get there early, you can spend a few hours there, and you can even catch dinner on the coast afterwards. That is an absolute perfect Los Angeles day to me.

Now moving forward to nightlife. And I have something to admit about the Los Angeles nightlife because it is really not what people think anymore. People come here imagining they're going to walk into some nightclub and it's going to be like a scene from a movie with celebrities in every corner. And I will say there was a time when LA nightlife definitely felt more like that. Maybe in like 2016. But in 2026, I personally think that clubbing has gone downhill here in the

City, but there are still fun places, you just have to know where you're going. So at this point in my life, when I go out, I actually want to dance and meet new people and have a good time, not just enter the club and sit at a table where everyone just kind of looks at each other and moves their bodies a little bit.

Two places that I personally have had so much fun at are Bar Lis and Lock and Key. Bar Lis has that Hollywood rooftop atmosphere. It's stylish, it's lively, and depending on the night, you can really dance around and have some fun rather than just standing around and being a wallflower.

Lock and key is a place in Koreatown that I really like when I want more than just a night out. There's people dancing, there's people socializing, the music is great, and I really am and that's really what I'm looking for when I go out.

My biggest LA nightlife advice is to check what is happening that specific night before you go anywhere because the city is changing constantly.

A place can be amazing on a Friday night, but completely dead on a Saturday.

The event, the DJ, and the crowd will matter as much as the venue itself.

If I had friends coming to the city for seven days, I would not tell them to cram forty different attractions into their trip.

Los Angeles is huge, and I feel like that's the

Biggest mistake that people make before coming here. They'll say that we're going to Malibu in the morning, we're gonna visit downtown for lunch, we're gonna hit Disneyland in the afternoon, then go out and get dinner in Hollywood and drinks at night. No, you're not. You're going to spend your entire vacation on the 405. You need to definitely organize each day geographically and base it all off of the traffic as well.

You have to stay in an area all day if you want to make the most out of it. Have a Malibu Beach Day. Have your downtown day where you can go to Santee Alley and then visit rooftop bars and see the skyline views. Have a Hollywood day where you kind of do touristy things, visit the stars, do some shopping, go to a comedy club on Hollywood Boulevard.

Or you can have a San Fernando Valley Day where you just explore all of the valley, go through the canyons.

Visit some delicious restaurant spots, then spend another whole day shopping, spend one day hiking, spend one morning hiking, do a boat ride in the afternoon, and just leave some room to really explore. Because one of my favorite things about Los Angeles is that the best things are not famous attractions. I love being able to drive through a neighborhood that I've never been in. I love finding small restaurants that have not gone viral yet on TikTok. And even just going to a view and seeing the sunset.

After driving through the canyons, these are things that I think LA is all about.

I feel like some people visit LA sometimes thinking it's gonna function like New York, but it truly does not. LA is not one concentrated city where you can just walk outside and everything and everywhere you need to go is within five blocks.

Los Angeles is a collection of neighborhoods, culture, and communities spread across a humongous area.

Your trip here is going to completely change depending on where you are. The valley does not feel like downtown at all. Downtown does not feel like Malibu. Malibu does not feel like Koreatown, and Koreatown doesn't feel like Beverly Hills. But that's what I love about living here, because you can spend your entire life in Southern California and discover somewhere that you've never been every day.

So if you're coming to Los Angeles, my biggest advice as someone who grew up here is don't spend your entire trip chasing the version of Los Angeles that you see in the movies. Definitely make some time for those iconic things. if you're a tourist, you should be a tourist. But eat somewhere that you've never heard of. Drive through the canyons.

Explore places that people don't usually talk about. and actually give yourself enough time to enjoy where you're going instead of spending the entire trip driving because that will definitely ruin your entire trip. LA is expensive, it's chaotic, it's crowded, the traffic is as bad as everyone tells you. But I think

Those that grew up here, forget how special it is. And within one day, you can see so many different things, see so many different cultures. And that's the LA that I would want someone visiting to see for the first time.

So those are my recommendations as an LA native. Thank you guys so much for listening and we'll see you in the next podcast.

The 2025 release of Syndrome marks a pivotal shift as the soloist fully embraces an English-language sound for his global audience.

Korean pop artist Wonho launched a new chapter of his career with the release of his debut English-language studio album, Syndrome, in June 2025.  The project’s signature style was highlighted by the singles “Better Than Me” and “If You Wanna.”

This era was preceded by the 2024 release of “What Would You Do,” which served as his first English-language single and positioned him to further tap into the expanding global K-pop movement.

Between 2021 and 2022, the former boy band member expanded his discography with a series of single albums and EPs, including Love Synonym Pt.2: Right for Us, Blue Letter, Facade, Obsession and Bittersweet.  These collections, featuring hits like “Lose,” “Blue” and “Eye On You,” consistently ranked among South Korea’s top releases and secured positions on the World Charts.

Wonho’s breakout as a solo artist arrived in 2020 with the release of his debut mini album, Love Synonym Pt.1: Right for Me.  The album features his two biggest hits, “Open Mind” and “Losing You,” which have collectively accounted for over 70 million plays on Spotify.

Prior to his solo career, Wonho gained international fame as a member of the K-pop group Monsta X from 2015 to 2019.  During his tenure, they became a global fixture, highlighted by the breakout hit “Hero,” which remains the group’s most popular track today with over 200 million streams.

The 33-year-old has amassed over 5 million followers across social platforms and maintains a dedicated global fanbase that has supported his transition to a successful solo act.

Asia’s basketball stars shined on the international stage while major moves unfolded across College Football, the MLB, and the LPGA Tour.

In the most recent FIBA World Cup Qualifiers, Kai Sotto delivered down the stretch with a last-second block to seal the win for Gilas Pilipinas in overtime against Jordan, on their way to back-to-back victories.  China’s Yang Hansen also provided late game heroics against Lebanon with a bucket on the block to keep their qualification hopes alive.  Meanwhile, Japan’s stars went scorched-earth against Qatar and Saudi Arabia.  Rui Hachimura averaged 37.5 points per game, with Yuki Kawamura as the primary distributor averaging 9.5 assists per game.  Keisei Tominaga shot 67% from three which included a 25-point game.  These remarkable performances from three Asian nations forged a perfect 6-0 record in August.

In off-court developments for college hoops, Xaivian Lee committed to Gonzaga for a fifth season following a landmark NCAA eligibility ruling.  Lee previously spent three seasons starring for Princeton before transferring to Florida.  After serving as a core playmaker for the Gators, Lee suited up for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Summer League, appearing in five games before electing to return to college.

College Football’s Week 0 kicked off the season with notable quarterback play from USC’s Jayden Maiava.  The Heisman watchlist talent powered the Trojans’ offense with 286 yards and two touchdowns passing while scoring a third on the ground.  Noah Kim put up nearly identical numbers for Eastern Michigan with 279 passing yards, two TDs through the air and one on the ground, leading the Eagles to an opening MAC win over Sacramento State.

On the diamond, Blue Jays rookie slugger Kazuma Okamoto continued to display his power with his 27th and 28th home runs of the season in a weekend series sweep over the Mariners.  Okamoto became just the third player in MLB history to homer against 18 different opponents in a rookie campaign.  Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani’s return to the mound was delayed, citing that he is not 100% yet.  The Dodgers did not commit to any further timetable of his pitching return.

On the LPGA Tour, Ruoning Yin captured the FM Championship at TPC Boston in an emotional finish.  Finishing at 14-under par, she snapped her 672-day winless streak.

Victor (00:00)

where I have developed my own principles regarding my own health and fitness, and on top of that, how I've applied a lot of the lessons I've learned in my real life, as well as some observations along the way.

Victor (00:32)

That

is when, as we all have experienced, COVID happened.

Victor (01:08)

Victor (01:16)

the massive shutdowns, a lot of gyms closed, and with that a lot of people definitely had fallen off of their fitness journeys. I mean, most people I know during COVID ended up doing a lot of indoorsy activities. You know, it was mostly things like video games, baking, and just a lot of other online activities.

Victor (01:44)

as I've emphasized before in my previous editions, you can imagine somebody that sits at home and bakes sourdough all day probably doesn't look like a particularly fit individual.

Victor (02:04)

Victor (02:29)

Victor (02:39)

Victor (03:00)

Victor (03:18)

now if there's one thing that I would like to take away from my time in COVID, it definitely is how to deal with life circumstances that just throw a wrench in your training.

Victor (03:37)

I did have some setbacks during grad school that may have pushed my training down in priority, I would say that COVID was the biggest stress test of my personal systems and my principles.

Victor (03:52)

Victor (04:13)

the time I had started jujitsu and I still had aspirations in powerlifting. There was definitely a part of me that wanted to qualify for nationals by getting a high enough total. However, I had no access to the necessary gym equipment to even run the programs that I needed to run in order to get strong enough to lift the weights I needed to lift to qualify for nationals.

Victor (04:42)

Victor (04:52)

My

financial situation being a little bit up in the air at the time, I had difficulties a j or justifying a purchase of thousands of dollars of equipment. Especially at that time during COVID. a lot of fitness equipment was being price gouged.

Victor (05:35)

Victor (05:53)

Victor (06:11)

Victor (06:29)

at the time I did have the luxury of having super secret underground jujitsu training sessions where I would train jujitsu with two or three other people and no but and no one else. But

Victor (06:46)

was

a benefit.

Victor (07:20)

Each week I would try to push those numbers up. And then if I were to hit a wall on any of these exercises, I'd then just change up the variations and then repeated the cycle over and over. And throughout the time in COVID, I found that there were no noticeable regressions in my physique. People still said I had a good-looking upper body.

Victor (07:58)

Rather having an open mind to the ways around the wall or possibly seeing cracks in the wall will get you much further than constantly giving the presence of the wall power.

Victor (08:36)

This process.

Victor (09:08)

Victor (09:34)

Victor (09:55)

Victor (10:14)

two to three hundred to four hundred pound barbell? No. However,

Victor (10:40)

Victor (10:54)

on any fitness journey, the biggest setback, the biggest pitfall that most people fall into is an all or nothing mentality. They think that if they don't have access to the gym or access to their regular workout routine, then they may as well not work out whatsoever. But the reality is life will throw monkey wrenches your way.

Victor (11:20)

was an old quote. It was something like man makes plans and God laughs, but that is what happens a lot. You may have the most optimal workout plan, but then a random Tuesday night happens and you do not have access to your normal gym. And what do you do then? Do you just simply not work out or do you just adjust and improvise?

Victor (11:47)

Victor (12:06)

is a bicycle a an efficient way to travel a long distance? Definitely not. However, it is better than walking and it's exponentially better than sitting where you are.

Victor (12:50)

I didn't really want to spend the time to travel to a commercial gym and I was much more focused on jujitsu.

Victor (13:20)

Victor (13:46)

The second one is to focus on solutions rather than the roadblocks themselves. Like I said, roadblocks will always make themselves clear. So you may as well point your time and attention towards solutions rather than acknowledging the roadblock. Because again, the roadblock will always make itself clear.

Victor (14:30)

finally, right, the ability to pivot and to find solutions I found meshed nicely with the principles that I had already built through my time in powerlifting. I already knew how to structure a training plan and how to keep track of things and to progress even in a suboptimal plan.

Victor (14:55)

those things slide, honestly, they probably did not value their fitness.

Victor (15:28)

Victor (15:47)

Victor (16:10)

again, strong systems and strong principles are what allow you to overcome obstacles such as this.

Armed with elite talent and breakout momentum, USC quarterback Jayden Maiava looks to steer the Trojans to their first ever College Football Playoff appearance.

Jayden Maiava enters his senior season as the starting quarterback for the USC Trojans, carrying immense expectations as a preseason Heisman Trophy contender with FanDuel listing him at +2500.  Standing tall at 6’4” and 230 pounds, the powerful gunslinger faces a historic challenge: guiding the Trojans to the College Football Playoff for the first time in the program’s illustrious history.

Maiava is coming off a stellar breakout campaign where he started all 13 games, leading USC to a 9-4 record.  He put up career highs with 3,711 passing yards and 30 total touchdowns while completing 66% of his passes.  Displaying elite arm talent, he notably led all college quarterbacks nationally with 39 completions of 20 yards or more downfield.  His dynamic play earned him third-team all-conference honors and cemented his status as a semifinalist for the prestigious Davey O’Brien Award.

Before anchoring the USC offense – where he previously made history as the first Polynesian quarterback to start a game for the Trojans – his journey began at UNLV. There, he initially redshirted before stepping into the starting role early in his freshman year.  He quickly made his mark by capturing the 2023 Mountain West Freshman of the Year award alongside second-team all-conference recognition.

Now 22 years old, the quarterback of Samoan-descent forged his path through considerable adversity.  He grew up in Hawaii and threw for over 3,300 yards at Kaimuki High before his senior season was canceled due to the pandemic.  That disruption forced a pivotal move back to Nevada’s Liberty High, where he persevered to play in the state championship and developed into a three-star recruit.

With his unique blend of physical traits, collegiate experience, and high-level poise, Maiava is ready to etch his name into USC lore.

From cult-classic action hits to prime-time television staples, veteran actor Mark Dacascos continues to leave his mark on entertainment.

Mark Dacascos is set to star as a warrior monk in the superhero film Legend of the White Dragon, scheduled for a limited theatrical release on August 28th.  The versatile actor and martial artist has built an extensive global footprint across major cinema and television platforms.

He’s known for his memorable performance as a lethal assassin in the 2019 action blockbuster John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, which grossed over $320 million.  On television, he demonstrated his wide-ranging presence by being featured in all 50 episodes of the 2008 Chinese-language biographical series The Legend of Bruce Lee, as well as taking on the recurring role of the ruthless crime boss Wo Fat across 17 episodes of the 2010 to 2020 run of Hawaii Five-0.

Earlier milestones in his career stand out prominently in martial arts and action culture, including his appearance in the 2003 Jet Li action hit Cradle 2 the Grave, the 2001 French box-office hit Brotherhood of the Wolf, and his breakout starring role as a capoeira expert in the 1993 drama Only the Strong.  Dacascos landed his first role in Hollywood with a small part in the 1985 feature Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart.

Dacascos was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and was immersed in martial arts from a very young age by his father.  He mastered various disciplines – including Wun Hop Kuen Do, capoeira, and Wushu – laying the physical foundation for a stellar career as an action star.  The 62-year-old of Filipino and Chinese ethnicity was inducted into the Martial Arts History Museum Hall of Fame in 2023 and was the recipient of the Bruce Lee Award at the 2024 Asian World Film Festival.

Beyond traditional action cinema, he has also shown his range through memorable television roles, bringing charm to reality television as “The Chairman” on Food Network’s hit cooking competition Iron Chef America – a role he later reprised for Netflix – and competing on Dancing with the Stars.

Whether portraying a ruthless villain, a heroic martial artist, or a charismatic television host, Mark Dacascos continues to push creative boundaries, proving that he is much more than a typical action hero.

A trip to Peru is as unforgettable as traveling to a whole another dimension.

[Verse 1]

Stone blocks big as buses, fit without a seam,

[Chorus]

[Verse 2]

Grandma's on a reed boat with a dragon's head,

[Chorus]

[Bridge]

(Banking left… banking right…)

[Verse 3]

Toasting to the Incas and the reed-boat queen,

[Final Chorus]

[Outro]

On a secret one-man mission to track down the First Lady, Chip Garrison begins with a thorough investigation of Jack Tang's estate and uncovers disturbing clues.

Tom Kagy (00:01.002)

This is Tom Kagy with unconventional wisdom.

Sent on a hush-hush one-man mission to unravel the two-headed mystery of the First Lady's abduction and Jack Tang's murder, Chip Garrison flies across the country to Silicon Valley.

To keep his mission from leaking, he sneaks past the police cordon around the massive Tang mansion for a nighttime one-man invesgitation.

The vast kitchen in which Tang was elaborately butchered shows an immaculate execution. But one small loose end catches Garrison's attention.

In the belief that how a man lived is likely to reveal why he was killed, Garrison moves upstairs to spend quality sleuthing time in Tang's boutique-quality closet.

He finds a meticulously-organized wardrobe that seems to suggest a life lived in splendid duplicate.

Among Tang's shoe collection Garrison finds an important clue, one that suggests a bizarre possibility.

Here then is the first half of a very long Chapter Seven of Midnight in Karakorum.

Another Friday night alone, thought Chip Garrison, indulging in a little recreational self-pity while wending his way, map in lap, out to the Tang estate. 

It was past midnight back in Washington, nearly one a.m.  Deanne was either asleep, consoling herself with a pint of Dryer’s, or getting it on with the new man she had promised to find if Garrison stood her up one more Friday night, someone richer and better hung.  The hell of it was, Garrison had planned to surprise her tonight with the challenging position he had learned from the boss last night upon barging into his little late-night tea party. 

You had to hand it to the man—Garrison hoped he would be that limber at the age of 44.  Now a stretching of his sexual horizons would likely have to wait until the First Lady had been recovered, dead or alive.  He hoped it would be the latter.  He had always liked her straightforward style.  She was a good woman—not to mention a stone fox—caught in a bad marriage.  Not that Garrison blamed the President.  By now he knew enough about the boss’s job to know it didn’t call for a saint.  If anything, it called for someone on better terms with the other side of the cosmos.  An ideal president, Garrison had once cynically decided, was a chameleon—fast-adapting, cold-blooded, equipped with a backbone.  He knew better than to judge a president by his sex life—as long as it didn’t destroy his ability to hold the job.  As far as Garrison could judge such matters, the boss had a knack for puzzling out the lesser of two evils and usually for the right reasons.  Maybe that didn’t add up to greatness, but in the wacky world of politics the man, with all his flaws, was considerably better than the available alternatives.

Out here in California it wasn’t quite ten yet.  As Garrison had half expected, the front gate of the Tang estate had been left open to be guarded by a San Mateo County Sheriff’s patrol car.  The investigation was technically in progress though none of the detectives or the forensics people were likely to be actually in the house at this time on a Friday night.  A little further up the quiet road an unmarked Plymouth, probably FBI, looked ridiculous parked in a woodsy stretch of a neighborhood where you could drive for weeks without seeing a Plymouth.  The bureau really should spring for a few late-model imports for those special cases when nothing less would do.  Without slowing down noticeably, Garrison noted that each car contained a single bored occupant.  They were there to keep an eye on the crime scene, not to participate in the investigation, and would stay in their cars except to piss or stretch their legs.

Garrison could have pulled right up to the front gate and flashed his badge for access, but he had no intention of tipping off anyone that the White House was scoping out the Tang murder scene.  That would require an awkward explanation to Sam Hanson’s field agents and an even more awkward one later to the press.  Garrison continued along the long meandering loop that returned him to a T-intersection a half-mile below the Tang estate.  To keep from calling as much attention to his rental car as the FBI Plymouth was, Garrison backed up a hundred yards and pulled the car up onto the concrete culvert, nudging back the shrubbery.  He pulled on the black leather gloves before getting out with his black canvas shoulder bag which nicely matched his black sweatshirt, sweatpants and black cross-trainers over black cotton socks.  Getting run over was the least of his worries.

He walked quickly down to the T-intersection and turned right to head up the winding unlit road toward the Tang estate, retracing the route he had driven moments earlier.  The sliver of a moon, the same one Deanne had been cursing him under, threw off just enough cold light to let him walk without resorting to a flashlight.  To the right of the road was a steep, thickly wooded upslope unbroken by gates.  To the left he had noted two gates before the one leading to the Tang place.  After passing the second gate, Garrison cut down through the strip of trees and shrubbery that shielded a small stream from the road.  Here the overhanging branches blocked the moonlight and forced him to use a tiny penlight for footing.  The center of the stream marked the lower edge of the Tang property line. 

By picking his way carefully over a series of rocks, Garrison managed to cross it without wetting his feet.  Another hundred feet up a slope made slippery by moss and vines brought him to the hedgerow that edged a broad circular driveway.  Across it stood the most spectacular house Garrison had ever trespassed into.  A string of dim Malibu lights illuminated a curving walkway that led first to a side entrance for servants and deliveries, then on to the damnably white front entrance.  The driveway down to the front gate was long and winding enough that a driver parked out front wouldn’t see someone entering through the front door, and certainly not through the side entrance.  On the chance the sheriff’s deputy had gotten out of the car and strolled up the driveway, Garrison decided to try the side door first.  If investigators had been going in and out all day, there was a good chance it was unlocked.  At least the alarm would be disarmed.  He tried the side door and found it deadbolted.  Shit.  His FBI training hadn’t included a course in lockpicking and he didn’t want to waste time testing what little he had picked up from the times he had locked himself out of his own apartment. 

He could try the front door or go around back to try one of the windows.  From the side door Garrison had a longer view down the driveway.  There was no sign of movement below.  The risk of going through the front door was minimal.  And if he was spotted, he could probably outrun some deputy in stiff leather shoes.  Cursing the Malibu lights and the sheer breadth of the house, Garrison scurried to the front door in a crouch and tried the knob.  It was unlocked.  He took off his shoes and slipped them into a pouch on the side of his canvas bag before walking in. 

The damned place was huge.  For a moment its sheer size, amplified by the darkness, disoriented Garrison.  Get a grip, he told himself.  This shack isn’t half as big as the White House.  His brain shifted into gear and his eyes grew accustomed to the light which was even dimmer than outside.  Still, there was a lot of glass through which some light managed to seep in.  The living room first, he decided.  Much of the furniture was leather, which wasn’t optimal.  There was a silk-upholstered sofa and a settee.  Then he spotted the window treatment.  The heavy fabrics were ideal collectors of pheromones, the hormonal scent signatures as unique to a person as his fingerprints. 

From his black shoulder bag Garrison took out a tiny black vaccuum-cleaner.  The vaccuum cleaner itself was ordinary enough except maybe in its size and power, but the gear that would sift through what it would collect was so cutting-edge that its existence was known to only a handful of people outside DARPA—Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.  The PPI—Pheromone Positive Identification—project was one of a thousand so called “black” projects funded with tens of billions of federal dollars diverted into classified items of DOD and CIA budgets.  Garrison had first gotten wind of the project when he had seen it listed—along with several dozen other black projects—in a memo he had routinely reviewed for the President. 

PPI had been conceived as one of several alternative strategies for equipping tiny intelligent drones with the means to reliably identify and home in on—for observation and possible termination—enemy leaders deemed worthy of being military targets.   This much Garrison had gathered during the briefing arranged under the President’s orders via the Defense Department.  Involving DOD was risky, given that DARPA oversight was shared by the DCI—Director of Central Intelligence—who also happened to be CIA director Martin Underwood.  By going through the DOD side Garrison had hoped to minimize the chances of a double-agent alerting the North Koreans who, purportedly, were responsible for abducting the First Lady.  With a little luck it would produce a lead to the near end of a trail that would lead to the First Lady.  Given the timing of Tang’s murder, and his role in the AATA fundraiser where the First Lady was abducted, it seemed reasonable to suppose the two events involved the same group of perps.  But the abduction had been so clean, and the number of people there so huge, Garrison had decided the only hope for making use of PPI was on the murder side.

Switching on the vacuum, Garrison swept its flared nozzle down a long section of the window treatment.  He also swept swatches of a sofa that showed the effects of its exceptionally convenient location and inviting shape.  Next would be the kitchen where Tang had been killed, at least where he had been turned into ground round.  If the killer were human, even a cold-blooded one, his body would have released billions of pheromone molecules, most of which would have disappeared into the atmosphere, but thousands, perhaps millions, would have been absorbed by porous surfaces in the kitchen and, indeed, throughout the house.  In fact, since the murder happened just a little over twenty-four hours ago, the air itself could contain several parts per billion of the telltale pheromones.  But the name of the game here was relative concentrations.  PPI’s usefulness depended on the precise location where samples were taken and the relative concentrations of the various pheromones present within a given sample. 

The sample he would take from the kitchen, for example, would be expected to reveal highest concentrations of pheromones from Tang’s housekeeper, then possibly Tang, then possibly the killer or killers in roughly the same concentrations as the various law enforcement and forensics people who had been polluting the air since last night, not to mention sundry guests, repairmen or delivery boys.  By methodically accounting for all known persons, the pheromones of the unknown killer could be isolated.  Then it would be a matter of matching those against samples taken from the abodes or offices of all potential suspects until a match was found.  Potentially, the technology could revolutionize crime investigations, but the amount of processing power and legwork it required, especially at this stage when pheromone samples weren’t routinely archived like fingerprints, made it prohibitive for all but the most serious cases.  

During his nine years in the FBI, gung-ho special agent Garrison had met more than his share of fresh stiffs, but he found himself tensing as he entered the kitchen which was about the size of Garrison’s entire apartment.  A couple of the interstate abduction-murders he had worked had been spiced up by a touch of mayhem—eyeballs gouged with screwdrivers, fingers sliced off—but they had been garden-variety compared with what the preliminary FBI memo to Hanson had described.  In the center of the kitchen was a cooking island big enough to butcher, filet and cook an entire cow.  That’s where Tang had been found in various pieces and bits, but of course, he wasn’t there now.  By that afternoon every conceivable photo would have been taken and the other evidence collected and catalogued, leaving the coroner free to remove Tang for more refined fileting in the name of a tidy autopsy report.  Under normal circumstances, his body would now be lying in a drawer with a tag wired to his big toe.  In this case, however, the coroner’s assistant would have been at a loss as to where a tag might be tied.  Garrison arrived at a plausible option.  According to the report at least, the killer apparently hadn’t cut off and ground up that part of Tang’s anatomy as well.

Cut the crap, Garrison reminded himself.  There’s a big job to be done and your lonesome white ass is on the hook.

The blood on the large wooden cutting block had run off on one side and flowed down a table leg and spread in a large puddle on the white marble floor.  Most of the H2O having evaporated by now, the dried blood formed a virtually black crustation.  Law enforcement personnel would leave puddles like that untouched, taking care not to step in it, at least until all photos had been taken.  By that time the blood would have dried to the state it was in now.  Yet, about fifteen inches outside one edge of the puddle was a shoeprint.  It had probably been created when someone had carelessly stepped into the puddle before the blood had dried, then apparently taken a quick backstep on seeing his error. 

What the hell.  The kitchen window was angled away from the front gate and the counter provided some shielding.  Garrison dug into his pocket for a penlight, twisted it on and shone it on the shoeprint.  It was from a man’s dress shoe, a new pair judging by the sharpness of the brand imprint—an expensive European one that probably cost as much as Garrison’s best suit—on the heel and in front of the instep.  The print looked to have been made while the blood was fresh, before it had turned tacky, judging by the way it outspread the sole’s outline around the toe where the most blood had been picked up—probably because full weight had been committed to the toe but not to the heel when the klutz noticed his blunder.  What’s more, just behind the print was a formation of tiny droplets, virtually proving the blood had been fresh enough to spray off during the quick backstep.  Even more convincingly, no evidence of the misstep remained in the main puddle, suggesting the blood had been fresh enough simply to flow over the misstep.  Assuming the blood had crusted at the normal rate for room temperature, the print had to have been made less than an hour or two of the killing.  It didn’t take long for human blood to turn tacky.  And since Tang’s secretary, who had discovered the body, was a woman, and no detective or investigator would have been so careless, the print was likely the killer’s.  From his bag he took out a tape measure, pulled out about a foot of the stiff metal tape and placed it alongside the shoeprint.  Then he took out his 17mm infrared camera and snapped twice.

Garrison’s heart raced with excitement.  If the print were the killer’s, he suddenly knew a great deal.  The killer’s shoe size and taste in shoes.  That he was an amateur with a cast-iron stomach.  No pro would be that careless or wear new dress shoes for a messy murder.  He hadn’t even bothered to wipe off the print.  Must have been in one hell of a big hurry, Garrison thought.  Maybe someone was coming.  Or waiting outside.  Garrison looked for more bloody shoe prints and saw none.  The killer must have removed and carried it.  And if he were that careless, he might have let it drip more blood, which might provide some clue as to his movements.

Several minutes of crawling around the kitchen and hallway on his gloved hands and knees with a penlight failed to turn up other drops.  He didn’t have time to scour the entire house, especially with all the pheromone samples yet to be collected.  No telling when an officer or a security patrol might happen across his rental Chevy and come bopping up to the house with a flashlight and an unsnapped holster.  Getting to his feet, Garrison surveyed the kitchen again.  What struck him visually was how neatly all the blood was concentrated on and around the cutting table.  There were some spatters on the adjacent stainless steel sink, the eight-burner Wolf range, the overhead fan unit, the large wooden block holding a couple dozen knives of all sizes and shapes, and, of course, the gleaming industrial-grade electric meat grinder that must have set Tang back at least couple of grand.  Perfect for whipping up moo shoo pork—or moo shoo Tang—for a hundred of your favorite computer nerds.  But every bit of the blood—except the shoeprint—was consistent with using a 14-inch electric roast knife to behead and dismember a dead tycoon, as the FBI memo had pointed out. 

Not one sign of struggle.

It was as though Tang had graciously lain on the cutting table for quick dismemberment.  Even if someone had surprised Tang and snuffed him before he could put up a fight, you would expect at least some serious trauma to the head or to the torso .  According to the memo, there hadn’t been so much as a strangulation mark on either side of the severed neck.  No bruises or broken blood vessels around the nose and mouth to suggest suffocation either.  Or hypodermic marks on the torso. 

Of course, the arms and legs might have sustained any number of traumas and marks, but Garrison had never heard of someone being murdered with bullets to the thigh or arm.  In any case, some poor coroner’s assistant had spent a half hour mucking around in the mixed muscle, fat, bone and gristle filling the grinder’s output bin and failed to turn up any trace of lead or other foreign substance.  The killer had removed and taken all clothing and jewelry.  No slugs had been found at all on any part of Tang’s person or home. 

Despite the tasteless way the body had been left, the killing itself seemed to have been effortless.  No doubt the coroner would turn up toxins or powerful narcotics in the blood.  Not even the most willing, well-mannered victim could lie still while being dismembered with an electric roast knife.  There had likely been a hypodermic injection to one of the extremities.  That was a possible non-whacko reason for the grinder, as the memo had suggested. 

Having now seen the kitchen with his own eyes, Garrison decided the only possible explanation was that Tang had been napping, charging his batteries for the big fundraiser, been surprised and injected with a powerful fast-degrading toxin, then carried to the kitchen for butchering. 

No more time to lose.  From the back of the tiny vacuum’s handle Garrison popped out a clear plastic cartridge that looked something like a tiny box of breath mints.  He labeled the cartridge with a permanent marker before dropping it into his canvas bag.  He popped in a fresh cartridge and made a few passes up and down the treatment of the kitchen window nearest the butcher table.  Then he moved quickly over to the dining room.  The long, lacquered table, gleaming dully in the wan moonlight from the double-height windows, still held Tang’s sumptuous last supper.  The one he had shared with Robert Rosefall, struggling publisher/editor who had graduated from Boalt and practiced law for nine years.  Tang’s buddy from way back.  Lives in Malibu with wife and couple of kids.  It hadn’t taken Garrison long to agree with Hanson’s assessment that Rosefall had been framed.  Garrison was no profiler, but as an FBI special agent he had studied enough profiles spit out by the FBI’s mainframe to know that Rosefall didn’t fit.  A real profile of a non-family killer would have been a junior-high dropout with a couple of aggravated assaults, an armed robbery or two, maybe a drug bust, a part-time job with some moving company or service station, an apartment in some dumpy neighborhood, no kids—at least none claimed. 

Whoever framed Robert Rosefall must have known Schumacher would take a quick election-eve conviction over pursuing the real killer.  Probably someone with knowledge of the players in local politics.  Stop wasting time on speculation, Garrison reminded himself.  You can’t get caught in here with your pants down. 

Changing cartridges, Garrison swept the fabric cover of the chair at the head of the table, where Tang had likely sat, then, changing cartridges again, the other chair with a place setting.  Then he climbed the staircase to the second floor and found the master suite.  He couldn’t miss it.  The suite took up practically the entire second floor.  The California-king-sized bed was neatly made.  Perhaps Tang had napped on the bedroom sofa.  What puzzled Garrison about the bedroom was that the shelves of both nightstands held an assortment of books and magazines.  Tang was a bachelor.  According to the housekeeper and the black project security team who had been watching him, Tang had rarely brought women into the house.  A software wonder boy who worked sixteen-hour days.  Experience had taught Garrison that people who slept alone in a bed made for two always favored one side, stashing their bedtime reading in and around only one of the nightstands.  Yet both nightstands held reading material.  Was Tang some oddball ambidextrous sleeper?  Maybe the rich were different from you and me.  Schumacher’s investigators hadn’t bothered taking Tang’s bedroom reading into evidence, probably hadn’t even bothered flipping through it.  Pathetic. 

The time pressure weighed heavily but the FBI special agent in him couldn’t resist checking out Tang’s bedtime reading.  He started with the nightstand on the side near the bedroom door.  The untidy stack included three newsmagazine and four trade journals dealing with graphic arts and advertising design.  Two more glossies featuring the kinds of technically spectacular photos that photographers dream of creating.  Two tattered paperbacks printed in Chinese characters.  Stuck between the two books was a packet of photos.  After a brief hesitation Garrison slipped that and the two Chinese paperbacks into his bag.  Tampering with a crime scene and stealing evidence were felonies worth several years of his life.  But who would notice?  Sure as hell, not Schumacher’s people. 

The nightstand on the other side, the side near the window, held five business magazines and two issues of Rim.  Also thick hardbound book on Russian history, a badly printed paperback on post-Soviet Siberian society and economy, a bound dissertation on the key players in the current Chinese political scene and a slim volume titled Thread of the Silkworm.   If Tang was using his two nightstands to organize his reading material by subject, the logic escaped Garrison.  With the luxury of a gigantic bed and two nightstands, Garrison supposed, he might organize his reading too.  Who was he kidding?  He had a hard enough time keeping his dirty laundry off the clean stuff. 

The business magazines were all recent issues published during the past two weeks.  One issue of Rim appeared new but the other was wrinkled, practically tattered, as though it had been read and re-read over and over.  It had been published four years ago.  There was no time to peruse its contents.  Garrison dropped it into his bag, then, the Silkworm book.

Garrison checked his watch.  It was nearly midnight.  He really had to get his ass in gear and finish up.

Armed with a fresh cartridge, Garrison pulled back the plush bedcovers.  The sheets looked like they had just been changed.  Of course, Tang never got to sleep between them Thursday night.  Garrison pulled back the sheets as well and swept the gauze-covered padding below on both sides of the bed.  Then he changed cartridges and moved into the walk-in closet adjacent to the bathroom. 

There were no windows in the closet though it could easily have accommodated a couple of large picture windows.  Finally, a room where he could turn on the lights.  As he shut the door, he noticed that it was surprisingly heavy, a thick slab of solid wood instead of the hollow affairs on most closets.  He flipped the light switch.  What a relief to see in color again!  Like the kitchen, the closet was bigger than Garrison’s apartment, and much more plushly furnished.  To the left was what amounted to a mini-den, containing a long, well-worn black leather sofa, a teak coffee table, two black leather swivel chairs and an eight-foot solid teak desk that must have weighed at least a half ton.  Why would Tang ever want to lounge in his closet?  The house contained several far more appealing places to lounge.  Privacy from the household help?  Perhaps. 

To the right of the closet door were six rows of clothes racks and, against the wall, a long rack devoted to shoes and ties.  What a clothes horse! Garrison thought.  One rack was devoted exclusively to suits, in expensive fabrics.  There must have been five dozen, mostly in black, dark gray, camel and taupe.  The closet was like the men’s department of an exclusive department store.  The suits were carefully arranged by color, starting with the lightest shade of camel and working up to the blackest black.  There wasn’t a single suit that didn’t have at least one identical copy hanging beside it.  Those London and Milan tailors probably gave one hell of a big discount when you bought by the dozen.  Between the dark greys and blacks, however, there were a few gaps, as though several suits had been pulled out.  Probably being dry-cleaned.  He checked the vinyl cover on one of the suits.  Dynasty Cleaners, Los Altos Hills.  He jotted the name and phone number on a notebook he kept in an outer pocket of his shoulder bag.  By the look of things it was unlikely Tang wore a suit twice before having it dry cleaned, making the suits hardly worth sampling.

The shirts, slacks, even the polo shirts, jeans and shorts, were hung or folded as though they were on sale.  There were the shoes though.  Unlikely even Tang would throw away shoes after a single wearing, if for no other reason than the sheer discomfort of breaking in a new pair.  The shoe rack contained dress shoes, tennis shoes, running shoes, cowboy boots, dress boots, hiking boots, even a few pairs of sandals.  In all, there must have been a hundred pairs.  Then Garrison noticed several things simultaneously.  Virtually every pair of dress shoes were the same expensive European brand as the one that had made the bloody misstep down in the kitchen.  Every pair of shoes had at least one twin.  Except three pairs.  They were unmatched.  Or rather, their mates were gone, leaving obvious gaps in the careful arrangement.  Could Tang have sent them out resoling?  Somehow Garrison doubted it.  Maybe he had had them donated to the Salvation Army.  First chance, he would have to talk with Tang’s housekeeper.