Summary

In Chapter 19, Manfred is working late and starts wondering about Lem and the hand holding incident in the restaurant. Manfred starts questioning his own sexuality as the incident was not without sexual overtones. He decides to confront Lem and goes to the pawnshop. When he arrives a creature is also there who would have eaten him if Lem had not told her that Manfred is a friend. The creature, who is a snake shifter, leaves and Manfred and Lem talk about the night when Manfred had first met Lem and Lem had held his hand under the table. Lem tells Manfred that he thought that he might have needed extra energy depending on what the outsiders had done. He had chosen Manfred because he judged him to be an open minded person and it was an easy way to let Manfred know what...