I thought it would help to show you where we live; the old brownstone at the corner of West Thirty-Fifth and Baker Streets is our office as well. This photo was taken a few years back for insurance purposes after the new brickwork was put in, but it hasn't changed much since then. You can see the new work on the third floor corner. That's Mr. Slothe's bedroom. The evil Harvey Von Ludwig had managed to conceal a bomb in Mr. Slothe's marmalade. He usually breakfasts in bed before going up to the aviary (that's the bird house up on the roof) and when the bomb went off, it took out the corner of the building. Mr. Slothe was unharmed, but Peaseporter and I had the devil of a time getting him to stop eating long enough to put out the fire on his pajamas.

As you can see, Mr. Slothe's bird-fancying isn't confined to the aviary. The small tree in the front has a dozen feeders, and part of my job is to keep them filled. Likewise the bird bath. Lucky for me it's Mrs. DeSoto's job to clean up the droppings.

This is the plaque out front announcing our office. We've never told Mr. Slothe about the typo; and since he's blind, he's never seen it. It was engraved at Von Ludwig's Trophies, which was a poor choice on our part.

By the way, this picture was taken while Mrs. DeSoto was on vacation.

Below is our office, on the first floor of the brownstone. Mr. Slothe has an extensive braille library, and a globe that was in the White House when Thomas Jefferson was president - a gift from a former client.

Everything - from his oversized desk in the corner to the uncomfortable chairs where many a suspect has faced interrogation - is organized so that the boss can wheel his specially built chair around the office with ease.

Here's where most of the work, and a lot of snacking, get done. Mr. Slothe's desk is always kept in order so that he knows exactly where everything is by touch. From the solid gold hotdog he won at the county fair, to the silverware on top of his microwave (little fork, big fork, knife, big spoon, little spoon - from left to right). My desk's much smaller. On the wall facing me is a mirror, so I can keep an eye on any guests we have while I'm writing in my notebook or uploading new pages to the web.

Through the window, you can see Caligari's Restaurant, which is on the opposite corner from our home and one of the main reasons Mr. Slothe bought the place. Vincenzo Caligari's five-meat lasagna is a weekly staple in our dining room. Within two blocks of the brownstone, there are twelve restaurants. It seems like after Mr. Slothe moved in, they started springing up overnight.