This part gets a little tricky.

We’ve got the Scottish mafia, a bio-fueled supercar, two possible femmes fatales, some high-stakes monopoly on Wilshire Blvd., a murkily made methane map, two murders for peat’s sake and a third one linked to a cult-like group that chills the mayor’s bones.

And we’re still in Act One.

If we can tie all this together by the time we’re through, this is gonna be one hell of a yarn, but the time to begin is now.

The next couple of contributors are going to have to launch us into the second act by bringing things to a head -- some major plot point that moves Napolitano to focus on a clear, new goal. (I dealt with this a little bit, here.)

So before you write the next few pages, think about what’s been going on in our story when we weren’t looking. What’s the deal with the peat, for instance? Is somebody trying to send a message, and why?

Then point us toward that big twist, either in this installment or the next one, that will set us on a bold new course of action.

And the rest of us will take it from there.