Asemiregular cast of characters drifts into Viva House in West Baltimore, quietly taking seats on folding chairs at long metal tables. They've come for the free lunch: hot dogs, salad and beans, plus a bonus sandwich to go.
"I haven't been here for a month," says one of their servers, a tall, loose-limbed woman with femme-fatale blond hair. "I feel awful."
If you go Laura Lippman will sign copies of her book, What the Dead Know, at 7 tonight at Borders Books & Music, 170 W. Ridgely Road, Timonium. Call 410-453-0727.