"The Cosmological Constant"
Frank Benjamin has a problem. Actually, as an alcoholic, down-and-out former cop with a past that haunts him and a private detective agency on the brink of insolvency, he has a lot of problems. But the issue troubling him as the novel opens is a new one to him: he seems to be fading at the edges.
"Frank nodded, watching for a moment as Garber turned and began to make his way down the hall. Frank knew he should be more concerned about how he was already involved in something he was certain he was hearing about for the first time, but his only thoughts at the moment were on the bottle of Bourbon in his desk. Turning, he ignored Alberta’s quizzical look, hustled into his office and closed the door behind himself. Retrieving the fifth, he was disappointed to see it was nearly empty. He couldn’t recall drinking that much. Unable to locate a clean glass, he snatched a dirty one from the filing cabinet. Flinging what looked like the curled-up carcass of a spider from the bottom, he pulled a rumpled shirt tail out of his trousers and wiped out the inside of the glass. He poured two fingers’ worth, but seeing that there would be only one shot remaining, he finished the bottle, making a mental note to get a replacement. "