Part 30 (2/2)

”Ronald is probably going to take the heart to Richmond tomorrow,” I said to Ranger. ”And I'm worried they'll discover it doesn't belong to Louie D.”

”And?”

”And I'm afraid they might want to send a message by doing something terrible to Mooner or Dougie.”

”And?”

”And I think Mooner and Dougie are in Richmond. I think Louie D's wife and sister are secretly working together. And I think they have Mooner and Dougie.”

”And you'd like to rescue them.”

”Yes.”

Ranger smiled. ”Might be fun.”

Ranger has an odd sense of fun.

”I got Louie D's home address from Connie. Louie D's wife has supposedly been locked up there since Louie died. Estelle Colucci, Louie's sister, is down there, too. She left for Richmond the same day Mooner disappeared. I think somehow the women kidnapped Mooner and took him to Richmond. And I bet Dougie's also in Richmond. Maybe Estelle and Sophia got fed up with Benny and Ziggy b.u.mbling around and decided to take matters into their own hands.” Unfortunately, my theory got a lot fuzzier from there on out. One of the reasons for the fuzziness was that Estelle Colucci didn't fit the description of the crazy-eyed woman. In fact, she didn't even fit the description of the woman in the limo.

”Do you want to stop home first for anything?” Ranger asked. ”Or do you want to leave now?”

I looked back at the bike. I had to stash the bike somewhere. Probably it wasn't a good idea to tell my mother I was going to Richmond with Ranger. And I didn't feel entirely comfortable just leaving the bike in my parking lot. The seniors in my building tend to run over objects smaller than a Cadillac. G.o.d knows, I didn't want to leave it with Morelli. Morelli would insist on going to Richmond. Morelli was as competent at this sort of operation as Ranger. In fact, Morelli might even be better than Ranger because Morelli wasn't as crazy. Problem was, this wasn't a police operation. This was a bounty hunter operation.

”I need to do something with the bike,” I told Ranger. ”I don't want to leave it here.”

”Don't worry about it. I'll have Tank take care of it until we get back.”

”He needs the key.”

Ranger looked at me like I was a very dim bulb.

”Right,” I said. ”What was I thinking?” Tank didn't need a key. Tank was one of Ranger's merry men and Ranger's merry men had better fingers than Ziggy.

We left the Burg and headed south, picking the turnpike up at Bordentown. The rain started a few minutes later, a fine mist at first, growing more steady as the miles flew by. The Mercedes hummed along, following the ribbon of road. The night enveloped us, the darkness broken only by the lights on the dash.

All the comforts of a womb with the technology of a jet airplane c.o.c.kpit. Ranger pushed a b.u.t.ton on the CD player and cla.s.sical music filled the car. A symphony. Not G.o.dsmack, but nice anyway.

By any calculations it was about a five-hour trip. Ranger wasn't the sort to make small talk. Ranger kept his life and his thoughts to himself. So I reclined my seat and closed my eyes. ”If you get tired and want me to drive just let me know,” I said.

I relaxed back into the seat and wondered about Ranger. When we first met he was all muscle and street swagger. He talked the talk and walked the walk of the Hispanic end of the ghetto, dressing in fatigues and SWAT black. Now suddenly he was dressed in cashmere, listening to cla.s.sical music, sounding more like Harvard Law and less like Coolio.

”You don't by any chance have a twin brother, do you?” I asked.

”No,” he said softly. ”There's only one of me.”

I WOKE UP when the car stopped moving. It was no longer raining, but it was very dark. I looked at the digital clock on the dash. It was almost three. Ranger was studying the large brick colonial on the opposite side of the street.

”Louie D's house?” I asked.

Ranger nodded.

It was a large house on a small lot. The houses around it were similar. They were all relatively new houses. No mature trees or shrubs. In twenty years it would be a lovely neighborhood. Right now it seemed a little too new, too bare. There were no lights s.h.i.+ning in Louie D's house. No cars parked at the curb. Cars were kept in garages or driveways in this neighborhood.

”Stay here,” Ranger said. ”I need to look around.”

I watched him cross the street and disappear into the house shadows. I cracked the window and strained to hear sounds but heard nothing. Ranger had been Special Forces in another life, and he's lost none of his skills. He moves like a large lethal cat. I, on the other hand, move like a water buffalo. Which I suppose was why I was waiting in the car.

He emerged from the far side of the house and sauntered back to the Mercedes. He slid behind the wheel and turned the key in the ignition.

”It's locked up tight,” he said. ”The alarm is on and most of the windows have heavy drapes drawn. Not much to see. If I knew more about the house and its routine I'd go in and look around. I'm reluctant to do that not knowing how many people are inside.” He pulled away from the curb and rolled down the street. ”We're fifteen minutes away from a business district. The computer tells me there's a strip mall, some fast-food places, and a motel. I had Tank get us rooms. You can have a couple hours to sleep and get freshened up. My suggestion is to knock on Mrs. D's door at nine and finesse ourselves into the house.”

”Works for me.”

Tank had gotten rooms in a cla.s.sic two-story chain motel. Not luxurious but not awful, either. Both rooms were on the second floor. Ranger opened my door and hit the light, giving the room a quick scan. Everything looked in order. No mad man lurking in darkened corners.

”I'll come for you at eight-thirty,” he said. ”We can get breakfast and then say h.e.l.lo to the ladies.”

”I'll be ready.”

He pulled me toward him, lowered his mouth to mine, and kissed me. The kiss was slow and deep. His hands were firm on my back. I grasped his s.h.i.+rt and leaned into him. And I felt his body respond.

A vision of myself in the wedding gown popped into my head. ”s.h.i.+t!” I said.

”That's not the usual reaction I get when I kiss a woman,” Ranger said.

”Okay, here's the truth. I'd really like to sleep with you, but I have this stupid wedding gown . . .”

Ranger's lips swept along my jawline to my ear. ”I could make you forget the gown.”

”You could. But that would create really terrible problems.”

”You have a moral dilemma.”

”Yes.”

He kissed me again. Lightly this time. He stepped back and a small humorless smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. ”I don't want to put any pressure on you and your moral dilemma, but you better hope you can bring Eddie DeChooch in all by yourself because if I help you I'll collect my fee.”

And then he left. He closed the door behind him, and I could hear him walk partway down the hall and enter his own room.

Yikes.

I stretched out on the bed, fully clothed, lights on, eyes wide. When my heart stopped hammering in my chest and my nipples started to relax I got up and splashed water on my face. I set the alarm for eight. Yippee, four hours to sleep. I turned the light out and crawled into bed. Couldn't sleep. Too many clothes. I got up and stripped down to my panties and crawled into bed. Nope, couldn't sleep that way, either. Not enough clothes. I put my s.h.i.+rt back on, crawled back under the covers, and instantly clonked off to dreamland.

<script>