AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My best friend Mary Lou was married and had a pack of kids.
No room there. Lula lived in a closet. No room there either.
The sun was setting, and I was feeling panicky. I could sleep in
Rangers truck, but it didn't have a bathroom. I'd have to go to the
Mobil station on the corner to use the toilet. And what about a shower? The Mobil station didn't have a shower. How was I going to get the drool out of my hair? And Rex? This was so pathetic, I thought. My hamster was homeless.
A flashy black Lexus SUV made its way up Slater. I slid low in the seat and held my breath as the Lexus rolled forward. Hard to see through the SUV's tinted windows. Could be anyone driving, I told myself. Could be a perfectly nice family in the Lexus. But in my gut I worried that they were Slayers.
The Lexus stopped in front of Morelli's house. The bass from the SUV stereo thumped down the street and beat against my windshield. After a long moment the SUV moved off.
Looking for me, I thought. And then I burst into tears. I was in emotion overload, feeling sorry for myself. A bunch of gang guys were out to get me. The police had Big Blue. And I'd moved out on Morelli... for the umpteenth time.
Rex had come out of his soup can and was hunkered down on his wheel, myopically surveying his new surroundings.
'Look at me.' I said to Rex. `I'm a mess. I'm hysterical. I need a doughnut.'
Rex got all perky at that. Rex was always up for a doughnut.
I called Morelli on my cell and told him about the Lexus. 'Just thought you should know,' I said. 'Be careful when you go out of the house. And maybe you shouldn't stand in front of any windows.'
'They're not out for me,' Morelli said.
I nodded agreement in the dark truck and disconnected. I drove a half mile down Hamilton and pulled into the drive-thru lane at
Dunkin' Donuts. Is this a great country, or what? You don't even have to get out of your car to get a doughnut. Good thing, too, because I looked a wreck. Besides the grass-stained, ripped-up clothes, my eyes were all red and splotchy from crying. I got a dozen doughnuts, parked in the back of the lot, and dug in. I gave
Rex part of a jelly doughnut and a piece from a pumpkin spice doughnut. I figured pumpkin was good for him.
After eating half the bag I was sick enough not to care about
Morelli or the gang guys. 'I ate too many doughnuts,' I said to Rex.
'I need to lie down or burp or something.' I checked out my shirt.
Big glob of jelly on my boob. Perfect.
The engine was off and the only diode blinking was for the antitheft system. I turned the key and the dash lit up like
Christmas. I touched one of the buttons and the GPS screen slid into place. After a few seconds a map appeared, pinpointing my location. Very slick. I touched the screen and a series of commands appeared. One of the commands was return route. I touched the screen and a yellow line took me from Dunkin' Donuts back to
Morelli's house.
Just for the hell of it I pulled out of the lot and followed the line.
Minutes later, I was at Morelli's house. Interesting thing is, the line didn't stop there. I continued to follow the line and after a couple blocks I got really excited because I knew where I was going. The line was taking me to the police station. And if the line led me to the police station, maybe it would also retrace the route Tank took when he brought the truck to me. If the computer stored enough information there was the possibility that it might take me to the
Bat Cave.
Stephanie Plum 10 - Ten Big Ones
six
I reached the police station and sure enough the yellow line kept going. I was moving back toward the river, into an area of renovated office buildings and street-level businesses. Now I had a new problem. The yellow line could go on forever. It could go right past the Bat Cave, and I'd never know. And just as I was thinking this, the yellow line stopped.
I was on Haywood Street. It was a side street with minimal traffic, two blocks away from the noise and frustration of city center rush-hour gridlock. A series of four-story town houses ran along the north side of the street. A couple office buildings occupied the south side. I had no idea where to go from here.
