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“Hamilton Township.”
“That theater went bankrupt. It’s boarded up.”
“Yeah, I would have preferred to have more people around. I’m going to make the exchange. I don’t trust Delvina. He’s too nervous. I want you on the roof with a rifle.”
“I’m not actually a gun person. If you want a sharpshooter, that would be Connie.”
“Then get Connie. The exchange is set to take place at noon. I need to have you and Connie on the roof at least an hour ahead. The front of the parking lot is wide open. The back is up against an alley that gives access to the Dumpsters. To the other side of the alley is a greenbelt. So you should be able to sneak in the back door and get up on the roof. I’ll make sure all the doors are open for you. I’ve been pulling up aerial shots of the area on your computer, and I think this will work.”
Stephanie Plum 13.5 - Plum Lucky
Chapter 10
“We have the money to ransom Grandma,” I told Connie and Lula when I got to the bonds office. “The exchange is going to take place at noon in the parking lot of the bankrupt multiplex in Hamilton Township.”
“Where’d you get that kind of money?” Lula asked.
“Diesel picked it up.”
“He’s the man,” Lula said.
“He needs a sharpshooter on the roof, covering his back,” I said to Connie. “Can you take a couple hours off today?”
“Sure,” Connie said. “I’ll pick out something nice from the back room.”
The back room to the bonds office contained a mess of confiscated items ranging from toaster ovens to Harleys to computers and televisions. It also housed an arsenal. Connie had a crate of handcuffs bought at a fire sale, boxes of ammunition for just about every gun in the universe, handguns, shotguns, rifles, machine guns, knives, a couple tasers, and a rocket launcher.
“I’m not exactly chopped liver with a gun,” Lula said. “I
’ll come, too.”
Lula was only a marginally better shot than me. The difference between Lula and me was that Lula was willing to shoot at most anything.
A half hour later, Lula parked her Firebird on the far side of the greenbelt, and we bushwhacked our way through the vegetation to the alley. The alley was empty and the back door to the theater was unlocked. Connie had a sniper rifle equipped with a high-?powered scope and laser, plus a purse filled with assorted toys. Lula had chosen an assault rifle. And I was elected to carry the ammo and the rocket launcher.
“I really don’t think we need a rocket launcher,” I said to Lula.
“Better safe than sorry,” Lula said. “And anyways, I always wanted to fire off one of them rockets.”
Connie went in first, and we all followed the beam from her flashlight through the dark theater and up the fire stairs to the door that led to the roof. The door was unlocked, as promised. The roof was flat and tarred. The sun was weak in a gray sky, heavy with clouds and the threat of rain. I was wearing a sweatshirt under a windbreaker, and I felt the chill creeping through the layers.
I could see why Diesel had chosen this particular building. We were able to hide behind an elaborate stucco false front and still see everything in the lot below. Lula and
Connie found positions they liked. I found a place where I could see the action and not get in the way.
“I feel just like a SWAT guy” Lula said. “If I’d known, I’d have dressed appropriately.”
As it was, Lula was in four-?inch stilettos, a short black spandex skirt that almost fit her, an orange spandex T-?shirt, and a matching orange faux fur jacket.
We hunkered in to wait for the exchange, and at eleven-?thirty, we heard a car pull up to the back of the building. We ran to the back and looked down at a black Lincoln Town Car. Two men got out and tried the door. We’d locked the door after we’d entered, so they went to the trunk of the Town Car, got a tire iron, beat the crap out of the door, and pried it open. They went back to the trunk, got a couple rifles, and disappeared into the building.
“I bet they’re Delvina guys,” Lula said. “They’re probably coming up to the roof.”
Connie nodded in agreement.
“Well, tough tooties,” Lula said. “We were here first. We got dibs on the roof.”
“I think we need to ice them,” Connie said. “Anybody bring cuffs?”
