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what he was wearing as long as I was getting barbecue sauce removed from my walls.
My cell phone buzzed, and I recognized Morelli’s number.
“I’m trying to find Lula,” he said. “I called the office, and they said she was with you.”
“Why didn’t you just call her cell?”
“She’s not answering her cell.”
“Do you want to talk to her?”
“I need to show her a photograph. Where are you?”
“We’re in my apartment.”
“Stay there. I’m a couple minutes away.”
“That was Morelli,” I said to Lula. “He’s coming here with a photograph he wants you to look at. He said you’re not answering your cell phone.”
“It’s out of juice. I forgot to plug it in.”
Five minutes later, I opened my door to Morelli. He looked at me in my Rangeman clothes, and the line of his mouth tightened. “Why don’t I just lie down in the parking lot and let you run over me a couple times. It would be less painful.”
“Been there, done that,” I said.
The bright red splotches in my kitchen caught his attention. “Remodeling?” he asked.
“Pressure cooker full of barbecue sauce.”
That got a smile. “Where’s Lula?”
“Eating lunch in the dining room.”
The smile widened when Morelli walked into the dining room and eyeballed Lula in her flak vest and Larry in his cocktail dress.
“This here’s Larry,” Lula said to Morelli. “He’s Mister Clucky.”
“I’m a fireman full-time,” Larry said. “Being Mister Clucky is my part-time job.”
Morelli extended his hand. “Joe Morelli. Isn’t it early in the day for a cocktail dress?”
“I guess,” Larry said, “but I stayed over, and this was all I had to wear.”
Morelli cut his eyes to me. “He stayed over?”
“It’s complicated.”
“I bet.”
“Are those pictures you’re holding for me?” Lula asked. “You need to be figuring this out, because I’m gettin’ tired of this kill Lula bullshit.”
Morelli gave her the photos, and Lula flipped through them.
“This one,” Lula said. “This guy with the bad haircut and a nose like Captain Hook. He’s one of the killers. He’s the one with the meat cleaver.”
“That’s Marco the Maniac,” Morelli said.
“Oh shit,” Lula said. “I got a killer named Maniac. Where’s my helmet? I need my helmet. I think I left it at the office.”
