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“You trust me.”
“I do. But I don’t trust him.”
“You’re pretty smart for a Trenton cop.”
“I finished the Jumble today.”
“Impressive.”
I said good night, and looked over the list of gelato flavors.
“There are so many,” I said to Ranger. “I can’t choose.”
“Do you want me to choose for you?”
“No!”
He looked at his watch. “You have thirty seconds.”
“I want Tiramisu. No, wait, Strawberry. Maybe Caramel Swirl.”
“Ten seconds.”
“Mango, Coffee, Chocolate Marshmallow …”
“She’ll have Tiramisu,” he said to the girl at the counter. “And a large Banana Sunrise.” He turned to me. “Always go with your first instinct.”
“You’re not having any?”
“My first instinct is to pass.”
TWENTY-EIGHT
I ATE MY gelato and commandeered the bedroom while Ranger and Hal worked at the dining table. I watched television, ordered room service, and shut the door against the stream of men coming and going, reporting in to Ranger.
I called Connie and told her I was on a job with Ranger and might not be in the office tomorrow. I called Lula and asked her to look in on Briggs and the dogs. I got a call from Grandma Mazur asking for a ride home from Bingo.
“Sorry,” I said. “I’m in Atlantic City on a job with Ranger.”
“I wouldn’t mind being in Atlantic City,” Grandma said. “I like those all-you-can-eat lunch buffets. And I could spend some time playing the slots.
I haven’t done that in an age.”
“I’m not doing any of those things. I’m working.”
“Did you have a swirly frozen yogurt?”
“No, but I had a gelato.”
“Then it wasn’t a total waste,” Grandma said.
From the level of activity in the other room I could guess that there weren’t any more Vlatko sightings. I changed back into my comfy T-shirt advertising beer, crawled into bed, and switched the light off. I woke up at sunrise with Ranger next to me. Naked. No surprise there. Ranger always slept naked.
“I suppose I should be happy I don’t have half of Rangeman and an FBI SWAT team in bed with me,” I said.
“They have a room next door, and Hal’s on the couch. If you’re really happy, I could get rid of Hal.”
“I’m not that happy. I’m wondering why I felt compelled to do this. It’s not like I have something to contribute.”
