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I was going to tuck that statement away in a corner of my brain for future consideration.
“This is the part of the night where you have to make a decision,” Ranger said. “You can ask me to stay or you can tell me to leave.”
“I can’t ask you to stay.”
Not because I didn’t want him to stay, but because he was part of the problem, and I wasn’t ready to confront him with the issue.
“There’s another part to success,” Ranger said. “You have to be brave.”
I dropped four chocolate chip cookies into a plastic baggie and handed them to Ranger. “I’m working on it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
I WOKE UP thinking about being brave. Sometimes I believe I was brave on the job. I didn’t think of it as being brave when I was doing it. It was just something that had to get done. Like taking a look at Emory Lindal’s trailer. And tackling Steven Cross when I saw him reach for his gun. Okay, so it’s not like a firefighter running into a burning building or a cop putting his life on the line every day. It’s brave in a small way.
Anyway, I don’t think that’s the kind of brave Ranger was talking about. He was talking about taking a chance on a dream. And taking a chance on a personal relationship. And I was sorely lacking in this kind of bravery.
I called Grandma to see if she knew any more about Marvina.
“Appendicitis,” Grandma said. “She’ll be home in a couple days, and we might want to make sure she hasn’t got that cookie tin sitting in her kitchen.”
* * *
—
Lula was already in the office when I arrived. She’d eaten the Boston Kreme and many more. Her short hair was in a state of natural frizz, and she was dressed entirely in pink. Pink tank top. Pink leather skirt that was obscenely short. Pink thigh-high boots.
“What happened to the boho?” I asked.
“That was yesterday. Today I’m in homage to the Pink Panther. And I’m not referring to Steven Cross, who was a total imposter.”
“Is there any news on Roman?” I asked Connie.
“Nothing, but I’d keep a close watch on Grandma. I’m hearing that the La-Z-Boys are nervous.”
“There are only three of them now,” I said. “Are they going to be able to pull off a kidnapping?”
Connie shrugged. “It would be good if you could take Shine off the streets. That would narrow it down to Lou Salgusta, who is batshit crazy, and Benny.”
“Were you ever able to get a current address for Shine?” I asked Connie.
“No. He’s not leaving any tracks. No new credit action to indicate a hotel or a rental car. My mother and my Aunt Stella haven’t heard anything. My guess is that he’s staying with someone. He has friends and relatives who would be willing to hide him. He also has Darlene.”
“Darlene is too obvious,” I said. “He might visit her, but I doubt he’s staying there.”
“If the remaining La-Z-Boys are getting ready to make a move on Grandma, they could be huddling at the Mole Hole,” Connie said.
I checked the time. It was early for the Mole Hole.
“Let’s talk to Darlene,” I said to Lula. “If we don’t learn anything from her, we can stake out the Mole Hole.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Lula said.
We crept through town in rush-hour traffic. Retail wasn’t open for business yet, but office buildings were filling up. Darlene’s parking lot was already half empty.
“A lot of government workers live in this building,” Lula said. “They get to work early so they can leave early and play golf.”
We took the elevator to the third floor and rang Darlene’s doorbell. There was no answer, so I knocked.
