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“The thing is you gotta put it all together,” Lula said. “When you’re a fashionista like me, you have to be top to bottom. Like you can’t use a red thong with desert camo outerwear. That would be all wrong.”
“Are you wearing a camo thong?” I asked her.
“I decided to go with khaki on the thong. It’s a good accent piece, and it complements my skin tone, but it’s still in keeping with the overall theme.”
I put the Superman gift bag next to the doughnut box. “I saw Benji yesterday. He brought this as a new office gift, and he invited us to his grand opening tomorrow. He bought the comic book store and renamed it Benji Land.”
Lula pulled the comics out of the bag and shrieked when she saw Thor.
“It’s the Thor action figure!” she said. “It’s the exact one I wanted. It looks just like Thor inRagnarokbefore he got his haircut. Don’t get me wrong, Thor is a hot god no matter if he’s got long or short hair, it’s just I prefer the long version. He’s got his mighty hammer with him too, and you can move his arms.” She set Thor on the couch next to her. “We’ve gotta go to Benji’s grand opening so I can thank him,” Lula said. “We’re all going, right?”
“Right,” I said.
“Right,” Connie said.
“How long is Harry going to be away?” I asked Connie.
“He’s supposed to be home on Wednesday.”
“Does he know about the office? About Vinnie?”
“He knows about the office. The insurance adjuster is supposed to look at the property today. I have the plans from when we rebuilt the office last time it got destroyed, so it should be easier this time. Harry hasn’t mentioned Vinnie, and I haven’t brought him up. I don’t know what to say about Vinnie.”
“About all you can say is that he’s missing,” Lula said. “Unlessyou want to add that he looks like a big bat hanging from a meat hook somewhere. Problem is that inspires conversations we got no answers for.”
My mom called. “It’s raining and I need some things at Giovichinni’s. Your father is out with the taxi and my car is in the shop. Something’s wrong with the starter.”
I looked out the window. Sure enough it was raining.
“Send me a list,” I said.
“I thought we’d have pot roast tonight for you and Joseph. Eddie, the butcher at Giovichinni’s, is holding a nice rump roast for me. And I know Joseph likes chocolate cake. I thought we’d have that for dessert.”
“Sounds great.”
I hung up and texted Morelli.Are we on for dinner at my parents’ house tonight?
Yes, he texted back.I’m on call but hopefully I won’t be needed.
“I have to make a deli run for my mom,” I said to Connie and Lula. “I’ll be back.”
“We’ll be here,” Lula said. “We’re just hanging out waiting to hear from kidnappers.”
I put the hood up on my sweatshirt and kept my head down walking through the rubble. I got to the sidewalk and had a moment of confusion when I couldn’t find my car. I realized my car was a new black Discovery, and I did a mental head slap. Duh.
I drove to Giovichinni’s, parked at the curb, and ran inside. I went straight to Eddie and got the rump roast.
“It’s a beauty,” he said. “I picked it out first thing this morning when your mom called. Are you still seeing that cop?”
“Joe Morelli? Yes.”
“Too bad. Come see me if it doesn’t work out.”
I assured him that he would be the first to know, and I started working my way through my mom’s list. What is it with butchers and me? It’s like I’m a butcher magnet.
I got everything on the list and wheeled my cart to the checkout. Mary Ann Giovichinni was working the register. She looked at me and then her attention shifted to the door.
“Oh crap,” Mary Ann said on a whisper.
