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I took the gag out of his mouth.
“I’m going to kill them,” he said. “All of them.”
“I wouldn’t do that if I was you,” Lula said. “They’ll throw you in prison forever and you might not be happy there.” She turned to me. “Now, this is what I’m talking about. Crazy shit. Not everybody gets to see stuff like this. The tattoo artist showed some talent and a real steady hand.”
I was caught between bursting out laughing and losing my lunch. I would be happy to live the rest of my life without seeing anything like this ever again. Still, I had to give the women credit for a job well done. And from the condition of the house, it was clear that they’d done a search.
“Did they get everything?” I asked Winter.
“They got enough,” he said.
“How are we going to get him out to the car?” Lula asked. “You want me to cut the ropes?”
“Yes. He’s already wearing my cuffs.”
We got him standing, wrapped him in the sheet, and helped him hobble to the car.
“So, I’m thinking you knew the women who snatched you,” I said to Winter. “And I’m curious because they all looked alike. They were all blond. In fact, they looked like they had their hair done at the same salon. They all had diamond studs, and they were wearing Lululemon.”
“I’ve got a type,” Winter said. “I like blond trophy wives.”
“These wives must have got the memo about how to dress for a revenge party,” Lula said.
“They’re trophy wives,” Winter said. “They all dress like that.”
“You’re an idiot,” I said to Winter, and I shoved him into the backseat.
My grandmother was alone in the office when Lula and I returned.
“Your mother had to go to the market and then home to get dinner started,” Grandma said. “We’re having chicken parm tonight in case you want some.”
“Count me in,” Lula said. “I’d just as leave not be alone, thinking about Connie. This is when you want to be with friends and family, and I think about you as being both.”
“Sure,” I said. “I’ll be there, too. Were there any calls while we were gone?”
“None,” Grandma said. “I didn’t check the email. It’s got a password on it.”
“No problem,” I said. “Lula can check it, and I’ll give you a ride home. There’s nothing else I can do until Ranger and I get the coin back tonight.”
“Perfect,” Grandma said. “I’ll get home in time to help your mother with dinner. Sometimes she has too much hooch and pounds the bejeezus out of the chicken.”
I dropped Grandma off and drove to Pino’s. Connie’s car was still there. It had a red-and-black police sticker on it. I called Morelli.
“I’m sitting in Pino’s lot, looking at Connie’s car,” I said. “It has a police sticker on it.”
“I had the crime lab go over it, but they didn’t find anything unusual. You might want to move the car, so it doesn’t get vandalized. There’s nothing about Connie on my end. Do you know anything?”
“I have some ideas.”
“You had ideas earlier,” Morelli said.
“I still have the same ideas. I thought I would try to talk to Bella today. I don’t suppose you want to come with me?”
“I can’t. I’m up to my eyeballs in paperwork and I’m the only one here if a call comes in. Two guys are out with the flu.”
“Is this the blue flu?”
“No, this is flu like the plague.”
