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“Might have been,” I said, “but more likely it was the kidnappers getting impatient.”
I hung my messenger bag on a hook in what served as a foyer and went into the kitchen. I said hello to Rex and looked in the fridge. Jackpot. Morelli’d brought me a six-pack of beer and saved me some of his mom’s meatballs in sauce.
“If I’d known this was in my fridge I would have run faster,” I said.
I got a fork and ate a meatball. No need to get fancy and heat it up and sprinkle it with grated cheese. A cold meatball is still a treasure. I forked a second meatball and brought it into the living room.
“Catch me up,” Morelli said, sitting next to me.
“Do you want the short version or the long version?”
“The long version.”
An hour later I was at the end of my story and Morelli was leaning forward, taking it all in.
“So that’s why I was being careful in the parking lot just now,” I said.
“They cleaned out the crypto account.”
“Yup.”
“And you have the coin?”
I pulled it out of my jeans pocket and handed it over to Morelli.
“I’m a cop,” Morelli said. “I’m supposed to be the one with the dangerous job, but you keep one-upping me.”
“You’re just being modest. What about the women who beat you up on the bridge?”
“You’re right. That was scary.”
“So where do I go from here? Do you have any suggestions?”
“If it was me, I’d throw Benji, Beedle, and Sparks under the bus.”
“I don’t want to do that.”
“They’ve probably broken at least a dozen laws.”
“I know, but they aren’t bad people and putting them in prison would ruin their lives.”
“You’re a bounty hunter. It’s what you do.”
“It feels different.”
Morelli froze for a beat, no doubt trying to adjust to the logic of female reasoning.
“You’re limiting your options,” he said. “You can’t bring the feds in without implicating Benji, Beedle, and Sparks.”
“I’m not ready to bring the feds in anyway. Now that we know all this… what should I do?”
“Go proactive. Give them the coin and let them find out for themselves that they’ve been robbed. You were right in assuming they’re going to come after you. Ranger will have to be ready to take them out.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“I hate it.”
“Yeah, me too,” I said. “You have any other ideas?”
