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“Aside from putting you on a plane to Costa Rica, no.”
I was relieved that I’d spewed out the big secret to Morelli. A nice warm glow swirled through my stomach.
“How about ideas not related to Benji, Beedle, and Sparks,” I said to Morelli. “You have any ideas on other subjects?”
Morelli grinned. “I have lots of ideas.” He slid his hand under my T-shirt. “I’ve waited all week to demonstrate my ideas.”
“New stuff?”
“Some new stuff and some old favorites.”
“And you’re going to cram all this into one night?”
“I have a plan.”
You gotta love a man with a plan.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Morelli finished up the last part of his plan at the crack of dawn. He told me he loved me, gave me one last kiss, and rolled out of my bed.
I was disoriented from lack of sleep and the final fireworks display. “Are you going to work?” I asked him. “What day is it? Isn’t it Saturday?”
“I’m not working today,” he said. “I have to get home to Bob. He’s used to going out first thing in the morning. I should have brought him with me, but I wasn’t thinking ahead. Come home with me and I’ll make you breakfast.”
“I’m not up for breakfast yet. Aren’t you tired?”
“No, but I’m a little sore. I think I pulled a muscle on one of my new ideas.”
No kidding. I had a pretty good idea which muscle.
An hour later I was still awake. I had a lot on my mind. Kidnapping, torture, death, Costa Rica. I dragged myself out of bed, took a shower, and called Ranger.
“I have the coin,” I said, “but there’s a problem. We need to talk.”
“Babe,” Ranger said.
I took that to meananytime, so I grabbed my messenger bag and drove to Rangeman. I got a breakfast sandwich and coffee from the fifth-floor dining area and took it to Ranger’s office.
“Do you want the long version or the short version?” I asked him.
“I want the bottom line.”
“I have the coin to trade for Connie, but the kidnappers aren’t going to be happy with it and will probably want to torture and maybe kill me.”
“Give me the long version,” Ranger said.
“So here are the choices,” I said at the end of the long version. “I can give up Benji, Beedle, and Sparks to the FBI. The FBI come up with a plan and if it works, we get Connie back and the bad guys will go to jail. There’s also the chance that Benji, Beedle, and Sparks will go to jail. Second choice is that we swap the coin for Connie and when the bad guys realize they’ve been robbed, I give them Benji, Beedle, and Sparks. This would be ugly for Benji, Beedle, and Sparks. Third choice is I give the bad guys the coin, they give us Connie, and when they discover they’ve been robbed they come after me.”
“And you chose door number three,” Ranger said.
“Yes.”
“I would have to eliminate the bad guys.”
“Yes. Would that damage your karma?”
“Probably, but I’ve been storing karma credits.”
