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“Okay, but I don’t expect to hear from him. He said he wouldn’t be home for quite a while.”
Ranger and I moved toward the door.
“We’re done here,” Ranger said to Jeff. “Lock up when you leave.”
“The lock seems to be broken,” Jeff said.
“I’ll send someone to fix it,” Ranger said.
Ranger and I left and walked to the Cayenne. We waited in the car until we saw Jeff leave Dugan’s house, put a plastic bag in the trash, climb into his car, and drive away.
“What do you think?” I asked Ranger.
“He seems benign, and his body type doesn’t fit either of the two people who wheeled Dugan out of the hospital.”
“Did you find anything interesting in the house?”
“Nothing specific,” Ranger said. “You were right. The house is clean, it says a lot about his personality. I’m going to put surveillance cameras on his front and back doors. He’s a creature of habit. He’s not going to be comfortable using someone else’s choice of shampoo. He’s going to want his pillow, his razor, his crossword puzzle book. He’s going to send someone to get these things if he’s still in the area.”
The neighborhood was waking up. Lights were on in all the houses and dogs were barking. Ranger put the Porsche in gear, drove the length of the alley, and turned toward the center of the city.
“I have morning meetings,” Ranger said. “I’ll take you home and get back to you later in the day.”
CHAPTER SIX
Bob rushed up to me when I let myself into my apartment. I gave him hugs and did a quick look around. All upholstered pieces seemed to be intact, and he hadn’t chewed through any table legs.
“Who’s a good boy? Are you a good boy?” I asked him, ruffling his ears.
I pulled the remaining protein bar out of my sweatshirt pocket and gave it to Bob. It was oats and coconut. No raisins. Okay as Bob food.
I shuffled off to the bathroom, pulled my out-of-control hair into a ponytail, applied a light smudge of eyeliner, dusted some highlighter and blush on my cheeks, and glossed up my lips with pink lipstick. I looked at the woman in the mirror and wished I’d taken the time to look like this for Ranger. Omigod. Mental slap in the face. Get real, Stephanie. You’re two inches away fromcheating on your boyfriend and going straight to hell. You don’t want to look better for Ranger. You want to look worse. You need pimples. Bad breath. Hairy legs. I hooked Bob up to his leash and we headed off to the bail bond office.
Lula was pacing in front of Connie’s desk when I walked in. She had a butterscotch glazed doughnut in one hand and a chocolate cake doughnut in the other. Connie was looking like she needed a vacation. The door to my cousin Vinnie’s inner office was closed.
“Hey,” I said. “How’s it going?”
“I’ll tell you how it’s going,” Lula said. “It’s not going good. I didn’t get no sleep last night. And I didn’t get no sleep the night before that. I didn’t say nothing because I don’t like to complain. I’m not one of them whiners, you see what I’m saying?”
I knew I was going to regret asking, but I had to ask anyway. “What’s the problem?”
“I’m getting stalked,” Lula said. “And it’s no normal stalking. I’m getting stalked by Grendel.”
Connie pantomimed stabbing herself in the eye with her fine-tipped Sharpie.
“Who’s Grendel?” I asked Lula.
“You don’t know Grendel?” Lula said. “He’s a famous demon. He’s a man-eater. He lives in the land of the Spear-Danes and attacks King Hrothgar’s mead hall every night. Supposedly he was killed by Beowulf but clearly, he wasn’t.”
“Oh,” I said. “That Grendel.”
“He’s stalking Lula,” Connie said to me, holding out the doughnut box. “Do you want a doughnut? There’s a maple glazed and a vanilla frosted with sprinkles.”
I took the maple glazed. “What about the daily mead-hall attacks?”
“He must have given them up,” Lula said.
“In favor of stalking you?”
