Still not mine, just playing with Janet Evanovh's characters. And thank you for your support with reviews and favourites!
Chapter 15. Boom
They worked out a schedule, with alternating weekends and split the late shifts. In return Steph got more weekdays off work. She had also looked up a couple of online courses. She hadn't decided yet, but was seriously thinking about taking some. She was also thinking about the pro bono office, and whether they would be interested in her work.
Earning more money without dumpster diving was nice. Steph and Mary Lou had decided to meet up at the mall. Steph needed a couple of warmer business outfits. And they had tentatively talked about a new girl's night out, this time with dancing, not just eating. So they could definitely do with a new outfit, and shoes, for that.
Steph's clunker of a car still worked OK, and she figured that it was her most long lived car since the repossessed Mazda she owned before she had to blackmail Vinnie to give her the job as a BEA. Most days har parking karma wasn't that great, but on a gloomy Tuesday in October she came fairly close to one of the side entrances. She went in, and she and Mary Lou met up and decided to start their shopping with coffee.
"How are things?" Mary Lou asked after giving a report on her family.
"I still like working for Sebring's," Steph said. "But Les totally called me on it, now I've made the changes I could see would benefit the business, it's getting a bit boring. I still don't know what I'll do in a year, but I'm feeling good about my work and salary, and I'm thinking of taking some courses."
She had of course told Mary Lou about what Les Sebring had said to her. Mary Lou had pointed out that her new employer obviously had a better knowledge of her after one month, than her parents after plus thirty tears.
"Do you know what you'd like to study?"
"Not really. Maybe some Psychology. Or Criminology."
"Talking about that," Mary Lou said. "My mum ran into Helen, who said that Joe would be coming back soon."
"Really? She's actually not talked about Joe for a couple of weeks. Only about everyone in the neighbourhood getting hitched or having kids. She's given me the name of some eligible bachelors, too. But I've only been over for dinner once. With this work schedule I can always pretend I'm working when she demands a dinner presence. Those creepy phone calls are still ongoing, though."
"You still think it's Joe?"
"Pretty sure it is, I've lived a safe and boring life for a while now."
"Have you heard anything about Ranger?"
"No, I was at Haywood last week to say hi. Tank hadn't heard anything either, but tried to tell me that 'no news is good news'."
They finished their coffee and then hit the shops. Stephanie found a pair of wool trousers in a reddish brown colour that went perfectly with the new boots she found next door. A couple of blouses, a super soft cream white cashmere cardigan and a beautiful scarf complemented her working look. For a fun girls' night out she and Mary Lou each found a new dress. Mary Lou's was green and black, emphasizing the curves she had found again after she had become member of a gym nearby her home. Steph bought an aquamarine dress with a plunging back and a flirty skirt. For once Steph couldn't find new shoes that she liked, but consoled herself with the black half boots she had found on a clearance last week. She also helped Mary Lou find a new pair of black platform pumps that fit the new dress. They ate lunch at the mall, and then went home. Or at least Steph had planned on going home. On her way to the entrance she heard sirens. Looking out she saw flames in the parking lot, coming from the direction where she had parked her car. She decided to wait until the fire department were finished before she went out. Hopefully her car would be intact, but considering her luck with cars, probably not.
Still looking out she got a call on her cell phone.
"Steph."
"Hi Steph, it's Woody. Are you alright?"
"Do you still have a tracker on my car?" she asked. She wanted to be annoyed, but couldn't really be bothered. She wondered if she was more mellow, or merely tired.
"Eh, yeah?" Woody said. "But now the tracker's stopped working."
"I'm at the mall. I've been shopping for a couple of hours, and was just on my way out when I heard the sirens. The flames are coming from the direction I parked my car. Have you heard anything on the police radio?"
"No, not yet. Ehmm…"
"Spit it out."
"Hector and Zero was in the neighbourhood. I believe they want to check up on you."
Steph sighed.
"Tell them they can buy me cup of coffee. I'll wait at the food court."
Five minutes later she was sitting at a table opposite Zero, with Hector next to her, sipping on a mocha with whipped cream. In front of her she had a brownie. The men were drinking black coffee, and didn't eat anything.
The phone rang, and Zero answered. He didn't really say anything, just listened, before he hung up. Zero was usually a man that could make Tank seem chatty and laid back.
Now he looked at Steph and gave her a smile that showed a dimple she didn't know he had.
"Only you and your cars, Bomber," he said.
"What do you mean. I'll have you know that I'd had that car since before this summer!"
"Well, it has now gone on to the big motorway in heaven. And it totally wasn't your fault. The mall has had complaints that the cars in the parking lot got dirty from the flocks of birds around here. So today, it being a slow day in October, no breeding birds and not many customers, they decided to decimate the birds. And one of the hunters…"
"Hit the gas tank of my car," Stephanie said with a tired voice.
"No, not at all. He shot at a bird who landed on the wire to the pylon that they use for stringing up the Christmas decorations and other things. They were putting up the Halloween decorations, and when he shot the bird he missed. When he made a new attempt, this time he hit the biggest plastic pumpkin. It exploded, the shards cut the electric wire, that fell down and made two cars catch on fire. And none of the cars was yours. It was even so far away that it should have survived. But one of the burning cars belonged to the hunter. And he had more weapons in the trunk of his car. Loaded weapons, which I'm pretty sure isn't legal. And when the car got hot enough, one of the weapons fired, and the bullet hit the tank of your car which made it go boom. Thankfully, no one was hurt. Not in the fires, not with the weapon's going off. Even the bird is said to have survived."
Steph and Hector just stared at Zero.
"Are you shitting me?" Steph said. "I wasn't even near my car, I don't have any stalkers, I've quit as a bounty hunter, and my car still exploded? I'm this close…"
She held up her fingers almost touching.
"I'm this close to quote my mother. Why me? What've I done?"
Finally Hector lost it and started to laugh, deep belly laughs that made people turn around and smile at the laughing man. Zero couldn't keep it in either, and started to laugh as well. Steph just stared at the two most laconic of the Merry Men totally losing it, and finally couldn't help her own laughs.
x
Afterwards Hector and Zero gave her a lift home. She had briefly talked with the police and fire department. The hunter was taken down to the police station for interrogation, possibly even to be detained, since his handling of the weapons and situation was more than hazardous. Since the police knew her, they already had her contact information. She had also gotten the hunter's name, and during the ride home she had called Sebring and asked him not to put up bail.
At home she saw a shiny black car parked close to the doors.
"No," she said, giving both Hector and Zero a stern look.
"Orders from Tank," Zero just said. "You keep it until you have a new car. I mean, it must be the hunter, Benning, who'll have to pay. And when you're ready to buy a new car, call me. I know a couple of car dealers, and I like haggling."
They both followed her up to the apartment. Hector gave the locks a look.
"You changed locks. Why?" he asked.
"Someone tried to break in and ruined the old ones."
"When?"
"In August."
"Why did you not call me?" Hector's English was heavily accented, but she could hear he was upset.
"I was afraid you would try to find who did it. I don't want you in jail."
Steph gave Hector a hug.
"Who?"
"I'm not sure, I couldn't see the face through the peephole."
He just gave her a look.
"Who?"
Steph sighed.
"Morelli."
Both Hector and Zero started to swear.
"Wait," said Zero. "You said you couldn't see his face through the peephole. You were home at the time?"
"It was in the middle of the night."
"Why didn't you call us?"
"As I said, I didn't want to see you in jail."
Zero snorted.
"As if. We wouldn't be caught."
"I called the TPD. They had a new nice officer, Entwistle, who came here with a rookie."
"We always listen to the police radio. Why didn't we hear about this?"
"Apparently they had some problems in the beginning with their new system. They had to call the police officer on the cell phone. And Morelli left Trenton the next day for an assignment."
She looked them both in the eye.
"I mean it. I don't want you to go after Morelli."
Zero was silent for a while.
"If you promise to use the car outside until you get a new one, approved of a Rangeman as safe enough. Then I won't go after Morelli until he makes a new stupid decision."
Steph looked at Hector.
"If I promise what Zero said, will you promise not to go after Morelli?"
He said something in rapid Spanish and finally relented.
"Yes. Until new stupid decision."
Steph relaxed a little.
"Pinkie swear." She held out her hand.
"Pinkie swear." And they all three solemnly shook pinkies.
