Sorry it's kinda short...I need to figure out what to do next. Thanks for all your reviews! XD
Thirteen
"What's wrong?" I asked. It was rare for Ranger to need my help. Unless he was picking out shoes or something I doubt I'd be useful for anything
"I have a skip who isn't being cooperative," he said.
Grandma came out of the house and tottered to the car on four inch heels.
"You shouldn't be wearing those," said Jamie, helping her into the car.
"I gotta look my best for the K of C," said Grandma.
"I'm just on my way to Stiva's with Grandma and Jamie," I said to Ranger, "I can drop them off and come help you. Where are you?"
Ranger gave me the address and disconnected. It was a house a few miles out of the Burg, in Hamilton Township. I dropped Jamie and Grandma off at the funeral parlor, told them I'd be back, and drove off wondering why the hell Batman could possibly need, or even want for that matter, my help.
I parked a block awayfrom the house Ranger told me to meet him at. I could see a new black SUV parked in front of the two story blue townhouse. Ranger and Tank were leaning back against the SUV, arms crossed, bodies relaxed. They were both in full combat mode. Flak vests, gun belts with two guns each, defense spray, tear gas, cuffs, and shackles.
"What's up?" I asked, looking towards the blue house.
Ranger and Tank looked like they were trying hard not to laugh. "We're trying to get Darryl Jeen out of his house," said Ranger.
"So why don't you break down the door?"
"He's armed with a gun and armor piercing bullets," said Tank.
What were they getting at? "So…what am I here for?" I asked.
Ranger grinned all 200 watts. "He said he'll come out hands up only if you're here."
My jaw dropped.
Tank was grinning too, "You seem to have an admirer, Steph," he said.
I looked at the house again. The front curtains were drawn, and a face peeked out from behind them.
"So what am I suppose to do now?" I asked.
"Just go over there and convince him to come out," said Ranger.
Still dazed, I walked up the path to the door and up the cement steps. Garden gnomes guarded either side of the door. I rapped once and waited. The door opened, and I stared at Darryl Jeen. Jeen looked in his late 30s. He had thinning blond hair, abutton nose, thick glasses and looked like a big piece of fluff. Hard to imagine he'd threaten anyone with a stick, much less a gun.
He smiled when he saw me. A smile like the sun coming out. "Ah Stephanie Plum. So nice to see you."
"uh...Hi," I said.
He looked beyond me to the two armed mercenaries across the street and sighed, "I suppose I have to come out now," he said sadly
"Uh…I guess."
Jeen followed me like a faithful dog does a doggy treatall the way back to the SUV. Ranger cuffed and shackled him and loaded him into the car. Jeen said what a pleasure it was to meet me finally and behold my magnificent beautybefore Tank drove him off to the clink.
I looked up at Ranger, "What the hell just happened?" I asked.
He did the half smile. "You never disappoint," he said and drove off in his own new black Porsche.
I parked a half block away from the funeral parlor and found Grandma in Resting room one, admiring Marty Balog's tie.
"Look at that tie," she said, shaking her head, "So nice and crisp. Not even Elda could get his ties that nicely ironed. I bet she's looking for Augustine right now, asking him out to iron a tie that well." Constantine Stiva had been a legend in the funeral home community. Looks like he'd been replaced.
I looked around for Jamie but couldn't see her. "Where's Jamie?" I asked.
Grandma looked up at me and frowned. "Now that you mention it, I haven't seen her since you dropped us off. She said she was going to the ladies room and I haven't seen her since."
Hmmm…
By nine I was ready to leave. I hadn't seen Jamie all night and I was getting worried. Sitting in the lobby wasn't doing much for me, so I found Grandma trying to pry the lid up on a closed casket and dragged her outside.
"Have you seen Jamie?" I asked, knowing what the answer would be.
"Nope. Maybe she went back with that Ranger guy."
That was a possibility. But I was pretty sure she'd tell one of us if she was leaving.I called Ranger just in case.
"Is Jamie with you?" I asked when he answered.
"I thought you took her to the funeral parlor."
"Well she's not here." I said.
"Give her'til morning. She probably saw a butterfly and went chasing it."
The next morning I dragged myself out of Morelli's bed and into the shower. Morelli had already gone to work and had left me two Boston Crèmes on the kitchen counter. I sat down at the table with my donuts and the portable phone and called Jamie's cell phone.No answer. I called Ranger's home phone.
"Yo," Ranger answered.
"Is Jamie there?"
"No."
"Do you know where she is?"
"No."
"Did she come back at all last night?"
"No." The master of the one syllable answer.
"Well….do you have any idea where she might be?"
"Is she answering her cell phone?" Ranger asked.
"No. I tried that first."
Ranger was silent for a beat. "One time I called her cell phone and she was in the middle of a shoot out with three guys and still answered it." He said finally.
"So?"
"So her not answering her cell phone is bad." Said Ranger.
"You think Jack kidnapped her last night?"
"Could be. I'll get back to you," he said and disconnected.
Shit. Shit shit and double shit. Did I mention Shit?
It's gonna be one of those days.