Oh I'm sorry, were you expecting this? Bet you weren't... I know I wasn't.

So I actually sat down and wrote this all in one sitting! I can't remember the last time I did that. Usually it takes me two or three.

So this is where it starts getting interesting. I thank you guys so much for sticking with me to this point. I know that reading about background can be boring when all you want is to get to the meat of the story. We're finally there.

Not mine, and I won't say that it was. All I'll claim is the mistakes.

My phone sat in the middle of the bed. I paced back and forth, looking at it carefully as a SWAT team would look at a bomb.

Well that's kind of what it is, isn't it? I thought nervously. In a way, it was. What does the DA's office want with me?

I continued to pace, but now I was biting my lip. Do I call back or ignore it was the next question. But if I ignore it, won't he just call back. And wouldn't he then be mad? What if he arrests me? Can DA's do that? What if…

The phone let out a shrill tone. I jumped three feet in the air.

"Hello?" I asked nervously.

"Stephanie, it's your mother."

I sighed. "What's up mom?"

"Well you left so suddenly I didn't get to ask you when you were coming over for dinner next!"

"Soon, Ma."

"'Soon, Ma'. Is this how you treat your mother? I bet Joseph has better manners than you do."

Actually, I think he did. "Look, I'm real busy right now, so…"

"Stephanie, we're all busy right now. Especially since your grandmother decided she wants to recapture her youth."

I grinned. I hoped to be half the woman she is when I'm that age. "Well, she's down for now."

"Yeah, and that'll last another few months before she tries something else. Did you know that she dyed her hair and got a fake ID?"

"Fake ID? To say what, that she was a hundred and fifty?"

"No! Worse! Forty-five! As if."

I had to hold in my laughter. Only grandma. "I'll talk to Joe and we'll be over soon."

That seemed to mollify her. She loves my boyfriend and will do pretty much anything to please him.

"Oh, good. I hope to see you two soon!" We quickly hung up because grandma was shouting for something.

I smiled and looked at my phone. Should I do it? I shrugged. It didn't sound like he wanted to arrest me. But what voice would he use?

I mentally slapped myself. If he wanted to arrest me, he wouldn't call me. He'd break down my door like this was another episode of Cops.

I dialed the number. "Hello?" A man's voice answered.

"Hi, I'm calling back Michael Burns. My name is Stephanie Plum."

"I'm glad that you called me back. Sorry I had to be so vague. I just have a few questions for you."

My stomach turned into knots. "Okay."

"I'm just wondering what you saw on the night of the third."

"What do you mean?"

"Did you see anything?"

"I… I don't understand."

"I'm sorry I can't be more specific. I need you to tell me if you saw anything going on that night near Brunswick Street and North Broad Street."

"Like what?"

I think I heard a sigh. "Just anything you can remember."

We both paused. He waited for my answer and I waited to see if I had one. I didn't.

"I don't really remember, but I don't think I even left the house that night. I might have been working late that day."

"Okay." He paused. "Well someone gave me your name and number as a witness to the goings on down there. I was just following up. This must've been a mistake or someone trying to throw us off their trail."

I didn't have a response. "I'm sorry I couldn't be more help."

"Thank you for your time, Ms. Plum. And if you do remember anything? Let me know."

"Will do."

We hung up and I sat down on the bed.

What the heck?

Weird phone calls were put out of my minds the very next day.

"I don't understand. You said I was a shoe in."

"Sure Stephanie, you were. We just found someone more qualified for the position. It's nothing against you." My boss said.

I slumped into the chair.

"Look, you're a great worker, and I don't want to lose you over here. You do wonderful with the customers and I'd hate to see you lose any job because you couldn't handle the pressure."

"With all due respect, I really wanted that job. I would've made it work. Have you ever seen me back down from a challenge?"

"Get some experience and then the next time a slot opens up, we'll review where you are."

I wanted to argue, but I knew it would do no good. It would just make me look like a petulant child who got her toy taken away. I nodded and left her office.

Sally looked at me sadly, but didn't say anything.

I was grateful.

"Hey," Joe said when I picked up the phone after work. "I've got a 'let's solve my problems by eating' pizza and a 'I just want to kill my boss because she's a bitch' calzone. I'll be over in ten."

"Sounds good." I replied and hung up.

"In the grand scheme of things, they did you a favor." He said. "You're really good at your job now. If the customers get bitchy, you just calm them back down."

"But I really wanted out of there. I'm sick of those people."

"We don't always get what we want, Stephanie. That's life."

"I know." I sighed. "I just want to pout for a little bit longer."

"That's fine. Now you have something to strive for way down the line."

I stiffened. Way down the line? What the hell did that mean? "I don't understand."

"Maybe in a few years when you want a raise or some vacation time, you can bring this up to show you're an asset." He shrugged. "I don't know."

"So instead of trying to get the next job opening in that department, you think I should use it as… leverage?"

He took a bite of pizza. "Sure, why not?"

I threw out a curve. "Did you even want me to get this job?"

It only went downhill from there.

Joe started out strong, saying that he supported me and my dreams, but quickly after that, he broke under pressure.

"No! Okay? I didn't want you to get the job! Who's going to raise our children, Stephanie?"

"Children?" I screeched. "Who said anything about marriage and babies?"

"ME! Every DAMN DAY!"

And when I found out that he had recommended one of his ex-cop buddies, I threw the remaining calzone at him and then threw him out.

But I kept the pizza. I do have some priorities.

I couldn't believe it. No one thought I could do this job. I just sat on my couch, stunned. I wasn't sure what my next move was, until I finally caught the news report that was currently being broadcasted.

"… just to recap the top story in the news today. Local boy found shot and dead at the corner of North Broadway and Brunswick earlier this week. Reports are saying that there were two fatal shots and that the young boy had connections to a local drug cartel. This is the second shooting at that location in the last two months. Local cops are working hard, but no leads as of yet in either case. In other news…"

I felt the back of my neck tingle. That district attorney called me about that. That's what he wanted to know if I witnessed. But if they have no leads…

They're stumped.

Now I know that the logic was kind of sketchy on my next thought. I was still pissed at the world, but my mind was made up. There was no going back.

If no one thought I could do the job, I was going to show them all.

I'm going to solve that case.