I woke up slowly to Andy faintly groaning. Since I was currently having a dream that Andy was carrying a giant feather pillow around looking for a golden hook this caused me some concern.
"Shut up." Ranger said quietly from somewhere above me and I heard someone getting whacked with a pillow.
Andy tossed a pillow at Ranger and it ended up falling on me. I sat up quickly and batted it away. Hey, I wasn't taking chances…that feather pillow thing was still firmly in my mind. I looked up at Ranger, who was crouching fully dressed in his street gear and then across the room at Andy. Seeing how the blankets were arranged, I'd say that I had used Ranger for a pillow last night.
"Got to go, babe," He quickly kissed my lips and nodded at Andy, then he was off to save the world. Andy stared at him from across the room as he left then turned back to me with a goofy expression.
"Where can I get a Ranger?" I laughed and fell back on Ranger's blanket. Andy crawled over and sat on my thighs. "Please, Mommy, can I have one?" I laughed harder. With his hair sticking up all over the place, he really looked like a kid. He trapped my legs and leaned in and tickled me.
"Andy! Get off me!"
"Not until you say the magic word." He was relentless.
"Um, please!"
"No, abracadabra." He swung off and sat on the floor cross-legged next to me with a huge grin on his face.
"Brat," I sat up.
"You love it. You know, having a camp out on a Sunday night wasn't my brightest idea." I stretched and looked for my cell phone to check the time. 8:28.
"Don't you have somewhere to be?" He rolled back until he was totally slumped against the couch.
"I have a meeting with the mayor and the city board in an hour."
"No pressure."
"I've got to go. Shower, pop energy shots, you know the usual." I waved to him and suddenly I was alone in the apartment. And actually, I enjoyed it. When you've lived alone for as long as I have (ahem, not that long), you learn to love a quiet apartment. I have never had a problem with being alone. I would just bring out my imaginary friends. Some times I was in better company alone then I was in a crowded room.
I got off the floor and got some coffee from the kitchen (Ranger knows me so well). Moving into the bedroom, I pulled out my daily uniform and pulled it on. I did the bathroom things and I was good to go.
Connie and Lula where having an argument about who better-Xena or Buffy. I rolled my eyes and set the donuts down. Both nodded to me and continued.
"Xena would kicked Buffy's blonde little butt all the way back to Valley Girl, California."
"Buffy fights vamps, some bitchy Amazon wouldn't be a problem." I grabbed a Boston Crème and sat on the couch, waiting for the smack down. Finally, Vinnie popped his head out the door and shouted, "I'm paying you to work, not gab." He turned to me. "Why the hell haven't you brought in Mallory Benedict yet? I'm bleeding money here." ("I'd like to see that," Lula muttered beside me.)
I waved the body slip in the air and he huffed, closing the door. I set the two body slips on the desk.
"Good work, Steph."
"Yo, white girl, guess who Connie's going to the ball with?" I quirked an eyebrow at Connie, who was blushing.
"Who?" I finally asked when neither told me.
"That guy that went to checkout the chop shop with you."
"Lester?" Lula cracked up and Connie blushed.
"He came in to pick up files for Ranger and I casually asked."
"She threw herself at him." Connie smacked Lula with my files.
"Did not. Besides, he seemed pretty happy about it."
"He was looking down your shirt and he didn't hear what you said." Lula said gleefully. Connie was too infuriated for words.
"Um, Lester's a good guy." I added, trying to break the silence.
"I don't even know him!" Connie burst out.
"That's why you go on a date with him." I pointed out. Lula seemed to switch sides and she tried to comfort Connie.
"You are going to get yourself a kick ass costume, then there won't be a problem." Connie nodded, her eyes already gleaming with the possibilities. I flipped open the first folder, trying to forget that I hadn't gotten a costume yet. Hey, I've been busy, okay?
"34 year old, male. Arrested for disorderly conduct and indecent exposure. Strange guy, a little creepy. He works at the funeral home. Name's Daniel Wheaton." Connie smoothly supplied. The light bulb clicked on. Looking at the picture, I realized that this was the guy who had hit on Marcus and he must have been the one to hit on Andy. I checked the address. He only lived a street from Johnson's Funeral Parlor.
"What did he do?" I looked up at Connie.
"I guess he was drunk, but no one had seen him drinking. He started whipping it out. You know…mini me." Lula cackled and I hide a grin, putting Dan on the arm rest. I doubted that he would be a problem.
Next up. I flipped open the second folder and I was pleasantly surprised to find Moon-Man. Walter Moon-Man Dunphy had been the class stoner back in school. He was a good guy, but he smoked too much pot and his memory wasn't the best. I usually sat on his couch for a few hours watching TV then took him to the jail for a quick rebond. I had even taken him to his court dates a few times. I laid Mooner's file on top of Daniel Wheaton. All I needed was patience with him, that and a lazy mood.
My last file made me frown a little. Jenna Carter, 27, arrested for assault and battery. I looked up at Connie. "What's up with Jenna Carter?" I didn't recognize the name.
"She's ex military, just got her Honorary Discharge. Came home to find her husband in bed with another woman and got a little mad. He's in the hospital."
"She got a little mad?" Hunh, when I got a little mad, I shouted and argued. When she got a little mad, she put her man in the hospital.
"I get her why?" I asked.
"Low bond. She isn't a flight risk and with her military background, the courts thought it would be excessive to keep her." Lula scoffed and I set it on my pile. I was still groggy so I would deal with her later.
I decided to head to Mooner's. I could use some TV brain drain time.
XxXxXxX
It was 5:50 before I had the motivation to drag Mooner out of the house. We stopped by McDonalds and I bought him three Big Macs. two large fries and a 42 ounce Coke. He chowed down and I stared out the window, occasionally stealing a fry or two. I called ahead and drug Vinnie in to rebail Mooner and then dropped him off and headed home.
I picked up Pino's on the way and met Ranger heading in. He kissed me and took the takeout out of my hands.
"How was your day?" I asked as I straddled a bar stool.
"The guys gave Lester a hard time all morning because he has a big date for Halloween." I laughed and filled him in on the other side of the story. We moved into the living room and turned on the game. I woke up to Ranger carrying me to bed. I smiled and promptly fell back into a dreamless sleep.
XxXxXxX
The next morning, I woke up alone in bed. I stretched and made my way to the kitchen. I was almost out of coffee. I made a quick peanut and olive sandwich and thought about what I needed to do. I still had two skips out, shopping in the afternoon with Mia and Andy and I should check in with Grandma and see if she has heard anything about the missing bodies.
I ate the sandwich and flipped through Daniel Wheaton's file. The background said that his mother had moved with him a lot. She had married and divorced several times before she finally left him at his aunt's somewhere in New York state. Dan's mother had died when he was 19 and he lived at his aunt's house up until she died a few years ago despite their bad relationship. David Johnson, who owned Johnson's Funeral Parlor, was his, until recently, estranged father.
He had no priors and this was a pretty nonviolent crime.
I tucked the files in my purse and headed for Daniel Wheaton's. He lived in a small house with a basement. The dying grass was overgrown and the windows could use some cleaning. I walked up the front steps and knocked on the door. After a long pause, he came to the door. His eyes shifted over me and he became very nervous. I smiled to try to comfort him a little. It didn't work too well.
"Hello, my name is Stephanie and I work for Vincent Plum, your bail bondsman? You missed your court date and I need to take you to get it refiled."
He turned his head to look over his shoulder and he listened for something. He turned back to me. "I'm sorry, now isn't a good time." And he closed the door. Hunh. I knocked again and watched him move back down the hall. Are you kidding me? This little guy was going to give me trouble?
I walked back to my car and sat down. Then, I grabbed my cell and dialed Andy's office.
"Andrew Carson's office, how my I assist you?" Deedra's polite, if preoccupied, response.
"Hey, Dee. How are you doing?"
"Oh, hey girl. It's damn slow today."
"Is Andy busy?"
"No, he just got out of another meeting with the City Board. I think it went well, cuz he's practically bouncing off the walls."
I laughed at the image. "Hey, I need to ask him something. Is he free for the next half an hour or so?"
"Honey, you can have him for an hour."
"Great."
"Here he is. Later, Steph."
I heard the disconnect then Andy picked up.
"You still have your car, right?"
"Sitting in it."
"Guess what? The Board approved my idea for three out of four of the soup kitchens."
"That's great, Andy!"
"Yeah. Oh, did you need something?"
"Um…A little help with a skip?"
"What kind of help?" He turned suspicious.
"He might trust you more than me." I thought about it for a second. "Yeah, and he's probably more attracted to you than me."
"Oh, yeah?" He chuckled.
"Dan Wheaton."
"Who?"
"The assistant from the funeral home."
"Are you kidding me?"
"Nope, remember he liked you?"
"Yeah, and I said that it was creepy and agonizing."
"I'll split the bond with you."
He sighed. "How much?"
"He was bonded for $3,000. I get a 10% cut. $300. You can have half."
"Ooh, a whole $150?"
"How many legal ways can you make $150 in 10 minutes? I'll buy you an early lunch."
"Tacos?"
"Tacos?"
"I'm craving. Fine, give me the address."
I told him and I saw him pulling up behind me fifteen minutes later. We walked the half a block to Dan's house and Andy knocked on the door.
"So, am I telling him your spiel or am I being the dumb neighbor?"
"Tell him the truth."
"Got it." Andy said as Wheaton came to the door. He opened it and he seemed less wary this time.
"Can I help you?" He sounded a whole lot less nervous. Andy turned on his brightest grin.
"Actually, I came to help you. You missed your court date on Friday and I need to take you to get it refiled."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, it can be a real pain if you don't handle this quickly."
"Oh, really?" Like you will get charged as a fugitive, nothing big.
"Uh huh. I can just give you a ride over now if you want."
"Sure, that would be great. Can you give me a sec?"
"Of course. Take your time, Mr. Wheaton." Wheaton left the door open and walked back into his house and grabbed a couple of things.
"You scare me sometimes."
"I know. I scare me sometimes, too."
Dan Wheaton followed Andy like a puppy and I followed Wheaton, just to be safe. He completely ignored me, even as I got it to sit beside Andy. The ride was silent. Andy shifted a few times, uncomfortably because Wheaton's eyes never strayed from him for long. I started to walk Dan into the precinct, but he balked. Andy was leaning against the passenger side car door and Dan Wheaton stared back at him.
Before I could call Andy over to help me, Mad Dog came out the back door for a smoke break.
"Yo, Steph! Need some help with this one?" He took Wheaton when I nodded, I was actually thinking Andy. Wheaton started going crazy when Mad Dogs hands closed on him. "Whoa, boy. Calm down."
I sent Andy a desperate look and he trotted over. As he got closer, Dan calmed. We got him in the police station with Andy leading the way back to the cells and Mad Dog walking beside the prisoner. I trailed. Mad Dog found an empty cell and Dan went into it, very docile. Andy stood next to me as Mad Dog closed the cell. It was only when Andy was walking away that Dan Wheaton started yelling again.
"Don't leave me! Please, don't leave me!"
Andy looked wide eyed at Mad Dog.
"Get out of here, you two. I'll take care of it." He called for the medic on duty and they went back to the cell. I collected my body slip. Andy was already out at the car when I got there.
"That was something." He said softly.
"Let me drive." We switched sides. "Taco Bell?" I asked brightly. Andy just nodded.
"I need some grease after that."