“So what do you think? You think I should make another pass?”
“Wouldn't hurt,” Lula said. “And I'd forget about getting a job here.”
I WANTED TO do a fast check on Hannibal's town house and I didn't want to get Lula involved in my Ranger business, so I told her a fib about spending the day bonding with Bob, and drove her back to the office. I slid to a stop at the curb and the black Town Car eased up behind me.
Mitchell got out of the Town Car and came to peek in my window. “Still driving this old Buick,” he said. “Must be some kind of a personal record for you. And what's with the dog and the big babe, here?”
Lula gave Mitchell the once-over.
“It's okay,” I told Lula. “I know him.”
“I bet,” Lula said. “You want me to shoot him, or something?”
“Maybe later.”
“Hunh,” Lula said. She heaved herself out of the car and ambled into the office.
“Well?” Mitchell asked.
“Well, nothing.”
“That's real disappointing.”
“So, you don't like Alexander Ramos?”
“Let's just say we're not on the same team.”
“Must be hard for him these days, grieving over his son.”
“That son was nothing to grieve over,” Mitchell said. “He was a fuckin' loser. Fuckin' cokehead.”
“How about Hannibal? Does he do drugs, too?”
“Nah, not Hannibal. Hannibal's a goddamn shark. Alexander should have named that one Jaws.”
“Well, I've gotta go now,” I said. “Things to do. People to see.”
“The raghead and me haven't got a lot to do today, so we thought we'd follow you around.”
“You should get a life.”
Mitchell smiled.
“And I don't want you following me around,” I said.
He smiled some more.
I glanced up at the traffic coming toward us on Hamilton and focused on a blue car. Looked like a Crown Victoria. Looked like Morris Munson behind the wheel!
“Yikes!” I yelled as Munson yanked the car over the white line and aimed it at me.
“Shit!” Mitchell yelped, panicked, dancing in place like a big trained bear.
Munson swerved to avoid Mitchell at the last second, lost control, and crashed into the Town Car. For a moment the cars seemed fused together, and then there was the sound of Munson gunning his engine. The Crown Vic jumped back a couple feet, its front bumper clattered to the ground, and it sped away.
Mitchell and I ran back to the Town Car and looked in at Habib.
“What by everything holy was that?” Habib shouted.