I was speechless.
The front door was still open, and there was a rap on the doorjamb behind me.
It was Morelli. “Am I interrupting something?” he asked.
“It's not what it looks like,” Kloughn said. “I just brought jelly doughnuts.”
Morelli gave me the once-over. “Frightening,” he said.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “I had a bad night.”
“That's what they tell me. I understand you were visited by a large bird. An owl?”
“So?”
“The owl do any damage?”
“Nothing worth mentioning.”
“I'm seeing more of you now than I did when we were living together,” Morelli said. “You aren't doing all this stuff just to have me stop around, are you?”
Stephanie Plum 8 - Hard Eight
6
“OH JEEZ, I didn't know you two used to live together,” Kloughn said. “Hey, I'm not trying to cut in on anything. We just work together, right?”
“Right,” I said.
“So, is this the guy you're engaged to?” Kloughn asked.
A smile twitched at the corner of Morelli's mouth. “You're engaged?”
“Sort of,” I said. “I don't want to talk about it.”
Morelli reached into the bag and selected a doughnut. “I don't see a ring on your finger.”
“I don't want to talk about it.”
Kloughn's voice was apologetic. “She hasn't had any coffee yet.”
Morelli took a bite of doughnut. “You think coffee will help?”
They both looked at me.
I pointed stiff-armed to the door. “Out.”
I slammed the door after them and slid the security bolt. I leaned against the door and closed my eyes. Morelli had looked great. T-shirt and jeans and a red flannel shirt worn open like a jacket. And he'd smelled good, too. The scent still lingered in my foyer, mingling with jelly doughnuts. I took a deep breath and had a lust attack. The lust attack was followed by a mental head slap. I sent him away! What was I thinking? Oh yeah, now I remember. I was thinking he'd just said I was frightening. Frightening! I'm having a hot flash over a guy who thinks I'm frightening. On the other hand, he did stop by to see if I was okay.
I was running this through while I walked to the bathroom. I was up and awake now. Might as well get on with the day. I switched the light on and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Eeeek! Frightening.
I THOUGHT SATURDAY would be a good day to follow Dotty around. I had no real reason to think she was helping Evelyn. Only instinct. But sometimes instinct is all you need. There's something special about childhood friendships. They might be set aside for reasons of convenience, but they're seldom forgotten.
Mary Lou Molnar has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. Truth is, we haven't got a whole lot in common anymore. She's Mary Lou Stankovik now. She's married and has a couple kids. And I'm living with a hamster. Still, if I had to tell someone a secret, it would be Mary Lou. And if I was Evelyn, I'd turn to Dotty Palowski.
It was close to ten by the time I reached South River. I cruised past Dotty's house and parked a short distance down the street. Dotty's car was in the driveway. A red jeep was parked curbside. Not Evelyn's car. Evelyn drove a nine-year-old gray Sentra. I pushed my seat back and stretched my legs. If I was a man lurking in front of a house, I'd be suspect. Fortunately, no one paid much attention to a woman.
Dotty's front door opened, and a man stepped out. Dotty's two kids jumped out after him and ran around him in circles. He took them by the hand, and they all walked to the jeep and got in.