Eleven on Top (Stephanie Plum 11)

“Hurry!”

I took the elevator to the first floor and went out the front door. No point taking the bike. The deli was only a block away. I jogged to Lowman, and saw Lula standing in front of Fennick's Deli.

“He's in there eating,” she said to me. “I just happened on him. I was going in for sandwiches for Connie and me and there he was. He's in the back where they have some tables.”

“Did he see you?”

“I don't think so. I got out right away.”

“So what do you need me for?”

“I thought you could be a diversion. You could go in there and get his attention, and then I'll sneak up and zap him with the stun gun.”

“Didn't we already try that?”

“Yeah, but we'd be better this time on account of we got some practice at it.”

“Okay, but you'd better not screw up. If you screw up he's going to beat the crap out of me.”

“Don't worry,” Lula said. “The third time's a charm. This is going to work. You'll see. You go on up to him, and I'll sneak around from the side and get him from the back.”

“Have you tested the stun gun? Does it work?”

We were standing next to a bus stop with a bench. Three elderly men were sitting on the bench. One was reading a paper, and the other two were zoned out, staring blankly into space. Lula reached out and pressed the stun gun to one of the men. He gave a twitch and slumped onto the man next to him.

“Yep,” Lula said. “It works.”

I was speechless. My mouth was open and my eyes were wide.

“What?” Lula said.

“You just zapped that poor old man.”

“Its okay. I know him. That's Gimp Whiteside. He don't do nothing all day. Might as well help us hardworking bounty hunters. Anyway, he didn't feel any pain. He's just taking a snooze now.” Lula looked me over and grinned. “Look at you! You look like Rangeman Barbie. You got a gun and everything.”

“Yeah, and I have to get back to work, so let's do this. I'm going to t

alk to Willie and see if I can get him to surrender. Give me your cuffs, and don't use the stun gun until I tell you to use it.”

Lula handed her cuffs over to me. “You're taking some of the fun out of it, but I guess I could do it that way.”

I walked straight back to Willie Martin. He was sitting alone at a small bistro table. He'd finished his sandwich, and he was picking at a few remaining fries. There was a second chair at his table. I slid the chair over next to him and sat down. “Remember me?” I asked him.

Willie looked at me and laughed. It was a big openmouthed, mashed-up-french-fries-and-ketchup laugh that sounded like haw, haw, haw.

“Yeah, I remember you,” he said. “You're the dumb white bitch who came with fat-ass Lula.”

He dipped a french fry into a glob of ketchup with his right hand, and I clamped a cuff onto his left.

He looked down at the cuff and grinned. “I already got a pair of these. You giving me another?”

“I'm asking you nicely to return to the courthouse with me, so we can get you rescheduled.”

“I don't think so.”

“It's just a formality. We'll rebond you.”

“Nope.”