Lean Mean Thirteen (Stephanie Plum 13)

I shoved my stuff back into my bag. “I'm heading out. I need to check on Rex, and then I'm going to the office.”

“I need to stay here, but I can give you one of my men.”

“Not necessary. I'm okay.”

“I thought you were scared.”

“It's a way of life.”

“What the heck is this?” Lula asked when I walked into the office. “You're all in RangeMan black. Are you working for RangeMan again?”

“I ran out of clean clothes, and this was available. I'm going to try to talk to Coglin. Want to ride along?”

“Sure. Maybe we could stop at the video store. Tanks coming over tonight, and I'm gonna rent a movie. I need something to put him in the mood. I was thinking one of them Lethal Weapon movies. Or maybe Transporter.”

'What kind of mood were you aiming for?"

“Man mood. In all my years of being a 'ho, I learned blood is better than sex if you want to get a man stirred up for action. You let a man watch someone getting his face mashed in, and you got a horny guy. Its the beast thing.”

Something to keep in mind if I ever want to do it with a beast.

“We have all the Lethal Weapon movies at Morelli's house. You can borrow them if you want.”

“You sure he won't mind?”

“He isn't home. He's locked down with a witness. And even if he was home, he wouldn't mind.”

“That'd be great since I was going to have to kite a check to get movie money.”

THIRTEEN

Morelli's HOUSE is officially outside the Burg, but not by much. It was a five-minute drive from the bonds office. I parked the Cayenne and fished Morelli's house key out of my bag.

“Ill be right out,” I said to Lula. “Stay here.” Morelli lives in a narrow two-story house configured a lot like my parents'. Rooms are shotgunned with living room going to dining room going to kitchen. Front door. Back door. Downstairs powder room. Small, barren backyard leading to an alley. Three small bedrooms and old-fashioned bath upstairs. Morelli inherited the house from his Aunt Rose and little by little has been making it his own. I unlocked the front door and stepped into the short hallway that serves as foyer and also leads to the stairs. I'd expected the house would be silent and empty, but the television was on in the living room. My first reaction was confusion, fast followed by a rush of embarrassment. Someone was living here in Morelli's absence. Maybe an out-of-town relative or a down-onhis-luck cop. And I'd barged in unannounced.

I was about to quietly sneak out when Dickie Orr walked in from the kitchen. He was eating ice cream out of the tub, his hair was a mess, as if he'd just rolled out of bed, and he was in his underwear-a white undershirt with a chocolate ice cream stain dribbling down the front and baggy striped boxers.

Time stood still. The earth stopped rotating. My heart stuttered in my chest. “Wha…” I said. “Wha…”

Dickie rolled his eyes and shoved his spoon into the ice cream. “Joe'” he yelled. "You've got

company."

I could hear Morellis sneakered feet on the stairs and then he was in the room. “Oh, shit,” Morelli said when he saw me.

I gave him a little finger wave. “Hi.”

I was feeling awkward. Embarrassed that I had stumbled into this, and angry that it had

been kept from me.

“I can explain,” Morelli said.

“Uh-hunh.”

“Good luck on that one,” Dickie said. "There's no explaining to her. You make one slipup

and that's it. Sayonara."