“And she keeps changing her number,” Gary said.
“Because she doesn't want you bothering her?”
“She's very brave. And she doesn't want to impose.”
“Has it ever occurred to you that you might be delusional?”
“That's what the psychiatrist said, but I think he's wrong. There's an evil flying pizza out there, and it's got Brenda's name on it.”
“I'm assuming your car is still parked on the street.”
“Yes.”
“I'm going to take you to your car, and then you're going to go home.”
“Yes.”
“Where is home?”
“Morelli's garage,” Gary said.
“Excuse me?”
“I have a little camper that I tow behind my car. I parked it in Morelli's garage yesterday, and it's still there.”
“Does Morelli know this?”
“I don't think it ever came up.”
We located his car, he followed me to Morelli's house, and we both parked at the curb. I got out and looked at his white Taurus.
“I thought this was a rental,” I said to him. “No one buys a white Taurus.”
“It matches my hair,” Gary said. “And it's my zodiac sign.”
It made as much sense as anything else in my life. “Have you had dinner?”
“No.”
“Prowl through the fridge and make yourself a sandwich. If you're lucky, there's still some birthday cake left.”
“Whose birthday?” he asked.
“Ken's.”
I brought him into the house, and he settled in with Zook and Mooner, so he could lurk. Morelli was in the kitchen loading the dishwasher.
“I brought Gary back here,” I told him. “He's helping out with the wood elves.”
“That's a comfort.”
“Yeah, I knew you'd be excited. I had Ranger run a check on Stanley Zero. I have the printout upstairs. One of us should take a look at him.”
Stephanie Plum 14 - Fearless Forteen
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The phone rang at two in the morning. Morelli came awake first, a bare arm reaching across me to get at the bedside phone. Not the first time he'd gotten a call in the middle of the night.