Hardcore Twenty-Four (Stephanie Plum 24)

“How’s it going?” I asked him.

“So far we’ve rounded up three zombies.”

“Are they in the van?”

“No. We’ve already transported them to the lockup at St. Francis for evaluation. When they’re released from there, a bunch of three-letter agencies will take over.”

“I brought Diggery home. He got fined for trespass, and he was told to do his gardening during the day from now on.” I looked around. “Will you be here much longer?”

“The rest of the day. There’s a lot of ground to cover. We have dogs in the woods and an eye in the sky.”

I looked up at the helicopter hovering overhead.

“This is a big deal,” I said.

“Yeah. Decapitation is unpopular. People don’t like it. Using human brains to make mind-destroying drugs doesn’t sit well either.”

“Remember the deli container that was left on your sidewalk? Do you think that was a setup?”

“Yes. These druggies don’t care about eating brains.”

“Diggery says he heard in jail that the only way you can buy more of the drug is to pay with human brain.”

“We’ve heard that, too. The first vial is free. After that you pay with brain.”

“What’s the point?”

“My guess is that someone thinks this is fun.”

It was a chilling thought. It took insanity to a whole new level.

Diggery joined us.

“I want to thank you for taking such good care of Ethel,” he said to me. “I know she can be a handful sometimes, but she’s mostly a sweet old girl.”

“I think your freezer supply of rats got eaten,” I said.

“That’s okay,” Diggery said. “Plenty more where they came from.”

I left Morelli and Diggery and drove to my parents’ house to see how Grandma was doing with the new dog.

• • •

Grandma and Henry greeted me at the door.

“I came to check on Henry,” I said.

“He’s a joy,” Grandma said. “He’s got perfect manners.”

“He’s got no manners,” my mother yelled from the kitchen. “He barks at everything, and he pooped on the floor.”

“He was nervous,” Grandma said. “He only did that once.”

Henry was wagging his tail and looking up at me with big brown eyes. I bent down to pet him, and he vibrated with happiness.

“He’s a nice dog,” I said to Grandma.

“We should take him for a walk,” Grandma said. “I keep his leash right here on the sideboard, so it’s always handy.”