One for the Money (Stephanie Plum 1)

“From Morelli's arrest statement.”

Alpha looked disgusted. “Well what'd you expect Morelli to say? That he shot Ziggy for the hell of it? Benito's an easy target. He has a reputation for being a little too aggressive with the ladies, and Ziggy worked for him, so Morelli took it from there.”

“How about the missing witness? He must have worked for Benito, too.”

“I don't know anything about the missing witness.”

“People tell me he had a nose that looked like it had been smashed with a frying pan. That's pretty distinctive.”

Alpha smiled. “Not in a third-rate gym. Half the bums who work out here have noses like that.” He looked at his watch. “I'm late for a lunch. You look hot in there. You want me to bring something back for you? A cold soda? A sandwich, maybe?”

“I'm okay. I think I'm going to break for lunch soon, too. Have to use the little girl's room.”

“There's a john on the second floor. Just get the key from Lorna. Tell her I said it was okay.”

I thought it was decent of Alpha to offer the use of his facilities, but I didn't want to take a chance on Ramirez cornering me while I was on the toilet.

I took one last look up and down the street and drove off in search of fast food. A half hour later I was back in the very same parking space, feeling much more comfortable and twice as bored. I'd brought a book back with me, but it was hard to read and sweat at the same time, and sweating took precedence.

By three my hair was wet against my neck and face and had frizzed out to maximum volume. My shirt was plastered to my back, and perspiration stained over my chest. My legs were cramped, and I'd developed a nervous twitch to my left eye.

I still hadn't seen a sign of Ramirez. Pedestrian traffic was restricted to pockets of shade and had disappeared into smoky air-conditioned bars. I was the only fool sitting baking in a car. Even the hookers had disappeared for a midafternoon crack break.

I palmed my defense spray and got out of the Cherokee, whimpering as all my little spine bones decompressed and realigned themselves. I stretched and jogged in place. I walked around the car and bent to touch my toes. A breeze trickled down Stark Street, and I felt inordinately blessed. True, the air index was lethal and the temperature hovered at blast-furnace range, but it was a breeze all the same.

I leaned against the car and pulled the front of my shirt away from my sweaty body.

Jackie emerged from the Grand Hotel and lumbered down the street toward me, en route to her corner. “You look like heat stroke,” she said, handing me a cold Coke.

I popped the tab, drank some soda, and held the cold can against my forehead. “Thanks. This is great.”

“Don't think I'm getting soft on your skinny white ass,” she said. “It's just you're gonna die sitting in that car, and you're gonna give Stark Street a bad name. People gonna say it a race murder, and my white trash pervert business'll get ruined.”

“I'll try not to die. God forbid I should ruin your pervert business.”

“Fucking A,” she said. “Them little white perverts pay fine money for my big nasty ass.”

“How's Lula?”

Jackie shrugged. “She's doing as good as she can. She appreciated that you sent flowers.”

“Not much activity here today.”

Jackie slid her eyes up to the gym windows. “Thank sweet Jesus for that,” she said softly.

I followed her gaze to the second floor. “You better not be seen talking to me.”

“Yeah,” she said. “I gotta get back to work, anyway.”

I stood there for a few minutes longer, enjoying the soda and the luxury of being fully vertical. I turned to get back in the car and gasped at the sight of Ramirez standing next to me.

“Been waiting all day for you to get out of this car,” he said. “Bet you're surprised at how quiet I move. Didn't even hear me come up on you, did you? That's how it's always gonna be. You're never gonna hear me until I pounce. And then it's gonna be too late.”

I took a slow breath to quiet my heart. I waited a moment longer to steady my voice. When I felt some control, I asked him about Carmen. “I want to know about Carmen,” I said. “I want to know if she saw you coming.”

“Carmen and me, we had a date. Carmen asked for what she got.”