Four to Score (Stephanie Plum 4)

“Rockford did it.”

He got up and gave me a kiss on the top of my head. “I'm gonna take a shower. If you leave before I'm out, promise me you'll be home by five.”

So much for the man of my dreams. I gave him one of my favorite Italian hand gestures, which he didn't see because he was already out of the room. “Fuck the cookie jar,” I said to Rex. “And he can do his own goddamn laundry, too.” I finished my cereal, rinsed the bowl and put it in the dishwasher. I slung my black leather tote over my shoulder and took off for the office.

* * * * *

“OMMIGOD,” CONNIE SAID WHEN I walked into the office, “you did it!”

“Excuse me?”

“How was it? I want details.”

Lula looked up from the stack of files she was sorting. “Yep,” she said, “you did the deed all right.”

I felt my eyes go wide. “How do you know?” I sniffed at myself. “Do I smell?”

“You just got that look like you've been totally fucked,” Lula said. “Sort of relaxed.”

“Yeah,” Connie said. “Satisfied.”

“It was the shower,” I said. “I took a really long relaxing shower this morning.”

“Wish I had a shower like that,” Lula said.

“Is Vinnie in?”

“Yeah, he got back late last night. Hey, Vinnie,” Connie yelled. “Stephanie's here!”

We heard him mumble “Oh Christ” from deep inside his office, and then his door opened. “What?”

“Joyce Barnhardt, that's what.”

“So I gave her a job.” Vinnie squinted at me. “Jesus, you just get laid?”

“I don't believe this,” I said, hands in the air. “I took a shower. I did my hair. I put on makeup, new clothes. I had breakfast. I brushed my goddamn teeth. How does everyone know I got laid?”

“You look different,” Vinnie said.

“Satisfied,” Conn

ie said.

“Relaxed,” Lula added.

“I don't want to talk about it,” I shouted. “I want to talk about Joyce Barnhardt. You gave her Maxine Nowicki. How could you do that? Nowicki is my case.”

“You weren't having any luck with it, so I figured what the hell, let Joyce take a shot at it, too.”

“I know how Joyce got that case,” I said. “And I'm going to tell your wife.”

“You tell my wife, and she'll tell her father, and I'll be dead. And then you know where you'll be? Unemployed.”

“He got a point there,” Lula said. “We all be unemployed.”

“I want her off the case. Lula and I had Maxine in custody, and Joyce barged in with the slut troop and screwed everything up.”

“Okay, okay,” Vinnie said. “I'll talk to her.”