Lean Mean Thirteen (Stephanie Plum 13)

“You have no idea. You haven't even seen my best work.”

“Back to the key…”

“I'll think of something. Do you like surprises?”

And he hung up.

Morelli didn't look happy. “You're getting too good at this,” he said. “You've been scared and threatened so many times, you're starting to think it's normal. You were so cool with that guy. And he was insane. Genuine psychopath. And you played him.”

“Isn't that what I was supposed to do?”

“Yes, but that isn't what I want the woman I love to do. You should have freaked. You should be shaking and crying. Look at you. You're smiling.”

“I did a good job.”

Morelli pulled me into him and wrapped his arms around me. “You did a great job. I'm proud of you, but I wish your life was different. I don't want you involved in this garbage.”

“He thinks I have a key.”

“We looked everywhere, and we didn't see a key.”

“A key might be easy to miss.”

“I didn't miss a key. It's not here,” Morelli said.

“Then what the heck's he talking about?”

“The more disturbing question is why would he think you have a key?”

“Dickie.”

“That's my best guess,” Morelli said. “Dickie told him you have the key.”

Morelli's hand had managed to get under my shirt and was starting to head north.

'We're on television," I said to him.

“Shit,” Morelli said, removing his hand, stepping back from me. “I forgot.”

My cell phone buzzed, and I tuned in to Grandma Mazur.

“I'm at the beauty parlor, and I'm all done,” she said. “I was hoping you could give me a ride. Your mothers car is still on the blink.”

“Sure,” I said. “I need to go to the office anyway.”

Ten minutes later, I picked Grandma up at the salon.

“I didn't expect to see Joseph,” Grandma said, getting into Morelli's SUV.

“I can't get rid of him,” I told her.

Grandma looked pretty good, considering she'd just been groundhogged. As far as I could see, she didn't have any gunk clinging to her. And her hair was newly washed and curled and had faded to apricot.

“I even got my nails done,” Grandma said. “I got them to match my hair, and I got a new lipstick too. Dolly said I couldn't wear red with my hair this color, so I got a lipstick named Orgasm. It's gotta be good with a name like that.”

Morelli almost ran up on the curb at the thought of Grandma wearing a lipstick named Orgasm.

“Are you still looking for Diggery?” Grandma wanted to know.