Fearless Fourteen (Stephanie Plum 14)

“You remind me of someone,” Grandma said. “Stephanie, who does he look like?”

I gnawed on my lower lip. “Gee, I don't know.”

Grandma snapped her fingers. “I know who it is. It's Morelli! He's the spitting image of Joseph when he was Zook's age.”

“They're very, very distant cousins,” I said.

Zook peeked into the living room. “This house has high speed Internet, right?”

“Sure, we got cable,” Grandma said. “We're not in the Stone Age here. I blog and everything.”

“I have to go,” I said to Zook. “Don't paint anything. Moondog doesn't stand a chance against Grandma.”

I left my parents' house and drove the short distance to Morelli's house to let Bob out to tinkle. I parked and let myself in through the front door. The house was quiet. No Bob feet galloping to greet me.

“Bob!” I yelled. “Yoohoo! Want to go out?”

Nothing. I walked through the dining room to the kitchen. Still no sign of Bob. I looked out the window over the sink and saw Bob sitting in the sun in Morelli's little backyard. Bob was wearing his collar but no leash. Morelli wasn't around. I opened the back door, and Bob rushed in, tail wagging, all smiley face.

I wasn't nearly so happy as Bob. I had creepy crawlies, plus the willies. I took Bob's leash off the kitchen counter, snapped it onto Bob's collar, and walked him straight through the house to the front door, out the door to my car.

I loaded Bob into the back of the Sentra and I called Morelli.

“I stopped by to let Bob out to tinkle, and he was sitting in your backyard,”

I said. “Did you let him out?”

“No. You were the last one out of the house.”

“Bob was sleeping in your bed when I left. And I know your kitchen door was locked, because I remember checking it, but it was unlocked when I got here just now.”

“Does it look like anything is missing? Any sign of forced entry?”

“I didn't hang around long enough to find out. I've got Bob in my car, and I'm dropping him at my mom's. You need to go home and walk through the house, and please don't do it alone, like a big, stupid, macho cop. Two break-ins in a row is too much of a coincidence. Something is going on here.”

Stephanie Plum 14 - Fearless Forteen

CHAPTER SIX

It had taken me longer than I would have thought to get clothes for the dinner. I had Ranger's credit card, with a limit high enough to buy a house, but I couldn't spend beyond my own comfort zone. And then there were Ranger's rules, which he hadn't articulated but I knew existed. He'd want me in black, and he'd want me to wear something that would allow me to move about unnoticed.

I'd done a decent job, with the possible exception of the skirt. And lucky for Ranger, I'd run out of time before I got around to accessorizing at Tiffany's.

I hiked my skirt up over my knees so I wouldn't catch my heel in my hem, and I ran through the parking lot to the hotel. I was ten minutes late. I was wearing a white silk camisole under a short black satin jacket and a simple floor-length black skirt with a slit up the front that stopped a couple inches short of slut.

I barreled through the lobby and was sideswiped by the stalker. He reached out for me, and I slapped his hand away.

“I have to talk to you,” he said.

“Go away,” I told him, on the run for the elevator. “I'm late.”

“It's important. It's about Brenda. I had another vision. There was a big pizza ...”

I rushed into an open elevator, he tried to follow me, and I gave him a two-handed shove that sent him out of the elevator and onto his ass. The elevator doors closed and I checked my hair and makeup in the shiny gold door trim.

Ranger and Hal were in the hall when I stepped out. The shift had changed, and Tank was either getting ready to face Lula, or else he was at the airport, heading for South America and points unknown.

Ranger was wearing a perfectly fitted black tux, black shirt, black-on-black striped silk tie. I've seen him in SWAT black fatigues, black T-shirt and jeans, black slacks and jacket, and I've seen him naked. He always looks great, but Ranger in a tux was a heart-stopper. Almost as good as Ranger naked. Almost, because nothing was better than Ranger naked.