Top Secret Twenty-One (Stephanie Plum 21)

“This is killing me,” Lula said. “I hate when I don’t know stuff.”

It was killing me too. I had a sick feeling in my stomach. Something really bad had happened here. I was worried about Ranger. And I was worried about his men.

I drove away from the crime scene, turned at the next corner, and cut across town to Stark. As long as I was sort of in the neighborhood it wouldn’t hurt to check on Buster, and it would take my mind off Ranger. It was midmorning and the pizza place was filled with people. The area around it looked normal. No sign of police activity. I parked half a block away, on the opposite side of the street, and I watched the building while Lula and Briggs went to get pizza.

I tapped in Buster’s number, and he answered on the second ring. I introduced myself, and he hung up. I tried again, and he didn’t pick up. I ran across the street and banged on his door. Nothing. The door was locked.

Lula and Briggs joined me. Lula was carrying a large pizza box.

“We got a whole pie,” Lula said. “They were having a half-price sale.”

We backed up on the sidewalk and looked at the second-floor windows. No moving shadows. No television sounds drifting down to us.

“Did you try knocking on the door?” Lula asked.

“Yep.”

“Then I’m guessing nobody is home, and we should go eat our pizza.”

I didn’t want to drag Lula and Briggs along on my lunch date, so I dropped Lula at the office and took Briggs to my parents’ house.

“Just in time for lunch,” Grandma said, opening the front door.

“I can’t stay,” I told her, “but I was hoping I could leave Randy here.”

“I suppose that would be okay,” Grandma said. “How long do we have to keep him?”

“An hour or two.”

“As long as you pick him up by three o’clock. Your mother has a dentist appointment, and I’m getting my hair done for the viewing tonight. It’s going to be a good viewing what with all the scandal. The place will be packed. And people are going to be hoping to get a showing from Jimmy.”

Grandma and her lady friends went to viewings four days out of seven, whether they knew the deceased or not. The funeral home served cookies, was filled with flowers, and was the Burg’s premier place to be seen and swap gossip.

“I doubt Jimmy will make an appearance,” I said to Grandma. “And I can’t see him going to the funeral either. He’d be instantly arrested.”

“Well, I’m going anyway,” she said. “There’s nothing on television but reruns.”

“I’m going too. Even if Jimmy isn’t there, the place will be filled with friends and relatives. Do you need a ride?”

“Sure, I could use a ride. You could come for dinner, and we could go together. Your mother is making pot roast tonight, with chocolate cake for dessert.”

“I love pot roast and chocolate cake,” Briggs said.

“I guess he could eat here too,” Grandma said.

“You have to behave yourself,” I said to Briggs. “No growling, biting, or kicking.”

“Yeah, we don’t give out chocolate cake to biters,” Grandma said.

“Jeez,” Briggs said. “You make me sound like an animal.”

I set my hands on my hips and looked down at him.

“Okay,” he said. “I might have done some of those things in the past, but they were justified. I gotta compensate for my size. It’s not like I can punch a guy in the nose.”

“That’s true,” Grandma said. “He has a point.”

“Thanks,” Briggs said. “You’re all right for an old lady.”