Motor Mouth (Alex Barnaby 2)

“We might need some equipment if we’re going to kidnap Rodriguez and Lucca,” I said. “Maybe we should get some rope to tie them up with. And rubber hoses so you can beat them.”

“I don’t need a rubber hose. But the rope might come in handy. And some doughnuts wouldn’t hurt either.”

Hooker found a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru and ordered a dozen assorted doughnuts. When he reached for the bag, he was recognized again.

“Hey, you’re Sam Hooker,” the girl said. “Can I have your autograph?”

“Sure,” Hooker said. And he signed a napkin and pulled away, back onto Speedway.

“Not going with the cousin routine?” I asked him.

“It seemed like a good line at the time.”

We finished eating and Hooker dropped me off at a Wal-Mart where I bought rope, some chains and locks, pillowcases (because CNN had shown terrorists wearing pillowcases), and a second flashlight. Minutes later, we were back in the motel lot with one eye on the back door and the other eye on the Taurus. And nothing was happening.

“Why aren’t they out looking for us?” Hooker asked.

“Maybe they’re taking Sunday off.”

“There’s no Sunday off if you’re a hit man. Everybody knows that. I could do a lot of damage on a Sunday. I could decide to go to the police. I could talk to the press.”

“All because you were ignored on a Sunday?”

“It could happen,” Hooker said.

“You should call them. Tell them to get their slacker butts out here.”

Hooker grinned. “I like that. That’s not a bad idea.” He called the hotel and asked for Rodriguez. “Hey,” Hooker said when Rodriguez answered. “How’s it going? I was just wondering what you guys were doing? I would have thought you’d be looking for me. Ray’s not going to be happy to find out you’re sitting around in your underwear taking the day off.”

“Who is this?” Rodriguez said.

“Jeez,” Hooker said, “how many guys are you looking for?”

“Where are you?”

“I’m at the mall. Thought I’d go to a movie. Get a slice of pizza.”

“Real cocky, aren’t you?”

“So far I haven’t seen anything to get worried about.”

“Asshole.”

Hooker hung up.

“Two out of three people can’t be wrong,” I said to Hooker.

We slouched in our seats and waited to see if Rodriguez and Lucca would go to work. Hard to believe that Hooker was watching a movie or eating pizza, but if it was me, morbid curiosity would dictate that I checked it out.

Sure enough, five minutes later Rodriguez and Lucca emerged from the back door, got into the Taurus, and drove off.

“They came out of the hotel and walked straight to their car,” Hooker said. “Didn’t even look for us.”

“Probably didn’t think we’d be dumb enough to be sitting here.”

“Happens to me all the time,” Hooker said. “People are always underestimating my dumbness.”

The movie theater is twenty-four screens big and attached to the mall. Hooker watched the Taurus turn onto the service road and stop at the light. The light changed and the Taurus crossed Speedway Boulevard.