to the Saturn. Ranger got out and handed me a bag. Ranger was in his usual black. Black T-shirt that looked like it was painted onto his biceps and clung to his washboard stomach. Black cargo pants that had lots of pockets for Rangers goodies, although clearly not all his goodies were relegated to the pockets. His hair was medium cut and silky straight, falling across his forehead.
“Doughnuts?” I asked.
“Turkey club. Doughnuts will kill you.”
“And?”
Ranger almost smiled at me. “If I had to drive this Saturn I'd want to die, too.”
FOUR
“Can you get the boot off?” I asked Ranger.
Ranger toed the big chunk of metal that was wrapped around my tire. “Tank's on his way with the equipment. How'd you manage to get booted in the lot?”
“Morelli. He thinks the car's unsafe.”
“And?”
“Okay, so it's got some cosmetic problems.”
“Babe, it's got a twelve-inch hole in the floor.”
“Yeah, but the hole's in the back and I can't even see it when I'm in the front. And if I leave the back windows open the fumes get sucked out before they get to me.”
“Good to know you've thought this through.”
“Are you laughing at me?”
“Do I look like I'm laughing?”
“I thought I saw your mouth twitch.”
“How'd this happen?”
I took the turkey club out of the bag and unwrapped it. “It was the note guy. I took Grandma to a viewing at Stivas, and when we left, there was a note in the car. It said it was my turn to burn... and then the backseat caught fire on the way to my parents' house.” I took a bite of the sandwich. “I have a feeling about the note guy. I think the note guy is Stiva's kid. Spiro. Joe's Grandma Bella told me she had a vision about rats running away from a fire. And one of the rats was sick and it came back to get me.”
“And you think that rat is Spiro?”
“Do you remember Spiro? Beady rat eyes. No chin. Bad overbite. Mousy brown hair.”
“Bella's a little crazy, Babe.”
I finished the turkey club. “A guy named Michael Barroni disappeared ten days ago. Sixty-two years old. Upstanding citizen. Had a house on Roebling. Owned the hardware store on Rudd and Liberty. Locked the store up at the end of the day and disappeared off the face of the earth. Morelli punched Barroni into missing persons and found there were two other similar cases. Benny Gorman and Louis Lazar. Connie said you're looking for Gorman.”
“Yeah, and he feels like a dead end.”
“Maybe it's a dead end because he's dead.”
“Its crossed my mind.”
I crumpled the sandwich bag and tossed it into the back of the Saturn. It bounced off the charred backseat and fell through the hole in the floor, onto the pavement, under the car.
Ranger gave a single, barely visible shake to his head. Hard to tell if he was amused or if he was appalled.
“Did you know Barroni?” Ranger asked me.
“I went to school with his youngest son, Anthony. Here's the thing about Michael Barroni. There's no obvious rea son why he disappeared. No gambling debts. No drinking or drug problems. No health problems. No secret sex life. He just locked up the store, got into his car, and drove off into the sunset. He did this on the same day and at the same time Lazar and Gorman drove off into the sunset. It was like they were all going to a meeting.”
“I made the Lazar connection,” Ranger said. “I didn't know there was a third.”
“That's because you're the Stark Street expert and I'm the Burg expert.”
“You handed your cuffs and fake badge over to Connie,” Ranger said. “Why the interest in Barroni and Lazar and Gorman?”
“In the beginning, Barroni was just Burg gossip and cop talk. Now I'm thinking Spiro's gone psycho and he's back in town and stalking me. And Barroni might be connected to Spiro. I know that sounds like a stretch, but Spiro makes bad things happen. And he drags his friends into the muck with him. All through school, Spiro hung out with Anthony Barroni. Suppose Spiro's back
“Doughnuts?” I asked.
“Turkey club. Doughnuts will kill you.”
“And?”
Ranger almost smiled at me. “If I had to drive this Saturn I'd want to die, too.”
FOUR
“Can you get the boot off?” I asked Ranger.
Ranger toed the big chunk of metal that was wrapped around my tire. “Tank's on his way with the equipment. How'd you manage to get booted in the lot?”
“Morelli. He thinks the car's unsafe.”
“And?”
“Okay, so it's got some cosmetic problems.”
“Babe, it's got a twelve-inch hole in the floor.”
“Yeah, but the hole's in the back and I can't even see it when I'm in the front. And if I leave the back windows open the fumes get sucked out before they get to me.”
“Good to know you've thought this through.”
“Are you laughing at me?”
“Do I look like I'm laughing?”
“I thought I saw your mouth twitch.”
“How'd this happen?”
I took the turkey club out of the bag and unwrapped it. “It was the note guy. I took Grandma to a viewing at Stivas, and when we left, there was a note in the car. It said it was my turn to burn... and then the backseat caught fire on the way to my parents' house.” I took a bite of the sandwich. “I have a feeling about the note guy. I think the note guy is Stiva's kid. Spiro. Joe's Grandma Bella told me she had a vision about rats running away from a fire. And one of the rats was sick and it came back to get me.”
“And you think that rat is Spiro?”
“Do you remember Spiro? Beady rat eyes. No chin. Bad overbite. Mousy brown hair.”
“Bella's a little crazy, Babe.”
I finished the turkey club. “A guy named Michael Barroni disappeared ten days ago. Sixty-two years old. Upstanding citizen. Had a house on Roebling. Owned the hardware store on Rudd and Liberty. Locked the store up at the end of the day and disappeared off the face of the earth. Morelli punched Barroni into missing persons and found there were two other similar cases. Benny Gorman and Louis Lazar. Connie said you're looking for Gorman.”
“Yeah, and he feels like a dead end.”
“Maybe it's a dead end because he's dead.”
“Its crossed my mind.”
I crumpled the sandwich bag and tossed it into the back of the Saturn. It bounced off the charred backseat and fell through the hole in the floor, onto the pavement, under the car.
Ranger gave a single, barely visible shake to his head. Hard to tell if he was amused or if he was appalled.
“Did you know Barroni?” Ranger asked me.
“I went to school with his youngest son, Anthony. Here's the thing about Michael Barroni. There's no obvious rea son why he disappeared. No gambling debts. No drinking or drug problems. No health problems. No secret sex life. He just locked up the store, got into his car, and drove off into the sunset. He did this on the same day and at the same time Lazar and Gorman drove off into the sunset. It was like they were all going to a meeting.”
“I made the Lazar connection,” Ranger said. “I didn't know there was a third.”
“That's because you're the Stark Street expert and I'm the Burg expert.”
“You handed your cuffs and fake badge over to Connie,” Ranger said. “Why the interest in Barroni and Lazar and Gorman?”
“In the beginning, Barroni was just Burg gossip and cop talk. Now I'm thinking Spiro's gone psycho and he's back in town and stalking me. And Barroni might be connected to Spiro. I know that sounds like a stretch, but Spiro makes bad things happen. And he drags his friends into the muck with him. All through school, Spiro hung out with Anthony Barroni. Suppose Spiro's back
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