sorry, I’m sure.” Lucille continued to hum under her breath. “The sirens are getting closer.”
Suddenly the sirens got even closer, and swirling lights flashed across the parking lot, illuminating the inside of Flo’s Mustang with a reddish glow. Meanwhile, Nicole continued to sit in her car.
“What’s going on?” Lucille swiveled around and looked out the back window.
“I think it’s the cops.”
“What are they doing here? Do you think the bank is being robbed?”
“I don’t know how to put this to you, Lucille, but I think they’re after us.”
“Us? But we didn’t do nothing.”
“My guess is that Nicole got freaked out by us following her and called the police.”
“No!”
“Take a look.” Flo gestured toward the window.
Flo’s Mustang was surrounded by New Providence’s finest, their guns drawn and at the ready.
“Sheesh. They can’t possibly think we were going to rob—”
Before Lucille could finish her sentence, a voice came booming over a megaphone. “Get out with your hands up and no one will get hurt.”
“This is like a bad movie,” Flo muttered under her breath. She started to open her car door.
“I know that voice,” Lucille said. “That’s my nephew Gabe. Whoever promoted him beyond traffic control had rocks in their head.”
Lucille buzzed down her window. “Gabe, it’s me, your aunt Lucille.”
She saw Gabe make some frantic gestures, and the police lowered their guns but didn’t put them away.
“Aunt Lucille, is that really you?” Gabe called through his megaphone. “Come out of the car with your hands on your head.”
He had to be kidding. Wait till she told Angela about this. Gabe was going to hear a few words from her, that was for sure.
Lucille cracked open her door and started to get out. The policemen bristled and half raised their guns. Lucille realized this was for real—they weren’t joking—and she started to shake. Meanwhile, Flo had already gotten out of the car and was standing with her hands on her head. Nicole, too, was standing by her car and was talking to one of the officers—the only one who wasn’t busy pointing a gun at Flo and Lucille.
Lucille appealed to Gabe. “We only wanted to talk to Nicole here. We missed her at Rocky’s so we followed her.”
“You scared the crap out of me.” Nicole pointed an accusing finger at them.
“Looks like we don’t have a situation here,” Gabe said to the other officers.
“That’s right, Gabe. There’s no situation, as you put it.” Lucille glared at her nephew. “You can all leave and go chase some real criminals.” Lucille waved a hand at them and the officers shifted uncomfortably.
“We can go,” Gabe reassured them. “It’s just my aunt Lucille. She’s always doing crazy things.”
Crazy things? Wait till she told Angela about that, Lucille thought. She would straighten him out. Crazy things, indeed.
Nicole was still standing there. She cracked her gum loudly. “So do you want to ask me whatever was so important you had to follow me to the bank?” She stood with her hands on her hips.
“You know Sal who got stabbed?” Lucille asked.
Nicole nodded. “He owned the pizza joint across the street.”
“Yeah, we—me and Flo here—are investigating like. On account of Sal’s mother asked my mother to ask me to see what I could do.”
Nicole looked slightly confused, then she burst out laughing. “The two of you?” She pointed to Flo and Lucille. “You’re playing detective? That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long time. That cop was right. You don’t just do crazy things, you are crazy.”
Now Lucille was really pissed off, but she didn’t want to offend Nicole so she didn’t say nothing.
“So how can I help?” Nicole asked.
“We want to eliminate Rocky as a suspect,” Lucille explained. “So we was hoping you could tell us where he was when the murder took place. It was sometime after noon on Monday.”
“Monday? Let me
Suddenly the sirens got even closer, and swirling lights flashed across the parking lot, illuminating the inside of Flo’s Mustang with a reddish glow. Meanwhile, Nicole continued to sit in her car.
“What’s going on?” Lucille swiveled around and looked out the back window.
“I think it’s the cops.”
“What are they doing here? Do you think the bank is being robbed?”
“I don’t know how to put this to you, Lucille, but I think they’re after us.”
“Us? But we didn’t do nothing.”
“My guess is that Nicole got freaked out by us following her and called the police.”
“No!”
“Take a look.” Flo gestured toward the window.
Flo’s Mustang was surrounded by New Providence’s finest, their guns drawn and at the ready.
“Sheesh. They can’t possibly think we were going to rob—”
Before Lucille could finish her sentence, a voice came booming over a megaphone. “Get out with your hands up and no one will get hurt.”
“This is like a bad movie,” Flo muttered under her breath. She started to open her car door.
“I know that voice,” Lucille said. “That’s my nephew Gabe. Whoever promoted him beyond traffic control had rocks in their head.”
Lucille buzzed down her window. “Gabe, it’s me, your aunt Lucille.”
She saw Gabe make some frantic gestures, and the police lowered their guns but didn’t put them away.
“Aunt Lucille, is that really you?” Gabe called through his megaphone. “Come out of the car with your hands on your head.”
He had to be kidding. Wait till she told Angela about this. Gabe was going to hear a few words from her, that was for sure.
Lucille cracked open her door and started to get out. The policemen bristled and half raised their guns. Lucille realized this was for real—they weren’t joking—and she started to shake. Meanwhile, Flo had already gotten out of the car and was standing with her hands on her head. Nicole, too, was standing by her car and was talking to one of the officers—the only one who wasn’t busy pointing a gun at Flo and Lucille.
Lucille appealed to Gabe. “We only wanted to talk to Nicole here. We missed her at Rocky’s so we followed her.”
“You scared the crap out of me.” Nicole pointed an accusing finger at them.
“Looks like we don’t have a situation here,” Gabe said to the other officers.
“That’s right, Gabe. There’s no situation, as you put it.” Lucille glared at her nephew. “You can all leave and go chase some real criminals.” Lucille waved a hand at them and the officers shifted uncomfortably.
“We can go,” Gabe reassured them. “It’s just my aunt Lucille. She’s always doing crazy things.”
Crazy things? Wait till she told Angela about that, Lucille thought. She would straighten him out. Crazy things, indeed.
Nicole was still standing there. She cracked her gum loudly. “So do you want to ask me whatever was so important you had to follow me to the bank?” She stood with her hands on her hips.
“You know Sal who got stabbed?” Lucille asked.
Nicole nodded. “He owned the pizza joint across the street.”
“Yeah, we—me and Flo here—are investigating like. On account of Sal’s mother asked my mother to ask me to see what I could do.”
Nicole looked slightly confused, then she burst out laughing. “The two of you?” She pointed to Flo and Lucille. “You’re playing detective? That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long time. That cop was right. You don’t just do crazy things, you are crazy.”
Now Lucille was really pissed off, but she didn’t want to offend Nicole so she didn’t say nothing.
“So how can I help?” Nicole asked.
“We want to eliminate Rocky as a suspect,” Lucille explained. “So we was hoping you could tell us where he was when the murder took place. It was sometime after noon on Monday.”
“Monday? Let me
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