Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum, #30)(42)

“Not until I butt my head into your fat face,” Trundle said.

“Excuse me?” Lula said. “Fat? Did you just say my face was fat?”

“Yeah,” Trundle said. “Fat, fat, fat.”

Bob climbed onto the console and squeezed himself between the two front seats. He sidled up next to Lula and growled at Trundle, lips curled back, showing his huge white Bob teeth.

“Whoa,” Trundle said. “What’s with the dog?”

“He’s a killer,” Lula said. “You want to sit back down and be real calm. He doesn’t like when people are rude.”

I drove through the lot where the cops parked their cars and took Trundle to the back entrance. I called inside and asked for assistance. A uniform came out and I handed Trundle over to him. I followed the uniform inside and Lula drove the Explorer to the lot across the street. I was back in the Explorer forty-five minutes later.

“Did you get your body receipt?” Lula asked me.

“Yes. It took longer than usual. They had a lot going on. Apparently, someone shot up a bowling alley. Domestic dispute that turned ugly.”

“People are serious about bowling,” Lula said. “I don’t get it, personally. I guess it could be fun, but you have to wear those shoes. I mean, they aren’t fashion-forward, you see what I’m saying? And putting my perfectly pedicured and enameled toes in a rental? Not going to happen.”

Bob was sharing the seat with Lula. He had his butt on her lap and his paws on the dashboard. Bob weighs in at seventy-five pounds, so it’s not like he’s a lapdog.

“Is Bob going to ride like this from now on?” I asked.

“Bob can ride wherever the heck he wants,” Lula said. “He’s my hero.”

I had to admit I was impressed. I’d never heard him growl like that. It was like he actually knew what was happening.

I cut across town to Hamilton Avenue and parked in front of the bail bonds office, and Sissy called.

“I don’t know if I should be making this phone call,” she said. “I just talked to Duncan. He didn’t sound good. He was in a lot of pain, which I guess is to be expected. It was a long car ride. Anyway, he’s seeing a doctor tomorrow. The thing is, he’s talking about leaving the country. Going to Thailand. Thailand! What is he going to do in Thailand?”

“Is he in Maine?”

“He’s with his brother. Wherever that is. You said you would help him. I think he needs help. He’s with Andrew, and I’m not sure about Andrew. I think he means well, but Andrew seems a little… eccentric.”

“Did you tell him that I wanted to talk to Andrew?”

“Yes. Duncan said they would discuss it, but I’m worried they’ll do something silly. Like take off for Thailand.”

“I’m glad you called me. I’ll do what I can to help them.”

“You’ll keep in touch with me?”

“Absolutely.”

I’d had the call on speakerphone.

“Wow,” Lula said.

I nodded. “Yeah. It looks like we’re going to Maine.”

“When are we leaving?”

“I don’t know. I have to think about this. It’s almost a nine-hour drive.”

“I have to go home to pack,” Lula said. “It won’t take me long. I just need some travel clothes, and of course there’s my daily beautification products.”

My needs weren’t so complicated. A couple T-shirts, some undies, and dog food.

“I don’t want to drive late at night,” I said. “Either we leave first thing in the morning or else we leave now.”

“I wouldn’t mind leaving now being that I’m not looking forward to another night with Grendel,” Lula said.

“I’ll have Connie book us two rooms in a dog-friendly hotel.”





CHAPTER THIRTEEN




Lula was waiting on the sidewalk when I drove up in the Explorer. She had a giant suitcase and a large tote. She hefted the suitcase into the back beside my small travel duffel bag and the twelve-pack of water, two dog bowls, and Bob-proof container of kibble that I’d packed. She brought the tote up front with her and set it on the floor between her legs. She turned and said hello to Bob, and she buckled herself in.

“This is going to be awesome,” Lula said. “We’re going on a road trip. I brought some snacks and a book of games that you can play in the car. And I left a note for Grendel telling him to go away and haunt someone else.”

“I stopped at the office and picked up a folder from Connie. It’s got some information in it about Duncan’s brother, our hotel reservation, and directions to Alberton. It’s a small town about an hour out of Bangor. I’ve already plugged the address into navigation.”

I handed the folder to Lula and headed for Route 29. An hour into the trip, my phone rang.

“Babe,” Ranger said, “you’re on the Saw Mill River Parkway heading north.”

“Duncan Dugan and Nutsy are at his brother’s house in Maine. I’m going after them.”

“Are you alone?”

“Nope. I’m with Lula and Bob.”

There was a long silence where I thought Ranger was trying hard not to laugh out loud.