“The fourth Trenton Baked Potato.”
“Yeah. She was hiding out, living in her car and using the Wi-Fi at the food court in the mall. I stashed her with Melvin at my parents’ house.”
Diesel grinned. “How’s that working out?”
“They’re a perfect match, but it would be good if we could catch Oswald sooner than later. I don’t know how long my parents are going to tolerate having two houseguests.”
“I have someone watching the train station and I have someone walking the streets downtown. My IT guy hasn’t been able to ping Oswald. He’s changed all his devices. Melvin got in and was able to download information but nothing that helped us get to Oswald. And what really pisses me off is that Oswald’s been playing with us while he continues to evade us. He’s making me look bad.”
“Not to mention, he’s killing people.”
“Yeah, that, too.”
“When I asked Charlotte about hacking into Oswald’s network she hesitated and sat back a little. Maybe Melvin got out right away and didn’t see anything, but I think Charlotte hung in there for a while.”
“It would make more sense if Oswald was killing Baked Potatoes for some reason other than retribution for hacking.”
“Exactly. Like he’s been killing people to keep them from talking. And the tongue thing would be appropriate.”
Diesel nodded. “So, you aren’t just pretty, you’re smart, too.”
That caught me by surprise. My self-image ran more toward pleasantly ordinary. Pretty is definitely a couple notches above pleasantly ordinary. I must be having a good day.
“We should capitalize on the pretty,” Diesel said. “Suppose we dress you up in a skimpy little skirt and put some socks in your bra and set you on a street corner in downtown Trenton. See if Oswald takes the bait.”
Obviously, my prettiness fell short of the mark when it came to breasts. “You think I need to put socks in my bra?”
“Not for me. I think you’re a nice handful, but Oswald likes big boobs.”
“How about if we dress you up in drag and see if that turns him on?”
“I’ve tried that in the past. I make a really ugly woman.”
“Okay, suppose I go out there as bait and he grabs me. You’re going to step in before he cuts my tongue out, right?”
“I saved you from the train, didn’t I?”
I looked around to see if there was a sign that my angel was getting all this.
“I don’t suppose you have any other ideas?” I asked him.
“Not at the moment.”
“Wonderful. I’m going to the office to see if any new FTAs came in. I’ll be back at dinnertime and maybe you’ll have some other ideas by then.”
“There’s something that never fails to give me ideas,” Diesel said.
“No!”
“I was talking about pizza. Do you want me to have Ana get it or do you want to bring some home?”
“I’ll get the pizza.”
I finished my sandwich, grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, and drove to the office. I stopped for a light and glanced down at my breasts. I thought they were perfectly okay. They aren’t centerfold breasts, but I can run up and down a flight of stairs without a bra and not rupture something.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Connie was cleaning her gun and Lula hadn’t returned from her session with the astrologer when I got to the office.
“Anything new?” I asked Connie.
“No, but Vinnie called in and he’s not happy that Oswald Wednesday is still in the wind.”
“I’m not happy about that, either,” I said. “I’ve turned my parents’ house into a safe house, and I’ve got a strange man sleeping in my bed.”
“If you want to get rid of him, I’d be happy to have him in my bed,” Connie said.
“If only it was that easy.”
Lula burst in. “What’s happening? Did I miss anything?”
“I found Charlotte Huck, and she’s with my parents,” I said. “That’s about it.”
“How did it go with your reading?” Connie asked.
“I don’t remember all the details but there’s a moon that’s out of orbit and it’s creating a disturbance in my energy zone. And Stephanie’s moon is taking its place where my moon should be, so she’s getting all my good juju and I’m keester cakes out of luck.”
“That sounds about right,” Connie said.