Page 103 of Now or Never

“The jogger was missing a finger,” Morelli said. “It looks like he didn’t have time to get one from the laundromat victim.”

“Ugh.”

“Yeah. This guy is a real psycho.”

“Were you able to identify victims from the three fingers?”

“Not yet. We have to wait for DNA results. We have the state police and the FBI involved and they’re rushing the testing and tracing.”

“I’m hoping the missing finger belongs to Werly. It might mean that she’s still alive.”

“I haven’t been to church in a while, but I’d be willing to drop in and say a prayer for that one,” Morelli said. He leaned in and kissed me. “Would you like to take Bob for another walk? Maybe stay and watch a movie?”

“I don’t know about the movie but walking Bob would be nice.”

Morelli’s phone buzzed, and he stared down at the ground.

“Are you going to answer it?” I asked him.

“I’m deciding,” he said. “I’m still on call. Two guys are out with the flu, and Riley is out with a gunshot wound.”

“Who shot Riley?”

“He shot himself. He was playing quick draw and shot himself in the leg.” He put the phone to his ear. “Yeah.” He listened for a couple minutes and disconnected. “I have to go. Can you feed Bob for me? I don’t know what time I’ll be home.”

“Sure.”

I went back into the house, told everyone I was Bob-sitting, and drove to Morelli’s. I fed Bob some pot roast and some of his Bob food. I hooked him up to the leash, took him to the front door, and hesitated. It was dark outside. I experienced a small ripple of fear in the pit of my stomach, and I tamped it down. Just be alert, I told myself. Be careful. I closed the door, got my gun from my messenger bag, hooked the holster onto the waist of my jeans, and holstered the gun. The gun felt uncomfortable at my waist, and my biggest fear was that I’d do a Riley and shoot myself in the leg.

“Okay,” I said to Bob. “Now we’re ready to walk. I’m sure you’re more used to the gun than I am. Morelli wears one all the time.”

Lights were on in all the houses. Dinner was done and kids were doing homework and watching television. The air was crispwith a hint of autumn. I was glad I was wearing my sweatshirt. Bob was prancing along, enjoying himself. I got to the end of the block and was about to cross the street when Bob stopped and stood stiff-legged, nose up. He growled low in his throat, and a chill ripped through me. I pushed my sweatshirt to one side, exposing the gun. I did a quick look around. I didn’t see anything unusual. Bob turned, and I turned with him. I had a tight grip on his leash with one hand and the other hand was on the SIG Sauer. Bob gave a loud bark and lunged on his leash, and I saw Zoran standing in the sidewalk about twenty feet away. He had the knife in his hand, and he was staring at me, mouth open, showing his fangs. It was the first time I’d actually seen the knife. It looked like something Rambo would use. Large and deadly with a hefty handle. I snatched the SIG out of the holster and aimed, and Zoran disappeared behind a parked car. I heard footfalls running down the street and then there was quiet again.

I looked down at Bob. My hero. He was breathing heavily, and I was in the same state, sucking in air. It took a couple beats for the rush of adrenaline to settle and my brain to go from fight-or-flight towhat the heck just happened!It felt like a nightmare. Imagined. Too horrible and bizarre to be real.

“Good boy,” I said to Bob. “I didn’t hear him coming up behind me.”

We walked back to Morelli’s house, both of us on high alert. I had the gun in my hand and didn’t holster it until I was at Morelli’s door and had to open the door with a key. I left Bob on his leash and went to the kitchen. I wrote a note to Morelli telling him Bob was spending the night with me. I grabbed my messenger bag, and Bob and I went back to my apartment. I felt safer in my own space. Morelli had too many windows and doors. I had one door, and once I locked everything from the inside the only one who couldget in was Ranger. I had no idea how he managed it. When I asked him, he said it was magic. I was inclined to believe him.

My apartment is on the back side of the building. My living room windows look out at the parking lot. Not especially scenic but it’s quieter than the street side. It’s an older building with exterior fire escapes that are now used as little balconies holding potted plants and small grills. My fire escape balcony holds nothing. I always mean to buy plants but never get around to it. At Christmas I string colored lights on the railing, but that’s as far as my decorating goes.

I looked out my living room window and scanned the parking lot. It felt benign. Bob had immediately found his place on my couch and looked comfy. I thought that was a good sign. As long as Bob was comfy and not growling, I could relax a little. I put a bowl of water on the floor in the kitchen for Bob, and I gave Rex a slice of apple and a peanut.

I brought my laptop to the couch, put my gun on the little table next to the couch, and sat alongside Bob while I checked my email. I closed the laptop and thought about Zoran. How long had he been following me? I thought he must have picked me up at the office and followed me to my parents’ and then to Morelli’s house. If Morelli hadn’t been called in to work, I would have gone for a walk with him and Bob and then gone home. I would have been alone getting out of my car and walking into my building, and things might have taken an ugly turn. My gun would have been in my messenger bag. I might not have heard Zoran come up behind me. And I might have ended up being another woman who was missing a finger.

Ranger called. “Just checking in, babe. I heard you brought Bruno Jug in.”

“It was a little complicated, but everything worked out.”

“And I heard there was another Zoran victim.”

“Morelli and I were at the birthday party and Jimmy called. I got to tag along to the crime scene. I couldn’t bring myself to look at the body, but I got all the details from Morelli. She was a jogger. Hit from behind and dragged into a wooded area. Bite marks on her neck and her throat slashed. And her finger cut off. Zoran keeps trophies. I went through his house again and found three fingers in his freezer. All from different women. I gave them to Morelli to get tested. Also, toxicology came back on the laundromat lady. She had a multi-drug cocktail in her system.”

“He drugged his victim and that made the kill easier,” Ranger said. “My control room tells me you have an overnight guest.”

“Morelli got called in to work, and I said I would babysit Bob.”

I wanted to tell Ranger about Zoran stalking me and confronting me when I was walking Bob, but it would set off a chain of events that I preferred not to have happen. He would want me to move back to Rangeman. And there was a part of me that would love to move back. It was by far the safest place for me to stay. Rangeman was impenetrable. Problem is, it would be difficult to explain this move to Morelli.

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