Page 14 of Now or Never

“That was a decent viewing,” Grandma said. “Larry looked better than he has in a long time. Too bad Bruno didn’t show. I was ready in case you needed backup.”

“It was a long shot.”

“Are you coming in? The hockey game might still be on.”

“I’m going to head back to my apartment. I have some computer work to do.”

I watched Grandma disappear inside the house, and I took off for Merrymaster Street. Twenty minutes later I was parked across the street from Jug’s house. His lights were off. A single porch light was lit. The garage door was closed. No car in the driveway. Headlights flashed a block away. A car was coming toward me. I ducked down and the car went past me and turned into Jug’s driveway. Two people got out and walked to the front door. Minutes later, they were in the house and the house lights went on. Mr. and Mrs. Jug were home. His black Volvo sedan was also home for the night.

Jug had been driving, so obviously his supposed senility didn’t affect his ability to operate a luxury vehicle. I hung around for ten more minutes and chugged off to my apartment.

CHAPTER FOUR

Lula was standing on the sidewalk in front of her apartment house when I pulled to the curb. The sky was getting light, but the sun wasn’t up yet. She was wearing a silver bedazzled sweatshirt, a black spandex skirt, and magenta satin pumps with a five-inch stiletto heel. The platinum-blond wig from her Marilyn Monroe collection was crooked on her head. She got into the car, and I took a closer look.

“One of your false eyelashes is missing,” I said to her.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

She checked herself out in the visor mirror and peeled the remaining eyelash off.

“Good thing I’m a natural beauty,” Lula said, “or else I’d be feeling insecure without a boost in the eyelash department.”

“Yeah. Lucky you.”

“You got coffee?”

“In the console cupholder. The extra-big one is yours. Doughnuts are in the box on the back seat.”

“Soon as I get some coffee in me, I’m gonna be ready to kick ass. I got my running shoes on in case we gotta chase down the old crazy guy.”

“I can see that. Wouldn’t want you to try to run in sneakers.”

“Hell no. I can’t get no push-off in sneakers.”

“And you’re wearing a rad hoodie.”

“I figured it would be chilly until the sun gets up, so I’d need something warm.”

“It’s got a lot of sparkle.”

“That’s the good part. All the sequins work as insulators when it’s dark and then when the sun comes up the heat bounces off me. Except when I first grabbed it, I thought it might not be appropriate for an early morning takedown on account of the glamour level. What do you think?”

“I think when the sun hits those sequins anyone standing next to you is going to go blind.”

“I never thought of that, but that’s another good thing about this hoodie,” Lula said. “When I got this hoodie on, I’m like a stun grenade. I’m a walking flash-bang. I’m a nonlethal weapon.” She grabbed the white pastry box off the back seat and chose a chocolate-covered cream-filled doughnut. “You got a good selection of doughnuts in this box. There’s no loser doughnuts here.”

I stopped for a light and picked out a doughnut with pink frosting and colorful sprinkles.

“I drove past Jug’s house last night,” I said to Lula. “I saw him come home and park in the driveway. If the black Volvo is still there, we can be pretty sure Jug is inside the house.”

“Okay. Then what? We gonna go in and get him out of bed likegangbusters? That wouldn’t be my first choice. I got my running shoes on, not my door-bashing-down shoes.”

I turned into Jug’s neighborhood and parked across the street from 21 Merrymaster. “It’s not my first choice either,” I said. “I’d like to approach him when he leaves his house and walks to his car.”

“You got that worked out?”

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