Page 17 of Now or Never

“If he calls again tell him I died.”

“Cause of death?” Connie asked.

“Constipation.”

The front door to the bail bonds office opened and Morelliwalked in. All conversation stopped and all eyes were on Morelli. Most of the plainclothes guys wore suits and dress shirts. Morelli wore jeans, boots, and a dress shirt or sweater with sleeves rolled. When Morelli put on a suit he looked like a casino pit boss.

He smiled and nodded at Lula and Connie. He crooked his finger at me in acome heregesture. I followed him outside and we stood looking at my SUV.

“Someone took out your window and your side mirror,” Morelli said.

“Mrs. Jug.”

“She had a reason?”

“She thought I killed Mr. Jug.”

“And?” he asked.

“I didn’t.”

“Good to know. Exactly how close did you come to killing him?”

“I ripped two buttons off his pajama top.”

“That’s serious stuff,” Morelli said.

“Yeah. He turned his dog loose on me.”

Morelli looked down at the shredded cuff on my jeans. “Big dog?”

“Chihuahua. And then Lula hit Jug in the face with her tote bag and sort of knocked him out a little.”

“She knocked him out with her tote bag?”

“She was carrying a Glock, a stun gun, and a can of hair spray. The bag had some weight to it.”

“Okay. What happened next?”

“Mrs. Jug showed up with a gun, she saw ‘Juggy’ lying on the ground and thought we killed him, so she started shooting at us. That’s when we left.”

“I’m assuming you left without Jug.”

“You assume right. It was one of those ‘save your own ass before all else’ situations. How did you know about my car?”

“I’m on my way to a blood and guts display a couple blocks from here. Domestic dispute gone very bad. Saw your car and thought I should stop to see if you were bleeding.”

I pulled my torn pants leg up so he could see the Band-Aids. “I did my own triage.”

Morelli’s phone buzzed, and he looked at the display. “I have to go. Try to stay safe. Send Jug some replacement pajamas and tell him to get in touch with you when he’s ready to reschedule. And stay away from his wife.”

I waved Morelli off and looked down at my belly. No baby bump. Too soon. Not too soon to be more careful… just in case. It was a sobering thought that there might be more at stake than my own life.

“Well?” Lula asked when I returned to the office.

“Morelli said I should send Jug some replacement pajamas.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Lula said. “A nice gesture like that is always appreciated. It could go a long way in mending fences.”

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