Page 32 of Now or Never

“Now?”

“Later.”

Jake came over with the Snickers and a Coke.

“I don’t need to retire,” I said, peeling the wrapper away. “I just need a Snickers.”

Lula was on her feet. They walked her over and sat her down next to me.

“I could use a couple candy bars,” Lula said. “They got any Mounds or peanut butter cups?”

Morelli went to the office and minutes later came back to me. “Can you give me a description of the vampire?”

“I didn’t get a good look. He was moving fast once he saw us. I’d say average height and build. Dark brown hair, shot withgray. Caucasian. Dressed in black. Bloody. Fit the description of my FTA.”

“He looked me right in the face when he shoved me out of his way,” Lula said. “His mouth was open, and his tongue was sticking out. And he had fangs. And his eyes were red. I don’t know if vampires are supposed to have red eyes, so he might just be a pothead. It was horrible.” Lula looked past Morelli. “Where’s my candy bars? I need candy bars.”

Jake came with more candy and helped Morelli get Lula and me out to my car.

“Are you okay to drive?” Morelli asked me.

“Yeah,” I said. “I’m good. I just had a moment back there.”

“Not every day you interrupt a vampire at feeding time,” Morelli said.

“Do you think he’s really a vampire?”

“No,” Morelli said. “Do you?”

“No,” I said. “I think he’s a crazy person with large canines.”

I buckled myself in, Morelli kissed the top of my head and closed my door. I gave him a small smile and wave and drove away. I got to the corner and looked at Lula, and I knew we were thinking the same thought. What if he really was a vampire?

“I feel better now that I got some sugar in me,” Lula said. “What’s next?”

“I was thinking we could drive by Zoran’s house. Maybe he went home to get clean clothes.”

“And he could be exhausted after killing that lady. And probably he isn’t so hungry anymore,” Lula said. “I got my garlic, but we should go to the hardware store and get a stake to drive into Zoran’s heart before we go into his house.”

“Heart impalement isn’t in my skill set,” I said to Lula.

“Ordinarily I might be able to pull it off, but I’m just recovering from fainting right now,” Lula said.

“Exactly, so we’ll skip the hardware store and go straight to Zoran’s house.”

Lula paged through the file. “He lives a couple blocks from the laundromat. Exeter Street. I know that street. It’s got a bunch of small bungalow-type houses that are kind of nice.”

I drove to Exeter, found Zoran’s house, and parked across the street.

“Now what?” Lula asked.

“We wait.”

“What are we waiting for?”

“We’re waiting for the police to arrive and search the house.”

Ten minutes later, two cop cars and a plainclothes car showed up. Not Morelli. His partner, Jimmy. They walked around the house. Tried the door. Looked in some windows. They couldn’t enter, but I could. Zoran had signed his rights away when he got his bail bond from Vinnie. I could forcibly enter a building if I thought Zoran was in it. I left Lula in the car, and I walked over to Jimmy.

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