Page 96 of Now or Never

“This conversation would be considered sexual harassment,” I told him.

He took another hit of his martini. “Yeah,” he said. “I’m good at it. I practice every chance I get.”

“Does it ever get you anywhere?”

“Sometimes.” He gave a bark of laughter. “Almost never, but I do it anyway. I have to keep up my reputation.”

“About Jug. It would be great if you could call Vinny and tell him he can write that bail bond.”

“Sure. Will do.”

“Now.”

“Like, right this instant?”

“You’re a busy man. You could forget.”

“I think you don’t trust me.”

“Not even a little.”

“Okay,” Harry said, “but I want Jug to write a thank-you note to me.”

“It’s a deal. And I’ll get him to send you a fruit basket.”

“I don’t want the one with the pears.”

“I’ll make a note.”

Harry drained his martini, ate the last two olives, and called Vinny. He hung up with Vinny and the bartender brought him a second martini with three more olives.

“Do you just eat olives for lunch?” I asked him.

“Funny,” Harry said. “I got a piece of fish coming. It takes two martinis for me to be able to gag it down. I’m supposed to eat healthy. I’m on Lipitor.”

I slid out of the booth and Big followed me. “It’s been a pleasure,” I said to Harry.

“It could have been better,” he said.

We exchanged smiles and I left. He wasn’t such a bad guy. For someone named Harry the Hammer, he was kind of a softy.

“Congrats,” Lula said when Big and I got into the Firebird. “Connie just called. She’s on her way downtown to bond out Jug. She said we should meet her there with the dog.”

I called Lou and gave him the good news. He said he’d meet us in the parking lot.

“You’re on a roll,” Lula said. “Everything’s working out for you. Lou doesn’t want to kill you anymore and you haven’t seen the vampire since last night.”

Lula’s idea of good news tied my intestines in a knot. I could have used a break from thinking about Zoran.

“I don’t know who I am in this T-shirt,” Lula said. “It’s apretty T-shirt as far as T-shirts go, but I feel all cramped in it. And there’s no sparkle. A day without sparkle is like a day without a doughnut, if you see what I’m sayin’.”

“We can switch back when we get to the office. Did Connie have anything else to say?”

“She said to remind you that Eugene has to appear in court on Friday and you promised to take him.”

Unh! Mental head slap. I’d forgotten about Eugene. I was supposed to put some thought into flushing out the real Robin Hoodie.

I called Morelli. “I’m on my way to the municipal building to help bond out Jug. Do you have time to talk to me?”

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