Four to Score

'No!' I yelped, jumping between them.

There was some close-in scuffling. I got clipped on the chin and went down like a sack of sand. Both men stooped to pick me up.

'Back off,' I yelled, slapping them away. 'Don't either of you touch me. I don't need help from you two infantile morons.'

'He insulted my breasts,' Sally said.

'That's what happens when you have breasts,' I shouted. 'People insult them. Get used to it.'

Joe glared at Sally. 'Who are you? And what's with this jar?'

Sally extended his hand. 'Sally Sweet.'

Joe took the offered hand. 'Joe Morelli.'

They stood like that for a moment or two, and I saw a red flush begin to creep into Sally's cheeks. The cords in Morelli's neck grew prominent. Their hands remained clasped and their bodies jerked in rigid struggle. The morons were arm wrestling.

'That does it,' I said. 'I'm getting my gun. And I'm going to shoot the winner.'

Eyes slid in my direction.

'Actually, I've gotta run,' Sally said. 'I've got a gig at the shore tonight, and Sugar's waiting in the car.'

'He's a musician,' I told Morelli.

Morelli took a step backward. 'It's always a treat to meet Stephanie's friends.'

'Yeah,' Sally said, 'my fucking pleasure.'

Morelli was grinning when I closed and locked the door. 'You never disappoint me,' he said.

'What was that wrestling match about?'

'We were playing.' He glanced down at the jar. 'Tell me about this.'

'Maxine Nowicki has been leaving clues for Eddie Kuntz. Sort of a revenge-driven scavenger hunt. The clues are always in code. That's where Sally comes in. He's good at cracking codes.' I opened the jar, removed the paper and read the message. ' 'Our spot. Wednesday at three.' '

'They have a spot,' Morelli said. 'Makes me feel all romantic again. Maybe I should make a fast run to the drugstore.'

'Suppose you went to the drugstore. How many would you buy? Would you buy one? Would you buy a month's worth? Would you buy a whole case?'

'Oh boy,' Morelli said. 'This is about curtains, isn't it?'

'Just want to get the rules straight.'

'How about we live one day at a time.'

'One day at a time is okay,' I said. I suppose.

'So if I go to the drugstore you'll let me back in?'

'No. I'm not in the mood.' In fact, I was suddenly feeling damn cranky. And for some unknown reason the image of Terry Gilman kept popping up in my mind.

Morelli ran a playful finger along my jawbone. 'Bet I could change your mood.'

I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at him slitty eyed. 'I don't think so.'

'Hmmm,' Morelli said, 'maybe not.' He stretched, and then he sauntered into the kitchen and retrieved his pager from the refrigerator. 'You're in a bad mood because I wouldn't commit to a case.'

'Am not! I absolutely would not want a case commitment!'

'You're cute when you lie.'

I pointed stiff-armed to the door. 'Out!'

*    *    *    *    *

THE FOLLOWING MORNING, I could have called Eddie Kuntz and told him the newest message, but I wanted to talk to him face-to-face. Maxine Nowicki's apartment had been ransacked, and two people connected to her had been mutilated. I was thinking maybe someone wanted to find her for something other than love letters. And maybe that someone was Eddie Kuntz.

Kuntz was washing his car when I drove up. He had a boom box on the curb, and he was listening to shock jock radio. He stopped when he saw me and shut the radio off.

'You find her?'

I gave him the note with the translation. 'I found another message.'

He read the message and made a disgusted sound. ' 'Our spot,' ' he said. 'What's that supposed to mean?'

'You didn't know you had a spot?'

'We had lots of spots. How am I supposed to know which spot she's talking about?'

'Think about it.'