I beeped the alarm off, and Lula and I got in the Beemer.
'This is cushy,' Lula said. 'Big woman like me needs a car like this. I sure would like to know where Ranger gets all these cars. See that little silver strip with the numbers on it. That's your registration number. So theoretically this car isn't even stolen.'
'Theoretically.' Ranger probably had those strips made by the gross. I punched Morelli's number into the car phone and after six rings I got his answering machine. I left a message and tried his pager.
'Not that it's any of my business,' Lula said, 'but what's going on with you and Morelli? I thought that was over with you two when you moved out.'
'It's complicated.'
'Your problem is you keep getting involved with men who have lots of potential in bed and no potential at the altar.'
'I'm thinking of giving men up altogether,' I said. 'Celibacy isn't so bad. You don't have to worry about shaving your legs.'
The phone rang, and I answered it on the speakerphone.
'What number is this?' Morelli wanted to know.
'It's my new car phone number.'
'In the Buick?'
'No. Ranger gave me another car.'
Silence.
'What kind of car is it this time?' he finally asked.
'Beemer.'
'Has it got a registration number on it?'
'Yes.'
'Is it fake?'
I shrugged. 'It doesn't look fake.'
'That'll go far in court.'
'Have you heard anything about Mark Stemper?'
'No. I think he's probably playing rummy with your uncle Fred.'
'How about Laura Lipinski?'
'Disappeared off the face of the earth. Left home the Thursday before your uncle disappeared.'
Perfect timing to get stuffed into a garbage bag. 'Thanks. That's all I wanted. Over and out.'
I pulled into the Grand Union parking lot and drove to the end of the mall where the bank was located. I parked at a safe distance from other cars, exited the BMW, and set the alarm.
'You want me to stay with the car in case someone's riding around with a bomb in his backseat looking for a place to put it?' Lula asked.
'Not necessary. Ranger says the car has sensors.'
'Ranger give you a car with bomb sensors? The head of the CIA don't even have a car with bomb sensors. I hear they give him a stick with a mirror on the end of it.'
'I don't think it's anything space-age. Sounds to me like they're just motion detectors mounted on the undercarriage.'
'Boy, I'd like to know where he got the motion detectors. This would probably be a good night to rob the governor's mansion.'
I was starting to feel like a regular customer at the bank. I said hello to the guard at the door, and I waved to Leona. I looked for Shempsky, but he wasn't visible, and his office was empty.
'He's out to lunch,' the guard said. 'Took it earlier than usual today.'
No problem. Leona was giving me the
'I read about you in the paper,' she said. 'They said your car was bombed!'
'Yeah. And then a garbage truck fell on it.'
'It was excellent,' Lula said. 'It was the shit.'
'Boy, nothing fun ever happens to me,' Leona said. 'I've never had a car bombed or anything.'
'But you work at a bank,' I told her. 'That's pretty cool. And you have kids. Kids are the best.' Okay, so I fibbed a little about the kids. I didn't want her to feel bad. I mean we can't all be lucky enough to have a hamster.
'We came to see if you had any suspicious characters working here,' Lula said.
Leona looked startled by that. 'In the bank?'
'Well, maybe 'suspicious' is the wrong word,' I told her. 'Is there anyone here who might have connections with people who might not be totally law-abiding?'
