and next thing I knew I was flying through the air. He'd moved so fast and scooped me up so effortlessly, I never saw it cming. He threw me about fifteen feet, and I crash-landed on a table of four. The table gave way and I was on the floor with the burgers and shakes and soup of the day. I was flat on my back, the wind knocked out of me, dazed for a moment, the world swirling around me. I rolled to my hands and knees and crawled over smashed food and dishes to get to my feet.
Willie Martin was facedown on the floor just beyond the table debris. Lula was sitting on him, struggling with the second cuff. 'Boy, you really know how to make a diversion,' Lula said. 'I zapped him good. He's out like a light. Only I can't get his second hand to cooperate.'
I limped over and held Martin's hand behind his back while she cuffed him.
'Do you have shackles in the car?'
'Yeah. Maybe you should go get them while I babysit here.'
I took the key to the Firebird, got the shackles, and brought them back to Lla. We got the shackles on Martin, and a squad car pulled up outside the deli.
It was my pal Carl Costanza and his partner, Big Dog. Costanza grinned when he saw me. 'We got a call that two crazy fans were on Willie like white on rice.'
'That would be Lula and me,' I said. 'Except we're not fans. He's FTA.'
'Looks like you're wearing lunch.'
'Willie threw me into the table. And then he decided to take a nap.'
'We'd appreciate it if you could help us drag his sorry ass out of here,' Lula said. 'He weighs a ton.'
Big Dog got Willie under the armpits, Carl took the feet, and we hauled Willie out of the deli and dumped him into the back of Lula's Firebird.
'We need to do a property damage report,' Costanza said to me. 'You're wearing Rangeman clothes. Are you hunting desperadoes for Vinnie or for Ranger?'
'Vinnie.'
'Works for me,' Costanza said. And they disappeared inside the deli.
Lula and I looked over at the bench by the bus stop. Two of the three men were gone from the bench. The guy Lula stun-gunned was still there.
'Looks like Gimp missed his bus,' Lula said. 'Guess he didn't come around fast enough. Hey, Gimp,' she yelled. 'You want a ride? Get your bony behind over here.'
'You're a big softy,' I said.
'Yeah, don't tell nobody.'
I walked back to Rangeman and entered through the front door. 'Don't say anything,' I told the guy at the desk. 'I've just walked two blocks through town, and I've heard it all. And just in case you're wondering, those are noodles stuck in my hair, not worms.'
I rode the elevator to the control room and had the full attention of everyone there as I crossed to my desk.
'I got tired of turkey so I went out for lunch,' I told them.
I retrieved the key fob I'd left on my desk, got back into the elevator, and rode to Ranger's floor. I knocked on his door and didn't get an answer, so I let myself in. I took my shoes off in the hall and left them on the marble floor. I didn't want to trash Ranger's apartment, and the shoes were coated with chocolate milkshake and some smushed cheeseburger. I padded into Rangers bathroom, locked the door, and dropped the rest of my clothes.
I washed with his delicious shower gel and stood under the hot water until I was relaxed and no longer cared that just minutes before I'd had chicken noodle soup in my hair.
I wrapped myself in Rangers luxuriously thick terrycloth robe, unlocked the door, and stepped into his bedroom. Ranger was stretched out on the bed, ankles crossed, arms behind his head. His was fully clothed, and he was obviously waiting for me.
'I had a small mishap,' I said.
'That's what they tell me. What happened?'
'I was helping Lula snag Willie Martin at Fennick's and next thing I knew I was airborne. He threw me about fifteen feet, into a table full of food and people.'
'Are you okay?'
'Yeah, but my sneakers are history. They're covered with chocolate milkshake.'
Ranger crooked a finger at me. 'Come here.'
'No way.'
'What about the jelly-doughnut hormones and the sex-drive hormones?'
'Getting thrown across a room seems to have a calming effect on them.'
'I could fix that,' Ranger said.
I smiled at him. 'There's no doubt in my mind, but I'd rather you didn't. I have a lot of things going on in my head right now, and you could make it a lot more confusing.'
'That's promising,' Ranger said. He got off the bed and crossed the room. He grabbed me by the big shawl collar on the robe and pulled me to him. 'I like when you wear my robe.'
'Because I'm cute in it?'
