bottle. The liquid splashed onto the gas stove, and we were all paralyzed for a moment.
'Pilot light,' Hansen said.
We all dove for the back door, and I think I was in the air when the explosion occurred. Or maybe it was the explosion that threw me out of the house.
'Holy crap,' Hansen said.
He was on the ground next to me, and Lula was on her back, skirt up to her neck, next to him.
'Who shot that bottle?' Lula said. 'It wasn't me, was it?'
I clapped the cuffs on Hansen, and we all took a bunch of steps backward.
'Anyone else in the house?' I asked Hansen.
'No. I was alone.'
We watched the fire rush through the house. It was like a brush fire, and almost instantly the whole house was burning, and clouds of pot smoke were billowing out over the Burg. Sirens were screaming in the distance, and the three of us leaned against Hansen's car and sucked it all in while tiny pieces of cannabis ash sifted down around us.
'This is good shit,' Hansen said, taking a deep breath.
'Smells like you had some Hawaii 5-0,' Lula said. 'Not that I'd know.'
I looked down to make sure my toes weren't smoking. 'Maybe we should move back a little.'
We all scurried to Hansen's rear boundary.
'This is pretty funny,' Lula said. 'We burned down a house.' And Lula started laughing.
Hansen was laughing too. 'Probably a million dollars' worth of grass in that house,' Hansen said. 'Up in smoke.'
I was laughing so hard I tipped over and found myself on the ground. 'Look at me,' I said. 'I can make snow angels.'
'I'm getting wet,' Lula said. 'Is it raining?'
Sounds carried from the front of the house. The rumble of the fire truck engines and the crackle and squawk of police band radios.
'I am so fucking hungry,' Lula said. 'I need chips. I'd fucking kill for chips.'
A black SUV slid to a stop behind Hansen's car. Tank left the car and walked toward us. 'I've got her,' he said into his walkie. 'She's in the back with Lula.'
Rangers Cayenne pulled in behind the SUV. Ranger got out, scooped me up off the ground, and held me close.
'I was afraid you were in the house,' Ranger said. 'Are you all right?'
'I got blown out of it,' I told him. 'And then it started raining.'
'Its not rain. It's from the fire hoses on the other side of the house.' He pulled back a little and looked at me. 'Babe, you're high as a kite.'
'Yes! And you are so cute.'
Ranger put me in the Cayenne and handed Hansen and Lula over to Tank. We drove the length of the alley and turned onto Chambersburg Street.
'You're always so quiet,' I said to Ranger. 'What's with that?'
Ranger didn't move, but I suspected he was rolling his eyes.
'Well?' I said.
'I like quiet.'
'Quiet, quiet, quiet,' I said; And I gave Ranger a shot to the arm.
'Don't do that,' Ranger said.
I gave him another shot.
Ranger pulled to the curb and cuffed me to the sissy bar over the passenger side window.
'Are you going to have your way with me now that I'm handcuffed?' I asked.
'Would you like that?'
'Absolutely not.'
Ranger smiled, put the Cayenne in gear, and pulled away from the curb.
'I saw that smile,' I said.
On the one hand, I was feeling very flirty and clever. On the other hand, in a dark, back corner of my mind I suspected I was one of those people who gets obnoxious on wacky tobacky. No matter which was right, I couldn't seem to stop.
'So,' I said, knowing I was pressing the issue. 'Don't you want to have your way with me?'
'More than you could possibly imagine, but right now you're wet, and you smell like pot. You're lucky I let you in my car.'
'Where are we going?'
'I'm taking you home, so you can take a hot shower and get dressed in dry clothes.'
'And then?'
'We'll see.'
Oh boy.
Ranger was in the kitchen making a sandwich when I straggled in. I'd steamed myself in the shower until the water ran cold, and then I'd slipped into jeans and a T-shirt, letting my hair dry on its own.
He looked over at me. 'How are you feeling?'
'Hungry and tired.'
'You had a full morning. You burned a house down to the ground.'
I took two slices of bread, slathered them with mustard, and added ham and cheese.
'Technically, Lula started the fire. It was an accident. She winged a bottle of ether, and it spilled onto the gas stove.'
'We're holding the kid in the cuffs. What do you Want to do with him?'
'He's FTA. I need to turn him in.'
'If you turn him in, you're going to be implicated in the fire. It's going to get you more publicity.'
'I need the money.'
Ranger got a bottle of water from the fridge. 'I can give you a job if you need money.'
'What would I do?'
'Fill my minority quota, for one thing. I only employ one woman, and she's my housekeeper.'
'Besides that?'
'Odd jobs,' Ranger said. 'You can work part-time on an as needed basis.'
'Do you need me now?'
Ranger smiled.
'You missed your chance,' I told him.
'I'll get another one. You got a phone call while you were in the shower, and he left a message. You should listen to it.'
The message was from Peter Smullen. He wanted to speak to me. Would I please call him back.
Ranger was leaning against the counter, arms crossed, watching me.
'Hard to believe my day could get any worse,' I said to him.
'You underestimate yourself.'
I dialed Smullen's number and waded through layers of secretaries. Finally Smullen came on.
'I appreciate the callback,' he said. 'I imagine your days are complicated since Dickie's disappearance.'
'It's been interesting.'
'I was hoping we could get together for a chat.'
'What do you want to chat about?' I asked him.
'Things.'
'That narrows it down.'
'I prefer not to discuss sensitive issues on the phone. I have a full schedule this afternoon, but I was hoping we might meet for a drink after hours. Perhaps the bar at the Marriott at eight?'
'Sure. See you at eight.'
'I have a date,' I said to Ranger. 'It turns out I'm very in demand.
