'Spunky? The man's a jackrabbit. He's going to break Mom's other hip.'
'Anything else bugging you?'
There was an implied, anything with us?
I told him no, but that wasn't true. There was a problem with us. Every time I got home from work, I half- wondered if Alan would still be there. He left me once. He could do it again. So to protect myself, I was holding back.
I had to. Until I was sure.
'I'm glad.' Alan moved his hand from my neck to my leg.
'Don't start something you can't finish.'
'Oh, I may not be Jackrabbit Griffin, but I think I can finish okay.'
And when we got back to my place, he proved that he could.
Chapter 41
The call came at four in the morning.
'I got him.'
I tried to open my eyes, but the Ambien wouldn't let me.
'Who is this?'
'It's Harry. Duh.'
'What do you want, McGlade?'
'The bull. The guard. I got him.'
That got my eyes open.
'You're kidding.'
'Why would I kid?'
'Where are you?'
'I'm in the lobby of the Four Seasons. He's in room 3604, under the name John Smith. Real creative, huh?'
I shook my head, tried to get my thoughts clear.
'How'd you find him?'
'I'll tell you when you get here. Bring a warrant.'
Judge Taylor wasn't happy about being woken up in the middle of the night, but because she knew the immediacy of the situation, she understood. I stopped by her place on Cumberland, and then went to the hotel.
McGlade greeted me at the entrance with a canary-eating grin.
'How the hell did you manage this?'
'I told you. I'm a world-famous private investigator.'
'Spill.'
'Well, I knew you guys would have checked the airports, bus terminals, and train stations, and since the guy didn't have a car, I figured he'd still be in the city. You froze his accounts, so he couldn't use his credit cards. That meant he had to pay with cash. So I touched base with some of my friends at a few dozen local hotels, asking if anyone checked in lately paying in cash. Got a hit here, and confirmed it when the doorman saw the picture.'
'Harry, I gotta admit it, I'm amazed.'
'Yeah. Sometimes I amaze myself. You ready to crack some skulls, partner?'
I nodded. We entered the building, all crystal chandeliers and polished marble, and I hit the button for the lobby.
'So, you owe me a favor, right?'
'Anything you want, Harry, as long as it doesn't involve either of us getting naked.'
'You wish. You remember my movie? Fatal Autonomy?'
'Unfortunately.'
'Well, I'm talking with the producer, and he's considering turning it into a series.'
'That blows my mind.'
'Mine too. One of the Baldwin brothers is going to play me this time. They want to get that fat actress who played you to reprise her role. There's a little matter of permission, though.'
My good mood lost a smidgen of goodness.
'Please, Jack? I found this guy for you, right? You owe me one. They love your character, and don't want to do a series without her.'
I sighed. 'Fine.'
McGlade opened his arms to hug me, but I advised him against it.
