07 Seven Up by Janet Evanovich

to be when you're depressed. And anyway, there's something I've got to do.”
    I was sorting through my bag. I had pepper spray in there somewhere. And probably my stun gun.
    “Besides, there's people looking for me, and they're a lot tougher than you,” DeChooch said. “And locking me up in jail would make it real easy for them to find me.”
    “I'm tough!”
    “Lady, you're amateur hour,” DeChooch said.
    I pulled out a can of hair spray, but I couldn't find the pepper spray. I needed better organization. Probably I should put the pepper spray and stun gun in the zipper compartment, but then I'd have to find another place for my gum and mints.
    “I'm going now,” DeChooch said. “And I don't want you to follow me or I'll have to shoot you.”
    “Just one question. What did you want from Mooner?”
    “That's private between him and me.”
    DeChooch left through a side door, and Carolli and I stared after him.
    “You just let a murderer get away,” I said to Carolli. “You were sitting here drinking with a murderer!”
    “Nah. Choochy's no murderer. We go way back. He's got a real good heart.”
    “He tried to shoot Mooner.”
    “He got excited. Ever since that stroke he's been excitable like that.”
    “He had a stroke?”
    “Just a small one. Hardly counted at all. I've had worse strokes.”
    Oh boy.
    I caught up with Mooner half a block from his house. He was scooting along, running and walking, looking over his shoulder, doing the Mooner version of a rabbit fleeing the hounds. By the time I parked, Mooner was already through the door, had located a roach, and was lighting up.
    “People are shooting at you,” I said. “You shouldn't be smoking dope. Dope makes you stupid, and you need to be smart.”
    “Dude,” Mooner said on an exhale.
    Yeesh.
    I dragged Mooner out of his house and down to Dougie's house. We had a new development here. DeChooch was after something and he thought Dougie had it. And now he thinks Mooner's got it.
    “What was DeChooch talking about?” I asked Mooner. “What's he after?”
    “I don't know, man, but it's not a toaster.”
    We were standing in Dougie's living room. Dougie isn't the world's best housekeeper, but the room seemed unusually disrupted. Cushions were askew on the couch, and the coat closet door was open. I stuck my head into the kitchen and found a similar scene. The cabinet doors and counter drawers were open. The door to the cellar was open, and the door to the small pantry was open. I didn't remember things as looking like this last night.
    I dumped my bag onto the small kitchen table and pawed through the contents, picking out the pepper spray and stun gun.
    “Someone's been in here,” I said to Mooner.
    “Yeah, it happens a lot.”
    I turned and stared at him. “A lot?”
    “This is the third time this week. I figure someone's looking for our stash. And that old guy, what's with him? He was real friendly with Dougie, coming over to the house a second time and all. And now he's yelling at me. It's like, confusing, dude.”
    I stood there with my mouth open and my eyes slightly bulging for several beats. “Wait a minute, are you telling me DeChooch came back after he delivered the cigarettes?”
    “Yeah. Except I didn't know it was DeChooch. I didn't know his name. Dougie and me just called him the old dude. I was here when he dropped the cigs. Dougie called me to help unload the truck. And then he came back to see Dougie a couple days later. I didn't see him the second time. I just know from Dougie telling me.” Mooner took one last drag on the roach. “Boy, talk about a coincidence. Who would have thought you were looking for the old dude.”
    Mental head-slap.
    “I'm going to check the rest of the house. You stay here. If you hear me scream, call the police.”
    Am I brave, or what? Actually I was pretty sure no one was in the house. It had been raining for at least an hour, maybe more, and there were no signs that someone had come in with