and waited for my cup to arrive. “It’s different this time. I might be a suspect in a homicide investigation. The guy on Mo’s floor was Ronald Anders. One of Vinnie’s skips.”
“Tell me about it.”
“I went to Uncle Mo’s to look around.”
“Hold it,” Ranger said. “You break into the store?”
“Well, sort of. I had a key. But I guess technically it was an illegal entry.”
“That’s cool.”
“Anyway, I was in the store, and I saw someone pass by the front window, so I went to the back door to leave. Before I could get out I heard footsteps, and then someone trying the lock. I hid in the bathroom. The back door opened and closed. The cellar door opened and closed. And then the door to the bathroom opened, and I was eyeball to eyeball with some big, pissed-off, Rasta-type guy who threw me against the wall and knocked me out. When I came around the guy was dead. What does this mean?”
“It means after you got knocked out someone else arrived and shot Ronald Anders,” Ranger said.
“Who? Who would do that?”
We looked at each other, knowing we were both considering the same possibility. Mo.
“Nah,” I said. “Impossible.”
Ranger shrugged.
“That’s a ridiculous idea,” I told Ranger. “Mo isn’t the sort of man who goes around shooting people.”
“Who else could have shot Anders?”
“Anyone.”
“That narrows it down.” Ranger slid a five onto the counter and stood. “I’ll see what I can find.”
“My gun?”
He transferred my .38 from his pocket to my shoulder bag. “Not going to do you much good if you don’t put bullets in it.”
“One more thing,” I said. “Could you give me a ride to the office?”
Connie came out of her chair when I blew through the door. “Are you okay? Lula said you actually got knocked out last night.”
“Yes, I’m okay. Yes, I got knocked out. No, I didn’t kill Ronald Anders.”
Vinnie popped out of his office. “Christ, look who’s here,” he said. “The bounty hunter from hell. I suppose you want your recovery money for whacking Anders.”
“I didn’t whack Anders!” I shouted.
“Yeah, right,” Vinnie said. “Whatever. Just next time try not to shoot your FTA in the back. It doesn’t look good.”
I gave Vinnie a hand gesture, but he was already back in his office with the door closed.
“Details,” Connie said, leaning forward, eyes wide. “I want to know everything.”
Truth is, there wasn’t much to tell, but I went through the routine one more time.
When I was done Lula gave a disgusted sigh. “That’s a pretty lame story,” she said.“Cops gonna be after you like flies on a bad bean pie.”
“Let me get this straight,” Connie said. “You never saw the killer. You didn’t smell him or hear him. In fact, you haven’t got a teeny-tiny clue who he could be.”
“I know the killer came from outside,” I said. “And I think Ronald Anders knew the killer. I think Anders let the killer into the store and then turned his back on him.”
“A partner?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe it was Old Penis Nose,” Lula said. “Maybe Ronald Anders ran a tab and couldn’t pay for his Snickers bars, so our man popped him.”
“That’s disgusting,” Connie said. “That’s not even funny.”
“Hunh,” Lula said. “You got a better idea?”
“Yeah,” Connie said, “my idea is that you better get to work instead of saying dumb things about Uncle Mo.”
“I’d like to get to work,” I said, “but I don’t know what to do. I’m at a total dead end. I’m a failure as a bounty hunter.”
“You’re not a failure,” Connie said. “You got an apprehension this week. You got Ronald Anders.”
“He was dead!”
“Hey, that’s the way it goes sometimes.” Connie pulled a stack of manila folders from her bottom drawer. “It’s just that you’re stalled on Mo. You should keep working other cases.” She slid a folder from the top of the stack and flipped it open. “Here’s a
“Tell me about it.”
“I went to Uncle Mo’s to look around.”
“Hold it,” Ranger said. “You break into the store?”
“Well, sort of. I had a key. But I guess technically it was an illegal entry.”
“That’s cool.”
“Anyway, I was in the store, and I saw someone pass by the front window, so I went to the back door to leave. Before I could get out I heard footsteps, and then someone trying the lock. I hid in the bathroom. The back door opened and closed. The cellar door opened and closed. And then the door to the bathroom opened, and I was eyeball to eyeball with some big, pissed-off, Rasta-type guy who threw me against the wall and knocked me out. When I came around the guy was dead. What does this mean?”
“It means after you got knocked out someone else arrived and shot Ronald Anders,” Ranger said.
“Who? Who would do that?”
We looked at each other, knowing we were both considering the same possibility. Mo.
“Nah,” I said. “Impossible.”
Ranger shrugged.
“That’s a ridiculous idea,” I told Ranger. “Mo isn’t the sort of man who goes around shooting people.”
“Who else could have shot Anders?”
“Anyone.”
“That narrows it down.” Ranger slid a five onto the counter and stood. “I’ll see what I can find.”
“My gun?”
He transferred my .38 from his pocket to my shoulder bag. “Not going to do you much good if you don’t put bullets in it.”
“One more thing,” I said. “Could you give me a ride to the office?”
Connie came out of her chair when I blew through the door. “Are you okay? Lula said you actually got knocked out last night.”
“Yes, I’m okay. Yes, I got knocked out. No, I didn’t kill Ronald Anders.”
Vinnie popped out of his office. “Christ, look who’s here,” he said. “The bounty hunter from hell. I suppose you want your recovery money for whacking Anders.”
“I didn’t whack Anders!” I shouted.
“Yeah, right,” Vinnie said. “Whatever. Just next time try not to shoot your FTA in the back. It doesn’t look good.”
I gave Vinnie a hand gesture, but he was already back in his office with the door closed.
“Details,” Connie said, leaning forward, eyes wide. “I want to know everything.”
Truth is, there wasn’t much to tell, but I went through the routine one more time.
When I was done Lula gave a disgusted sigh. “That’s a pretty lame story,” she said.“Cops gonna be after you like flies on a bad bean pie.”
“Let me get this straight,” Connie said. “You never saw the killer. You didn’t smell him or hear him. In fact, you haven’t got a teeny-tiny clue who he could be.”
“I know the killer came from outside,” I said. “And I think Ronald Anders knew the killer. I think Anders let the killer into the store and then turned his back on him.”
“A partner?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe it was Old Penis Nose,” Lula said. “Maybe Ronald Anders ran a tab and couldn’t pay for his Snickers bars, so our man popped him.”
“That’s disgusting,” Connie said. “That’s not even funny.”
“Hunh,” Lula said. “You got a better idea?”
“Yeah,” Connie said, “my idea is that you better get to work instead of saying dumb things about Uncle Mo.”
“I’d like to get to work,” I said, “but I don’t know what to do. I’m at a total dead end. I’m a failure as a bounty hunter.”
“You’re not a failure,” Connie said. “You got an apprehension this week. You got Ronald Anders.”
“He was dead!”
“Hey, that’s the way it goes sometimes.” Connie pulled a stack of manila folders from her bottom drawer. “It’s just that you’re stalled on Mo. You should keep working other cases.” She slid a folder from the top of the stack and flipped it open. “Here’s a
Similar Books
