I hung up and called Connie. “Do you have time to make a phone call and get someone in to clean up my fire damage?”
“Absolutely. How soon can you use them?”
“Now.”
“No problem.”
“Do you know how to make a can cannon?” I asked her.
“Doesn’t everyone?”
“How easy is it to get parts?”
“Super easy,” Connie said. “You can get a can cannon on Amazon. Thirty-nine dollars. Then you need a launcher. If you have an AR-15 lying around it works great. Or you can get an air gun from Amazon.”
Lula was listening. “You could get the whole setup from Big Dick. He sells out of the back of his van on Saturdays. He parks around the corner from the farmer’s market. If you want extra power, you could get a machine gun from him.”
So, a can cannon is easy to get, but I figured you might have to take some practice shots before you could hit a second-floor window on the first try.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
I dropped Lula off at the office and drove to Rangeman. Ranger was finished with his meeting and breaking for lunch when I stepped out of the elevator on the fifth floor. We got sandwiches and drinks and took them down the hall to his office.
“I got a report back from Milos,” Ranger said. “Martin Plover and Geara are partners in the jewelry store. They’ve been partners for ten years.”
“That’s when Martin’s son, Frankie, started working for Geara.”
Ranger nodded. “This partnership is so complicated and crooked that it’s hard to tell who’s bad and who’s good. Probably no one is good. Geara is a career criminal with mob ties. Martin Plover likes his drinks but falls just short of a drunk. He quietly abuses his wife. And he likes to gamble. His son, Frankie, is a creep. Drug addict. Sex addict. Delusions of grandeur. Descriptions of him range from charming to evil. From what I see, Geara keeps him on as his stooge.”
“I have information that backs up your Frankie findings.”
“I have Marcus in custody,” Ranger said. “I thought we should keep him on ice until we need him. We picked him up this morning and he’s very happy, living in one of my safe houses, getting fed and watching TV.”
“Better than the crack house,” I said.
“Apparently. Have you talked to Jeremy Gorden?”
“Yes. It was a Molotov cocktail launched from a can cannon. No structural damage. Connie is arranging for the restoration people to go to work.”
I finished my sandwich and looked down at Bob. He’d finished his sandwich as soon as I gave it to him.
“I’m two men short tonight, so I’ll be patrolling,” Ranger said. “Don’t be alarmed when a naked man gets into bed with you at one in the morning.”
“I always find naked men alarming,” I said.
“With good reason,” Ranger said.
“Sometimes they’re alarming in a good way.”
“Babe,” Ranger said.
I was flirting. Shame on me. I was spending too much time at Rangeman. I was finding it increasingly difficult to remember that I was in a relationship with Morelli. But that wasn’t entirely my fault since Morelli showed no signs of ever coming back from Miami.
I stood and hiked my messenger bag onto my shoulder. “Gotta go. Things to do.”
I drove to the bail bonds office and Morelli called just as I parked.
“I’m on a lunch break,” he said. “I just heard about your apartment. How bad is it? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. There’s smoke and water damage throughout. The bedroom and part of the living room are gone. No structural damage, so I should be able to get back in soon.”
“Do you know who did it?”
“I have ideas.”
“Are you working with the police?”
“Not yet. It just happened. How’s the trial going?”
“My part is done. I fly back to Jersey tomorrow night. Where are you staying? How’s Bob?”
“Bob is great. I’m looking for a place to stay.”
“You can stay with me tomorrow night. I already told my brother he has to vacate.”
“I’m going to lose you any second,” I said. “I’m out of phone battery.”
This was a big fib. I wasn’t out of phone battery. I was at a loss for words. I didn’t know how to explain my days with Ranger. Were we sleeping together? Yes. Were we intimate? No. Even I couldn’t believe that one.
I disconnected from Morelli and went into the office. Lula was sitting in Connie’s chair behind her desk.
“Connie’s downtown springing Scargucci,” Lula said. “She said to tell you the restoration people are going to start your apartment today. And I’ve been temporarily promoted to acting office manager.”
“Does it come with a raise?”
“No, but I’ve given myself an expense account. It’s a shame I’m tied to this desk because with my new expense account I could go to the mall and get a dress for my big date tonight. My wardrobe is limited since everything disappeared in the fire.”
“I talked to Morelli just now. He’s coming home tomorrow.”
“Is that good or bad?” Lula asked.
“It’s good. Bob will be back home, and I can move in with Morelli until my apartment is put together.”
“What about you-know-who?”
“Ranger?”
“You just gonna kick him to the curb?”
“It’s not like that,” I said. “Ranger has no expectations. He has a life that he allows me to share from time to time, but we both understand that we have no committed future together. His life path doesn’t include marriage.”
“Okay, what about Morelli? Is he gonna marry you? He’s got a pool table in his dining room.”
“Yeah, I’m not holding my breath for that marriage proposal either.”
“How about you? Do you want to get married?” Lula asked me.
“I don’t know. I was married once, and it was a disaster. Sometimes I think that I would like the security and comfort of a long-term relationship, but then I look at Rex and I think maybe he’s enough. I don’t have to share a bathroom with him.”
“I hear you,” Lula said. “If I got married it would be for health insurance. I’m not marrying anyone who doesn’t have a group plan.” Lula looked beyond me to the front door. “Hello, here’s a cutie. He looks a little hungover but I’m pretty sure he’s wearing a Rolex and Gucci loafers.”
He was in his forties, thinning dark blond hair, white starched shirt with the top three buttons open. Tan linen blazer. Tan slacks that fit just right. Reasonable weight that had gone a little soft.
“Hello, ladies,” he said, “I’m looking for Stephanie Plum.”
“I’m Stephanie Plum,” I said.
“And I’m the temporary acting office manager,” Lula said.
“I’m Frankie Plover,” he said. “I’d like to have a private conversation with Ms. Plum,” he said to Lula.
“You’ll have to take it outside,” Lula said. “I got a sworn responsibility to take care of the phones here. And by the way, are those real Gucci loafers?”
“That isn’t going to work for me,” Frankie said. “I need a little privacy.”
“I don’t get to see a lot of Gucci loafers that are on people’s feet,” Lula said. “Mostly I only see them in the store. Are they comfortable?”
“You’ve been very annoying,” Frankie said to me. “You’ve caused my father a lot of anxiety.”