Notorious Nineteen

able to snap the top snap on my jeans,and I felt right with the world. No residual nausea from the night’s adventure. I’d almost gotten caught, but almost doesn’t count, right?
    I worked my way through a bowl of cereal and a mug of coffee while I constructed a mental to-do list for the day. First up was Dottie Luchek. Then I might take a look at Franz Sunshine. And I wanted to go back to Cranberry Manor. I was forgetting something, but I couldn’t nail it down. It wasn’t Melvin Barrel. His case was closed. It wasn’t Nurse Norma. Susan Cubbin was staked out on that one, though I thought she made the wrong choice. I didn’t think her husband was doing the sex slave thing with Norma Kruger.
    I rinsed my dishes, brushed my teeth, grabbed Tiki and my messenger bag, and opened my front door. There was a note tacked to it.
    Fear not. I will cleanse you of the evil. You will burn and your soul will flee the body he’s contaminated .
    I had a moment of scramble brain, followed by the sort of cold terror that only the criminally insane can inspire. And then I remembered the other item on the list. I needed to go to the bridal salon and get the bridesmaid dress fitted.
    I ripped the note off the door and stuffed it into my bag. I returned to the kitchen, took my .45 out of the brown bear cookie jar, and spun the barrel. No bullets. I’d have to mooch some from Connie. I slipped the gun into the side pocket of my messenger bag, locked up my apartment, and took the stairs to the lobby.
    I was a little freaked walking to the car. I didn’t feel good about the whole burning-and-soul-leaving-body thing, so I was looking around for incendiary devices and being careful.
    I put Tiki on the seat next to me and took off for the office. “You have to help me out here,” I said to Tiki. “I can’t be distracted by donuts and margaritas. If I don’t stay sharp we could both could end up as a big pile of ashes.”
    Traffic was light and fifteen minutes later I docked the Buick in front of the bonds office and called Ranger.
    “I had a note tacked to my door this morning,” I told him, trying to keep my voice even. I didn’t want to sound like a freaked-out girl, but my hand was shaking as I read him the message.
    “I got something similar,” Ranger said. “Would you consider staying with me until we solve this? It would be easier for me to keep you safe if you were under my roof.”
    Very tempting. Ranger’s private apartment in the Rangeman building was beyond comfortable. It was professionally decorated in soothing earth shades. The furniture was all clean modern lines. The kitchen was sleek and stocked with food thanks to his housekeeper. The shower had limitless hot water and Bulgari Green shower gel. The king-size bed had thousand-thread-count sheets. And then there was Ranger. He was total eye candy and surprisingly easy to live with as long as you understood that his energy would always dominate his space. Not to mention Ranger in bed. If I allowedmyself to think too long about Ranger in bed I’d be on the road to Rangeman, foot to the floor.
    “Thanks for the offer but I’m going to pass,” I said. “It would be complicated.”
    “Babe,” Ranger said. And he disconnected.
    I looked over at Tiki. “You could have persuaded me,” I said. “Where are you when I need you?”

FIFTEEN
    CONNIE WAS ON the phone when I walked into the office. Lula was on the couch, reading Star magazine.
    “It’s the cellulite issue,” Lula said. “I love the cellulite issue.”
    Connie got off the phone, typed something into her computer, and sat back. “The charges have been dropped on Dottie Luchek. The cop said he misunderstood her intentions.”
    “Hah!” Lula said. “Translation is she ran into him again and gave him a free BJ.”
    So my list had just gotten shorter.
    “I’d like to take a look at Franz Sunshine,” I said, “but I can’t come up with an angle.”
    “You could just walk up to him and come right out with it,” Lula said. “He’s a busy mogul. He might not know there’s aYeti living in his investment property. He could be happy you brought it to his attention.”
    I looked at Connie. “Do you think?”
    Connie shrugged.
    I hiked my bag higher onto my shoulder. “I’ll play it by ear.”
    “Me too,” Lula said. “I’m going with you. I want to see what a Franz Sunshine looks like.”
    FS Financials was located in a high-rise on State Street in the middle of town. I parked on the