10 Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich Read Free Book Online Page B

'

    I disconnected and turned onto Fenton Street. It was easy to find Sally's house. A big yellow school bus was parked at the curb.

    I pulled up behind the bus, and we all trooped out.

    Sally opened the door with the security chain still in place. I've changed my mind, ' he said. `I don't want to go. '

    'You have to go, ' I told him. 'It's the law. '

    'The law's bogus. I didn't do anything wrong. And now if I go with you I'm going to have to pay more money, right? Vinnie's gonna have to write another bond, right?'

    'Uh... Yeah. '

    'I haven't got more money. And anyway, I'm not even the one who should have been arrested. They should have arrested that jerk Marty Sklar. He's the one who started all this. '

    I felt my eyebrows shoot halfway up my forehead. 'Marty Sklar is the guy who made a pass at you?'

    'Do you know him?' Sally asked.

    'I went to school with him. He was a big macho football player.

    And he married Barbara Jean Biabloki, the pom-pom queen. ' It was a perfect match. They deserved each other. Sklar was a bully, and Barbara Jean thought she could walk on water because she grew perfect breasts. Last I heard, Sklar was working in his father-in-laws

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    'Fuckin' A. Oh crap!' Snap, snap.

    'You gotta remember about fudge, ' Grandma said.

    Sally nodded. 'Fudgin' A. '

    We all did a mental eeyeuuiv. Fudgin' A didn't sound tasty coming out of Sally's mouth.

    'Maybe fudge don't work for that one time, ' Grandma said.

    If I could get Sklar to drop the charges against Sally, and we had a sympathetic judge, I could save Sally the expense of a second bond. 'You're not going anywhere, ' I said to Sally. 'I don't need to bring you in today. I'll talk to Sklar and see what I can do about getting the charges dropped. '

    'No shit!' Snap.

    'You better clean up your mouth, or you're gonna lose that hand, ' Lula said to Sally. 'You're gonna amputate yourself. '

    'F-f-fudge, ' Sally said.

    Grandma looked down at her watch. 'You're going to have to take me home now. I have a beauty-parlor appointment this afternoon, and I don't want to be late. I got a lot of ground to cover today what with the shooting and all. '

    This was a good deal for me because the negotiation with Marty

    Sklar would go better without Grandma present. In fact, I'd prefer to do it without Lula but I didn't think that was going to happen. I pointed the Buick toward the Burg and motored across town. I dropped Grandma off in front of my parents' house. My sisters car was still in the driveway.

    They're planning the wedding, ' Grandma said. 'Ordinarily I'd be right there, but it looks to me like this is going on for days. They spent two hours this morning talking about what kind of suit Mr

    Cutie Uggums was going to wear. I don't know how your mother does it. That woman has the patience of a saint. '

    'Who's Mr Cutie Uggums?' Lula wanted to know.

    'Albert Kloughn. He and Valerie are getting married. '

    'That's scary, ' Lula said.

    Melvin Biablokis Toyota dealership took up half a block on South

    Broad Street. It wasn't the biggest or the best dealership in the state, but according to Burg gossip it made enough money to send

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    I parked in the area reserved for customers, and Lula and I went searching for Sklar.

    This here's a butt-ugly showroom, ' Lula said. They should buy some new carpet. And what's with the nasty plastic chairs? For a minute there I thought I was back at the office. '

    A guy in a sports coat ambled over, and it took me a moment to realize it was Marty Sklar. He was shorter than I remembered. His hair was balding. He was wearing glasses. And his six-pack stomach had turned to a keg. Marty wasn't aging well.

    'Stephanie Plum, ' Marty said. 'I remember you. Joe Morelli used to write poems on bathroom walls about you. '

    'Yeah. I'm living with him now. '

    Sklar touched his index finger to my lip. Then all those things he said must be true. '

    He'd caught me flat-footed. I