Smitten by Janet Evanovich Read Free Book Online Page B

was no sign of life in Lizabeth’s house.
    It was hard to believe they weren’t up yet. Seven-thirty seemed like the middle of the afternoon when you were used to getting up at five every day. He set the bag of doughnuts and the gallon of paint on the porch and walked around the house. Lizabeth’s bedroom was in the back.
    â€œLizabeth!” he called in an exaggerated whisper. He cupped his hands to his mouth and called again.
    There was no response. Her curtain remained closed. He gathered a few stones and tossed them one by one at her window.
    Lizabeth woke up with a start. A stone pinged against her windowpane, and her heart jumped to her throat. He was back! She reached for the phone beside her bed and dialed the police, then waited, like a frightened fugitive, while the stones continued to tap on the glass.
    Five minutes passed on her digital clock. It seemed like five hours. Someone was forcefully knocking on her front door. Lizabeth crept to the stairs and saw the flashing red light of the cruiser pulsing behind her living room curtains.
    Jason shuffled from his room, rubbing his eyes. “There’s a police car in front of our house.”
    Elsie flung her bedroom door open. “Did he come back? Did I miss him again?”
    Everyone trooped downstairs and stood behind Lizabeth as she opened the door.
    It was Officer Dooley. “We caught your flasher,” he said. “We were just going off duty when the call came in. My partner has him cuffed in the cruiser.”
    â€œI want to see him,” Elsie said. “I want to see what a real pervert looks like.”
    â€œMe too,” Jason said, following after Elsie. “What’s a pervert?”
    Lizabeth grabbed a raincoat from the hall closet and ran after Jason. “Jason Kane! You come back here,” she yelled, struggling into the raincoat. “You stay away from the pervert! Don’t you dare go near that police car!”
    Elsie pressed her nose against the cruiser window. “That isn’t a pervert,” she said disgustedly. “That’s Matt.”
    Lizabeth looked through the window at Matt. “What are you doing in there?”
    â€œI’ve been arrested.”
    â€œOmigod.”
    â€œWe caught him red-handed,” Dooley said. “He was throwing stones at your window.”
    â€œI was supposed to come over first thing in the morning to work on her bathroom,” Matt said. “She wouldn’t answer her door, so I went around back and tried to wake her up by throwing stones at her window.”
    Lizabeth groaned. “I thought you were a flasher.”
    Matt grinned at her. “Wishful thinking.”
    â€œNo. Last night some man showed up in my backyard, and he was only wearing his tie and his shoes. Guess I panicked this morning. I thought he’d come back.”
    â€œSo what do you think?” Dooley said. “Is this the guy or what?”
    Lizabeth shook her head. “The flasher was shorter. Not nearly so muscular. He had sort of a potbelly.”
    Matt climbed out of the black-and-white cruiser. “He was only wearing his tie and his shoes?”
    â€œA yuppie flasher,” Elsie said. “They’re the worst kind.”
    It was getting out of hand, Lizabeth decided. She was beginning to regret calling the police. Now that it was daylight the whole thingseemed silly. The man had just stood there with a bag over his head. It was probably a prank, a fraternity initiation, a practical joke.
    â€œI’m sure I’ll never see him again,” Lizabeth said to the gathering. “And if he comes back, I’ll send Aunt Elsie out after him.”
    Dooley looked Elsie over and grinned. “Go easy on him,” he said. “Call us if you need help.”
    Elsie grunted and turned toward the house. “What’s in the bag sitting on the porch? Looks like a bakery bag.”
    Ferguson raced across the lawn, snatched the bag without