Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight (Stephanie Plum #28)(30)

Bob was sitting beside the bed, watching me.

“Hey,” I said, “how’s it going?”

There was a note on the bedside table that told me Bob had eaten his breakfast and gone for a short walk. If I let him out in the backyard for five minutes, he’d be good.

Forty-five minutes later, I was back at my apartment, showered and dressed in my usual work uniform of jeans and a T-shirt. I ran out of my apartment building with my hair still damp and jumped into the Focus. I hadn’t taken the time to make coffee because I was behind schedule. I wanted to get to the hospital before Andy checked himself out.

I bypassed the reception desk at the hospital and went straight to Andy’s floor. I stopped at the nurses’ station and told them I was there to collect Andy.

“He left last night,” one of the nurses said. “He disconnected his IV, got dressed, and left.”

“How could that happen?” I asked. “That’s not supposed to happen.”

“True,” she said, “but every now and then we get a sneaky old guy who doesn’t want to be here anymore and finds a way to leave. He’s one of those guys.”

“Did he leave anything behind? Like a wallet?”

“No. He took everything. There wasn’t much. Some spare change and a couple books.”

This was my fault. I could have checked him into the locked-down prison ward at the hospital, but I thought he wasn’t a flight risk and he’d be more comfortable on a normal floor.

I returned to the Focus and drove the couple of blocks to the office. Connie and Lula were already there.

“We’ve been waiting for you,” Lula said. “Did you hear about the second tongue murder?”

I waved her away and went straight to the coffee machine. I filled my mug and hit up the doughnut box on Connie’s desk.

“I was there,” I said. “I went with Morelli.”

“We heard it was an older guy,” Lula said.

“I didn’t get a good look at him,” I said, “but he had gray hair and he was a little paunchy.”

“Police report says his name is Gerard Gouge,” Connie said. “Single. Self-employed computer repair.”

“He was a hacker,” I said.

“Yeah,” Lula said. “We figured. How’s Melvin doing? Does he still have his tongue?”

“He’s okay. He’s staying at my parents’ house. I’m going over there to check on him.”

“I guess the duck roaster didn’t work out,” Lula said.

“He ate a squirrel and had to be hospitalized,” I said. “I couldn’t leave Melvin in the park alone. Worst part is the roaster snuck out of the hospital last night and took his books with him.”

“Are you sure the roaster skipped?” Lula asked. “Maybe he made it look like he left, but he’s really hiding out in the park, behind a tree or something.”

It was possible. Homeless people tended to return to comfort spots. He could have gone from the hospital back to the park.

“I’ll tag along with you,” Lula said. “I haven’t got much else to do today. I couldn’t get a hair appointment until four o’clock. I wouldn’t mind saying hello to Grandma.”

Lula was wearing a fluffy white angora knit cap over her hair. Her scoop-necked sweater was also white angora, and when she moved, she shed wisps of angora. She looked like a giant rabbit squished into a short black leather skirt and over-the-knee black leather boots with five-inch spike heels.

My father was making his morning cab runs when Lula and I got to my parents’ house. Grandma and Melvin had their computers set up on the dining room table.

“We moved in here because we needed more room with all the equipment we got now,” Grandma said. “I’m taking notes for Melvin, so he doesn’t forget important things.”

“Have there been any eureka moments?” Lula asked.

“There were a couple,” Grandma said, “but we still haven’t got answers like we want. At least we know the name of the second murder victim.”

“Melvin was able to get it off the computer?” I asked.

“No,” Grandma said. “I got it from Mary Jane Kuleski at the deli this morning. Her daughter lives in the same apartment building as the victim, Gerard Gouge. She said he was nice but kind of a loner. He helped get her computer straightened out once. She said the dog that ate the tongue was real nice, too. He wasn’t usually running around loose but he broke away from the owner when he saw the open door. I guess Gerard used to give him treats.”

“Have you heard from Andy?” I asked Melvin.

“No,” he said. “I haven’t heard from anyone. I don’t know where my phone is.”

“I got it charging in the kitchen,” Grandma said.

I went to the kitchen to say hello to my mom. She was at the counter, making meatballs.

“There wasn’t enough chicken for leftovers,” she said. “So, I thought I’d make some spaghetti for dinner.”

The marinara sauce was simmering on the stove and the kitchen smelled like sautéed garlic and onions mingling with assorted herbs and tomatoes.

“You’re starting early,” I said.

“I like when the meatballs get to soak in the sauce for a while.”