Top Secret Twenty-One: A Stephanie Plum Novel by Janet Evanovich(67)

“How soon do you want me out there?”

“I’d like you in place by ten o’clock.”

A buffet had been set out on the dining table. Croissants, bagels, smoked salmon, cream cheese, little jars of jam, pots of coffee, a large platter of fresh fruit. A container of orange juice. No waffles drenched in syrup. No donuts. No eggs Benedict.

I poured myself a cup of coffee and selected a croissant.

“Have there been any more Vlatko sightings?” I asked.

“No,” Ranger said. “I have someone watching the ladder running up the side of the building, but Vlatko hasn’t used it.”

“Maybe he’s already infected his target and he’s on his way back to Russia.”

“That’s possible,” Ranger said. “That’s why the polonium is so useful. You can eliminate someone and no one necessarily knows for days, maybe weeks or months.”

I took a call from Connie. “I can’t find anyone to bond out Forest,” she said. “He’s homeless, and he stole food to feed his dog pack, so I don’t think he’s looking at a lot of time. I expect he’ll get a week in the workhouse at the most. Problem is, he won’t come to trial for weeks. Are you good with his dogs until then?”

“I’ve got Briggs babysitting. He seems to be doing okay. I asked Lula to look in on him.”

“I haven’t seen Lula. Maybe she went to your apartment before coming here. How’s it going? Where are you, anyway?”

“Atlantic City.”

“The hardship assignment.”

“Yeah, I’m here with Ranger, drinking coffee and eating croissants.”

“I hate you. Did you sleep with him?”

“That’s a complicated question.”

“You did!”

“No.”

“Okay, I don’t want to know any more, but I expect details when you get back.”

I hung up and called Lula.

“Where are you?” I asked. “Did you check in with Briggs?”

“Yeah, I’m in your parking lot. He’s turned into one of those dog nuts. And I tell you I can’t blame him. Those critters are cute as anything. And they aren’t even demons. I mean, they don’t have rotating heads or glowing eyes or nothing. One of them tried to nip at me, but Briggs says that dog has trust issues, so I didn’t take it personal. The rest were all dancing around and looking happy. And I’m even getting used to the way they vibrate. I mean, I like things that vibrate anyway, you see what I’m saying?”

Oh yeah.

“I’m stuck here in Atlantic City,” I said. “I’m hoping to get home later today or tomorrow, but maybe in the meantime you could make sure Briggs has enough food. He’s stuck there without a car.”

“He said he had a job interview today. I don’t know how he’s getting there. Taxi, maybe. He didn’t ask for help.”

I hung up and called my mom.

“Just checking in,” I said. “I’m out of town on a job with Ranger. Is everything going okay there?”

“Your father is out with the cab. And your grandmother is on one of those senior trips for the day, so it’s nice and quiet here.”

“Where’s Grandma going?”

“Atlantic City. She said she felt lucky.”

Crap! Double crap!!

“When did Grandma leave?”

“About a half hour ago. Your father took her to the senior center. They have a good deal. She gets the bus trip, a roll of tokens for the slots, and a ticket for the all-you-can-eat buffet.”

“Do you know what casino she’s going to?”

“No. The seniors get a bunch of deals. They don’t always go to the same casino.”

I hung up and called Grandma. No answer.

Okay, what are the chances it would be this casino? Slim. It was a crummy casino. And it was filled with booze salesmen. There were lots of other casinos in Atlantic City. So I shouldn’t worry, right?



Ranger gave me an earbud a little before ten o’clock. “I have this set so you can communicate with me and with Tank. He’ll be watching the video feeds.”

I took the elevator to the mezzanine and found a place in the hall where I could see the doors to the ballroom and also the mechanical room door at the far end of the hall. The doors to the ballroom were closed, and the hallway was empty. I recognized a Rangeman guy standing by the bridge that led to the conference center.

I was in the hall for about fifteen minutes when Grandma called.

“Where are you?” she asked.

“I’m still in Atlantic City. Where are you?”

“I’m in some traffic on the road to Atlantic City. I’m with Lula.”

“Mom said you were going on a seniors bus.”

“It broke down before we even loaded onto it, so I called Lula to see if she felt lucky today, and here we are on the road. We’re trying to decide on a casino. I like the new one with the jungle theme, but Lula says she’s partial to Caesars. What casino are you at? We could come visit you.”

“No visits! I have to work. And I’m not at a great casino anyway. Go to Caesars, and I’ll call you later.”

After an hour I was blind with boredom. I paced the hall. I counted the overhead lights. I tried a door to the ballroom. Locked. Guess they were worried some boozehound vodka dealer would steal the silverware or sit in an unassigned seat.