“Guess it's safe to park,” Lula said. “Looks like everyone went away.”
Not everyone. Gary-the-Stalker was sitting on the curb in front of the bonds office. He stood when I got out of the Sentra and walked over to me.
“Brenda went back to the hotel,” I told him.
“I know. I saw her leave. I thought I'd have better luck talking to you.”
“I'm not working security for her anymore.”
“Yeah, but you talk to her.”
“Actually, no.”
“I had a dream that she was sitting on a toilet in the southbound lane of Route 1.”
“Un-hunh?”
“I thought someone needed to know”
“Why?”
“Just in case,” he said.
“Anything else?”
“No. That's it.”
“Okay, then,” I said. “Thanks.”
My phone rang and a strange number popped onto the screen.
“Is this
Stephanie Plum?” a man asked.
“Yeah,” I said, recognizing the voice. “Is this the Mooner?”
“Affirmative. It's the Moonster, the Moondog, the MoonMan. I'm here at the house, looking for Zookarama, but he isn't here.”
“He's in school.”
“School! Far out.”
“Anything else?”
“Here's the thing, it was real late when we were done playing last night, and I think I might have left my computer in the house, because I don't seem to have it with me. So I was wondering if you could, like, let me into the house.”
“Sure,” I said. “I'm at the bonds office. I'll be right there.”
Morelli's house is minutes from the bonds office. It was close to noon, and there was no traffic. No kids playing. No dogs barking. Only Mooner sitting on the small porch, patiently waiting for me.
I unlocked the door, and Bob galloped over to us. Bob stuck his snoot into Mooner's crotch and took a sniff.
“Whoa,” Mooner said. “He remembers me. Cool.”
We pushed past Bob and found the computer exactly where Mooner had left it, on the coffee table.
“When's the little dude get out of school?” Mooner asked.