“I was handing out fliers. I got some for you, too.” Mooner put a stack of papers on Connie’s desk. “The Alliance is having its annual Hobbit Con, and I’m in charge this year. It’s an awesome honor.”
“I’ve never been to a Hobbit Con,” Lula said. “What do you do there?”
“You dress up like a Hobbit,” Mooner said. “And you get a Hobbit name. And there’s all kinds of Hobbit food. And there are Hobbit games. And Hobbit music.”
“I might like that,” Lula said, taking a flier off Connie’s desk and reading it. “I’m always open to new experiences. Do you got a Hobbit name?” Lula asked him.
“Bungo Goodchild,” Mooner said.
“I could see that,” Lula said. “What would my name be?”
“You could be Alvyan Jumpswell of Fair Downs,” Mooner said. “And Connie could be Primula Boffin.”
“What if I don’t want to be Primula Boffin?” Connie said.
“What about Stephanie?” Lula wanted to know. “What’s her Hobbit name?”
“Ysellyra Thorney.”
“Yeah, she looks like a Ysellyra Thorney,” Lula said.
“I have a problem,” I said to Mooner. “Vinnie’s wife kicked him out of the house, and he hasn’t got any place to stay. Do you suppose you could babysit him for me this afternoon and maybe tonight?”
“Whoa, I’d be honored,” Mooner said. “Vinnie’s the dude. He’s like famous. He runs ASC.”
“What’s ASC?” I asked Mooner.
“Alternative Sex Convention. It’s like cutting-edge.”
“That’s a shocker,” Connie said.
“Yeah,” Mooner said. “ASC is huge. Maybe Vinnie can give me some pointers.”
“Unless you got Hobbits that wear chaps and nothin’ else, you probably don’t want any of Vinnie’s pointers,” Lula said.
“Do you remember where my parents live?” I asked Mooner.
“Yep. I could find it with my eyes closed.”
I wrote the address on the back of my card and gave it to Mooner. “Just in case,” I said. “Call me if there are problems. Don’t let Vinnie out of your sight, and stay away from Stark Street.”
Mooner ambled out of the office, and moments later, we heard a backfire and the Moon Bus chugged down the street.
“Do you think you can trust him to keep Vinnie under wraps?” Lula asked me.
“If Vinnie wants to stay alive, he’ll make sure he stays hidden.”
I called my parents’ house and asked for Vinnie.
“Mooner is coming to get you,” I told Vinnie. “He’s going to let you stay in his RV. Do not leave the RV!”
I glanced at my watch. “It’s coming up to lunchtime,” I said to Lula. “Let’s look for Chopper.”
“What about Butch?” Connie wanted to know.
“I need an address. I doubt he’ll go back to work. And if I’m going to get him, I need to do it fast. He doesn’t want to go to jail. He’s going to run again.”
FOURTEEN