Fearless Fourteen - Janet Evanovich [74]
“And?”
“It just got more and more fucked up. Everybody was hungry for the money and nobody trusted anybody else. And Gratelli thought he was James Bond. He was carrying a gun and planting bugs he bought at the Spy Store and going around at night wearing infrared goggles. This is the guy who pissed his pants as soon as we got into the bank. As a joke, I gave him a map with directions and told him he couldn’t show anyone. I said it was top secret and it would take him to the money, but he had to guard it and wait for things to settle down. I told him we’d cut the other guys out and get more for ourselves. It was directions to Starbucks, but Gratelli took it serious. Poor dumb, dead shmuck.”
Oh great. I got dyed over directions to Starbucks.
“Anyway, I’m up shit creek because my nephew is now living in Morelli’s house, so I don’t want to give away that the keys are in Morelli’s basement. I’m afraid these sons of bitches will go in there like World War III. So I’m telling them not to get their shorts in a bunch and they get all pissed off and snatch Loretta.”
“How did Gratelli get shot?”
“They had Loretta. So I said I would take them to the keys, but they had to go with me, and we had to wait for a time when I knew the house was empty. So the three of us wait until everybody goes out of the house, and then we all go in and troop into the basement, and I show them the nice, new, perfect concrete floor. It’s in that corner, I say. Under six inches of concrete that asshole Morelli laid down. And this is sort of the funny part. I mean, it’s not really funny, but . . . Anyway, Gratelli is sort of freaking because he has a map in his car that I swear leads to the money, and he knows it doesn’t take him here. He knows it takes him to Starbucks. And he actually thinks the keys are hidden somewhere at Starbucks. Stan doesn’t know what to make of any of it, but he has plans for the money, and he’s tired of the whole thing. And I haven’t mentioned this before, but Stan has done the occasional job.”
“Job?”
“Wet work.”
“Yikes.”
“Yeah. So to make an impression, and because Stan has already figured out Gratelli isn’t an asset, he pulls his gun and pops Gratelli in the forehead. We both look at the stairs and decide it’s too much of a pain in the ass to get Gratelli out of the basement, so we leave. And on the way out, Stan tells me his friend is getting real restless, and if I’m messing with them and this isn’t for real, I’m going to look like Gratelli real soon.”
“Turned out he was the one who looked like Gratelli.”
“I don’t know what to make of that. I thought they were tight. I guess when it comes to nine million, things change.”
“So where are we now?”
“The keys are in the corner by the water heater. You had the cellar dug up. I’m surprised you didn’t find them.”
“Morelli had the cement broken up, but he didn’t dig through all the dirt.”
“You should be looking happy because you know where the keys are,” Dom said. “Why don’t you look happy?”
“Two men broke into Morelli’s house last night while Morelli and I were out. Zook heard them come in the back door and called the police, but it looks like they were in the cellar before leaving.”
“That’s not good news,” Dom said. “And now Stan’s dead and the fourth partner is left. But at least he don’t know how to find the garage where I stashed the van. He still needs me. So he still needs Loretta to be alive. Otherwise, I’d never deal with the prick.”
This was making me feel a little less panicky. We could still bargain for Loretta. We could arrange a hostage swap.
“This is great,” I said to Dom. “We can give your partner the money and get Loretta back.”
“I don’t want Morelli involved. Morelli will never do it. He’ll do his cop thing and turn the money in to the bank. He walked away from my sister before, and he’d do it again.”
Dom was agitated. He was pacing around. Obviously, his equipment had dropped back into place, and