Read Online 08bis Visions of Sugar Plums by Janet Evanovich - Free Book Online Page A

loved causing chaos. And Ring was drunk on his own power. Unfortunately, Ring was so powerful and so clever, there were only a few people who could control him. And it was virtually impossible to contain him.
    "Sandor was one of the few who had matching power. Much of Sandor's life was spent battling Ring, trying to eliminate him."
    "Eliminate?"
    Diesel did a slash across the throat and a looking-dead face. "Anyway, Sandor never succeeded, but he did manage to cripple Ring from time to time, making Ring ineffective for years or months, sending Ring into hiding."
    "And now Ring's lost his power, too?"
    "Pretty much. He was in the locked ward at Lakewood. They have a special area for villains and Alzheimer's. Somehow, he managed to get out. I guess he has power left that no one knew about."
    So here I am having a conversation about what? Superheroes! And I'm having it with the guy who rolled his eyes because I suggested the possible reality of elves.
    "Where do you fit into this?" I asked.
    "I'm kind of like you. I track people down who've strayed from the system. And I go after bad guys."

FOUR
     
     
    O KAY. I'M SITTING IN A CAR with a guy who thinks he's part of a supersociety. And the weird thing is... I'm half believing him. Truth is, I kind of like the idea that there are some superheroes out there, trying to save us from ourselves. I'm not sure how I feel about Diesel being one of them.
    "Let me get this straight," I said to Diesel. "You're after Ring, right? You want to get him back to Lakewood. And in the meantime, you're worried Sandor is in danger."
    Diesel pulled away from the curb, cruised down the street, and turned at the corner. "When Ring was in his prime he worked with electricity."
    "What, like with PSE&G?"
    That cracked Diesel up. "No. Like he was Electrical Man. He could make lightning. I don't know how he did it. I always thought it was kind of show-off, but hell, he could do a lot of damage. I don't know how dangerous he is now. I have a feeling he tried to destroy the toy store but only could get up enough juice to knock boxes off the shelves. And then I'm guessing he got pissed off and tore the sign off the front of the store. A few of the boxes in the store were singed, so it seemed like he was able to throw some electricity, but maybe not accurately and probably of short duration. Nothing to lose sleep over. The power outages are different. If he's responsible for the power outages it means he's gaining power somehow. And I don't like the way the air feels around Sander's house."
    "Do you think Sandor will get in touch with you?" I asked Diesel.
    "No. He's always worked alone. I can't see him asking for help now."
    My phone buzzed in my handbag.
    "You were right about the horse," Valerie said. "I don't know what I was thinking. It's impossible to get a horse at this late date. It isn't like they sell them in Sears. So I got Mary Alice a book about horses, and I got her a sleeping bag with horses on it. I have to get something for Mom now. Do you have any ideas?"
    "I thought you got Mom a robe."
    "Yes, but that doesn't seem like enough. It's only one box to open. What do you think about perfume? Or a blouse? And I can get a nightgown to go with the robe. And then some slippers."
    "Maybe you've shopped enough for one day, Val. Maybe you're sort of... carried away with shopping."
    "I can't stop now. I hardly have anything! And there are only three shopping days left."
    "How much coffee have you had today, Val? You might want to think about cutting back on the coffee."
    "Gotta go," Valerie said. And she disconnected.
    "So, where were we?" I asked Diesel.
    "We were saving the world."
    "Oh yeah." Personally, I'd be happy just to collect my finder's fee on Sandy Claws so I could make the minimum payment on my credit card.
    "Do you think Connie has the water and electric information on Claws yet?"
    I called Connie, but the information wasn't helpful. No additional accounts for Sandy Claws. I had her try