Read Online Hot Six by Janet Evanovich - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Janet Evanovich
Tags: Fiction, General, Romance, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths, Mystery Fiction, Women Detectives, bounty hunters, Stephanie (Fictitious character), Plum, Trenton (N.J.), Bail bond agents
Ads: Link
is two weeks from tomorrow. "
"Cool. "
"I need to talk to you about the wind machine. It's sort of dented. And it's missing a rear light. But I'll fix it. "
"Hey, don't worry about it, dude. These things happen. "
"Maybe I should talk to the owner. "
"The Dealer. "
"Yeah, the dealer. Where's he located?"
"He's at the end row house. He's got a garage, dude. Can you dig it? A garage. " Since I'd just spent the winter scraping ice off my windshield, I could appreciate Mooner's garage excitement. I thought a garage was a pretty wondrous thing, too.
The end row house was about a quarter-mile away so we drove.
"Do you think he'll be home?" I asked Mooner when we got to the end of the block.
"The Dealer's always home. He's gotta be there to deal. "
I rang the bell, and Dougie Kruper opened the door. I went to school with Dougie but hadn't seen him in years. In fact, I'd heard a rumor that he'd moved to Arkansas and died.
Hot Six
Page: 41
"Naw, I just wished I was dead. My dad got transferred to Arkansas, so I went with them, but I'm telling you, Arkansas was no place for me. No action, you know what I mean? And if you want to go to the ocean it takes days. "
"Are you the dealer?"
"Yessiree. I'm the Dealer. I'm the man. You want something. I got it. We make a deal. "
"Bad news, Dougie. The wind machine was in an accident. "
"Girl, the wind machine is an accident. Seemed like a good idea at the time, but I can't unload it on anyone. Soon as you brought it back I was gonna push it off a bridge. Unless, of course, you want to buy it. "
"It doesn't actually suit my purposes. It's too memorable. I need a car that disappears. "
"A stealth car. The Dealer might have such a vehicle, " Dougie said. "Come around back, and we'll take a look-see. "
Around back was wall-to-wall cars. There were cars on the road, and cars in his yard, and a car in his garage.
Dougie led me to a black Ford Escort. "Now this here is a genuine disappearing car. "
"How old is it?"
"I don't exactly know, but it's got a few miles on it. "
"Isn't the year on the title?"
"This particular car doesn't have a title. "
Hmm.
"If you need a car with a title, that would adversely effect the price, " Dougie said.
"How adversely?"
"I'm sure we can come to terms. After all, I'm the Dealer. "
Dougie Kruper was the big geek of my graduating class. He didn't date, and he didn't do sports, and he didn't eat like a human being. His greatest accomplishment in high school was being able to suck Jell-O into his nose through a straw.
Mooner was walking around laying his hands on the cars, divining karma. "This is it, " he said, standing by a small khaki-colored jeep. "This car has protective qualities. "
Hot Six
Page: 42
"I mean, like, it has seat belts. "
"Does this car come with a title?" I asked Dougie. "Does it run?"
"I'm pretty sure it runs, " Dougie said.
THIRTY MINUTES LATER I had two new pairs of jeans and a new watch, but no new car. Dougie was also willing to make a deal on a microwave, but I already had one.
It was early in the afternoon, and the weather wasn't terrible, so I walked to my parents' house and borrowed Uncle Sandor's '53 Buick. It was free, and it ran, and it had a title. I told myself it was a very cool car. A classic. Uncle Sandor had bought it new, and it was still in prime condition, which was more than could be said for Uncle Sandor, who was deep in the ground. Powder blue and white with gleaming chrome portholes and a big V-8 engine. I hoped I'd have my insurance money by the time Grandma got her license and needed the Buick. I hoped the insurance money would come through fast because I hated the car.
When I finally headed home the sun was low in the sky. The lot to my apartment building was filled and the big black Lincoln was parked next to one of the few open spaces. I pulled the Buick into the open space, and the Lincoln's passenger-side window rolled down.
"What's this?" Mitchell asked. "Another car? You wouldn't be
"Cool. "
"I need to talk to you about the wind machine. It's sort of dented. And it's missing a rear light. But I'll fix it. "
"Hey, don't worry about it, dude. These things happen. "
"Maybe I should talk to the owner. "
"The Dealer. "
"Yeah, the dealer. Where's he located?"
"He's at the end row house. He's got a garage, dude. Can you dig it? A garage. " Since I'd just spent the winter scraping ice off my windshield, I could appreciate Mooner's garage excitement. I thought a garage was a pretty wondrous thing, too.
The end row house was about a quarter-mile away so we drove.
"Do you think he'll be home?" I asked Mooner when we got to the end of the block.
"The Dealer's always home. He's gotta be there to deal. "
I rang the bell, and Dougie Kruper opened the door. I went to school with Dougie but hadn't seen him in years. In fact, I'd heard a rumor that he'd moved to Arkansas and died.
Hot Six
Page: 41
"Naw, I just wished I was dead. My dad got transferred to Arkansas, so I went with them, but I'm telling you, Arkansas was no place for me. No action, you know what I mean? And if you want to go to the ocean it takes days. "
"Are you the dealer?"
"Yessiree. I'm the Dealer. I'm the man. You want something. I got it. We make a deal. "
"Bad news, Dougie. The wind machine was in an accident. "
"Girl, the wind machine is an accident. Seemed like a good idea at the time, but I can't unload it on anyone. Soon as you brought it back I was gonna push it off a bridge. Unless, of course, you want to buy it. "
"It doesn't actually suit my purposes. It's too memorable. I need a car that disappears. "
"A stealth car. The Dealer might have such a vehicle, " Dougie said. "Come around back, and we'll take a look-see. "
Around back was wall-to-wall cars. There were cars on the road, and cars in his yard, and a car in his garage.
Dougie led me to a black Ford Escort. "Now this here is a genuine disappearing car. "
"How old is it?"
"I don't exactly know, but it's got a few miles on it. "
"Isn't the year on the title?"
"This particular car doesn't have a title. "
Hmm.
"If you need a car with a title, that would adversely effect the price, " Dougie said.
"How adversely?"
"I'm sure we can come to terms. After all, I'm the Dealer. "
Dougie Kruper was the big geek of my graduating class. He didn't date, and he didn't do sports, and he didn't eat like a human being. His greatest accomplishment in high school was being able to suck Jell-O into his nose through a straw.
Mooner was walking around laying his hands on the cars, divining karma. "This is it, " he said, standing by a small khaki-colored jeep. "This car has protective qualities. "
Hot Six
Page: 42
"I mean, like, it has seat belts. "
"Does this car come with a title?" I asked Dougie. "Does it run?"
"I'm pretty sure it runs, " Dougie said.
THIRTY MINUTES LATER I had two new pairs of jeans and a new watch, but no new car. Dougie was also willing to make a deal on a microwave, but I already had one.
It was early in the afternoon, and the weather wasn't terrible, so I walked to my parents' house and borrowed Uncle Sandor's '53 Buick. It was free, and it ran, and it had a title. I told myself it was a very cool car. A classic. Uncle Sandor had bought it new, and it was still in prime condition, which was more than could be said for Uncle Sandor, who was deep in the ground. Powder blue and white with gleaming chrome portholes and a big V-8 engine. I hoped I'd have my insurance money by the time Grandma got her license and needed the Buick. I hoped the insurance money would come through fast because I hated the car.
When I finally headed home the sun was low in the sky. The lot to my apartment building was filled and the big black Lincoln was parked next to one of the few open spaces. I pulled the Buick into the open space, and the Lincoln's passenger-side window rolled down.
"What's this?" Mitchell asked. "Another car? You wouldn't be
Similar Books
