“About the car you just got out of . . .”
“It was that other bounty hunter. The one with the knockers. Said she'd picked up a police call on her scanner and was heading over here. She picked me up on Olden. That's where Maxine dumped me off. Olden! In front of the Seven-?Eleven!”
“Do you know where Maxine was going?”
“The airport. All three of them. They're in a blue Honda Civic. And I take that back about the thousand. You bring that cunt to me, and I'll make you goddamn rich.”
I whirled around and ran for the Firebird.
Lula was pounding pavement behind me. “I'm on it,” she was saying. “I'm on it!”
We both jumped in the car, and Lula rocketed away before I even had my door closed.
“They'll take Route One,” she said. “That's why they dropped him off on Olden. They were heading for One.” She cornered Olden with two wheels touching pavement, took the turnoff and hit Route I north.
I'd been so excited I'd forgotten to ask which airport. Like Lula, I'd just assumed it was Newark. I looked over at the speedometer and saw it hovering at ninety. Lula put her foot to the floor, and I braced myself and turned my face away.
“They got that little prick good,” Lula said. “I almost hate to pick Maxine up. You gotta admire her style.”
“Creative,” I said.
“Damn skippy.”
Actually, I thought the tattooing might be a little excessive. I didn't like Eddie Kuntz but I had to wince at the thought of Maxine needling him head to foot.
I was looking for the blue Honda, and I was also looking for Joyce. Wouldn't you know, Joyce would happen on Eddie Kuntz. If there was a naked man anywhere near Joyce, she'd find him.
“There they are!” I yelled. “On the side of the road.”
“I see 'em,” Lula said. “Looks like Maxine got stopped by the cops.”
Not the cops. They got stopped by Joyce Barnhardt, who'd stuck a portable red flasher on the roof of her Jeep. We pulled in behind Joyce and ran to see what was happening.
Joyce was standing on the shoulder of the road, holding a gun on Maxine, Mrs. Nowicki and Margie. The three women were spreadeagled on the ground by Joyce with their hands cuffed behind their backs.
Joyce smiled when she saw me. “You're a little late, sweetiepie. I've already made the apprehension. Too bad you're such a loser.”
“Hunh,” Lula said, slitty eyed.
“You've got three people cuffed, Joyce, and only one of them is a felon. You have no right to manhandle the other two women.”
“I can manhandle whoever I want,” Joyce said. “You're just pissy because I got your collar.”
“I'm pissy because you're being an unprofessional jerk.”
“Careful what you say to me,” Joyce said. “You get me annoyed and you and lard butt might find yourselves on the ground with these three. I've got a couple more cuffs left.”
“Excuse me,” Lula said. “Lard butt?”
Joyce trained her gun on Lula and me. “You've got thirty seconds to get your fat asses out of here. And you should both look for new jobs, because it's clear I'm the primo bounty hunter now.”
“Yeah,” Lula said. “We don't deserve to have a cool job like bounty hunter. I've been thinking maybe I'd get a job at that new place just opened, Lickin' Chicken. They tell me you work there you get to eat whatever you want. You even get them biscuits when they're fresh out of the oven. Here, let me help you get these women into your car.”
Lula hoisted Maxine to her feet, and when she handed her over to Joyce, Joyce made a sound like “Ulk” and crumpled to the ground.
“Oops,” Lula said. “Another one of them dizzy spells.”
Helped along by a few volts from Lula's stun gun.