It was almost six A.M. Morelli and Ranger would be up. Diesel was most likely still asleep. Diesel wasn’t a morning person. I dialed Morelli’s cell phone while I waited for Lula.
“Yo,” Morelli said. “What’s up?”
“Just calling to say hello.”
“That’s a relief. I was afraid your apartment was fire-?bombed again. You’re not usually up this early.”
“Lula is sick, and I had to take her out on a drug run.”
“Maybe you can bring some over for me. I’m ready to start taking Anthony’s happy pills.”
“Is he feeling any better?”
“He’s bitching less when he goes to the can. Did you really tell him to get his broken ass out to the kitchen and get his own ice cream?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re my hero,” Morelli said.
“Do you want me to take phone calls again today?”
“Thanks, but no. I can manage Anthony today. I do have another huge favor though. Do you suppose you could talk to his wife? Maybe you can get her to take him back.”
“You’re kidding. What on earth would I say? He’s a womanizing, cheating, perverted idiot. My advice to her is to run like hell and don’t look back.”
“Cripes, Stephanie, I’m trying to get rid of this guy. Help me out here. Lie. You do it all the time on your job. You’re good at it.”
“You want me to lie to your sister-?in-?law?”
“Hell, yes!”
“Okay, I’ll try to find time to talk to her.”
Lula wrenched the door open, and I said good-?bye to Morelli.
“I got a bag full of stuff,” Lula said, holding the bag open for me to see. “Pick one for me.”
I chose one that was for allergies.
“Tank is pro
bably up by now,” I said. “Do you want to stop in and get your purse?”
“Yeah, that would be great. I need my car keys.”
“Where does Tank live?”
“He’s in a house on Howard Street, two blocks from Cluck-?in-?a-?Bucket.”
Good deal. There was a Dunkin’ Donuts alongside Cluck-?in-?a-?Bucket. I was ready to kill for coffee, and I wouldn’t mind a couple dozen doughnuts, either.
I pointed the Jeep in the right direction and drove with renewed motivation. Lula took a pill from the box I picked and then sampled a couple more meds.
“You should go easy on that,” I said. “I don’t think it’s good to mix and match.”
“I figure I’ll keep taking them until I find one that works.”
“They don’t work right away. You have to give them a chance.”