Hot Six by Janet Evanovich

grandmother is staying with me. "
    "He loves old ladies. I swear to God. Your grandma will love him. "
    I looked over at Rex. I'd hate to see him all depressed and not eating, so I guess I could understand how Simon felt about his dog. "Okay, " I said. "What time tomorrow?"
    "Around eight?"
    I OPENED MY eyes and wondered about the time. I was on the couch, it was pitch black out, and I smelled coffee. There was a moment of panicky disorientation. My eyes settled on the chair across from the couch, and I realized someone was sitting in it. A man. Hard to see in the dark. My breathing stopped altogether.
    "How'd it go tonight?" he said. "Learn anything worthwhile?"
    Ranger. No point asking how he'd gotten in when the windows and doors were closed and locked. Ranger had ways. "What time is it?"
    "Three. "
    "Has it occurred to you that some people sleep at this time of night?"
    "It smells like a pine forest in here, " Ranger said.
    "It's me. I was in the pine tree behind Hannibal's house, and I can't get the sap off. It's all stuck in my hair. "
    I saw Ranger smile in the darkness. Heard him laugh softly.
    I sat up. "Hannibal has a lady friend. She drove up at ten o'clock in a black BMW. She was with Hannibal for about ten minutes, gave him a letter, and left. "
    "What's she look like?"
    "Short blond hair. Slim. Nicely dressed. "
    "Did you get the license plate?"
    "Yeah. I wrote it down. Didn't get a chance to check it out yet. "

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    "He sort of saw me. "
    "Sort of?"
    "I fell out of the tree into his backyard. "
    The smile disappeared. "And?"
    "And I told him I was looking for my cat, but I'm not sure he bought it. "
    "If he knew you better . . . " Ranger said.
    "Then the second time he caught me in the tree, he pulled a gun, so I jumped down and ran away. "
    "Quick thinking. "
    "Hey, " I said, tapping my finger to my head, "no grass growing here. "
    Ranger was smiling again.
    "I THOUGHT YOU didn't drink coffee, " I said to Ranger. "What about your body being a temple?"
    He sipped at the coffee. "It's my disguise. It goes with the haircut. "
    "Will you let your hair grow back?"
    "Probably. "
    "And then will you stop drinking coffee?"
    "You ask a lot of questions, " Ranger said.
    "Just trying to figure this out. "
    He was slouched in the chair, one long leg extended, his arms on the arms of the chair, his eyes on me. He set his cup on the coffee table, rose from the chair, and stood over the couch. He bent and kissed me lightly on the lips. "Some things are better left a mystery, " he said. And then he moved to the door.
    "Hey, wait a minute, " I said. "Am I supposed to keep watching Hannibal?"

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    I gave him a pissy look in the dark.
    "I see that, " he said.
    "Morelli wants to talk to you. "
    "I'll call him tomorrow, maybe. "
    The front door opened and clicked shut. Ranger was gone. I padded to the door and looked out the peephole. No Ranger anywhere. I slid the security chain in place and went back to the couch. I fluffed up my pillow and crawled under the quilt.
    And I thought about the kiss. What was I supposed to make of the kiss? Friendly, I told myself. It had been friendly. No tongue. No groping hands. No gnashing of teeth in uncontrollable passion. A friendly kiss. Only it hadn't felt friendly. It had felt . . . Sexy.
    Damn!
    "WHAT WOULD YOU like for breakfast?" Grandma asked. "How about some nice warm oatmeal?"
    Left to my own devices, I'd have eaten the cake. "Sure, " I said, "oatmeal would be okay. "
    I poured a cup of coffee, and there was a knock on the door. I opened the door, and a big orange thing rushed in.
    "Holy cow!" I said. "What is it?"
    "Golden retriever, " Simon said. "Mostly. "
    "Isn't he big for a golden retriever?"
    Simon dragged a fifty-pound bag of dog food into the foyer. "I got him at the pound, and that's what they told me. Golden retriever. "
    "You said you had a small dog. "
    "I lied. So sue me. "
    The dog ran into the kitchen, stuck his nose in Grandma's crotch,