10 Ten Big Ones Read Online Free PDF Page B

flash of police strobes a block away.

    'Shirley's gonna be pissed, ' Gazarra said. 'She hates when I get shot. ' To my recollection, the only other time Gazarra was shot was when he was playing quick draw in the police station elevator, and his gun accidentally discharged. The bullet ricocheted off the elevator wall and lodged in Gazarra's right buttock.

    The first cop car angled in. It was followed by a second blue-and-white and Morelli in his SUV. I took a step back to allow the men access to Eddie.

    Morelli looked first to me and then glanced over at Gazarra. 'Are you okay?' he asked.

    I was covered with blood, but it wasn't mine. 'I didn't get hit.

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    I guess there are places in this country where cops are always perfectly pressed. Trenton wasn't one of those places. Trenton cops worked hard and worried a lot. Every cop on the scene had a sweat-soaked shirt and grim set to his mouth, including

    Morelli.

    'They opened fire with an automatic weapon from the back seat, ' I told Morelli. 'We were coming out of the McDonalds drive-thru on State, and I saw the devil guy cross the lot and get into the

    Lincoln. The devil guy got into the front passenger seat, so he wasn't the shooter. He had four drinks with him, so there were probably three other guys in the car. I followed him out of the lot and called you. You know the rest. '

    Morelli slid an arm around me and pulled me close, resting his cheek on mine. 'I don't want to get mushy here in front of the guys, but there was a moment back there when I heard shots fired over the phone... And I didn't care a lot about the triplets. '

    'Nice to know, ' I said, slumping against him, happy to have someone holding me up. 'It happened so fast. No one got out of a car. Eddie was still buckled into his seat belt. They shot him through the windshield. '

    'The Lincoln was stolen. They probably thought Gazarra was going to bust them. '

    'No, it was me, ' I said. 'This is all my fault. The Red Devil knew

    I recognized him. '

    An EMT truck arrived and parked next to Gazarra. Cops were directing traffic, securing the area, shouting over the static and chatter of the dispatch radio.

    'It's uncanny the way you stumble into this stuff, ' Morelli said.

    'It's creepy. '

    Grandma was standing behind us. Two disasters in one day, ' she said. 'I bet its a personal record. '

    'Not even close. ' Morelli said. His eyes settled on my sports bra, I like the new look. '

    1 used my T-shirt as a compress. '

    Morelli removed his shirt and draped it around my shoulders.

    'You feel cold. '

    That's because my heart stopped pumping blood about ten minutes ago. ' My skin was pale and clammy, and my forearms were goose-bumpy. 'I need to get back to my parents' house and have some dessert. '

    'I could use some dessert, too, ' Grandma said. 'Probably they don't have the lid up on Lorraine, anyway. ' She turned to Sally. 'I know I promised you a good time at the funeral parlor, but it didn't work out. How about some dessert instead? We got chocolate cake and ice cream. And then we can send you home in a cab. My son-in-law drives a cab sometimes, so we get a break on the rates. '

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    Morelli buttoned me into his shirt. 'Are you going to be okay to drive?'

    'Yeah. I don't even feel like throwing up anymore. '

    'I need to check on a few things here, and then I'll follow you over. '

    My mother was on the front porch when we arrived. She was rigid with her arms crossed over her chest and her lips pressed tight together.

    'She knows, ' Grandma said. 'I bet the phone's been ringing off the hook. '

    'How could she know?' Sally asked. 'We were way across town, and it's been less than an hour, start to finish. '

    'The first call always comes from Traci Wenke and Myron Flatt on account of they listen to the police band on their radios, '

    Grandma said. 'And then Elsa Downing probably called. She finds out early because her daughter works as a dispatcher. And