“Barb’s ex-husband is really pissed at her. And he just built a new hotel. Guess where?”

“Oh, no.”

“Right on the harbor.”

“Oh, fuck.”

“Yup.”

“Oh, jeez.”

“Yeah. Sic ‘em.”

“You mean we’ve been up to our eyeballs in paperwork and Artur and I have been breathing shit—literally breathing shit—and all that we needed to do to crack the case was stand back and let you bone my boss?”

He took the skirt from Barb and tossed it on the dining room table. Then he lifted Barb to the same table. “Looks like. Listen, take your time coming back, will you?”

“Oh, that is just disgus—”

He hung up on her.

“What’s this about my ex?” Barb asked, leaning back and stretching out on the table, which was plenty big enough for four more Barbs.

“Oh. That. He’s the bad guy.”

“Oh. I’ll likely be much more concerned about this.” Jonas began to nibble her cleavage. “Later,” she sighed.

“Ummmm,” he agreed.

Then, after a long moment: “Is Dr. Bimm angry?”

“Only because she didn’t get laid. And that’s her own damn fault, believe me.”

She arched beneath his hands and wrapped her legs around his waist. “That’s nice,” she sighed, kissing him back.

He came up for air. “Wait, wait! I’ve always wanted to try this.” He went to the small credenza at the other end of the dining room table, opened it, and withdrew a pack of cards.

“Oh, oh,” Barb said, but she was smiling.

Jonas shuffled the cards. “Okay, check this. We’ll play poker to get our fantasy.”

“We’ll do what?”

“We’re going to role play. If I win, you’re a damsel in distress and I have to save you, blah-blah. If you win, you’re a Catholic school teacher and I’ve just been caught putting a smoke bomb in the boy’s room.”

Dr. Barb started to laugh, then choked it off and looked grave. “You feel the need, to play cards to bring this about?”

“Hey, I’m a traditionalist.” He did a fast box shuffle, then dealt them each five cards. He picked up his hand and observed the three aces. “Okay, whatcha got?”

“I have two twos,” she said triumphantly.

He tossed his hand down and grabbed her. “You win, teacher.”

Chapter Thirty-two

“Are you sure you’re not too tired?” Fred asked as the three of them charged into the Sleepytime Hotel. It was a twelve story building built right up to the harbor. From the outside it looked like a perfectly respectable, almost luxury hotel. Not at all the den of evil they now knew it to be.

“Now? No way. As soon as you told me, I got a massive adrenaline surge. Let’s kick some ass and then turn him over to the EPA.”

“After we snap his spine,” Artur added.