“Not that I’m gonna eat anything like that ever again,” Lula said. “I was just saying that’s why I haven’t got any good ideas.”

Since we were all out of how-to-find-Singh ideas, I asked Lula if she’d give me a ride so I could move my car to Joe’s house.

“Hell yeah,” Lula said. “I could use some air. It’s too nice to be inside on a day like today. And besides, it smells like leg of lamb in here. This office needs some ventilation.”

We were half a block down Hamilton when Lula looked in her rearview mirror. “I think we’re being followed. That black SUV pulled out right after us and now he’s sitting on our bumper.”

“It’s Tank. Ranger thinks I need a baby-sitter.”

Lula took another look. “He’s fine. He’s not as hot as Ranger. But he’s fine all the same. I wouldn’t mind having my way with him.”

“I thought you had a new boyfriend?”

“Don’t mean I can’t think someone else is fine. I’m just going steady, girl. I’m not dead.”

In a couple minutes we were at my apartment building and Lula parked in the lot, beside the Escape.

“I think you should go up to your apartment just to check it out and shit,” Lula said. “I could go with you and I bet King Kong over there’ll go, too. And I’d get a chance to see him up close.”

“Sure,” I said. “I should probably see if everything’s okay, anyway.”

We all got out of our cars and walked to the back door. Tank is about six foot six and is built like . . . a tank. He hasn’t an ounce of fat on him. He wears his hair in a Marine buzz cut. He was dressed in desert cammies.

We climbed the stairs and walked down the hall. Tank took the key from me and opened the door. He was the first to step through. He looked around and he motioned us in.

It was cool and quiet inside. No flowers. No photos. No killers. I gathered together some clean shirts and underwear and we left.

“I’d forgotten about Tank following me,” I said to Lula. “He can chauffeur me around if you want to get back to the office.”

“What are you, crazy? If I go back there I’ll have to file. And Vinnie’s there. Vinnie creeps me out these days. All he does is mope around, worrying about Samuel Singh. It’s unnatural. Vinnie’s usually out having a nooner with a goat. I hate having him just hang around the office.”

Tank smiled at the part about the nooner, but he didn’t say anything. He got into his shiny black SUV. Lula got into her red Firebird. And I got into my yellow Escape. And we all motored off to Joe’s house.

Lula parked behind me and immediately got out of her car. “Are you going in?” she asked. “I hope you’re going in because I’ve never been in Morelli’s house. I’m dying to see the inside. What’s the decor? Modern? Traditional? Colonial?”