He Had A Body Like Batman

[stephanie Plum]jeez. No True Love" [grandma Mazur] There's Always Been True Love, But In My Day, You Either Talked Yourself Into Thinking You Had It, Or You Talked Yourself Into Thinking You Didn't Need It.

I Take In A Lot Of Stuff From Real Life, Movies, Television, News And It All Gets Mixed In My Head And Somehow Turns Into A Story Idea.

I Don't Feel So Good." Lula Said. And She Farted. She Squeezed Her Eyes Shut Tight And Did A Full Minute-long Fart. "excuse Me." She Said. I Was Horrified And Impressed All At The Same Time. It Was A Record Breaking Fart. On My Best Day, I Couldn't Come Near To Farting Like That.

Mrs. Zuppa Was Coming In From Bingo Just As I Was Leaving The Building. "looks Like You're Going To Work," She Said, Leaning Heavily On Her Cane. "what Are You Packin'?" "a Thirty-eight." "i Like A Nine-millimeter Myself." "a Nine's Good." "easier To Use A Semiautomatic After You've Had Hip Replacement And You Walk With A Cane," She Said. One Of Those Useful Pieces Of Information To File Away And Resurrect When I Turn Eighty-three.

Ranger Is An Unusual Name," She Managed. "is It A Nickname?" It's A Street Name," Ranger Said. "i Was A Ranger In The Army." I Heard About Them Rangers On Tv," Grandma Said. "i Heard They Get Dogs Pregnant." My Father's Mouth Dropped Open And A Piece Of Ham Fell Out. My Mother Froze, Her Fork Poised In Midair. That's Sort Of A Joke," I Told Grandma. "rangers Don't Get Dogs Pregnant In Real Life." I Looked At Ranger For Corroboration And Got Another Smile.