So Sorren, clever as always, plotted with LaGrange to kill me once and for all. Under the guise of a visit, Sorren did the reconnaissance on my hospital room and the cop guarding it. He was supposed to be making sure the coast was clear for LaGrange. But all he was really doing was setting him up.
Elizabeth leaned back in her chair on the patio and took a sip of lemonade. She threw me a big, happy smile. “So, when’s our next Yankee game, Uncle Nick?”
“Right when I get back,” I said.
“Back from where?”
“Oh, he didn’t tell you, huh?” said Courtney. “Your uncle’s going Hollywood on us. He just sold the film rights to his story.”
“Can I be in the movie?” asked Elizabeth excitedly.
“I’ll be sure to ask,” I said. Right after I insist that Tiffany, the ex-hostess from Lombardo’s, gets a part. It was the least I could do for her.
“How long will you be out there?” asked Keller.
“After I meet with the studio, I’m actually taking a drive.”
This part I hadn’t told anyone, not even Courtney. “A drive? Where?” she asked.
“Up the Pacific Coast Highway, in a rented Ferrari f50. You believe it? Always been a dream of mine. So I’m going to do it.”
Kate started to crack up. “Wow. You really are going Hollywood on us.”
“Can I come and ride shotgun?” asked Keller.
Kate stepped over from the grill and playfully nudged him. “You can’t. You’re taking me out on a big date next weekend. You forget already?”
“That drive up the coast – in that car – is something I’ve always wanted to do,” I explained. “By the way, Courtney, you’re invited. You know what else? When I get back from California, I’m taking my first saxophone lesson.”
“Gee, just when you think you know somebody,” joked Courtney. “By the way, after our road trip in the Ferrari, any chance you’ll ever find time again to, you know, do what you do for a living? Write?”
“I’ll always find time for that,” I assured her. “In fact, I’ve already got my next big story lined up.”
“You do? What is it?”
“I can’t tell you yet,” I said with a smile. “But it’s coming. I can feel it coming. Everybody – duck!”
They did, too. Everybody there ducked.
“That’s so not funny, Uncle Nick,” said Elizabeth.
Then she laughed.
We all did.
James Patterson
Howard Roughan
