Free 08bis Visions of Sugar Plums by Janet Evanovich Page B

yourself into my apartment."
    "Yeah, right, that's gonna happen. Have you given Santa your list? Have you been naughty?"
    It was early in the morning for an eye roll, but I managed one anyway. I poured myself coffee and took a doughnut.
    "It was nice of you to bring doughnuts," I said. "But Rex will get a cavity in his fang if he eats that whole thing."
    "We're making progress," Diesel said. "You didn't shriek when you saw me here. And you didn't check the coffee and doughnuts for alien poison."
    I looked down at the coffee and had a rush of panic. "I wasn't thinking," I said.
    Half an hour later we were on a side street with a good view of Briggs' apartment building. Briggs was going to work today. And we were going to follow him. He'd lead us to the toy factory, I'd locate Sandy Claws, I'd snap the cuffs on him, and then I could have Christmas.
    At exactly eight-fifteen, Randy Briggs strutted out of his building and got into a specially equipped car. He cranked the engine over and drove out of the lot, heading for Route 1. We followed a couple cars back, keeping Briggs in sight.
    "Okay," I said to Diesel. "You flunked levitation and obviously you can't do the lightning thing. What's your specialty? What tools have you got on your utility belt?"
    "I told you, I'm good at finding people. I have heightened sensory perception." He cut his eyes to me. "Bet you didn't think I knew big words like that."
    "Anything else? Can you fly?"
    Diesel blew out a sigh. "No. I can't fly."
    Briggs stayed on Route 1 for a little over a mile and then exited. He left-turned at the corner and entered a light industrial complex. He drove past three businesses before pulling into a parking lot, adjacent to a one-story redbrick building that was maybe five thousand square feet. There were no signs announcing the name or the nature of the business. A toy soldier on the door was the only ornamentation.
    We gave Briggs a half hour to get into the building and settle himself. Then we crossed the lot and pushed through the double glass doors, into the small reception area. The walls were brightly colored in yellow and blue. There were several chairs lined up against one wall. Half the chairs were big and half were small. The boundary to the reception area was set by a desk. Behind the desk were a couple cubbies. Briggs was sitting in one of them.
    The woman behind the desk looked at Diesel and me and smiled. "Can I help you?"
    "We're looking for Sandy Claws," Diesel said.
    "Mr. Claws isn't in this morning," the woman said. "Perhaps I can help you."
    Briggs' head snapped up at the sound of Diesel's voice. He looked over at us and worry lines creased his high forehead.
    "Do you expect him in later today?" I asked.
    "It's hard to say. He keeps his own schedule."
    We left the building, and I called and asked for Briggs.
    "Don't call me here," Briggs said. "This is a great job. I don't want it screwed up. And I'm not going to inform for you, either." And he hung up.
    "I guess we could stake out the building," I said to Diesel. I wanted to do this just behind poke out my eye with a burning stick.
    Diesel pushed his seat back and stretched his legs. "I'm beat," he said. "I worked the night shift. How about if you take the first watch."
    "The night shift?"
    "Sandor and Ring have a long history in Trenton. I made the rounds of some of Ring's old haunts after I left you last night, but I didn't turn anything up."
    He crossed his arms over his chest and almost instantly seemed to be asleep. At ten-thirty my cell phone rang.
    "Hey, girlfriend," Lula said. "What's up?"
    Lula does filing for the bonds office. She was a ho' in a previous life but has since amended her ways. Her wardrobe has pretty much stayed the same. Lula's a big woman who likes the challenge of buying clothes that are two sizes too small.
    "Not much is up," I said. "What's up with you?"
    "I'm going shopping. Two days to Christmas and I don't have nothing. I'm heading for Quakerbridge Mall. You want to