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She d had the chrome polished recently, and it glistened in
the warm Arizona sun.
Gretchen found herself wedged into the backseat with the
canines. Between the three dogs, they d managed to streak
and smudge both back passenger windows. Gretchen s
clothes were covered in dog hair.
She had given up on keeping the dogs from racing
across her lap. Any minute now she expected Enrico to
lunge for her throat. He stared at her with his beady little
eyes, waiting for her to make a wrong move.
Why am I the one in the backseat?
April glanced back. Sorry, she said to Gretchen. But
I really don t fit back there. Maybe in a day or two when I
lose more weight.
No problem, Gretchen said, not meaning it.
I think we could solve this case, April said. Break it
wide open. Let s do a little digging and see what happens.
We re the Mod Squad, Nina said, veering around a
slow car ahead of them.
Gretchen slid sideways. Enrico snarled.
Charlie s Angels, April said.
Without Charlie, Gretchen joined in.
Detective Matt Albright can be Charlie, Nina said.
Dolly Departed 117
No, Gretchen said. He can t. She saw Nina and
April give each other a glance.
Nina checked her rearview mirror. Oh, no, she said,
slowing down.
Yikes, April said, glancing in her side mirror.
Nina changed to the right lane and came to a stop along
the curb. Gretchen looked back and saw a Phoenix squad car
pull in behind them. Were you speeding? she asked Nina.
Nina shrugged. I wasn t paying attention. She shuf-
fled through her purse, rolled down her window, and stuck
her driver s license out.
The cop bent down and studied each of them through
Nina s window. All three dogs watched out the back dri-
ver s side window. Enrico growled. The cop shot him a no-
nonsense look. Do you know why I stopped you? he said
to Nina.
I m not sure, but I know I wasn t speeding, Nina said,
smiling her widest and brightest. I can see an orange aura
surrounding you, Officer. Nina used a long, polished nail
to draw a circle in the air around his torso. That means
you re confused. This is all a misunderstanding.
The officer frowned. I need your identification, too.
He looked right at Gretchen.
As you can see, I wasn t driving. I m in the backseat.
Why do you need mine?
Hand it over.
Gretchen did as he asked. He stared at her for a minute,
then studied her license. Yours, too, he said to April.
I m calling my attorney, April replied.
Call whoever you want, he said. After you show me
some identification.
I don t have any, April said.
Wait here, he said.
118 Deb Baker
Auras don t lie, Nina called out the window. You ll
see.
What are you doing? April said to Nina. Stop with
that mumbo jumbo, or he ll lock us away.
Or worse, Gretchen said. He ll think you re drunk.
Should we tell him we re undercover? April said.
Charlie s Angels don t get tickets.
Nina tittered, and that started April off. Hee-hee. Haw-
haw.
This isn t funny, Gretchen said. Why did he want my
license?
And what s this attorney thing? Nina said to April.
You don t have a lawyer.
I wanted to intimidate him.
Shhh, here he comes.
Your brake light isn t working, he said. Step out of
the car, please. You, too. He looked at Gretchen.
How about me? April said. Should I come?
Yes, ma am. And take the dogs with you, especially
that one. He looked at Enrico. Leave your purses where
they are.
Another squad car with lights flashing and siren wailing
pulled in ahead of Nina s Impala. The women stepped out,
Gretchen carrying Nimrod and Nina clutching Tutu and
Enrico. April had her cell phone pressed to her ear before
the car doors slammed shut. Another squad car arrived.
This isn t good, Gretchen said. Something s seri-
ously wrong.
April gave someone on the phone their location.
Hurry, she said before hanging up.
Come with me, the first Phoenix police officer said.
He walked them to his car and opened the back door.
You can wait in here.
They crawled in, first Gretchen, then April. Nina squeezed
Dolly Departed 119
in. The cop slammed the door and walked away. Gretchen
tried to open the door on her side. It s locked, she said, al-
though she already knew that.
We re trapped, Nina said, holding Tutu and Enrico on
her lap.
We weren t going to make a run for it, anyway, April
said. This is unnecessary brutality. Look! They ve left the
windows open an inch. How nice. They re treating us like
animals.
Who did you call? Gretchen asked.
You ll see.
Gretchen fought against a wave of claustrophobia. The
women looked through the cage separating the front from
the back of the squad car and watched what was happening.
Two officers were searching Nina s car. They opened the
trunk, moved seats, checked the glove compartment, the en-
gine. Another went through their purses, examining each
item. Nina s bag interested the officer the most. He pulled
out several wee-wee pads that she carried for doggy potty
stops and began ripping them apart, studying the contents.
What in the world. . . , Nina said from the far side of
April.
One of them slid under the Chevy.
What on earth are they doing? Nina said, no longer
kidding around.
Searching for something, Gretchen said. They aren t
going to find anything, are they, Nina?
Other than a lot of dog paraphernalia? No.
I don t think that s the kind of paraphernalia they re
looking for, Gretchen said.
Well, mumbo jumbo queen, April said to Nina. You
tell us what s going on.
The police officers auras are all orange. I m pretty
sure that means they don t know what they re doing.
120 Deb Baker
You re pretty sure? April groaned. You don t even
know what the different colors mean.
Sure I do. Most of the time. These are unusual circum-
stances.
How long can this take? Gretchen said, careful not to
whine. She wasn t a Charlie s Angel. The Angels would
have found a way out of this situation before they were
locked up inside a squad car.
Being stuffed in a backseat with April, Nina, and three
dogs wasn t her idea of a fun time. She watched the offi-
cers continue to search the Chevy. A blue car pulled up on
the other side of the street, made a U-turn, and parked in
front of the growing line of vehicles. Gretchen groaned.
What s he doing here?
I called him, April said with a big grin. Would you
look at those biceps? He can be my Charlie any day.
Gretchen tried to slink down in the seat. Matt strolled to
the front of the squad car where they were imprisoned.
Hands on hips, he shook his head. April gave him a wave
and a giggle.
I thought we needed help, she said.
Do we ever, Nina agreed.
One of the officers approached Matt, and they went into
a huddle. Matt looked surprised when he turned and stared
at them. Then he made a phone call and paced back and
forth in front of the Impala.
What s he doing? Nina asked.
Arranging for jail cells? Gretchen suggested.
Oh, get outta here, April said. He s our protector.
They can t arrest us.
Here he comes, Nina said.
The back door swung open. I have to search all of
you, Matt said, his eyes twinkling with mischief. Then
you re free to go.
Dolly Departed 121
Me first, April said. You re so naughty. Nina practi-
cally fell out of the car as April scooted toward her.
Gretchen rose from the squad car last. Is this your idea
of a joke?
What? He grinned. You think I did this?
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