Superstalker: A Lady G Thriller

Chapter 13 - Commish Connection

"I have an idea," Gaga said.

I looked up from my plate. "What is it?"

"We hold a memorial service for Simone."

We were sitting at the granite-topped eating island in her kitchen area that had just been redone, having our breakfast that Esperanza made.  

She picked up a piece of toast. "Before we ship her body."

"Anyone special you're expecting to be there?"

We both knew who that would be.  

"Exactly," she said. "We'll set it up so he can't resist. And besides, I owe it to Simone."

"You're falling into it," I said, "Dempsey using you."

"I want to do it."

"That's what he's counting on."

"So be it. We can't have this guy running around forever."

She was about to bite the toast when Esperanza came in from doing her house chores.

"Excuse me, Miss Gaga."

"Yes Esperanza?"

"A package come for you."

"Thank you. Just leave it here."

Esperanza was still a little shaken from last night, had cleaned up the blood from her boyfriend's head wounds, had told us he was on the mend and OK. She put the small package down next to Gaga and went to finish her chores.    

Gaga bit into her toast.

I said, "You don't think he'll smell it's a trap?"

"Of course he will. But I'm betting he won't be able to resist. He's a narcissist. He thinks he's beyond getting caught."

"How do you know he's a narcissist?" Me not totally sure of the term.

"Trust me."

I knew by now that if she said he's a narcissist, then that's what he was.

"We'll hold it in a place where afterward I can leave to be by myself. Go off and be alone with my thoughts. Lure him. With you watching my back."

"I can wear my Sponge Bob disguise."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Anyway, the cops will have it staked out."

"You make it sound easy."

"Yeah, well, we know better than that." She took another bite of toast.

I took a sip of coffee and glanced at her package. "You going to open that?"

"It'll keep."

"What is it?"

"Probably some costume thing from Roberto. I get them all the time."

I took another sip and thought about what she was proposing. She wanted to do this to avenge Simone, which I could understand, me having revenge issues over Tanya and Szu.

"How do you know he wouldn't just sniper you?" I asked.

"Not his style. He'd want to do it his signature way."

"Which has to be getting tougher for him to pull off."

"So we set it up so it looks easy."

"Why'd I know you'd say that?"

She smiled and brushed her hands together and pulled the package over. Picked up her butter knife to pry it open.

I thought about possible places to stage the setup. A place where he could get close, but still give me and the cops time to grab him. The cops would naturally have their own ideas, which would probably include snipers, so the place would have to be open, for sightlines. And it would have to be free of chances for some citizen getting shot. Maybe the cops already had such places mapped out, in case a situation like this...