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NEW JERSEY WAS 40,000 FEET below me, obscured by cloud cover Heaven was abovefour rows back Okay, atory

My name is Stephanie Plum, and I work as a bail-bonds enforcer for Vincent Plum Bail Bonds in Trenton, New Jersey I’d recently inherited airline vouchers frouy and used them to take a once-in-a-lifetio as planned, and I’d been forced to leave Hawaii ahead of schedule, like a thief sneaking off in the dead of night I’d abandoned two angry men in Honolulu, called my friend Lula, and asked her to pick me up at Newark Airport

As if h in the toilet, I was now on the plane houy who looked like Sasquatch and was snoring like a bear in a cave Good thing I wasn’t sitting next to hiled hi airline-distributed earphones pu The snoring had started soly over Kansas City After several loud passenger co soht attendants confiscated all the pillows and began passing out free alcoholic beverages Three-quarters of the plane was now desperately drunk, and the ree or alternatively , and I was pretty sure the kid behind me had pooped in his pants

I was a to walk off the plane and navigate the terfor me

Sasquatch gave an extra loud snork, and I ground ht Land it in a cornfield, on a highway, in the ocean Just get me out of here!

• • •

Lula pulled intolot, and I thanked her for pickingme home

“No probleon television, and I’ood behind”

I waved her off and trudged intoI took the elevator to the second floor, dragged e down the hall and into my apartment, and shuffled into my bedroom

It was after ht, and I was exhausted My vacation in Hawaii had been unique, and the flight home had been hellish Turbulence over the Pacific, a layover in LA, and the snoring I closed my eyes and tried to calm myself I was back to work tomorrow, but for now I had to make a choice I was completely out of clean clothes That meant I could be a slut and sleep naked, or I could be a slob and sleep in what I earing

Truth is, I’ naked I do it fro or that ht find out, and I’irls should wear pajamas to bed

In this case, being a slob required less effort, and that’s where I chose to go

Unfortunately, I was in the saed , so I eer bag that serves as a purse, and headed for my parents’ house I could use ency clothes left in their spare bedroo my hamster, Rex, while I ay, and I wanted to retrieve him

I live in a one-bedroo three-story brick-faced apartood traffic day, at four in the , it’s a ten-minute drive to my parents’ house or the bonds office All other times, it’s a crapshoot

Grandma Mazur was at the front door when I pulled to the curb and parked She’s lived withescalator to the heavenly food court in the sky So Grandma step onto that very sa anytihtly curled on her head Her nails ht red lipstick Her lavender-and-white running suit hung slack on her bony shoulders

“What a good surprise,” Grand to hear all about the vacation with the hottie”

My parents’ ho a coe Mrs Ciak lives in the other half Her husband has passed on, and she spends her days baking coffee cake and watching television The outside of her half is painted pale green, and the exterior of my parents’ house is mustard yellow and brown It’s not an attractive combination, but it feels co as I can ree-stamp front yard, a s narrow backyard, and a detached single-car garage

I lugged the laundry basket through the living roo vegetables

“Soup?” I asked her

“Minestrone Are you co for dinner?”

“Can’t Got plans”