Page 97 of Road Queens
She herself was of two minds: (1) she could take care of herself, (2) that shit was pretty cool.
“I’ll fuckin’ sue you!”
“Wonderful!” Amanda said, and clapped. “I can’t wait to see you testify under oath about how you definitely didn’t steal Cassandra’s bike.”
“Fuck all y’all.”
“You’re from the Midwest, cheesedick!” Sidney called as he stormed out. “You’ve never made it past Madison!”
Then they just stood there and looked at each other.
Sidney broke first. “Fuck that Bandido wannabe. Let’s eat and plot.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
“So what happens now with our noninvestigation?” Amanda asked. “Do you make a citizen’s arrest and haul Manners in by the mullet?”
“Not quite. I call the Violent Crimes Investigations Division commander and lay it out. They’ll pick up Manners for questioning, and things will roll from there.”
“I still can’t believe being mad at Cass was the motive,” Amanda said. “It’s so tawdry and lame. Like a gossip blog or anything Tucker Carlson does.”
“No,” Sidney said. “You’ve gone almost a month without a political rant. Don’t break the streak.”
“But that’s what you don’t get; it’s not about politics. It’s not about Republicans versus Democrats. That’s the fundamental flaw in your logic. It’s about basic human decen—”
“No. No. No.No.”
“Say ‘no’ seven more times,” Cass suggested. “It might sink in.”
“Ugh, fine, I’ll shelve that lesson—”
“Lecture,” Sidney declared. “It’s a goddamned lecture. Every time.”
“I’ll shelve thatlessonfor later. Let’s hope Sonny doesn’t mind his shop getting fingerprint dusted from roof to basement.”
“Serves him right for having such a shithead for a brother,” Sidney said, and stole another of Amanda’s fries. They’d grabbed breakfast to go and were sitting on the barstools clustered around the counter in Amanda’s shop. “I knew Jeff Manners was gonna be a problem the second he loogied me in middle school.”
Cass nodded. “That was a sizable tip-off.”
“Fuck that teeny weenie.”
“We’ve got bigger problems than a teeny weenie with the charisma of a wet brick. We just did that thing where we tipped off the killer, who now has hours to make his escape,” Cassandra pointed out.
Amanda was watching Sean. “You don’t think Manners is the killer.”
“Whoa!” Sidney yelped. “What? Then what just happened? What was the point? Why’d we convene in a bathroom? Not that I need a reason to ruin that fucker’s day.”
“I’m having trouble getting there,” Sean admitted. “Stealing the bike, absolutely. He strikes me as the petty type. And he’s definitely fixated on Cassandra.”
“Prob’ly popped a boner the second he climbed on,” Sidney chortled. “Greatest night—and ride—of his life, I’ll bet.”
Cass shuddered. “Memo to me: sell that bike. Or blow it up.”
“Don’t you dare!” Amanda cried. “You just got it back. Or will once the cops are done with it. That’s like throwing away a Prada bag because someone you don’t like borrowed it.”
“Just slosh three or four jugs of Clorox over it until you’re staggering and ready to pass out from the fumes,” Sidney suggested. “Then you’ll know it’s been cleansed of all manner of Manners boners.”
Amanda groaned. “Pleasestop talking about Manners boners.”
