Disclosure: I am borrowing JE's characters for this story. Any character you don't recognize is mine. Enjoy!
BLESS THE BEASTS
Chapter 1
There was that distinct pop sound in her kitchen. When she wheeled around, it was no surprise to find Diesel not two feet from her. It had been nearly a decade since their last encounter, but his entrances were unforgettable.
"To what do I owe this visit?" Stephanie inquired, as nonchalantly as she could as she lounged against the kitchen counter. After all, time seemed to stand still in the aging department for her acquaintance from the past. Diesel still smelled like Christmas and cookies. Still good enough to eat.
"Aw, as usual, I wasn't told my destination. Good to see you after all these years, Ms. Plum. Or has that changed in my extended absence?" Diesel responded. He reached out to touch her brown curls. Time seemed to be suspended for his favorite (ex?) bounty hunter friend in Trenton.
Diesel glanced around where he landed. It wasn't the same small kitchen he remembered from their last caper together. No, this food preparation facility was substantially larger than that little closet of years past. In fact, this room seemed to be larger than her entire former apartment. Diesel surveyed his surroundings in greater detail. He noticed that Stephanie put on a few pounds, in all of the right places, no less; that her living quarters were, actually, quite spacious. He started to ask about the changes in her life, but was interrupted by her response.
"No, Diesel, there has been no change in the name. However, my marital status has changed. Nowadays, it isn't necessary to take your husband's last name. I met him about six years ago. He was a skip. Remember how Morelli was a skip when he and I reconnected 13 years ago? Well, Harry was in the same boat. The main difference was Harry wasn't accused of killing anyone. His crime was too many parking tickets and then failed to appear in court because he was given the wrong court date.
"It turned out that a cop was out to get him. Every time Harry parked his car at a parking meter, this cop would disable the meter then issue him a citation - but didn't leave it on the car for Harry to pay. After a couple hundred of these tickets, the court took notice and issued a warrant for Harry. After Harry was arrested and bonded out, that same cop arranged for the court date to be changed and then diverted the court notice to a wrong address, which resulted in dropping Harry deeper into the system. By the time everything was sorted out, Harry was exonerated and the cop was fired. You'll never guess who the cop was!"
Diesel took in her story. "Don't tell me it was Morelli," Diesel snorted.
Stephanie laughed, "no, not Morelli, but that was a good guess. It was Kowalski, one of Morelli's cronies. If I didn't know better I would have bet that Morelli put Kowalski up to it just to break up Harry and me, but the FTA is what introduced us. So, I probably owe Kowalski for being such an idiot and having it out for Harry."
Stephanie turned and narrowed her eyes at Diesel. "Wait a minute! You haven't told me why you are here. Don't you only deal with unmentionables? Are you telling me that I'm going to have to deal with them again? Not after all these years," she whined.
Diesel only grinned. "Sweet cakes, there were times you were slow to take in your surroundings. Are you telling me that you didn't notice anything about your favorite niece? I know she has held a soft spot in your heart ever since your sister returned from California. She never actually was a palomino but you really didn't notice how easily she 'controlled' animals? Stephanie, Stephanie, Stephanie," he drawled.
At the allusion to Mary Alice, Stephanie blanched white. Stephanie was known to indulge Mary Alice's whims and fancies over the years. Stephanie did notice Mary Alice's ease with animals of every variety. Stephanie just thought Mary Alice was good with animals. Lots of people are good with animals, she rationalized.
Diesel broke Stephanie out of her reverie. "While I would like nothing better than to gossip about all of the details of the last decade, I don't have all the time in the world right now. Since I was sent to you, I am going out on a limb that you may be key to winding this up sooner than later. Interested in helping me with your niece?"
Stephanie snapped out of her own thoughts at Diesel's request. "Of course, I want to help you with Mary Alice. What seems to be the problem? Is she in any danger? How can I help?"
Stephanie was falling all over herself attempting to accommodate Diesel's request. Diesel grinned.
"Well, actually, Mary Alice seems to be the center of the problem this time, but she is not in danger, she's causing the danger."
Stephanie took a step back and nearly ran into the counter. Her own niece causing … and what did he mean "danger?" Stephanie regrouped and took a firm stand facing Diesel.
"This makes no sense. Mary Alice is a harmless teenager. She can't be causing anyone danger." Stephanie had her hackles up ready to defend her favorite niece.
"I don't make the news, I just report it," Diesel replied. "Do you want an explanation or do you want an argument?"
Chapter 2
Stephanie narrowed her eyes at Diesel. He had to be kidding, right? Mary Alice is a nice kid. Ok, she was growing up. Every person had to do that. And what was she now? 18? 19? Still a baby. What could Mary Alice possibly be doing to attract the attention of the overseers of the unmentionables? Stephanie had no choice. She had to steel herself to Diesel's news and find a way to help Mary Alice.
"Well? Spill it. And be quick about it. I can't believe I'm actually going to listen to this … garbage!" Stephanie all but whined at Diesel.
Diesel could always count on Stephanie to entertain. Hmm. Where did he get that idea? It seemed to be on the edges of memory. Where did he hear that before? He would have to think about that some more. It was on the tip of his tongue. Well, all else fails put it out of your mind and it will pop into your head, he reasoned. He had to snicker at his own popping joke.
Diesel made an effort to be serious about the situation at hand. "For starters, Mary Alice really is a nice kid. The problem is she has decided that animals have rights and is organizing them. You know, in the traditional sense of what organizing means…"
Stephanie broke through her astonishment and ogled at Diesel, interrupting his train of thought. "You mean she is unionizing them? What the…?"
"I thought that would get your attention. On the face of it, it isn't a bad idea. I mean, look how animals have been treated over the millennia. Mary Alice's heart is so big, she believes that they should be treated with dignity and love. Where it turns is how she proposes to unionize them and the demands she is making on their behalf." Diesel was reluctant to continue his explanation of current events.
"Wait a minute," Stephanie held up a hand. "Am I to understand that Mary Alice wants to unionize the animals and is attempting to negotiate on their behalf? All of the animals? Is it limited to Trenton, or has she gone statewide?"
Stephanie looked at Diesel and began to pale. "Are you telling me it's nationwide?"
Again, there was nothing but a simple stare from Diesel. Stephanie turned stark white. "You have got to be kidding me! This is global?" she all but shrieked. "Do we have any idea how many animals may be involved? Is it only in the industrialized nations or do we have to worry about the wild animals as well?"
Diesel continued to stare at Stephanie. Realizing the extent of what Mary Alice may have in mind, Stephanie, who was now heavily leaning against the counter, began to slide to the floor. Diesel came to her assistance and gently picked her up and carried her to the nearest cushioned chair. He sat her down, making sure she was secure. He went to the cabinet and found her stash of Four Roses. It would seem she had inherited her mother's habit of hiding bourbon in the cabinet. He poured a tumbler full and pressed the glass into Stephanie's hand. She mechanically sipped from the glass, not really knowing what she was doing. This gave Diesel pause.
Had the powers-that-be made a mistake? Was Stephanie up to the challenge that was looming over them? After all, it had been more than a decade since she and Diesel had worked together. Many things had changed. She was drinking too automatically. It was as if it was now a habit, not just an intermittent event. Diesel had his work cut out for him in more ways than one.
He turned another chair to face Stephanie's and sat. He drew Stephanie's attention to him. Worry was evident on his face. When Stephanie finally acknowledged his presence, he continued his story.
"Yes, we are looking at a global incident here. Somehow, Mary Alice has developed her skills without the assistance of any of the elders. That, in and of itself, is beyond frightening. Even I had guidance when they finally figured out my abilities, and my abilities pale in comparison to hers.
"Remember that Christmas morning when Sandor gave her that horse? We told you then that she was noticed. Valerie and Albert lost their ability to control her about six years ago. But, really, control was never the issue. Mary Alice has the compassion of the universe within her. She so desperately wants every creature to be recognized as worthwhile that her abilities have expanded exponentially and are legion. We can only imagine what her abilities will be when she fully matures.
"You know how I am able to pop in and out as needed? My restriction is that I can only pop to assist my cause, and then I am limited to my own movement. Mary Alice, on the other hand, can pop at will. What makes this scarier is that she can almost instantly assess the situation and pop herself and the person/creature in trouble out just as quickly.
"So far she hasn't encouraged any of the creatures to turn on humans. With her attempt to organize the animals, we think it's only a matter of time. We think part of her hesitation has been that she is trying to help the humans who are helping the animals. Like I said, she has a heart full of compassion and only wants everyone and everything to be safe and sound."
It seemed Diesel was getting through to Stephanie. Her pale face was slowly pinking up, and Diesel didn't think it was from her round of Four Roses. It seemed that Stephanie was growing angry. Diesel couldn't understand the problem.
Chapter 3
Stephanie finally spoke. "Diesel, I think there is something I need to tell you. Remember I told you about Harry, my husband? Well, Harry is an unmentionable. I knew it when I met him just by the way he looked at me. It would seem you unmentionable-types don't really want to hurt me, and maybe even feel a little sorry for me. If you notice, whenever you have been around, I don't really end up hurt by the unmentionable. I may end up a little banged up by the normal people who work for them, but the unmentionable pretty much leaves me alone.
"When I met Harry, it was pretty much love at first sight. He was a cross between Morelli and Ranger with a generous dose of honesty thrown right in. At six foot two inches, 185 pounds and not an ounce of fat on him, I was instantly drawn to him. His green eyes and blond hair against his olive skin were compelling. Did I mention his last name is Paxos?"
At the mention of Paxos, Diesel snapped to attention. Paxos was infamous! How did that get past him? Well, damn! As usual, his presence in Trenton, especially with the former bombshell bounty hunter, was not an accident. There were always multiple ties to Stephanie when it came to the unmentionables.
"Are you telling me that you married Harry Paxos? He teaches the elders. Aw, don't tell me he…"
Stephanie interrupted yet again with a sneer, "The reason the elders didn't know about Mary Alice's training is that it was happening right under my nose. My husband has been helping her expand her abilities. I know I should be angry about his teaching her without discussing it with me, but I just can't work up to that emotion right now. For the moment, I am trying to deal with a sense of betrayal by him. I'll get to the teaching part later." She started to sulk more openly now.
Diesel took both of Stephanie's hands in his. "Maybe you should just tell me about your relationship with Harry." Using his given name seemed to ease the tension building around Stephanie. Diesel was very concerned about Stephanie's sudden depressed state.
Stephanie took a long, deep breath. "Well, up until today I would have said that we loved each other to the depths of the ocean. That there were no secrets between us. That we knew each other in every sense of the word. He was everything I had ever hoped for in a lover and spouse. He was not afraid to show me his love in any way. Where Morelli wanted to remold me into his perfect 'Burg image, Harry loved me the way I was, just like Ranger. Where Ranger was reluctant to have a relationship with me, Harry readily embraced a life together with me, like Morelli. As I said before, he was a cross between Ranger and Morelli, a glorious mix of the two of them.
"What really sealed the deal was the apparent honesty he showed at every turn. I knew he was an unmentionable, but his obvious powers seemed harmless. He explained after we were engaged that he held back using his powers and rarely used them. He seemed so gentle and caring. He told me he had more abilities, but found no need to utilize them. Occasionally he would give me a small demonstration, but I guess those little displays didn't attract the attention of the powers-that-be in the unmentionable realm. Obviously, or you would have been here a long time ago."
With the last comment, Diesel interrupted. "Stephanie, do you have any idea how old Harry is? He is old enough to be your father's grandfather. I told you a long time ago that unmentionables age very slowly once they hit 25. As many times as we have worked together, you have never asked me my age. Believe me, you don't really want to know.
"But, back to the issue at hand. Six years is nothing in my world. I haven't been here in the last six years because Harry has been laying low. Paxos is notorious for his strikes against the bearers of hatred in the world. While the idea alone is commendable, even Paxos went too far in his crusade against those individuals.
"The last encounter between Paxos and me was about 20 years ago. He was a militant mercenary who spent many years in the Middle East. Do you remember hearing about that deck of cards with the 'most wanted' of the terrorists on each of the 52 cards? Well, Harry single handedly took care of 13 of the terrorists. I was called in to temper his enthusiasm for completing that mission.
"Again, while he was achieving the desired goal, his methods were highly questionable. Even the unmentionables have guidelines and standards that have to be followed. I was commissioned to shut Harry down before his methods were publicized and received too much attention. After our last encounter, Harry was left with his abilities in a diminished state."
Stephanie slowly nodded in understanding. "That's why they were small demonstrations and nothing earth shattering occurred. By the time I met him he was reacquiring his powers and could only give entertaining shows without any real impact on anyone or anything."
Realization struck like a lightening bolt. "Oh, my God! While he was restoring his abilities, he has been training Mary Alice to expand hers. Please don't tell me that he has been drawing power from Mary Alice to restore his," Stephanie begged.
Chapter 4
Mary Alice surveyed her surroundings. She had been popping all over the earth for the last few months. She enjoyed meeting all of the animals of the earth. She was amazed and impressed with the grandeur of each of them. Now that she was back in Trenton she needed to reevaluate her mission. Organizing a union on a global scale was a daunting task.
She reviewed her checklist: domesticated animals that live with people, domesticated animals raised on farms, wild animals in captivity, wild animals in the wild. Were there any other generalized groups? She pondered the situation.
Of course, the real reason for her actions were the unallowable ways any or all of the animals were treated. She needed to be able to come up with a real solution to help all of them. Or was she going to have to pick and choose which animals could realistically be helped. The impact of that last thought was overwhelming.
When she returned to Trenton, she had popped back into her former bedroom at her parents' house. She was technically supposed to be at school at Iowa State University working on her animal husbandry studies. She had thought to be a veterinarian one day to be able to help animals one-on-one. Mary Alice so desperately wanted all animals to "feel good." She tried to be covert about her care and treatment of animals and thought she was succeeding. After all, if she seemed to be aspiring to be a vet, her constant contact with animals would be understandable. Right?
Now that she had Uncle Harry to help her, Mary Alice was more comfortable in her own skin. Before Uncle Harry, she had thought she was crazy. She knew she was different. She always felt drawn to all of the animals she encountered. It seemed totally natural to her to "understand" what all of the creatures were trying to communicate to her. When Angie saw her "talking" to the stray dog outside their house, Angie nearly ratted her out to their mother. Mary Alice wasn't sure how she managed to convince Angie to keep quiet, but whatever it had been worked.
Mary Alice thoroughly enjoyed caring for Rex when Aunt Stephanie needed help. She loved visiting Joe Morelli's house to play with Bob. They were the first critters in her life. When she first met Rex they seemed to be able to hold a full conversation, much longer than when she spoke with her own sister, Angie. And Bob. Dear, sweet, lovable Bob. The pure and simple joy she felt when she was near Bob was heart warming and wonderful.
Then one day her mother took her and her sister to the zoo. Mary Alice was in heaven! Every animal she encountered that day seemed to communicate with her. Even the grizzly bear stood up and took notice, and not in a bad way. Every single one of them "spoke" to her. She started to tell Angie about her experiences of the day, but thought better of it. After Mary Alice had mentioned her "chat" with the grizzly, she notice Angie's face: it was all screwed up. Mary Alice just knew what Angie was thinking: Mary Alice is crazy!
At that point, Mary Alice knew she had to keep quiet. Her momma didn't raise no dummy! Oh, she had been in the gifted programs in school and graduated in the top 10 of her class of 450. No, Mary Alice was no dummy. Mary Alice reflected on that last thought. She could have been salutatorian or even valedictorian, but that was not the important part to her. She only wanted to get through. Her scholastic skills simply "happened." She only wanted to work with animals and doing well in school seemed to be a way to get closer to them.
And in the middle of all of that she met the man who would become her Uncle Harry. When she first met him there was a strange attraction to him. At first she thought it was because he made her favorite aunt so happy. And then one day they had a nice long chat. He seemed to see into her soul and liked what he saw. After that first chat, they would get together at least once a week.
Uncle Harry was a godsend! He seemed to know how to help Mary Alice. Uncle Harry made his money in the stock market. He was very good at it! So good, in fact, that he appeared on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange once or twice a week and would walk away with a bundle in profit in his limited work day, as he put it. He made enough so that he and Aunt Stephanie were able to buy a home, rather, a mansion. Whatever he did, he was careful to protect everyone involved. He had the kindest heart Mary Alice every encountered.
With Uncle Harry's short work week, that left plenty of time for him to assess Mary Alice and her potential. After a year or two Uncle Harry took Mary Alice under his wing. What neither of them noticed at first was that no one else thought it unusual for them to spend so much time together. After another year or so it seemed perfectly natural to everyone. And, oh, what he taught her!
Uncle Harry told Mary Alice that she was special. But Mary Alice already knew that. Didn't that man who looked like Santa Claus tell her that a very long time ago when he gave her the carved horse? Didn't he tell her to keep it always? And she had. Oh, yes, she did!
One of her special powers was the ability to shrink or enlarge – anything! One of the first things Uncle Harry taught Mary Alice was how to shrink the carved horse into a key fob sized ornament where she kept her keys. The horse was so dear to her, having the ability to reduce her best friend to a more portable size was priceless. Whenever she needed to talk to a "friend" she could make it normal size again. Oh, how she loved that horse.
This seemed like one of those times to chat with her friend. She removed Red Rex from her fob. His name was a combination of Aunt Stephanie's attack hamster and the cherry wood from which he was made. The name seemed natural. Mary Alice thought back to the first time she touched Red Rex. He was warm to her touch, almost as if he were alive. After her time with Uncle Harry, Mary Alice came to know that Red Rex really was alive.
And what an intelligent horse he was! He always understood what was troubling her and helped her get through those rough times. No, he couldn't actually speak to Mary Alice. It was more a mental connection tied directly through their hearts. This was the epitome of love between species. Mary Alice had no intention of losing this connection. It was very near and dear to her heart.
Mary Alice had to think. She brought Red Rex to his normal size and gazed at him intently. Slowly but surely the plan was formulating. She realized that she was being overly ambitious. After all, as the saying goes, "Rome wasn't built in a day." She needed to set reasonable goals and start the cascade in favor of the animals.
How to do it? Like the proverbial light bulb, Mary Alice had a stroke of genius when the switch turned on. And she needed Uncle Harry's help. Smiling to herself, she petted Red Rex, murmuring, "thanks, big guy. I knew I could count on you to help clear the fog." With that, she reduced Red Rex to his traveling size and put him back on the key ring.
Chapter 5
The last few days had been intense. Stephanie had forgotten just how much time and effort went into working with Diesel. He had her running all over Trenton questioning friends and family alike about their conversations with Mary Alice. The most exhausting part was doing it inconspicuously.
Yeah, right! When did the Bombshell Bounty Hunter ever do anything inconspicuously? Stephanie took solace in knowing that over the last decade she had attempted to hone her bounty hunting skills and they had gotten better. Okay, so the last few years she let some of them lapse, but it's just like riding a bike, right? She kept telling herself that – over, and over, and over again.
Stephanie took inventory of what she had learned since Diesel appeared: (i) Mary Alice was supposed to be attempting to organize the animals of the world; (ii) Mary Alice was nowhere to be found; and (iii) her mother still made the best pineapple upside down cake in the world. Okay, that last one was common knowledge and even Martha Stewart bowed to her mother's pineapple upside down cake. But where did all of this bring her?
Stephanie sunk into one of the overstuffed chairs in her den. She had to think! When was the last time she saw her husband? It was perfectly normal for Harry to take off for a few days after a grueling work week. (Don't get me started on Harry's work week, she thought to herself.) The oddity this time was that Harry didn't call her every night at 11:00 p.m. That was their way. He would go on one of his little jaunts but make it a point to let her know he loved her every night before she called it a day.
Where the hell was Harry!
Stephanie pondered the situation. Harry had been out of touch for the last two days - she refused to admit he was missing; Mary Alice is definitely missing – her mother heard from Iowa State that Mary Alice had not been attending classes for a number of weeks; the news reports were spotty about the unusual behavior of the animals – and the reports were coming from around the industrialized areas of the world. Okay, that last part seemed to be reassuring. If Mary Alice's efforts were limited to the industrialized areas, then perhaps she realized how futile unionizing all of the animals all over the world actually was.
Stephanie was so lost in thought she didn't notice Diesel entering the room or coming to sit on the arm of her chair. She was startled when he spoke.
"I've been thinking. With the hit and miss reports from around the world, I think Mary Alice is curbing her enthusiasm, so to speak. I've been trying to plot out the timing and location of each of the reports. I think I have a pattern to them. It seems to have started somewhere in Kansas and traveled west around the globe. The last report came from Providence, Rhode Island, just four days ago. If I had to guess, I would guess that Mary Alice is back in New Jersey, quite possibly just at our back door. When was the last time you spoke to Valerie?"
Stephanie was stymied. Why hadn't she thought to plot out the occurrences by date and location? Was she too close to the situation to be objective? Was she so concerned the man to whom she finally gave her heart betrayed her? Think, Plum, think, she berated herself.
Diesel brought her out of her thoughts. "Stephanie! Now is not the time to beat yourself up. I've known Paxos a lot longer than you have. From the stories, ok, you would call them rumors, Paxos had never fallen for anyone before you. He must have found something special when he found you. Come to think of it, I kind of envy the guy. I always thought you would be a great catch. Harry would never do anything to hurt you. I just know it.
"We need to get back to the business at hand. As I was saying, I think Mary Alice has made her way back to Jersey. I really think we need to talk to Valerie, at the very least."
Stephanie slowly nodded. "She was my first contact, but talking to Valerie again would be a good idea," she agreed. Stephanie pulled out her cell phone and hit speed dial 3. Valerie answered on the second ring.
"Hey, Val. How's it going?" Stephanie thought a little chit chat was appropriate. She really didn't want to dive right into the thick of things. "That good, huh? How is everyone? "
Stephanie listened to Valerie fill her in on everyone, except Mary Alice. "Val, glad everyone is doing well. Hey, you didn't mention Mary Alice. Any news from the Midwestern front?"
At that point, Valerie's voice went up an octave, not to mention about 150 decibels. Diesel could hear very clearly from across the room. "Steph, you would not believe me if I told you! Mary Alice has been skipping classes. Albert is fuming about the tuition to an out of state school going right down the drain. Actually, since she's enrolled in a school in the Midwest studying animal husbandry, I guess you could say the money is going down the outhouse."
Stephanie got a word in edgewise, "um, Val, I think the Midwest has had indoor plumbing for a very long time."
Valerie became more incensed, "I don't care how long they've had indoor plumbing, that girl is costing me a small fortune! And to top it off, I found her dirty clothes in the hamper this morning. How on earth could they have gotten in there? "
Stephanie interrupted Valerie's rant, "um, Val, when did you find her clothes in the hamper? Did she leave them from the last time she was home?"
Valerie stopped short and seemed to be thinking through the phone. "Now that you mention it, they weren't there when I did the laundry yesterday. And there seems to be fresh clay on her jeans. I didn't know there was clay in Jersey? Where could she have gotten that stuff on her clothes?"
Chapter 6
Harry looked thoughtfully at the young lady asleep on the couch across the room. She was awe inspiring. The care and love that shimmered off of her was dazzling. The time he was able to devote to Mary Alice had been precious. She absorbed all of the information and direction he gave her like a sponge. Harry knew she was his niece by marriage, but felt closer to Mary Alice than anyone, with the exception of his dearest Stephanie.
Stephanie had accepted him for himself from the first time they met. He was one of her FTA's. He laughed at the situation. For being an unmentionable he was pretty ignorant of the ways of the normal world. When he was arrested, it was like a movie being shown in slow-motion. He couldn't understand why anyone would want to arrest him. Parking tickets? Parking tickets! And then when Vincent Plum bailed him out, he was grateful for the understanding.
But he still couldn't figure out how he missed his court date. Oh, Stephanie tried to explain a number of times how Kowalski, yeah, that was the cop, how Kowalski manipulated the court calendar by sweet talking the court clerk into changing the date. And then Kowalski volunteered to deliver the change of date notice to Harry. Only, Kowalski never delivered the notice. Hence, the FTA.
When Stephanie came to pick him up for missing his court date, she rang the doorbell and announced who she was and who she represented. Harry was past confused and opened the door to her. Stephanie had moved her foot forward to stop the closing of the door, but Harry had no intention of avoiding Stephanie. When he looked into her sapphire eyes, he was hooked. He would have followed her to the ends of the earth. Harry went along with Stephanie without a single complaint.
Vinnie, as Vincent Plum came to be called by Harry, met them at the Trenton Police Department and Harry was bailed out in record time. Not only was he out, but his prior bond was reinstated when the court realized they had no proof Harry received the change in court date.
Apparently, Harry had made an impression on Stephanie and she was interested in seeing Harry spend as little time behind bars as humanly possible. Stephanie did a little digging and uncovered Kowalski's diabolical plan. She was incensed! She investigated the bogus tickets and retrieved the maintenance reports on all of the parking meters. Calling on her resources at RangeMan, she discovered that each and every parking meter had a glitch in its memory chip for the exact time each of the tickets was issued. With the evidence piling up against Kowalski, Harry was exonerated. He was not just found "not guilty", but his record was purged completely.
Kowalski, on the other hand, was dismissed from the Trenton Police Department in a very public, very disgraceful way. Some cop named Morelli seemed a bit perturbed. Harry didn't understand, but more importantly, Harry didn't care. He had found someone who intrigued him and Harry intended to learn as much about Stephanie Plum as possible, humanly or otherwise. This Morelli cop seemed to want to stick his nose into that, too. It still didn't matter to Harry.
Harry thought back to those first few months with Stephanie. Her attitude was compelling. She worked herself to the bone to prove Harry's innocence. Harry snickered at himself at that word: innocence. Harry hadn't been innocent for a very long time. But under Stephanie's blue gaze he could almost let himself believe he was, at least for a very short period in his life. He never figured out why Kowalski had it out for him, all Harry knew was that because of Kowalski's penchant for destroying him, Harry met Stephanie.
After he was cleared and his record wiped clean, he asked Stephanie on a date. They went to a little Italian restaurant in Morrisville. Then they went dancing. Harry was in heaven. He found his angel. So much so, that became his pet name for Stephanie: Angel.
Harry had this feeling that Stephanie knew what he was from the get-go. The pull between them could not be ignored. When Stephanie asked him out on their third date, he decided he needed to know if Stephanie was aware of his status. Harry point blank asked Stephanie if she knew what unmentionables were. Harry was not surprised when she answered in the affirmative. Stephanie was patient and understanding when he told her his status. She even asked the right questions. Her request for a demonstration was certainly understandable and he happily agreed.
Oh, he kept the demonstrations low-keyed and entertaining. Stephanie was duly impressed and oohed and aahed in all of the right places. Their affection for each other was easy and grew quickly. She made him feel wanted and loved for the person he was and he hoped she knew how much he loved and wanted her.
When he asked her to marry him, it was magic. The wedding was pure bliss on the ocean front in Point Pleasant. She looked like an angel as she came down the aisle to him in her flowing white gown. For the life of him he couldn't remember any of the guests as he was so focused on Stephanie. Now that he was reminiscing, he realized it didn't really matter who was present at the wedding since it was their life, not the guests. She made him happy and hoped to high heaven he made her happy.
Mary Alice stirred on the couch and brought Harry out of his memories.
"Uncle Harry," Mary Alice started. "Uncle Harry, where are we?"
Just yesterday he had found Mary Alice. He knew her plans for the animals and almost too late realized the extent of her original plan. He had been able to follow her around the world and assist her in some of her short term plans. He was able to discourage her overall plan and point out the overwhelming nature of her intent.
Harry thought back to that Sunday matinee of Wicked he and Stephanie had treated Mary Alice. They had encouraged Mary Alice to read the book before the live stage performance. Both Harry and Stephanie knew the plot lines were similar, but the outcome was not the same. Harry knew about the subplot involving the Animals and was not surprised when Mary Alice latched on to that train of thought. From that moment on, Mary Alice seemed obsessed with protecting all animals.
Once again, Harry found himself lost in thought. He realized he hadn't answered Mary Alice's question. "Well, M A, we are in New York City, about two miles from the United Nations. I thought since our concern is to protect animals worldwide, that we address all of the people who govern or represent the people of the world. Animals stand a better chance of being helped and protected if we can get the attention of those kinds of people.
"But you have to understand, M A, what you are proposing is monumental."
Harry had never discouraged Mary Alice in any other situation. He would gently guide her in a different direction, but Harry had not flat out told Mary Alice "no." He now saw no other way to tone down her enthusiasm. He thought back to the numerous times his own enthusiasm was curbed by those in charge. He almost, but not quite, understood why they were enforcing those dreaded rules and restrictions. If Mary Alice had an ounce of malice in her heart, she and Harry would not be resting in relative comfort at the present time. He admired and loved her pure, sweet heart.
"M A," he started with a sigh, "you know I am your staunchest supporter. I have encouraged you to develop your abilities and shown you how to use them in a positive manner. It would seem I have been dilatory in providing you with moral guidance. M A you have to know that with great power comes great responsibility – to yourself and your surroundings. The greater your abilities, the greater your responsibility. You are fully aware that your abilities are unmatched allowing you unlimited access to both the world into which you were born and the world of the unmentionables. What that means to you is that you have to be more cognizant of both worlds and the impact your actions have on them.
"Mary Alice, we need to talk about your adopted mission." Harry finally looked over at Mary Alice. She was sitting patiently on the couch where she had previously been sleeping.
"Uncle Harry," she began. "I think you don't realize all of the lessons you taught me. Guess what? You did teach me about the responsibility bit. You probably didn't realize it. You see, a lesson I learned repeatedly from kindergarten through high school is that actions speak louder than words. You, Uncle Harry, have demonstrated to me countless times that the right thing to do is to treat everyone and everything with respect. You have also taught me that those who disrespect everyone and everything should be made to answer for those negative actions.
"You might be relieved to know that I had already come to the conclusion that my original mission was overwhelming and that I needed to be satisfied with starting a revolution for the animals. Oh, I know, there are numerous organizations out there for the ethical treatment of animals of varying types. I think I had decided just this morning that a more reasonable way for me to help the animals is by working with the existing organizations and enhancing their efforts. The power of One is undeniable. But the power of many is better. Yes, I know that mobs are impractical and only serve to assist a cause in a negative way.
"Uncle Harry, is there anything you think I have missed?" Mary Alice asked innocently.
"M A, I couldn't be more proud of you! I always knew that you were on top of your game and now have the proof. Have you decided how you plan to approach these organizations to further your cause?" Harry was indeed proud of his niece and relieved to learn that she realized the futility of her original plan on her own.
"Well, considering I can move at will from place to place, I thought I might be able to work behind the scenes, so to speak. I think I should probably get back to school and catch up on my classes. It's been a couple of weeks. Do you think they will let me finish out the semester? I can only guess that Mom and Dad Albert are furious with me right about now. Suggestions on how to smooth it over with them, Unc?" Since she downgraded her mission, Mary Alice's mind was wondering a mile a minute and flitting from topic to topic. She started realizing she had let her own life stagnate during her mission. She was making a conscious decision to get her own life back and the impact of what had happened in the last few weeks had on the ones she loved.
Harry realized her consternation and took pity on her. "M A, first things first. Let's call the school, or rather, contact your teachers directly about catching up on the work for each class. Which classes are you taking this semester?"
Mary Alice reviewed her class schedule pensively. "Well, there's Biology, Composition, Calculus, and Music Appreciation. Since it was my first semester, I thought I might get into the swing of things and only took 14 hours with one lab. Since you and Aunt Angel have taken me to the opera, symphony, concerts in the band shell and other chamber ensembles, the music class has been a snap. I think I have a music listening test I might have missed, but the prof is usually cool about makeup exams. The calc class was pretty much a review from high school. Maybe a test or two but nothing earth shattering. I aced the midterm and the final is 75% of the grade, so I think I'm covered there.
"I think I might have missed a couple of essays in comp class. That instructor can be a bear but his dog and cat are quite fond of me. Hmmmmm. Maybe I can use them to get the teacher to let me make up the work. I guess that just leaves bio. I honestly don't remember what we were covering when I traveled west."
Never one to leave the worst for last, Harry promptly handed over his cell phone and had the biology teacher on the line in seconds. Mary Alice stopped asking long ago how he could do that and just went with the flow. She assumed a contrite attitude and spoke very politely with the professor.
"Professor Higginbotham, this is Mary Alice Kloughn. I know I have been absent from your class for the last couple of weeks. I had to travel out of the country and didn't have very much notice. I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused."
Mary Alice endured the tirade from the professor who ultimately relented. During the course of the conversation, he mentioned that the subject over the last couple of weeks had centered around small animal anatomy. M A managed to interject into the conversation that during her recent travels she was able to observe numerous veterinarians work around the world and assisted in their surgeries. She was careful to omit how she was able to move between the different locations so rapidly during the previous few weeks. She spoke so fast and furiously that the professor completely missed the phenomenon and granted her two days to present a 10 page paper on what she learned over the period in question. Mary Alice could not believe her luck.
With the worst behind her and in a manageable state, the other three teachers were easier to convince to allow her the opportunity to make up the work. The music appreciation teacher, especially, made the comment that Mary Alice had the highest grade in the class and that the lowest and highest scores were to be dropped before the final grade was calculated. There had only been one quiz during her absence so that zero tossed with one of her perfect scores still left her with the highest grade in the class. Now that the way was cleared, she could return to school without having to meet up with her mother, or other family members. In the blink of an eye she was back in her dorm room in Iowa.
Chapter 7
Stephanie and Diesel had been running themselves ragged for the last five days. Sensing he was not going to have assistance from any other unmentionable with this assignment, Stephanie had offered Diesel the use of the guest suite in her home. He accepted her kind offer and collapsed on the bed in frustration and exhaustion. He found the remote control near his hand and absently turned on CNN. The headlines brought him back to consciousness.
"Reporting live from Hutchinson, Kansas, we have learned this afternoon that the threat of a stampede or other animal uprising at the Kansas State Fair has been quelled. The fairgrounds have been the site of numerous incidents of animal attacks over the last few weeks which seem to have abruptly ceased. No explanation has been forthcoming other than the animals seem to be in a sense of peace. No further threat seems pending."
Diesel, who had made serious, but very slow, overtones toward a soak in the Jacuzzi, hastily threw his shirt back on and zipped his pants, making a beeline for Stephanie's room. He burst into her room. "Did you hear the news report from out in Kansas? The animals seem to have calmed down. Have you heard from Mary Alice or her mom?" He was falling all over himself to get it all out.
As it turned out, Stephanie was listening to Fox News at that particular moment. Their broadcast was similar in nature to CNN's only they reported from Tiananman Square in China. They rapidly turned to other news agencies to find the same news from India, Ukraine, France, Bolivia and Rhode Island. They were both stymied.
Stephanie finally broke the tension mounting in the room, "Diesel, what can it mean?"
Trying to interject a bit of humor, Diesel replied, "Maybe we shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth?"
Stephanie threw a pillow at him.
"Ok, ok. Let's just think. Each of the reports is coming from the exact same locations where the original reports of animal violence were. And in the same order. Mary Alice is talented but it sounds like Harry had a hand in this. That man could sell refrigerators to Eskimos! He probably convinced the animals to ease up after Mary Alice popped around the world to encourage them to listen to Harry." Diesel was trying to rationalize the news reports with what he knew.
Stephanie nodded her silent agreement. She still had not heard from her husband in the five days they had been searching out information on Mary Alice. She was distracted when her phone rang.
"Yo."
Valerie was beyond excited. "Steph, Iowa State called this morning. It seems that Mary Alice has returned to school and made up all her missed work. Weren't you looking for her? Did you find her and get her to go back to school? Without telling me?" Her tone quickly turned livid and directed her anger toward Stephanie.
Stephanie tried to reason with her sister. "Val, I never found her. Are you sure she's back in Iowa? Who called? They were really closed mouthed about her when I called."
Valerie quickly realized her sister had less information on her second child than she did and eased the pressure on Stephanie. "Oh, Stephanie, I'm sorry. This past week has been a living nightmare. And then this afternoon I get this call from Iowa State telling me my daughter has returned to class and made arrangements to make up the missed work, I didn't know what to think. A bunch of people told me you were asking around about Mary Alice so I made the wrong assumption that you convinced her to return to school. Hey, why haven't I seen that gorgeous hunk you're married to around here?" It was obvious from where Mary Alice inherited her inability to stay on topic once her concentration was broken.
Stephanie held it together until Valerie's last comment and just could not contain herself anymore. "Valerie, I haven't had any contact with Mary Alice since before she left for school in August. As for my husband, what difference does it make to you where he may be?" Her voice broke on the last question. She was just so exhausted and really needed to speak with her husband. Valerie, sensing she had overstayed her welcome on the phone, quickly said her goodbyes and hung up.
Stephanie threw her hands up as she tossed the cell phone on the bed. What was she going to do? Her husband was nowhere to be found. It was déjà vu all over again, remembering what it was like with Ranger in the wind. She and Harry were going to have some serious discussion!
Diesel interrupted her thoughts. "Sweetcakes, I know you are upset with Harry right now. I wish there was something I could say to you to make it all better. What I can tell you is that Harry probably talked Mary Alice down and turned this potential mess into something a lot less devastating. But, we're not going to know what really happened until Harry shows up and shares…"
And there it was. That unmistakable pop that accompanied an entrance or exit of an unmentionable. As if on cue, Harry appeared in their bedroom looking as fresh as a daisy.
Chapter 8
Stephanie was off the bed like a shot and in Harry's face in the blink of an eye. "Where the hell have you been for the last five days? You have fifteen (15) seconds to explain yourself, Mister!"
Never one to doubt Stephanie's abilities to extract information or exact revenge, Harry quickly shared the last five days with his wife. That Diesel was present only confirmed Harry's original assessment of Mary Alice's mission.
Harry could hardly forget Diesel and their last encounter. Harry did not hold a grudge against Diesel. After all, Diesel was only doing his job, and, besides, Diesel always protected Harry's dignity. Couldn't fault him for that. If Harry were to assess their relationship, he would have to say that they were comfortable acquaintances. When you live for what seems like forever, there wasn't much more you could ask of your fellow unmentionable.
Once again, Harry had to snap out of his own thoughts when Stephanie finally responded to his tale. "Harry. Harry? Harry!"
"Wha.. What?"
Stephanie took a very formal approach with her husband. She had resumed her place on the bed while Harry was in the chair across the room. "Harry, it has come to my attention that you have been delving into certain areas about which you have failed to inform me you participated."
Harry looked at Stephanie with wide eyed wonderment. Of course, he understood what she had just said, barely. The implications were quite obvious. The bottom line was that he screwed up. Now he needed to repair the damage. This was not going to be easy.
When Diesel heard Stephanie's opening statement, he discreetly left the room. He figured this was something between husband and wife and an audience was not necessary.
Stephanie continued in a very defeated tone. "I knew what you were from the beginning. I had and don't have any problem accepting that. I trusted you with my family. Yet you went behind my back and taught my very trusting niece to expand her abilities without consulting me. I guess I should be grateful you stepped in to temper her enthusiasm."
At that last remark, Harry had a flashback to his last encounter with Diesel when Diesel had used the almost identical language about Harry's chosen mission. It took all of the restraint he could muster to not smirk at his own memory. He had a feeling his Angel would not understand the humor in the situation at the moment.
"Harry, I am truly glad you were able to help guide Mary Alice away from her original goal. What hurts is that you didn't trust me to help you. You know how much I love Mary Alice. We could have worked with her together. Harry, do you have any idea how betrayed I feel?"
At that comment, Harry was across the room in the blink of an eye, kneeling before his Angel. "Angel, and I know I shouldn't call you that right now, but, please try to understand. After I told you that I was an unmentionable all those years ago, it never occurred to me that you didn't know the extent of my powers. I should have realized you couldn't know since I haven't been able to give you a full demonstration. I take full responsibility for that.
"About Mary Alice. What originally drew me to her was your unconditional love for the child. It didn't matter to you that she had a unique view of the world. You encouraged her to do her own thing no matter what. And after a few conversations with her, I realized her abilities and the untapped potential of them. I honestly thought you knew she was an unmentionable. You were the one who told me about Sandor and the carved horse. I made a very incorrect assumption. For that I am humbled and can only beg your forgiveness."
Stephanie had been staring into those sparkling green eyes which were clouded with tears. She felt how sincere he was and knew she wasn't going to be angry with him forever. She just wasn't ready to forgive him in the present moment.
Harry continued his heartfelt apology. "My darling Angel. These last six years have been paradise for me. No, we have not led a typical lifestyle. My financial success in the stock market has allowed me to wander around to see the world. I have been truly blessed you have been able to accompany me on many of these wanderings. Your unconditional love and support mean the universe to me.
"As Diesel has probably informed you, my powers were severely truncated about 20 years ago due to my own arrogance. They have been regenerating over time at a slow pace. When I discovered Mary Alice's abilities, it was like a beacon in the dark telling me that the universe had forgiven me my past indiscretions and over-enthusiasm. I did not intentionally exclude you from working with Mary Alice. I have spent a lot of time working alone; it didn't even dawn on me to ask you. Now, … now that is not intended to ignore you. It's just… It's just that I haven't worked with anyone in a very long time."
Harry looked away from his Angel. He knew he was breaking her heart and couldn't find the words to make it better. Stephanie gently placed her hands on his cheeks and turned his face back to hers.
"Harry. You know that at the present moment I am very angry with you. I promise you that it won't last forever, but you have to give me time. Time to absorb all of this." Stephanie gently rubbed away the single tear that escaped his eye.
"Know this, Mister," she said with a bit of humor in her voice, "I love you, now and forever. But if you ever leave me out of anything as important as this again, you will be answering to a much higher power. Remember, my love, you have taught a certain young lady who happens to adore me how to use her abilities. I have a sneaking feeling that if I asked for her assistance she would not hesitate to conspire with me in just about anything I would want to do. And you know what? Just because I am not an unmentionable does not mean I don't have my own resources."
When she finished, Harry could see her eyes dancing and knew in his own heart he would be forgiven. He may be naïve and still learning the ways of her world, but he knew he loved his wife and that she loved him. He also knew when to keep his mouth shut and accept the gift that was his Angel. He stood in front of his wife and brought her into his arms for a tender, gentle kiss that quickly turned passionate.
Stephanie broke the kiss and looked again into her husband's eyes. "Harry, this is not giving me time."
Harry saw the concern in her eyes and drew back without releasing her. "I know, Angel, but I needed to show you how much I love you. I needed to thank you for your love. I'm not sure what I did to deserve you but I will be eternally grateful that I have you. If you want me to leave for a while, I will understand. Not that I want to, you see."
Diesel, who had been discreetly absent through their discussion, knocked on the bedroom door. "Uh, Guys, has World War III been averted?"
Stephanie relaxed in her husband's arms. "Come on in, Diesel. The world has been saved yet again from total destruction." To her husband, Stephanie continued, "Harry, you don't have to leave. Actually, I think it would be a great idea if we could do a little wandering right about now. But, I don't want to go to any of the places you visited in the last week or two. I think it would be too vivid of a reminder of why I am angry. Any suggestions?"
Harry had a full on smile that looked as if his face was split in two. "Yes, Angel, I have a suggestion or two. Would you mind if we traveled someplace you couldn't go before?"
Intrigued, Stephanie could only gape at Harry.
"Well, just before I came back here, I voluntarily appeared before the unmentionable council. I explained what has been happening with Mary Alice these last five years or so and her progress. They actually commended me on her development and consented to my continuing to instruct her." Harry hurriedly added, "but, only if you approve. I don't want to do anything that would offend you.
"I suppose you figured out that I am no longer persona non grata in the unmentionable world. That means I have the privilege of traveling anywhere in the unmentionable realm." With a twinkle, Harry added, "and I can take a non-unmentionable with me, Angel. Maybe we can go over possibilities for our wanderings..."
Diesel assessed the situation before him and announced, "Well, it looks like my work here is done. You two, be careful." And in a blink, with that distinct pop, Diesel was gone.
Stephanie lost herself in her husband's eyes, and then her own eyes suddenly went wide. "Harry, we have been so wrapped up in this mess with Mary Alice, I think we forgot somebody."
Harry looked at his wife and paled. "Oh, no, I forgot about Alexander! How upset do you think he is with me?"
Stephanie reassured her husband, "Don't worry. Lex has been occupied at school. He's asked about you this past week, but I tried to pass it off as your usual traveling without us. I think it would do him good to stay with his grandparents for the week we will be gone. We can discuss where we are going after he gets home from kindergarten today. You can reconnect before we take off."
As an afterthought, Stephanie asked Harry, "Have you figured out yet what abilities Lex has, or is it too soon to assess?"
Harry meekly answered his wife, "Angel, I think right now is not the time to figure that out. Let's just figure out where we want to go." With that, Harry led his Angel into the den to look at maps and charts of the possibilities.