Too Late

Part 3

Sitting in his office, Ranger was looking over the few bits of information on Stephanie. She left Trenton about three months ago from Newark landing in Paris. From there, she disappeared. Her father said she was with family he assumed in Europe somewhere. Bobby and Lester were assigned the job searching her family tree. Ranger was going to pay Vinnie a visit hoping he could provide some family history even though he was the sleazy cousin that wasn't talked about in conversations. It was a dead end right now, he took his wife on a cruise.

Walking into the boss's office, Tank sat down opposite of Ranger's desk.

"Anything ?"

"No," Tank shook his head, "if Lula had heard from Stephanie, I would know. I know her password for her e-mail account. I've checked, there has been no new notes from Bombshell. I've even ran through her cell phone. Nothing."

Ranger grabbed his keys, ''I'm going to see Mary Lou and maybe Grandma. I need something more to go on than the little I have."

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The Porsche parked in front of Mary Lou's. Two of her boys were riding bicycles on the street he recognized and she was in the front yard watching her young son play with his trucks in a pile of sand. He also noticed Stephanie's best friend stiffen as he opened her front gate.

"Mary Lou."

"Hello, Ranger," trying to sound normal but she was nervous he could see.

"Have you heard from Stephanie?" he asked. "Can you tell me where she is?"

Keeping her eyes averted, Mary Lou replied, "She's good. Enjoying her time away. She's working for family."

Ranger asked the next question with trepidation, "Is she coming back?"

Mary Lou finally looked him in the eyes, "Yes. She needed to figure out
what she wanted," she stood up when her son wanted a drink, "Come in,
Ranger

She indicated for him to sit down. She got her son a glass of milk with a couple of cookies and turned on cartoons for him to watch so they could talk.

"I don't know what Mr. Plum told you if you have talked to him," Mary Lou began seeing Ranger nod his head, "but, I'll get right to the point. Stephanie left to get over you. She'll never be a bed buddy to you. She can't just settle for sex. Stephanie needs more."

"I know," Ranger tried to remain stoic, but his heart was pounding in his chest.

Mary Lou continued, "She may not be like the 'Burg', but the ties run deep. Let me back up, right before your big blow up, Stephanie went to the doctor's. I went with her. She was having some female problems."

Ranger started to stand up concern washing over him, not thinking just reacting.

"It's nothing life threatening like that, but she had developed cysts on one of her ovaries. Her doctor wants to check them every few months. They should dissolve themselves, hopefully. But, the cysts can cause scarring if they get too big, twist her ovary and damage it leading to infertility. I know what you are thinking; Stephanie is not sure she even wants children."

He finished the thought, "But, that was her choice. If she has infertility problems, she doesn't have a choice."

"Yes. Valerie is pregnant with girl number four. The librarian Joe got pregnant is having a boy. Despite the situation, Mrs. Morelli is happy Joe will have a son to carry on the family line. Her parents don't know. When Stephanie needed someone."

Ranger's fist hit her table, "I told her I wasn't 'Burg' material. Someday she would want babies and a picket fence. I didn't do relationships."

"Yeah. She's never been able to forget the one night you had together. Stephanie broke down and told me. She will never want the 'Burg' ideal," Mary Lou made quotes in the air. "Stephanie needs to become stronger to get over you. She doesn't want you to change in order to love her."

His hands were running through is short hair shaking his head, "Why couldn't I just tell her I loved her and want no one else in my life. Look what my stupid rules got me. From the moment I met Stephanie, my world has been upside down. Where is she? I need to try. If Stephanie wants children, we'll find the best doctors or we can adopt. I don't care. I want her!"

Mary Lou was watching the strong man, the man Stephanie called 'Batman', he was lost in his thoughts. She felt sorry for him.

"I'm sorry. I promised Stephanie I wouldn't give away her location."

Brown eyes pleading, "Mary Lou, I don't want to be too late."

Her son called from the living room and Mary Lou left to check on him. He was looking aimlessly around her kitchen thinking about Stephanie when a wine bottle on the counter caught his eye. The label was colorful with a picture of what looked like the Italian country side. He picked it up, the writing was in Italian and quickly put it back on the counter when he heard Stephanie's friend coming back.

"I'll get you more milk," Mary Lou told the little boy.

Ranger was standing by the door, "Thank you. If you talk with Stephanie, please tell her I need to talk with her when she returns."

"I will," Mary Lou said as she walked out with him.

Once the Porsche was out of sight of Mary Lou's house, Ranger was on his phone, "Yo, look up 'Villa Cortona Winery' in Cortona, Italy. Be there shortly."

His next stop was 'Cut n' Curl'. Hopefully Grandma Mazur was there and would talk to him. Opening the door of the beauty shop, Ranger couldn't believe his eyes. It may be his lucky day. Grandma and her lady friends were having a wine and cheese party with the same wine he saw at Stephanie's best friend's house. He recognized the labels.

"Girls, we have a visitor!" Grandma squealed handing him a glass of wine. Playing on the TV screen was Lucy stomping grapes from 'I Love Lucy'.

"The Package is here!"

He was swarmed by tipsy old ladies.

"Mrs. Mazur, have you spoken with Stephanie?" Ranger asked as he sipped his wine.

One woman held up her glass, "Have her send more Vino!"

"I haven't spoken with her lately, but she sent this from that grouch of a son-in-law's cousin's winery in the homeland."

"Really?" Can I have a souvenir? It's a beautiful label," holding up one of the eight empty bottles he counted. The label had grapes hanging with a house on rolling fields of vines in the background."

"Sure. Want more?" Grandma started to fill his glass again but gulped the wine right out of the bottle.

Shaking his head, "No, I have some skips to pick up. Tell Stephanie I asked about her," escaping to the safety of his Porsche outside. A couple of the women were doing the limbo and another trying to feel his arms. He looked at the empty wine bottle, his stomach in knots. Finally, he knew where Stephanie was and hopefully he wasn't too late.

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