They're not mine, and I'm not making any money… I want to give a big thanks to everyone for reading. Please enjoy!
Catch a Falling Star
Chapter 4
"What next?" I asked once Ranger and I had loaded ourselves back into the car after our interview with Violet Johnson.
"Well, it's about three, so we could head back to the safe house, wait for the guys and regroup, or we could do a little B and E at Gerick's apartment."
"Let's do the B and E," I said. I could tell that was what Ranger wanted to do, and to be honest, I loved watching Ranger do his urban commando stuff.
"Alright," he answered firing up the Mercedes.
"Where exactly are we going?" I suddenly thought to ask. "I thought you said he'd been staying in Jersey."
"He was. His families from Newark and he was staying in Jersey City… It's about half an hour with bad traffic."
"Oh."
After that, we drove in silence for about twenty minutes until we arrived in a run-down section of Jersey City. It didn't look like a bad area, there just didn't appear to be much money. Ranger found the address easily and we pulled up in front of a small apartment building.
Hopping out, we headed inside and quickly found the super's apartment. We knocked, but there was no answer, so we'd just have to let ourselves in without the benefit of a key. Up three floors, we knocked again on the door of apartment 308 and when there was no answer, Ranger quickly picked the locks.
I was curious as to what we'd find since the apartment hadn't been searched yet. There still wasn't enough evidence for the police to get a warrant and when they'd come to question Gerick here, he hadn't been home.
It definitely had the air of a temporary residence and it was apparent no one had been around for awhile. I snooped while Ranger prowled around. There was no mail around and there had been none in his box, so either he had someone picking it up or he wasn't using this as his mailing address. There was no food other than a spoiled carton of left-over Chinese in the fridge and there were no personal items around.
"Babe," Ranger called from the back of the apartment. "Come take a look at this."
Curious, I headed back a dim hall way towards the sound of his voice.
"Ranger," I called, not sure exactly where he was.
"In the bedroom, Babe."
Going forward just a bit more, I turned left thought a half open door. And my jaw hit the ground as soon as I was in the room. Holy shit.
"Holy shit," I voiced out loud.
"Yeah," Ranger agreed.
One of the walls was completely covered in pictures. Mostly they were of Violet but a good number were of the Changing Places cast and Gerick when he was on the show. There was also a section with flyers to a bunch of plays, which I assumed to be plays that Violet produced. Below them was a little semi-shrine, with a picture of Violet and Gerick when they were working together and around it were things like a balled up napkin, a pen… obviously things she'd used and he'd picked up.
"So the creepy factor just went up," I said, going over to stand next to Ranger. I was suddenly feeling really nervous and he made me feel more secure.
"Definitely," Ranger said, pulling me to himself and rubbing up and down my back. "Did you find anything in the rest of the apartment?"
"Not really. There's no personal items and nothing to suggest that he's been here lately or was even staying here."
"Okay, let's poke around a bit more and see if we can find anything."
"Sounds good," I agreed, and began looking through things in the bedroom. I was sufficiently freaked out, and I just felt better not being alone in the apartment right now. It didn't look like Gerick had been around, but that's not to say he wouldn't show up at any time. Definitely better to stick with Ranger.
We didn't find much more in the bedroom and nothing that could point us to where he was actually staying. Looking through the rest of the apartment, we found more nothing. There were no personal items in the bathroom, only things like a half used tube of toothpaste to suggest he had ever been here. It was weird.
"When did he rent the place," I asked Ranger once we'd looked through everything and were standing in the kitchen again.
"About four months ago when he moved back to Jersey."
"Huh," I said. He'd done a good job at cleaning it out, other than the bedroom. It was almost like he couldn't stand to disturb that.
"Let's go talk to the neighbors," Ranger suggested, breaking through my musings.
Heading out into the hall, Ranger locked up after us and we turned to the apartment on the left. Ranger knocked and a few moments later the door was opened by a petite, very pregnant woman with a young child on her hip.
"H-how can I help you?" she asked, staring wide eyed at Ranger. And it wasn't the usual wide eyed look he got from women. I quickly realized she was probably home alone and the large man, dressed all in black was making her nervous, so I stepped forward.
"Hi, I'm Stephanie Plum and this is Carlos Manoso. We're from Rangeman, a security company, and working with the NYPD. We'd like to ask you some questions about your neighbor, Dane Gerick."
"Is that the man to the right?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Alright," she agreed. "Please come in."
When we followed her in, she settled the child in a playpen and we all sat in the living room.
"First off, what's your name?" I asked.
"Melissa Wiseman."
"Okay, Melissa, can you tell us when you last saw Gerick?"
"Umm, probably about a month ago. I never saw much of him, but I thought he'd moved out."
"He's still listed as living here, but we don't think this is where he's staying" I said. "Did you ever talk with him?"
"Only once. Mrs. Ketz, who live across the hall, and I went to welcome him to the building when he first moved in. Everyone is petty friendly here, so we thought we'd introduce ourselves and such, but he just said 'thank you' and shut the door."
"Do you know if he was friendly with anyone in the building?"
"No. He didn't talk to anyone. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but he just made me nervous."
"Thank you Melissa," I said. "If I leave you a card can you call me if you think of anything or if you see him?"
"Of course. Ummm, what are you looking for him for? Is he dangerous?"
"We're looking for him because the police would like to question him concerning a murder case," I said, trying to be vague so I didn't scare her as I handed her the card.
Once in the hall again, Ranger and I knocked on the door across from Melissa, hoping to talk to Mrs, Ketz who'd met Gerick with her, but we didn't get an answer. Next we tried the door across form Gerick's apartment and a young man opened the door. He was about six foot, built like a Rangeman and didn't seem at all nervous with Ranger at his door.
"Yes?" he asked.
"I'm Carlos Manoso and this is Stephanie Plum, we'd like to ask you some questions about your neighbor, Dane Gerick."
"Okay, come on in," he said holding out his hand. "I'm John Wells, by the way."
"Nice to meet you, John," Ranger said, taking his hand, before I did the same.
"So, what's up?" John asked.
"We're working with the NYPD trying to find Gerick and were hoping someone here could help us."
"I'm not sure if I can be any help. When the cops were here looking for him a couple weeks ago I talked to them and didn't have much to tell. I've kept an eye out, but I haven't seen the guy since."
"Did you ever talk to him?" I asked.
"Only when he moved in. I didn't like him much and never really saw him after that."
"What didn't you like about him?"
"He just rubbed me the wrong way. When I told him to feel free to stop in for a beer sometime, he just turned me down and asked what was with the people here and being nosey. I guess Mel and Mrs. Ketz, who live to the right, had gone to see him too."
"Yes, we just spoke with Melissa. She said he made her nervous. Did you feel anything like that?"
"Not personally. I was a Seal until I blew out my knee, so most of the nervous has been driven out of me, but I didn't like him around the hall. Mel's all by herself, so is Mrs. Ketz and another older lady. Once and awhile when I'd see him heading in and out of his apartment he was always giving Mel's door a weird look."
"Shit," I said, suddenly.
"What, Babe?" Ranger asked.
"Mel's got ret hair."
"What's going on?" John asked suddenly. I could see him going into protective, ex-military guy mode and had to fight a smile.
"The police are looking for Gerick as a possible suspect in a murder case. He's known to be stalking a childhood acquaintance and leaving threats. The murdered women bear a resemblance to the woman he's stalking. Melissa would fit his profile," Ranger said.
"Mel?" John choked out.
"Yeah, petite, pale with red hair," I said.
"He hasn't been around, so it should be okay," Ranger said, "But if you could keep an eye on Melissa it wouldn't hurt."
"Definitely. She's a great girl who picked a shitty husband, but he's gone, so I check in on her pretty frequently. I'll just have to start doing so more often," he didn't look at all upset about this, and I had to suppress a smile once again.
"Good," Ranger said. "Here's a card, if you think of anything or see him give us a call."
"Alright," he replied and after another round of hand shakes and some man-nods, we were gone.
We talked to a couple more neighbors, but didn't find much else out. Mostly we got the same story that Gerick was unsocial and no one could pin down what they didn't like about him. I'd never met him, but I'd be willing to bet he's just one of those people who give off a creepy vibe… kinda like Vinne but in a more dangerous way.
Calling it a day, we headed back for the car. Ranger immediately slipped into his zone and I made it about two blocks before I slipped into sleep. I woke up when he cut the engine and we headed upstairs to the safe house.
The guys weren't back yet, so Ranger and I decided to start dinner. Or, Ranger started dinner and I sat on the barstool and watched. I did feel the need to voice my opinion a few times when things started to look too healthy. I only had guys' best interest in mind…
Ranger was making a stir fry, and honestly, it looked like a lot of vegetables, but it smelled wonderful so I'd reserve judgment. Right now, I was supervising the veggie to brown rice ratio and making sure he added some cheese. We couldn't be too health, or my body would go into shock.
"Babe, you need to trust me and get out from under foot," Ranger laughed when I scooted in beside him at the stove.
"Nope, if the guys are forced to eat a bunch of vegetables it will be my fault. Do you want to do that to me?"
"They can always cook for themselves," Ranger said shrugging.
"Huh," I said. I hadn't really thought of that. "Where'd you guys learn to cook?" They didn't strike me as the domestic sort of guys.
"Rangers. We'd be out somewhere and we had to cook or starve. Eventually, we learned to make it tolerable. I'll never forget how astounded my mom was when I came home on leave and made breakfast one morning…"
I just stared at him in shock. Ranger had just answered a question without prodding and actually offered more information than was necessary. I'd expected him to stop at 'Rangers.'
Scooting myself between him and the stove, I pressed a hand to his forehead.
"Babe, what are you doing?" he asked.
"Checking to make sure you're not sick. You just offered personal information when it wasn't completely necessary."
"Babe," Ranger said, looking bemused now and leaning towards me.
I leaned away, suddenly not sure if this flirting and close proximity was a good idea.
"Hot," I yelped out, jerking away from the stove and directly into Ranger's chest. Nope, definitely not a good idea, I though when I realized my lips were pressed against his neck. After that, I just couldn't help myself but leave a soft kiss there...
"Yeah, Babe. Hot," Ranger said, pulling back and looking down at me with dark chocolate eyes.
Before I knew what was happening, I was sitting up on the counter with Ranger standing between my knees and we were locked in a kiss that was definitely hot. I'm not really sure who started it, but it was escalating very fast. Somewhere in the back of my brain, sensible Stephanie was screaming 'no!' but I wasn't listening. Right now I didn't give a damn if this was a bad idea, if I was still getting over Joe, or if Ranger couldn't commit. All I cared about was that Ranger didn't stop what he was doing with his tongue and magical hands.
Suddenly, he did stop though. I was just groaning and trying to drag him back into the kiss when I noticed the door swing open. How he'd heard a key in the lock, I'll never know, but I was glad he did, because moments later the guys came strolling in and I would not have wanted them to see that little scene between us.
"Hey, man, smells great," I heard Bobby call out as the guys trooped in.
"Yeah, when are we eating?" Lester asked.
By that time, they were all over to the kitchen area and I was desperately trying to look like I hadn't just been kissed senseless. From the grins on their faces, I don't think I was pulling it off.
"Uh, I'm gonna go get cleaned up," Tank said, not so discretely grabbing Bobby and Lester by the backs of their shirts and dragging them away with him.
"Sorry about that, Babe," Ranger said when we were alone again.
"It's okay," I said, not meeting his eye as I held a hand to my burning cheeks.
"No, it's not. I should have controlled myself," he replied, in a tight voice. If I didn't know any better, I'd say Batman wasn't too happy with himself.
"I didn't do any better," I said, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek and sliding off the counter. "I'm gonna go hide in my room for a bit."
"Okay, Babe. I'll take care of the guys and call you when we're ready to have dinner."
"Thanks," I whispered, giving him a quick hug before darting off to my room.
Once safely behind my door, I wrapped my arms around my head and bent at the waist. A few deep breaths later, I made it to my bed and flopped into my thinking position. This couldn't be happening. I was supposed to be controlling myself around Ranger, not kissing him senseless! And what had me most worried was that I wasn't worried at all. For once there was virtually no 'Morelli guilt,' only a tiny feeling that I should hold off out of respect for what used to be of our relationship. On top of that, my body was screaming 'go for it,' and I had those annoying feelings of love pulling at my heartstrings.
"He doesn't do relationships," I said firmly to myself. "He sent you back to Morelli. He loves you but it only comes with a condom. He won't do anything stupid like marriage." I was listing every anti-relationship thing Ranger had ever said, and before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face. "Shit," I whimpered.
Rolling out of bed, I cracked open my door and sprinted across the hall to the bathroom. The last thing I needed was anyone to see me crying.
Safely in the bathroom, I bent over the sink and splashed a couple handfuls of cold water on my face. I hadn't really gotten a good cry going, so my eyes hadn't had a chance to get puffy and my face wasn't blotchy… this was just to be safe and to help me calm down. Once I was sure the tears were done, I took a few deep breaths before slipping across the hall again to my room.
I paced for a few minutes, trying not to think anymore. I'd almost forgotten, in the face of my mini-breakdown, what had gotten me started thinking in the first place. Kissing Ranger and the guys seeing us. I felt my face go pink again, but I knew I'd have to face then eventually. I'd just about gathered the courage to head to the kitchen when I heard Ranger calling me.
"Babe, dinner's ready." I took that to mean it was safe to come out.
Another deep breath and I opened the door and wandered towards the kitchen. When I walked in, I found the table set, the guys seated around it and Ranger carrying the bowl or stir fry from the stove.
Sitting down, I shot the guys all a smile and proceeded to act like nothing had happened. I was hoping they'd play along. I was confused enough about Ranger, I didn't need them to add their teasing into the mix. "So, how was everyone's day?" I asked, when no one said anything.
"Pretty good," Tank said. "I'm starting to remember why I don't like the city though. It's too damn crowded." I shot him another smile, grateful that he'd decided to play along.
Right about then, Ranger came back into the dining room and sat a plate of bread on the table before settling himself in the chair next to me. I gave him a smile also, to let him know I was okay. He gave me a searching look in return before reaching out to squeeze my knee under the table. Should have known he'd be able to see that I'd been upset.
He didn't say anything though, and dinner passed pretty uneventfully. When it was over, we all cleaned up then headed for the living area to go over the day. I finally allowed myself to let out a breath of relief when I saw the guys slip into work mode. If they'd let it go this long, everything would be okay… I just needed to remember to control myself from here on out.
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A/N: Well, let me know what you thought! This 'bad guy' developing is harder than I realized, and I have a whole new respect for all of you who do it so well! Please let me know if I over-do, under-do, don't have enough plot, etc… I'd greatly appreciate it!