PAYBACK
Chapter 10
As Stephanie pulled the van into the driveway of the condominium complex, both of them sighed with relief. If they had to drive one more mile, Stephanie was going to jump screaming from the van. The last two days had been long, tiring, boring, monotonous, tedious and every other 'ing' and 'ous' a person could think of.
"Don't forget, your name is Susan Parker," Randy reminded her as she double-checked in the visor mirror that all of her natural hair was hidden under the blond wig.
"I just hope the manager of this place doesn't want to talk. All I want to do is get the key so we can get inside. I really need to go to the bathroom," Stephanie said as she opened the driver's door. "Remember, stay out of sight."
"Yes, ma'am," Randy whined through his nose. Stephanie shot him a narrowed eye look as she closed the door.
He careful peeked from behind the driver's seat to watch as Stephanie went to the door of condo #1. An older man, who looked in better shape than most men half his age, answered the door. The smile he greeted Stephanie with enhanced his good looks. He handed her what looked like the keys and a garage door opener. Stephanie started back toward the van, halfway there she turned and waved at him.
"Condo #5 around back, just like you requested," she said as soon as the van's door was closed.
"Mr. Peterson, the manager, made sure that everything was turned on and working and had the neighborhood grocer deliver the basics for us. He wanted to make sure we had something in the house to eat in case we were too tired to go to the store tonight."
Stephanie pressed the garage door opener and watched as the two-car garage door lifted upward, revealing an empty hole under the front of the condo. She inched the van forward. "Am I over far enough?" she asked Randy who was looking out the window on the other side.
"You're fine." Wiggling between the front seats, he reached under the dash board and pulled a recessed lever.
"What's that?"
"It unlocks the trailer hitch. Come on, if you roll the Harley out first, the trailer will be easier for us to move inside."
"Whatever, let's just get it done."
Randy went to the back of the trailer and unlocked its door. Stephanie hopped up inside and started to untie the stabilizing ropes off the motorcycle. Randy pulled a small ramp out from under the trailer bed and Stephanie rolled the bike down and walked it to the other side of the garage. Together the two pushed and angled the trailer into the other side of the garage. With everything safe and out of sight, Stephanie pressed the inside garage door button and the door slid back down into place.
Bobby closed his cell phone. It felt odd giving Lester all the latest information they had on Stephanie over the phone. The two men had worked together for so many years that working apart never felt right. Bobby had never learned what had caused Lester to change his opinion of Stephanie. Whatever it was it had to be significant; Lester was one of the hardest people Bobby had ever met to impress. One day you could joke with Lester about Stephanie's shortcomings and then overnight it seemed like he had placed her on a pedestal.
"Did you give Lester the latest?" The question seemed to float out of the shadows that were beginning to fill the room. Bobby was startled by Ranger's appearance. If Ranger had been suffering from physical wounds, Bobby would label him the walking dead, but since Ranger's wounds were emotional, he'd have to label him the walking empty.
"Man, you need to get some rest. Eating would be good, too." Ranger didn't respond, he just continued to stare at him with empty eyes. "Yeah, I gave him what little news we had on the van." Bobby stood up and walked around the desk to stand in front of Ranger. "I know you're hurting, man, but you have to realize how screwed up this whole thing has gotten. I'm not sure Lester will ever be a part of the team again."
As if a switch had been flipped on inside of him, Ranger started laughing. His laughter started out as a soft chuckle and then grew in volume and intensity until it filled the room with the sound of near hysteria. "You're right, Bobby." Ranger choked the words out as he tried to stop his laughter. "Lester won't be part of our team because there won't be a fucking team to be a part of when this is over."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Bobby stepped closer as he asked the question.
"What I mean is that once we find Stephanie and I know that she's safe I'm out of here. I'll make sure that she'll be cared for, I'll leave her everything if…"
Bobby interrupted Ranger's little pity speech. "Maybe you ought to wait and see what she wants before you start giving her everything. What if she wants you?"
Ranger's nostrils flared with anger. It was the first glimpse of life to show in his face since he had returned and found Stephanie gone. "Want me?" he said through clenched teeth. "Want me?" he yelled.
Bobby braced himself for the punch he was sure Ranger was going to throw; instead Ranger picked up the computer monitor off the desk and threw it across the room. The next thing to go was the desk as Ranger flipped it over. Bobby reached out to try and calm Ranger down and received a square shot to the jaw for his efforts.
"Ricardo!" Tank's voice boomed from the doorway. Tank waited to see if the out-of-control man would listen.
Anger made Ranger's reactions quicker as he lunged for Tank. Sounds of clenched fists hitting flesh filled the room as the two struggled and fought, leaving a trail of wreckage down the center of the room. Bobby tried grabbing whatever body part he could to separate the two men. Tank succeeded in gaining control of Ranger.
"Get off me," Ranger glared at each of the men holding him down.
"You gonna behave?" Tank asked.
"Yes." Ranger's voice was still filled with anger.
Tank looked at the man he had pinned to the floor. "You pull that shit again and I won't be gentle. I'll hurt your sorry ass. Bad." He released his hold on Ranger's arms. Bobby did the same.
"Being in love with Stephanie Plum makes a man crazy," Joe said as he walked over to one of the two pieces of furniture still intact, the bar. Finding an unbroken glass, he filled it half-full with scotch.
"Shut the fuck up, Morelli, we just got things calmed down," Bobby yelled.
Joe threw back half of the scotch and waited for it to reach his stomach. "I'm not trying to start anything, far from it." Swirling the remaining liquor around in the glass, Joe walked over to the one other remaining piece of unbroken furniture, the sofa, and sat down. "I can almost understand Ranger's decision he made that night. Seeing the woman you love being held at gunpoint, thinking that you or your job is the reason for it. Hell, emotions never mix with logic. Kinda like oil and water," Joe finished his drink. "What I can't understand is why you've picked now to roll over and play dead. No pun intended," he stared at Ranger. "Where's all that 'my shit don't stink' swagger of yours now that she needs you more than ever? Are you really as good as you say or not, 'cause if you're not, get out of my way, because I am as good as I say and I want her back and I don't mean just back in Trenton."
Ranger was sitting on the floor as he watched and listened to Joe. All the emptiness vanished from his eyes. Without the assistance of any other part of his body, Ranger rose from his sitting position, using just the strength in his legs.
"Bobby, I want the mechanic who converted Brigg's van here first thing tomorrow morning. Tank, I want to speak with Stephanie's psychiatrist tomorrow as soon as possible. Morelli, check and see if Briggs has ever used an alias and I want a list of any medications he might be taking. Good night, gentlemen," Ranger walked out of the shattered room and headed for his apartment, leaving the three men watching his back disappear through the doorway.
Tank turned to Joe and grinned. "Nice tactic, Morelli."
"Worked," Joe grinned back. "However, I meant what I said. I am good and I do want her back."
"This sure is going to be interesting," Bobby said. "I just hope I live to see how this story ends."
When he walked into his home, Harrison felt the deep sense of loss that always greeted him. It had been three years since the deaths of his wife and daughter and he still expected to see them when he came home. He dropped his briefcase next to the kitchen table as he made his way to the refrigerator. He grabbed a bottle of water and pulled his housekeeper's note off the fridge as the door closed.
H,
Dinner's in the oven. Your sister called, wanted to know how you were doing, call her and the General wants to know when you're coming over for dinner.
B
Harrison smiled as he thought about Bonnie and the crush she had on the General. Wadding the piece of paper in his hand, he walked over to the oven to see what Bonnie had left him for dinner; it was roast chicken. Harrison decided that dinner could wait until after his run.
Picking up the mail, Harrison sorted through it as he walked down the hall to his office. It was the only place in the house where the memories of his wife and daughter didn't haunt him. His work was the single part of his life he had been able to go on with. He drained half the bottle of water as he waited for his computer to accept his security code.
As he sat in front of the dark computer screen with unfocused eyes, his subconscious mind noted something different. Focusing his eyes on the still dark computer screen, he saw what had caught his mind's attention. It was the reflection of a small blinking red light. Harrison couldn't stop staring at the blinking light. It had been three years since a message had been left on that machine. If he could have, he would have removed the damn thing years ago, but he couldn't for security reasons. Now, just the reflection of the blinking red dot chilled him to the bone. The computer screen came to life and the reflection disappeared and then reappeared when Harrison turned his chair around to face the small answering machine that sat on the bookcase behind him. He noticed the slight tremor of his hand as his finger pressed the play button.
"Why? Because a great pair of legs was in my office today and wanted to know if I knew anyone by the name of Mongrel, that's why. Just thought you should know."
Harrison stared at the now silent machine. Hitting the replay button, he listened to the message again. Shit, the message had been left two days ago. He'd been out of town until late last night. Harrison turned the chair to face his desk and dropped his head into his hands. The old adage was true, you could never escape your past and he had just unlocked the gates of hell by listening to that message.