Disclaimer: Don't own anything but the plot and Annie. Even the title is borrowed from Van Morrison.
Italics - Spanish
Some bad words, some violence, and fade into black sex-scenes, nothing too graphic.
Chapter 11. Wednesday – keep calm your week's halfway throughThe next morning Tank dropped Annie off at Ms. Anderson´s on his way to Haywood. They had an approximate time when he would pick her up, and would call each other if something came up. After a quick kiss goodbye Annie was soon seated with the papyri in the study, and she had a productive work day.
At Haywood Tank arrived in time for the morning meeting. There was nothing urgent, so afterwards he asked Hector and Bobby to stay.
There wasn't anything new on Morelli or Helen Plum, so they just decided to keep up the surveillance. Hector had been able to get inside the Plum house, and now had planted trackers in three pair of Helen Plum´s shoes and two of her hand bags. He hadn't found any cell phone in her purses, and hadn't had the time to search the whole house, especially considering that he had heard Frank Plum going to the bathroom. Hector had checked Frank´s phone, and had managed to install an app to monitor it.
The rest of the morning Tank had scheduled meetings, and he ate a quick lunch in the break room. In the afternoon he had a meeting with a prospective client, and grudgingly changed into a suit. The meeting went well, and he had a signed contract when he came back at half past two. Hector met him in the garage.
"You better come with me. I have a huge lead on Helen Plum. And no, you don't have time to change clothes. And we better take a car that doesn't scream Rangeman."
They both jumped into a blue Ford Focus. A rather dull car, but with much more hidden under the ordinary exterior. An ideal surveillance car, because it looked so boring.
"She´s at the hotel at the east side of Newark. The one with rooms by the hour."
"Helen Plum? The most repressed woman possible?"
Hector didn´t say anything, just drove efficiently towards Newark. Outside the hotel he picked up a camera with a gigantic lens.
"You go inside and try to figure out who she's here with. I´ll try to find the room and maybe get some photos."
Tank went inside, but even when offering a rather substantial tip to the man behind the desk he didn´t get any information.
He went out to the car again. Hector was nowhere to be seen, and he sat down in the passenger seat and put on a cap and tried to hide behind it. He had taken off his suit jacket and tie even before he went inside the hotel. Tank sat watching the hotel door, and after about half an hour he saw Helen Plum getting out of there and drive away in her car. Hector was still not there, so he stayed where he was, and in the rear view mirror saw another anonymous Rangeman car start to follow her.
After about ten minutes three persons had left the hotel, two women and one man. Tank didn´t recognize any of them. Another five minutes went by, and he sent a quick text to Annie and told her that he would be late. She had a key and the code to his house, but he asked her to please take a cab and not walk, and to stay inside until he got home. Morelli was still not taken into custody, when he had talked to Gazarra on his way back to Haywood after lunch.
He was looking away from the main entrance and saw a man leaving the hotel through the backdoor. At first he thought it was an employee, then he saw that the clothes looked too good for that. When the man changed directions towards a car parked on the other side of the lot he could see his face clearly, it was mayor Juniak, Frank Plum´s old friend. Before he had gotten in his car Hector was back beside Tank, and started their car and drove out of the parking lot before Juniak left it.
"Was it Juniak Helen met up with?"
"It was. And I have some photos to prove how friendly they are."
Tank silently contemplated that. Joe Juniak was a widower since a couple of years. A man in his late fifties, who had been the mayor in Trenton for almost seven years. There were rumors he´d be trying for senator, but they hadn´t been confirmed.
Hector turned around a corner and made a U-turn. When Juniak passed a couple of minutes later Hector eased the car out in the traffic and followed him. Juniak drove straight to the city hall in Trenton, and Hector and Tank returned to Haywood. They didn´t speak in the car.
"Conference room in ten minutes," said Tank. "I´ll see who's here and can participate."
On his way to the conference room Tank quickly texted Brown and Cal, and asked them to come to a meeting. He looked at the watch, five o´clock. He called Annie.
"Hi, have you left your work yet?"
"No. I´m about to call it a day though."
"We've had a breakthrough. I was wondering if you´d like to come over to Haywood. I could ask someone to pick you up."
"Sounds good, but I could just take a cab."
"I´d prefer to know who´s driving you. I´m getting a bit paranoid with Morelli still out and about."
"All right. Call me back with names and descriptions."
"Will do. Bye."
"Bye."
Tank passed the desk, where Vince was working, on his way to the conference room.
"Who´s the closest to this address? I need them to pick up Annie and drive her here."
"Woody and Zero. I´ll call them."
"Thanks. I´ll just call Annie back. And tell them to show her their identifications."
Tank made another quick call to Annie.
"And show her in as soon as she arrives," he told Vince, before he went into the room. Hector was already there, and Bobby and Cal soon arrived.
"OK. Hector report."
"I put a tracker on the Plum car this weekend. Yesterday I managed to get one in Helen´s purse and some of her shoes as well. Today I could see that she took the car to buy groceries, and then she was at home and probably prepared lunch. Around two o'clock she got into the car again. I first thought she was only on her way to the hairdresser, which was what she told Frank on the phone. But we had a tail on her, and the trackers also showed her going to Newark, the motel at the east side with rooms to rent for the hour. I took the camera and decided to go there myself, and on my way out I met Tank and told him to come with me.
"When we came to the motel the trackers showed roughly where she was, and I scouted out the area. In a room with torn blinds I could see Helen Plum and a man. I have the photos to prove it. Unfortunately I couldn't get close enough to hear them, but they seemed to disagree on something. Afterwards they left the room separately. Binkie and Eric tailed Helen, while Tank and I followed the man to his place of work, the city hall. Helen went to the hairdresser, and then home."
"The city hall? Who was the man?" Cal asked.
"Joe Juniak."
Hector pulled up some photos on the screen, and at the same time there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Tank said.
Annie entered the room, and happened to see the screen first thing.
"Please Hector, warn a girl, will you!"
Hector looked startled, and then began to laugh.
"I´m sorry, Annie, I didn´t intend for you to see that first thing, or maybe see it at all."
Annie also began to laugh, and Tank, Bobby and Cal looked a bit surprised. Hector usually wasn't comfortable with people he´d just met, but obviously he and Annie were on good terms already.
Hector changed the photo to one where the persons had their clothes on.
"Wow," Bobby said. "I didn´t see that one coming."
"Don't worry," Annie quipped. "Hector probably has a photo of that as well."
Bobby just looked at her, and Cal began to laugh. Tank couldn't hold back his laugh either.
"Please, Annie. Don´t break Brown. You know he's an innocent medic."
"Oh, I'll be quiet then."
Bobby just looked at her, and then started to laugh as well.
"But seriously," Tank said. "Helen Plum is having an affair with the mayor. Her husband´s friend and Stephanie´s godfather."
"Oh," Annie said. "I don't recognize any of these people – with or without clothes."
Hector and Cal began to laugh again, and Bobby just shook his head.
"You think this has anything to do with Morelli?" Annie asked.
"Who knows. But it looks suspicious. Especially since Juniak was police commissioner before he became mayor. And Morelli´s boss," Bobby said.
"How long has he been mayor? And does anyone know if the affair between Helen Plum and Juniak is recent or long term?"
"He´s been the mayor for almost seven years. And there's rumors that he'll try for senator. His wife died a couple of years ago, maybe that´s when they started the affair, but we have to investigate it. I haven't heard any rumors or gossip about the two of them, and living in the Burg Helen Plum is a target for the neighborhood surveillance, just as everyone else living there," Tank said.
"Not to disparage you or Rangeman, but how much into the gossip loop of Trenton are you?"
"I'd say we're pretty updated, since we've tried to watch out for Stephanie. And Gazarra is definitely in the loop, and he didn´t mention anything about Juniak and Helen," Tank said.
"This is big," Cal said. "The shit will definitely hit the fan if this comes out."
"Big enough that Morelli has a hold on Juniak and Helen with it?"
"Definitely."
"Are the mayor and the present police commissioner friendly?"
"She´s clever," Hector said to Tank. "And you're painting a picture that could explain a lot of things," he added to Annie.
"I don't know if they're friends or not. I´m meeting Gazarra for lunch tomorrow, I´ll ask him then."
The meeting was closed soon after, and Tank and Annie ate at a small restaurant on their way to Tank´s house.
"I called my landlord today. She´s contacting her insurance company. And she´s just gotten word that her position at the UCLA will be permanent, so she won't come back to Trenton. I have four months left on the lease."
Tank opened his mouth, but Annie interrupted him.
"And as much as I love staying here with you that isn't a permanent solution. We've known each other for less than a week. I don't know where we´re heading, but I don't want to ruin any chances by moving too fast."
Tank gave her a quick kiss.
"I agree. But that doesn't mean I don't want you here."
"Don´t worry, I'll stay for the next days, and I sure hope to be able to come visit a lot even after that."
"I need to talk to Ranger."
"Go ahead. I´ll check on the cats, and put on some tea. Would you like some tea or coffee?"
"Tea, please."
Annie fed the cats, made tea and sat watching TV when Tank was finished with the phone call.
"Stephanie was totally floored, and can't remember her mother ever being alone with 'Uncle Joe'. But she had some very vague memories of her Grandmother speaking to Helen about a something concerning Val´s blood, and them being silent as soon as Stephanie came in the room."
"Are you implying that Frank´s not Stephanie´s sister´s father?"
"I´m saying it would be good to find out. And no, I don't know how right now."
"Why don't we sleep on it?"