Chapter 14

Hector was sitting in a chair by the bed. His casted leg was propped on a stool in front of him and he had his cell phone in his hand.

Stephanie walked into the room. She had her hand behind her back once again.

Hector smiled. Life had improved considerably since she had last visited. Bobby had received permission from the doctor to slowly get him more mobile. Bobby had promised that depending on how he felt later, he might be able to ride in a wheelchair for a trip out of the room.

Stephanie handed Hector his new cup. It read;

Good things come to those who wait

He smiled and handed it back to her to add to the others.

Bobby came into the room with a wheelchair. He was grinning.

"I was overruled by the Bomber here. She out maneuvered me and will be your partner for this mission. You have 15 minutes. We don't want to overdo it."

He helped Hector into the chair. Stephanie firmly took the handles and they headed out the door. Off-duty men were standing in the hallway talking. They fist bumped Hector as they rolled down the hallway. Stephanie didn't stop for visiting. She was on the clock. She headed for the open elevator, pushed the button and stopped on five. More men were waiting for them as they rolled out. Stephanie pushed the chair around the control room. Tank and Ranger walked out of their offices. They shook his hand and welcomed him back.

Tank handed him a schedule. Hector had been moved from Return to be Determined to short shifts in the electronics lab starting Monday. Hector smiled as he perused his timetable. He was anxious to see his station again.

Stephanie's watch beeped and it was time to head back. The elevator was waiting for them and swiftly took them back to four again. Bobby was waiting by Hector's room.

Bobby helped him out of the chair and into the bed. Stephanie gave him a kiss on the cheek and left the men.

Hector sighed. The small jaunt had tired him out. He would need to build up his endurance if he was going to get back into the swing of things. His eyes closed as Bobby headed for the door.

~~~o0o~~~

Eddie pulled up to Haywood. He was dressed in civilian clothes and driving his personal vehicle. He parked on the street and walked to the front reception area where Junior was manning the desk.

Junior placed a call to Ranger. Ranger and Tank walked out of the elevator on the main floor reception area. They shook hands and all three headed back into the opening. Ranger pressed two. They headed for a conference room where Ranger motioned for Eddie to take a chair and Tank closed the door.

Ranger spoke first. "I asked you to come this afternoon. Rangeman has been privy to some information and we want to gauge your impression. We want your opinion whether it is enough to officially take this to the police station for further action. "

He motioned to one file folder. Eddie picked it up and looked inside. In it were the pictures of the Ford, the empty rooms of the house, and the footprint. Eddie perused it carefully.

Next they showed him the cell phone purchase bill of sale, still encased in its protective baggie.

Next they showed him written submissions of the rental cars descriptions and license plate numbers that had been spotted in front of Morelli's house. All mention of Morelli was conspicuously removed.

They showed him transcribed taped conversations with respect to the purchased electronics, building materials and tool rental.

Finally, they showed him a picture of an SUV being loaded with suitcases and the back of someone climbing into the auto. They also showed a man taking a dog and supplies and putting them into his truck. Eddie didn't want to even guess how or why the pictures outside of the house were so clear.

So far, no faces had been shown and no names were mentioned.

Eddie recognized Bob, Mooch's truck and even the front of Morelli's house. He leaned back. He seemed to be considering his response.

He spoke. "A number of our members have also been busy. We have received some information from our contacts. We were surprised by the sudden departure of the person in question. Normally we are kept in the loop where they go and for how long so we can keep an eye on the house and the family."

Eddie paused. "I think I can safely say we are both looking at the same person. Joe Morelli has certainly been acting very strange lately. He seems almost driven with his hatred of Stephanie moving into the Rangeman building. He has been giving her a really bad time anytime he has seen her in the Burg. Frank has confirmed that Joe has been talking to Helen Plum. He has forbidden him to enter the house, but unfortunately Joe has phoned her a number of times. This has been confirmed by Edna on a number of occasions when Frank was out with the cab."

Eddie continued. "Joe spoke to Lenny, our electronics tech. He told him he was dabbling in photography and sound equipment. He told Lenny that he was practicing for a family reunion later in the year and wanted to make sure he would be getting the best candid shots and recordings."

Eddie looked from Ranger to Tank. Their next move would be confirmation and unfortunately they all thought that gaining entrance to Joe's house was the next step.

Eddie stood up. "I'll phone Mooch. He has a key. I think it is time to combine forces here. Do we need a Search Warrant or do you want to keep this quiet?"

Ranger considered the question. "This has gone past just a simple jealousy matter. There has been serious allegations made and unfortunately both Stephanie and also Rangeman are affected."

Eddie nodded. "I'll be in touch. I will call the Chief and appraise him of the situation. Would you be willing to co-investigate?"

Ranger nodded. They had done what they could and they had to wait on the official word before they could legally make the next step.

Tank handed Eddie a folder. Rangeman had made a copy of everything they had obtained. Eddie shook his head sadly. He was dealing with both a friend and a co-worker who had crossed the line.

They walked out of the room and headed for the elevator. The elevator was waiting and swiftly moved down one floor to the reception area. Ranger and Tank shook hands with Eddie again and watched as he walked out to his car, climbed in and drove away. They had done their job. Now they had to be patient and wait for the other shoe to drop.