All characters named in this story were created by Janet Evanovich, except the rookie cops and the teen gang members and Jacob Stanton (the House Monster), created by AutumnDreaming for this story.

All of Morelli's cop experiences in this story have been creatively adapted from the experiences of Ralph L. Dettweiler, former Sergeant of South Carolina Sheriff's Department, found at

Additional inspiration was gleaned from Charles Martin's novel Chasing Fireflies.

Morelli's POV

A long, long day was turning into an even longer night. I met with Bell and we agreed to wake up the judge and get a warrant to search Alou's last known residence and storage lockers for additional evidence. It was a tough sell. Judges don't like it when the police are going after the victim of a homicide for evidence in other cases. But, under the circumstances, we were rewarded with a warrant.

Eddie Gazzara was back in uniform and waiting for us at the station. We gathered a competent group and went in the dark of night, raiding Alou's private gun stashes, his work rooms, and seizing a sizable number of illegal firearms, gunsmithing equipment, and a whole lot of cash. It took a long time to sort, tag, photograph, and catalogue the lot. We were sending all of the guns for ballistics testing to see if we could find any matches to the guns used in the recent murders, but I wasn't holding my breath. It just didn't feel right to me. But maybe another case would be solved when we got the results back. At least this horde wouldn't be back out on the street anytime soon.

The sun was well up in the sky when Gazarra and I called Steph at her parent's house to see if she wanted to join us for breakfast. As it turned out, she was already gone.

She answered her cell on the fourth ring.

"I can't talk, Joe," she said, and she hung up.

"That can't be good," Gazzara said.

I sighed and did the only thing I could do. I dialed Ranger to find out where she was for what I swore to myself would be the last time. She was sitting with Sally in his bus looking for Cuppa and Burn. Ranger had a man on her. Garazza volunteered to keep her in his sights till I joined them. I thanked him with a pat on the back and marched down the hall to the Chief's office.

I explained about the night's events, about Stephanie and my need to keep her whereabouts known, and I got permission to borrow a very nice set of GPS tracking devices from "lost and found". I could have bought my own off the streets. I knew where to get them. But this was faster and a hell of a lot cheaper.

As I was picking them up, I also noticed a scanner used for detecting tracking devices and bugs, and I borrowed that as well. I had always wanted to scan my house and personal vehicle for Ranger's fingerprints. I was sure they were there. I just didn't know where.

As I was thinking about my house, I seriously considered for the first time changing the future that had always seemed etched in stone. I didn't have to grow old in that house just because it had been given to me by Aunt Rose. She hadn't intended for me to live a certain life just out of a sense of moral obligation, did she? I mulled it over while I showered at the station and changed into a spare pair of jeans and a navy blue sweatshirt that I kept in my locker for just such an occasion.

I checked in with Gazzara and headed out met him. He was about ten blocks from Central High. Steph and Sally were sitting in Sally's school bus watching a residential street. They were looking for Cuppa and Burn. Along the way, I noticed several for-sale signs and decided to call one of them just to see what they would suggest for a selling price on my house. It was more than I figured. I knew what the value was on my tax sheet, but I didn't realize what the market value was. Something to think about.

I pulled up several cars behind the bus. I wished I could hear what they were saying. I hadn't thought to get a mic, but I had GPS sunglasses. I slipped them into my shirt pocket and called Steph's cell.

"Can you talk to me now?" I asked.

"For a minute," she said.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Looking for your leads," she said. "You haven't found Dimas Varela and Lino Pavia yet, right?"

"Not yet, but I don't think you're going to find them anywhere near Central."

She turned around inside the bus and started scanning the street for me.

"I hate it when you guys sneak up on me! Where are you?"

"I'm half a block down behind the white van and Gazzara is half a block west of you in his black and white.

"Gazzara's probably scaring them off!"

"I'll call him," I said, hanging up. I got out of my SUV and locked up, called Gazzara and watched him drive away, and then knocked on the bus door. Sally opened it, and I stepped inside.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, then gave me the once over. I was clean but tired. "You haven't been to bed, have you?"

"No, Cupcake. I'm working."

"So, are you here to arrest me?"

The thought of Steph in handcuffs sort of tickled me, and a rather evil grin escaped. "Would you like that?" I asked suggestively.

"No!" she said, jumping back reflexively as if I were about to reach out and grab her.

"Bell and I have both talked to the Chief, and it looks like all we're going to need is a statement from you, Grandma Mazur, Dillon, and Gazzara."

"Gazzara? He wasn't even there. What is he going to testify about?"

"Your behavior following the incident, which is why I called him the other night."

"Oh." She looked up and down the street.

"I don't see anyone," I said.

"They haven't been by yet, and school has already started. They're either late or not coming." We watched as a tough looking group of guys who looked too old for high school came down the street from the direction of the school. They turned down an alley a block ahead of us.

"Nice," I said. "The dealers are off to have donuts and coffee."

"Mmmm," Steph said, both agreeing with me and suggesting that she'd like donuts and coffee.

After a few minutes, we saw two figures cut across a yard two blocks away, running behind the gang of boys towards the school. Sally started the bus, and we drove down the street towards them. One was Caucasian wearing a brown leather jacket and blue jeans. The other was Black, wearing a thick black hoodie and baggy black pants. The second kid was sort of doing a hop like his shoes were two sizes too small.

Sally went around the block like, tearing through the residential neighborhood in a full-sized school bus like a man possessed. He came to a screeching halt in the middle of the next intersection, blocking their path, opening the door, and in an impressive voice barked a four-letter command at the boys, ordering them onto the bus.

"Cuppa" Joe and Lucas "Burn" stood there in disbelief until Steph stuck her head out the door and added, "Remember me?"

Then they scanned the bus windows and saw me. They were about to turn and run when Sally pulled an Uzi from under his driver's seat and popped off a well-rehearsed round at the pavement just in front of them. I groaned, feeling the battery acid level in my empty stomach ratcheting up a notch. I tried to breathe deeply and remember what Ranger had said about enjoying the ride while I tried not to think about happens to cops who find themselves spending time in places like the state pen.

The boys boarded the bus with their hands on their head and Sally patted them down. They were unarmed except for the pocket knife, which Sally let Lucas keep. He shoved them into a seat and sat across from them with the Uzi on his lap, looking quite comfortable. He'd obviously spent a lot of time with his Uzi. I climbed into the driver's seat and parked the bus halfway down the block. I think Sally would have been just fine leaving us sitting in the intersection.

Steph sat on top of a seat back so that they had to look up at her. Psychologically that was pretty smart, I thought. She stared them down for a few seconds.

"Why are you so late for school?" She asked.

"What are you, the truant officer?" Joe asked haughtily.

"I'm the one who's going to make your life a living hell for blowing up my car," she said, searching their faces for signs of recognition. They weren't denying it.

"You're not kidding," Lucas groaned, as if she didn't know the half of it.

She looked him over. His lip was split but the swelling was down. She reached down and wiped his eye with the end of her sleeve and the cream color came off before he could slap her hand away, revealing a purple and green bruise on his left eye. She looked at Joe and saw that, although it was harder to recognize at a distance, he was also bruised, mostly along his jaw.

"Want to tell me about it?" she asked.

Both boys just glared at her. They weren't nearly as menacing as they thought they were. She'd dealt with true psychopaths. These two were mere children.

"I know you didn't have time to make it to my car. Did you have someone else do it? Are you in some kind of trouble now?"

Lucas turned his head away from her and looked out the window.

"Why were you sneaking to school?" Sally asked. "Someone waiting for you?"

Joe gave him a cold stare, and Sally gave it right back. Sally was very tall and could be rather intimidating if you didn't know what he looked like in a red sequined dress.

"I want you to tell me who blew up my car," Steph said, her courage bolstered by Sally's presence.

"No way," Lucas said stoically, as if resigned that we could try to beat it out of him, but he wasn't going to tell. This from the kid who caved in for a Krimpet a few days ago.

"I'm thinking you must be part of a gang," Sally said. "That's all there is in this part of the city. Gangs. Which gang are you with?" he asked. They weren't wearing gang colors and weren't exhibiting any signs to tip him off.

"We're not joining any gangs," Joe said, indicating that he was tired of having to answer this question.

"Is someone pressuring you to join a gang?" I asked, rising from my seat and standing next to Steph, my arms crossed in front of me.

"Who isn't?" Joe said, glaring at me before adding, "Pig," under his breath.

"I'm not," Steph snapped at him.

"What gang?" I asked.

"Depends which of us you ask," he said, anger simmering just under the surface.

"What do you mean?" Steph asked.

"You spoiled Burg bitch! You have no idea what it's like out here," he said, spittle spraying as he spoke.

"Maybe you could enlighten me," she said, leaning towards him.

"One wants him, and one wants me, and they damn sure don't want us on the same crew no more. It's a race thing."

"Are the guys in your house in these gangs?" I asked.

"The house is divided," Joe said. "The house monster is playing one against the other and he's the only one winning. We're not playing that game."

"What is the game?" I asked.

Lucas elbowed Joe hard. Lucas was more scared than mad, and Joe was more mad than scared. But both were between a rock and a hard place. Lucas' stomach growled loudly, just as it had the other day.

"What are the consequences for not playing ball?" I asked, knowing what they must be.

"Beatings. Anyone can steal from us. Whatever. It's open season on us," Joe said.

"Does that include food?" I asked. Steph looked sideways at me and then back to the boys.

"It includes everything," he said.

"You didn't blow up my car, did you?" she asked.

"You got your car blown up just by showing up at the house," Joe told her. "We didn't ask anyone to do that. They just did it, and now they say we owe them for doing us a favor."

"Would have happened anyway," Lucas said, looking back out the window. "They still would have been blackmailing us with something."

"What do they want you to do?" Steph asked.

"Whatever they say," Joe answered.

Sally got up and started the bus. We drove to the nearest McDonalds. I handed him the only bill in my wallet – a ten – and he went inside and brought back three bags full of breakfast biscuits, hash browns, and orange juice. That was way more than my ten would have covered. I just smiled at him as he passed out the food.

Once they smelled the food, Joe and Lucas were much more trusting. The way to their hearts, like Steph's, appeared to be through the stomach.

"Is that better?" Steph asked as the boys started on their third sandwiches. They both nodded, too busy chewing to answer. "So, maybe we can make a deal. What if Sally were to pick you up and drop you off everyday? With breakfast? Would you go to school on time?"

The boys looked at each other, smelling a rat. They looked back at her with suspicion. "What else do you want?" Lucas asked. "No one gives something for nothing."

"I want you to help us take down the house monster." She said. "Morelli's cousin is a very nice man and he's offered to take the job, if it were vacant."

"What, like a house pig?" Joe asked, shooting me a look.

"My cousin paints houses. He's no cop," I assured him.

"A house painter? Sounds like slave labor in the making to me," Joe complained.

"Well, since you have it so good where you are, never mind then."

I turned to Sally and suggested we head to the school. He started the bus and we were jostled around for several blocks until he pulled up in front of the school.

"I'll go in with you and have a word with your principal," I offered.

"No way," Lucas argued. "We have enough trouble without you."

"You're probably on your way to being expelled without me."

"Fine, then we don't have to come down here at all," Lucas said.

"What is your problem?" Stephanie asked. "We're trying to help you."

"We didn't ask you." Joe said, barreling down the aisle and off the bus.

"Leave us alone. You're just making it worse," Lucas said, making to follow Joe.

Steph grabbed his jacket sleeve, pulling him to her. He let her, but was prepared to pull away if she said anything he didn't like. He was giving her the big brown doe eyed look I knew way too well from practicing it in the mirror. He was working her over good, looking for any angle, any soft spot he could press to manipulate her for more food, rides, money, anything.

"Lucas, you need help," she said. "We just want to help you."

"Even after we blew up your car?" he asked, as if making her out to be the Mother Teresa of Good Samaritans.

"Sure," she said, as if the car had been nothing. Never mind that she was risking her life to bring in a big enough FTA to pay for it.

"Well," he said, appearing to reconsider and about to relent. He looked around the bus, as if inviting her to ask him to meet her every morning for breakfast.

I'd had enough. I stepped behind him and pushed him down the aisle. "Sally will be in front of your house every school day with a couple donuts. He's only honking once, so you'd better be ready to go. He'll pick you up after school and drop you off last. The rest is up to you," I said, shutting the door behind them and ordering Sally to take off. We left them standing in a cloud of black smoke.

"I was just getting somewhere with Lucas!" Steph complained.

"I think Lucas was just getting somewhere with you," I said. "You can't be that nice to kids who grew up on the street, Cupcake. He was working you, and you didn't even know it."

"Maybe I knew it, and I was just letting him think he was working me," she said. For the first time, I thought maybe she was telling the truth about that. She'd been in this position so many times, that it was possible she had learned her lesson and was using what she knew. I couldn't be sure.

"Good work, Sally. Let's see if we can get the boys to rat out that house monster. Remember, we need hard evidence." He nodded.

Sally pulled up along side my SUV and Steph and I got out. I needed to get the first transmitter on Steph before I lost her again. I pulled the sunglasses off my shirt where they were hanging, and I pulled Steph to me. She was a little steamed at me, and we hadn't really made up from the last few fights we'd had, so I was pressing my luck, but I kissed her anyway. To my surprise, she not only let me, she returned the kiss.

"I love you, no matter what, Cupcake," I told her.

"I know," she said, nuzzling her face into my sweatshirt. Her hands were making contact with my vest again, and she stiffened a little, remember the danger I was still in.

"Here," I said as I pulled her back and slid the sunglasses on her. "See anything?"

"Hey!" she cried. "I can see behind me!"

"Always watch your back, Cupcake," I told her, giving her fanny a little pat as she walked back to the bus. "Don't lose those. They're expensive."

"Thanks, Joe," she said. The door closed, and they were gone.

I got in my SUV and turned on the receiver. It took a minute to warm up and acquire the signal, but there she was, a little blip on the GPS screen, moving away down the street which was clearly marked on the map. Man, I could see why Ranger was addicted to these gadgets. I wanted more of these.

To be continued...