I really didn't want to write another Helen chapter, but Ranger's mother had a few things she really wanted to say to Helen so I had to let her. Anything familiar belongs to Janet. The mistakes are mine.
Helen's POV
I put down the dish cloth I'd been using to wipe the counter and sighed loudly, not that anyone is around to hear me. I had just spent twenty minutes fixing food for no one. My mother was quick to tell me that she was visiting that Ella woman again today. I really don't see what the appeal of that building is. First Stephanie gets caught up in the mystery surrounding the place, and now my own mother has gone ahead and made friends with the enemy.
I tried once again to tamp down my annoyance at both her and Frank. Stephanie getting shot was scary for all of us, and I'd been worried enough to look past what has been said to me and call Ranger with the number Stephanie had given me long ago during another close call of hers. It was awful to not be with my daughter after something like that, but Frank had gotten so angry with me when I had reached for my purse and car keys after getting a call from Vivian Carlisle's daughter who works at St. Francis. I'd been so shocked to hear him swear at me, Frank was able to grab his own keys and head over to the ER without so much as a word from me.
All I received was a 'stay here' said over Frank's shoulder as he rushed out of the house. Since Frank had been getting more and more short with me, I thought it best to do what he said to prevent another disagreement from starting between us. But after Frank found out that I called Ranger as soon as he left, one happened anyway.
And now the whole town seems to be sticking their noses into our business. It started with Mrs. Wendelson and Mrs. Calvani inviting me to lunch and then ambushing me, using the time between our water being poured and me asking for the check to tell me that I'm a horrible mother for fighting with Stephanie and calling me something far worse for not apologizing to her right after.
Apparently Ranger has everyone fooled except for me. There have been countless comments I've had to endure of how handsome, wealthy, and polite he is from infatuated housewives, right in front of their husbands. I had to assume Ranger either bribed half the town, or they are all blinded by his flashy cars and practiced charm.
I've heard Joseph complain about Ranger getting away with everything a number of times. I don't know why the Burg has suddenly decided to forget all the rumors that have been said about Ranger since Stephanie first introduced him to us, but I haven't. And now that Stephanie has gone and married him - without her family, friends, or even a wedding dress - I didn't know what to do.
Stephanie had bought her grandmother one of those expensive cell phones a few weeks ago, and my mother had taken a 'wedding' photo with it of Stephanie and Ranger, all in black for heaven's sake, kissing after a judge - a judge! - pronounced them husband and wife. And that one photo is all I've ever seen of my own daughter's wedding. My mother has that picture as her phone's home screen, and she's choosing to stick it to me even more by refusing to have a copy made for me every time I ask.
This is what my life has become. Stephanie won't return my calls. Frank seems to be upset with me more days than not. My mother now gives me what she calls 'the stink eye' any time I open my mouth. And Valerie - and everyone else it seems - take it upon themselves to tell me that I've messed everything up ... my relationship with Stephanie, my marriage, and my standing in the Burg. All because I wanted my daughter happy. I don't understand it, but I have to admit - at least to myself - to seeing it.
And my day was just about to get worse. At exactly one o'clock, there was a knock at my door. That sound alone still irritates me. I always wanted a nice doorbell. Something that sounded welcoming when the button was pushed, but Frank told me we didn't need one."If someone wants something from us, then they can knock," he'd said, instantly dismissing my idea as foolish.
Frank was also gone, looks like for most of the day now. He couldn't even be bothered to come home for lunch, preferring to eat at the deli with one of those good-for-nothing lodge members than me. My mother wasn't due home for hours, and I wasn't expecting anyone, so hearing a knock surprised me.
I hurried out of the kitchen and answered the door. It wouldn't do to keep a visitor waiting. When I opened the door, I saw an attractive, dark-haired woman standing on my front porch with a look of disapproval on her face.
"Helen Plum?" She asked, not exactly with an unkind tone, but certainly not as friendly as I would have thought.
"Yes," I said to her. There was something familiar about her, but I couldn't put my finger on what."May I help you?"
"I'm hoping to be the one to help you. My name is Marisol Manoso. I'm Carlos Manoso's mother and Stephanie's new mother-in-law."
"Ranger's mother?" I asked her, surprised, not even registering the mother-in-law comment.
Of all the people to appear at my door, this woman is the last one I would have expected.
"If you prefer," she told me."May I come in? I have a few things I think you need to hear."
"Of course," I told her, and took a step back so she could come inside.
Frank told me that he saw Stephanie and Ranger having dinner at Pino's with his family, but I would have expected Stephanie to show up here before a member of Ranger's family.
"Would you like some coffee?" I asked, as I tried to figure out the reason for this visit.
It's no secret that I'm not Ranger's biggest fan, so having the woman who gave birth to him in my home had me worried.
"Maybe some tea?" I said nervously, when she didn't respond right away.
"Mrs. Plum ..."
"Please," I told her,"call me Helen."
Never let it be said that my manners aren't impeccable.
"Okay, Helen, then," she said, her dark eyes pinning me where I stood."I didn't come here today for coffee, tea, or small talk. I want to know why you have a problem with my son."
I started to deny that I have an issue with Ranger, but the words seem to have gotten stuck somewhere between my mind and my mouth.
"You can't even say that you don't, can you?" She asked me.
"I don't think Ranger is the right man for Stephanie, but that doesn't mean I have anything against him."
"Excuse me for saying so, but that's bullshit," Mrs. Manoso said to me.
My mouth dropped open. The nerve of this woman to curse at me while standing in my home.
"You are holding everything against Carlos," she continued."His job, his looks, his money. And I bet the fact that he makes your daughter happier than you ever have is killing you right now."
"I'll excuse you for swearing in my house, but not for assuming you know anything about me or my family."
She tipped her head to the side and studied me with one annoyingly perfect eyebrow raised, not at all offended by my words or my tone.
"I'm not assuming anything, Helen. I've gotten to know Stephanie quite well. And I couldn't help but notice a few things on my own when Stephanie introduced your husband Frank to us. I don't meddle in other people's lives, but I take exception to you thinking badly of my son just because you can't figure out how to get Carlos - and through him, Stephanie - under your thumb."
"I beg your pardon," I said, sure that I misunderstood her.
"You heard me, Helen. You're punishing Stephanie and my Carlos because you can't control them. It's pitiful ... and also stupid. Stephanie is a bright, beautiful, and loving young woman, and you will never have a relationship with her if you don't come down off that high horse of yours and admit that you're wrong about Carlos, about the life they have, and most of all ... your own daughter."
"I'm sure your intentions are good, Mrs. Manoso, but I don't need your advice on how to love my daughter."
"I disagree," she said to me."From what I can see, you need all the help you can get. Stephanie is capable of standing up for herself as much as Carlos is, so I'm not here to speak for either of them. I'm speaking my mind, and it would be in your best interest to listen to me."
This woman sure thinks a lot of herself. After all the talk I've been forced to listen to about Ranger/Carlos' manners and politeness, it's obvious that he didn't get either from the woman standing in front of me. Her own looks must be the draw, because I honestly think she's a little too outspoken for most people to be comfortable with.
"Does Stephanie and Ranger know about this visit?" I asked her, trying to get her off the subject of Stephanie and I.
Why everyone feels any of this is their business, I have no idea.
"No," Mrs. Manoso said."Like I said, I came here for me, not them. They've already said their peace."
"But you came here to talk about my daughter," I reminded her.
"And my son," she countered."I don't like anyone looking down on my husband or my children. Carlito - my husband - and I are proud of each and every one of our kids. And you have no right to criticize someone, in this case Carlos, you can't possibly know. I've dealt with people like you my entire life, and I know the odds of this conversation changing your mind are slim, but I will always stand up for my children."
"And that's what I've tried to do," I told her,"what I've been doing, trying to protect my daughter."
"No, you've been hurting your daughter. More and more every day. And who are you supposed to be protecting Stephanie from? Carlos? I know my son, and he would offer up his own soul to keep Stephanie happy."
She didn't give me chance to say anything.
"Or maybe you meant you're trying to protect Stephanie's reputation from rumors regarding the dark and dangerous bounty hunter," she continued without any input from me,"but it seems you've been the one hell bent on feeding the fire of negative comments about Stephanie. Repeatedly saying Stephanie isn't good at her job, claiming my son will leave her, that she attracts more trouble than you can handle, is a strange way of 'protecting' Stephanie if that had been your goal."
I pried my lips apart to defend myself.
"There's no point in denying it, Helen. I've heard all about you. A lot of it from Stephanie, so if you claim to not have said anything of the kind, Stephanie still feels that you have. You've seriously failed in shielding your own daughter from this town and you."
"I don't know why I'm still standing here," I said."I don't have to listen to you attack me."
"Now we're getting somewhere," she told me."Attacking you how? By pointing out a few of your faults? Isn't that what you do to Stephanie every time you talk to her? Tear her down to make yourself feel better? And what exactly have you gotten out of that, Helen? An unbelievably special daughter who refuses to talk to you?"
I felt my eyes stray to the pantry cabinet in the kitchen. I should have started out the day with something a little stronger than coffee.
"Stephanie is upset with me right now, but we've been through similar things in the past and we always work them out," I told her smugly.
Granted, it was taking a lot longer this time, but I still have hope that Stephanie will decide to call me back.
"I see the problem now," Mrs. Manoso said."Stephanie isn't the one living in denial like you've claimed, you are. Do you really think Stephanie getting married without you is only a minor slight?"
"Need I remind you," I couldn't wait to say,"that you weren't there for their wedding, either."
There, take that. I knew the only ones there that day were Ranger's employees and my mother.
"That is true," Ranger's mother said, not upset like I thought she'd be."But Carlos had shown me the ring - which I had a strong feeling would become Stephanie's wedding band - before he gave it to her. And who do you think were the two people Stephanie called right after the ceremony? Me ... followed by her best friend Mary Lou. Tell me, Helen, did you get any phone calls that day?"
I would never tell this woman anything of the kind, but I had received plenty of phone calls about the wedding, but none of them were from Stephanie. Someone Stephanie knows had been inside the restaurant the night Ranger gave her that ring. Tracy called me from the parking lot and described everything she saw from her table, and then went on for a full ten minutes on the possible meaning of the ring. I was sure it didn't mean anything, just a piece of expensive jewelry to keep Stephanie indebted to him and away from me. I'd fooled myself into thinking that despite our differences at the moment, there was no way Stephanie would get married without me. She did, and I still haven't gotten over the sting of it.
"I didn't think so," Ranger's mother said, watching my face closely."But as I said, I didn't come here to speak for Stephanie. I was really hoping I'd be able to give you the benefit of the doubt, but I see I was right not to."
"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" I asked her, and hated that I did.
"It means that Stephanie has been smart to stay away from you. I'll admit, I was guilty of thinking no one is good enough for my children, Carlos especially," she said to me,"but Stephanie has quickly become like one of my own. No, I take that back. Stephanie is one of my daughters now. And it makes me sad, and also extremely angry, to watch her struggle with her family even after she was almost gunned down. Her family, and her mother in particular, should be relieved, grateful, and thanking God every day, Stephanie hadn't been killed either in that car fire that brought her and Carlos together or this recent shooting."
Nothing was going to slow this woman down, certainly not my horrified expression or my outraged gasp.
"What is it going to take for you to really see what's going on around you? Stephanie's funeral? You and Frank are the ones who should love her without question or strings, and she's been forced to avoid you just to protect herself. But rest assured, Mrs. Plum, Stephanie has plenty of family now, and Carlito and I are happy to be the ones to show her just how special and loved she really is. One good thing that has come out of this feud you've created, is Stephanie will finally get to see how a mother is supposed to treat her daughter."
I could feel a sharp pang of jealousy at the thought of another person trying to mother my children. First that Ella tries to steal my daughter from me, and now this woman is waiting in the wings to do the same. But I will forever be Stephanie's mother. Stephanie, Ella, and Marisol, may not like that fact, but they can't change it. And I'll continue to do anything I can for my daughter even if she's busy pretending I don't exist.
"Our family may not be perfect right now, but make no mistake ... we are Stephanie's family."
"Maybe you should start trying to prove that. You're able to sit comfortably back in your glass house, throwing stones at anything that catches your eye, because of people like my son, and your daughter for that matter. And you shouldn't forget that."
This woman put my mother to shame when it comes to defending Ranger.
"I appreciate what your son has done for our country, but I'm not thrilled with what he's done for my daughter."
"And what has Carlos done so wrong in your eyes?" She asked."Support Stephanie in anything she chooses to do? Believe completely in her? Love her unconditionally?"
What fairy tale world does this woman live in? No relationship is made up solely of roses and I-love-yous. Ranger took Stephanie away from Joe, then us - her real family - and the life she could have had. No expensive car or diamond studded ring can replace that.
"Stephanie had a man who said he loved her and who also wanted to support her," I said to her."Joseph would have married her if Stephanie would have only said yes to him."
"You've twisted my words around nicely, Helen. And I'm sure Joe ..." She paused when my eyes widened."Yes, I know all about Joseph Morelli. Stephanie finds me very easy to talk to. And I'm sure he told Stephanie repeatedly that he loved her, but what does Joe think loving someone really means? And my impression from everything Stephanie has said, Joe's support sounded like it was in reference to financial support, not anything remotely emotional. I am a little curious as to why you continue to insult Carlos, but want the man who seemed responsible for the majority of Stephanie's problems - growing up to present day - to marry her."
"Joe is a good man," I told her.
She doesn't know the first thing about Joe and Stephanie's history, which I guess really is history unless Stephanie decides to file for divorce number two.
"I suppose that all depends on who you ask and what their definition of good is. But I don't care about Joe. I care about Carlos."
"I'm sure you do, now if that's all," I said, stepping towards the door, hoping she'd take the hint and leave.
She did the exact opposite. Ranger's mother walked into the living room and sat down, making it clear that she wasn't leaving until she's said all she wanted to. After one more longing look towards the bottle tucked behind the olive oil, I followed Ranger's mother and perched on the chair across from her. I had to stop myself from asking if she wanted coffee again. This woman wouldn't appreciate the gesture or the manners behind it anyway.
Mrs. Manoso - I guess we aren't on first name basis, since she never once told me to call her Marisol - waited to speak until I was done smoothing out imaginary wrinkles from my clothes. My clothes as always are perfect, unlike Frank's which have become disgraceful since the day he told me our daughter needed more attention than his clothes. He then told me to "put the damn iron away". So I did ... for his clothes. Frank's not the only one who can take a stand against something.
Mrs. Manoso's silence had become unnerving at that point, but not more than what she had to say next.
"It's obvious that I think the world of my son," she started,"so maybe I should give you a few examples of why other people see Carlos the same way. Please keep in mind, I only know about this because the people Carlos has served with, or is friends with, wanted me to know. Carlos never talks about his years in the service, and he's not a man who brags about or gloats over doing the right thing."
"This really isn't necessary," I told her.
I can think of at least twenty five other things I'd rather be doing right now than hearing how great my new son-in-law is.
"You're going to keep up that attitude until the bitter end, aren't you, Helen?" She asked, a small smile on her face."That's okay. I don't mind just sitting here for a while and recalling what makes my son a better man than most."
I pressed my lips firmly together to keep from saying anything rude, and started listing the chores I'd have to do tomorrow, since nothing short of having this woman physically removed is going to give me my afternoon back. That was an idea, but one I knew Stephanie would never forgive me for.
"By all means," I said to her, and added mopping the kitchen floor to the top my the list.
"I'll start with Carter."
"Who?" I asked, distractedly.
I'll have to go to the bank in the morning. Maybe stop and pick up something special for supper. Lamb chops or a nice roast. Frank would like that.
When Ranger's mother didn't continue, I looked over at her and found her smiling indulgently at me. I could see Ranger in her now. The way he always makes you feel stupid for not agreeing with him.
"Carter Henley. Don't think for a moment that I don't know what you're doing, Helen. But as I said, I don't mind. Any time I talk about Carter, I'm happy."
"Is he a relative of yours?" I asked to be polite.
"He feels like one," she told me."He was a twenty-year-old kid Carlos was in charge of during one of his deployments." She took a deep breath, and when she looked back at me, I saw that her eyes were shiny."According to Carter, their base of operations had been discovered and quickly surrounded. The fight didn't last long, but Carter got hit with two bullets during it. One to his leg, and one to his side right below his ribs. He went down, but lucky for him, Carlos had been nearby."
She took another breath before finishing her Carlos Is A Hero story.
"Carlos got Carter behind one of their vehicles and treated his bullet wounds as best he could with what was available, and then Carlos carried that boy over his shoulder while still firing at the enemy, remaining calm as he issued life or death orders, so the other men under his command wouldn't suffer like Carter was being forced to. Carter told me that Carlos had an escape route already mapped out in the event something like that happened. Carlos got every one of his men out safely. It's been years, but to this day, Carlos gets a Christmas card from Carter, with a picture of the little girl he never would have had if my son hadn't been there that day. Carter never forgot that Carlos was the one who personally carried him out of hell, and in turn refuses to forget him."
"You must be very proud," I said her.
Ranger's mother curses more than my own does.
"I am. The man you seem to think isn't good enough to be part of your family has kept more families together than you or I will ever know. You've met Carlos' friend Tank," she said, not asking a question."Well, Tank shared with me a little about a mission they'd been on together somewhere in the middle east, where a little girl had been found near the base they were stationed at. When it was determined that she'd been kidnapped, Carlos used every free moment, and every resource, he had to track down the girl's parents and get her back home where she belonged."
Too bad Ranger couldn't do the same for Stephanie, I thought to myself, and immediately felt ashamed. Mrs. Manoso kept talking, though, not giving me a chance to dwell on it.
"Carlos has a box full of medals for doing things no one else would, and a trunk full of thank yous from multiple service members and their families for what he's done that will never be recognized. And my son refuses to look at any of those medals because it still bothers him that they were given during times he lost men he was responsible for. And this is someone you think is beneath you?"
"It's not that I dislike Ranger," I told her, as a way of making up for my thoughts,"I just don't think he can give Stephanie what she needs."
"I think you've already been proven wrong there, Helen. Stephanie is so happy when Carlos is with her, she practically glows."
I'd have to take her word for it since I haven't seen Stephanie in weeks. The Burg isn't very big, and I thought I'd at least run into her somewhere between Tasty Pastry and the Shop 'n Bag, but so far I haven't been able to catch a glimpse of her, which is why I had wanted to run to St. Francis as soon as I'd heard Stephanie had been hurt and was being treated there that night.
"Look, Mrs. Manoso," I said to her,"I know my daughter is going to end up heartbroken."
"She already is," she told me quietly,"but because of you, Helen, not Carlos."
I heard a car pull into the driveway and I knew without looking that it was Frank. He wouldn't come home for something he knew I'd spent time preparing, but Frank would show up in time to catch this unscheduled visit which I know he'll blame me for.
The front door opened and Frank walked in. His eyes darted between the two of us before his gaze came back to me and stayed. I resisted the urge to sigh. Once again, I'm the bad guy.
"Mrs. Manoso," Frank said to her, finally taking his narrowed eyes off me,"this is a surprise."
I'm glad he thought so, too.
"Frank," she said."Nice to see you again. Helen and I were just talking."
Frank looked back at me, and I had to fold my hands together in my lap to keep from throwing them up in defeat. I was minding my own business this time. She came here on her own, I certainly didn't invite her.
"And what were you two discussing?" He asked.
"My son mostly," she said to him, in a slightly friendlier tone than she'd been using on me
As if Frank is an innocent victim in all of this.
Frank's eyebrows went up."She was talking about Ranger," I told him before an argument could get underway."I only listened."
"But the question is ... did you learn something, Helen?" Mrs. Manoso asked me."And will it change anything? I've taken up enough of your time." She stood up, nodded to Frank before giving me an unapologetic look."Stephanie has given my son his life back, which has given me my son back, and I will be forever grateful to her for that, but I don't believe you'd understand that."
My mouth became slack again as she looked around my now silent house, but turns out she wasn't finished with me.
"You still haven't given Stephanie any reasons to forgive you. And after talking to you today, nothing would make me happier than hearing Stephanie and Carlos say goodbye to your 'Burg' and Trenton, too, and move closer to us in Newark. I plan on mentioning exactly that during the family dinner we're having for the newlyweds soon. The two of you should think about what that would mean for your family. Have a nice day, Helen ... Frank."
Ranger's mother couldn't talk them into moving, could she?
The silence was deafening after Marisol Manoso shut the door quietly behind her. A contrast to the bombshell she'd dropped before leaving. The unease continued until Frank turned to me.
"Why was Ranger's mother here?" He asked.
"To make me see what a paragon of virtue her son is," I said, instantly regretting it.
After all these years of being married to him, I now can't seem to talk to my own husband.
"You need to get over your feelings about Ranger, Helen. He's who Stephanie chose, not Joe, and it's time both you and Morelli let it go or we really could lose Stephanie. I don't think it'd take much convincing for Stephanie to want to move away from us. She already moved across town. If there's a next time, she could decide to move across the state."
They're both just trying to scare me. Stephanie wouldn't leave the place that has been her home her entire life. It was easy for Frank to throw a few stones himself. After all, I made it easy for him. Frank can disappear from the house whenever he wants, leaving me to deal with anyone who stops by. Today is a good example of that. Babysitting Valerie's girls, keeping my mother out of jail, fending off the newest Stephanie/Ranger rumor is a job all on its own, and Frank hadn't wanted anything to do with any of it.
Frank didn't want to be involved in raising our own girls, and now he decides to criticize everything I've ever done? If I'm so terrible a mother, why hasn't he said anything until now? I've given up a lot to be the best wife and mother I could be, and Frank still won't even acknowledge that.
Stephanie and Valerie have been out of the house and on their own for years, but it's only recently that Frank and I realized that we have to figure out a way to live together. I don't want to say that Stephanie is the cause of our current problems, but we do seem to be arguing constantly about her.
Frank wants me to apologize for everything under the sun except for maybe having Stephanie and Valerie in the first place, and I'd like Frank and Stephanie to see that I've done everything for them. Putting my own dreams on hold for the good of my family. That in itself showed that I'm not the selfish person they all accuse me of being.
"Joseph and I haven't been given much choice, Frank, since Stephanie has already married someone else."
"When are you going to forgive her?" Frank asked, walking over me.
"Forgive who? Stephanie?"
"Yes," he said.
"What are you talking about now?"
"You've never gotten past that little bit of jealousy you feel towards Stephanie because she's been able to ignore everyone, and everything, to do what she wants," Frank told me."Just like Edna has done since your father died. Instead of being happy that Stephanie is free to live her life her own way, you seem to resent it."
"You don't know what you're talking about, Frank."
He sighed."I do, Helen, but you're not about to admit it. Are you ready to tell me what Stephanie was talking about?" Frank asked me.
I'd stall this particular conversation forever if I could.
"And what was it you wanted to know?" I asked, trying not to squirm at Frank's sudden interest in the past.
"This choo-choo thing," he said."Stephanie asked if you ever told me about it, and I had to tell her that you didn't. What am I missing here?"
"Frank, trust me, you really don't want to know," I told him.
His Italian temper would get the better of him, and Joseph could have him arrested on assault charges afterwards. I'd protect Frank like I tried to protect Stephanie. I didn't tell anyone what happened so Stephanie wouldn't be condemned for something Joseph had done. If he would have been older, Joseph would have been in serious trouble himself. What he did to my daughter wasn't right, but I honestly thought, considering the problems of the family he was born into, he didn't fully understand what he'd been doing at the time.
"Helen, tell me. It's been hard to look my daughter in the eye and admit that I haven't been aware of anything around me since they were born, according to Stephanie. I plan on changing that. Starting with whatever Stephanie thought I should've known about."
"Maybe Stephanie should be the one to tell you then," I told him, buying a few extra seconds.
I never wished for a call to come get my mother more than at that very moment. Anything to stop this conversation. She could be mixed up into just about anything and I wouldn't care as long as it got me out of this.
"Helen, I'm not messing around," Frank said to me."What is this all about? And why are you the only one who knows something Stephanie thinks we both should've been aware of?"
I ran out of options, and the phone had stayed unusually quiet, so I told Frank about that day, and repeated what a then six-year-old Stephanie had told me was the premise of the game. Frank's face turned ten different shades of red before I'd even finished.
"And you thought it wasn't important to tell me that my own daughter had been assaulted?" He bit out, his eyes angry."I figured the bakery recount over the walls of the Burg was the worst thing Morelli could ever do, and now you tell me he had his filthy little hands on my six-year-old daughter?"
I kept my mouth shut. I knew Frank wouldn't welcome anything I had to say right now.
"Answer me, Helen."
"Yes. I realized that Stephanie's underwear was on backwards when she came home from playing, and she finally told me what happened in the Morelli's garage."
"That son of a bitch," Frank said, in a voice I didn't recognize, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.
I knew this was coming, but there was no way of stopping it. Frank wanted to know, and now he did. That knowledge is what had me worried now.
After another strangled breath, Frank released his fists one finger at a time and turned towards the door.
"Frank? Where are you going?" I called out after him.
I didn't want the Trenton Police Department brought into this now.
"I have something I need to do," Frank said, not answering my question, and also not pausing on his way to the door.
"Frank, don't do anything stupid," I told him."Joseph is a detective. If you so much as look at him wrong, you could be locked up."
Frank glanced at me over his shoulder, a humorless smile on his face.
"I'm sure Ranger will get me out of jail if it comes to that."
A heartbeat later, Frank slammed the front door after him.
I sank down onto the edge of the couch as the Buick sped out of the driveway, and automatically recited the prayer I say every Sunday morning in church. If Frank didn't calm down and control himself, Ranger/Carlos Manoso will be the very least of my problems.