Chapter 36- The real Morelli
"Hello." Matteo answered on the second ring
"Matteo." I spoke softly
"Il mio Stephanie. I am so relieved to hear from you. Are you okay?" he asked
"I'm worried about you and what Morelli is trying to do to you." I sighed
"Don't worry about me. I can handle him. I was so worried about you. I called Tank and Lester trying to get through to you." he sounded nervous
"I got the message. What's wrong? Why are you worried about me?" I asked
"Morelli. He is hell bent on finding you. He's using this gang thing to keep Terri away and me on my toes. He told me he will find you and bring you home to him." He paused "He seems a bit obsessed."
"Great." I grumbled sarcastically.
"Promise me if he finds you...promise me you'll run. Don't talk. Don't listen. Just run" he sounded serious
"Is it that bad?" I asked
"Worse than you think." he sighed
"But I need to talk to him. I'm going to call him." I explained
"Why?" he asked
"I know there's more to this whole thing. Maybe finding out about Guilia, Tanya and your sister won't help my case but I need to know. If he knows anything about Nicole I want to find out for you." I informed him.
"Oh Steph, always trying to help others. Put yourself first. Find out about Latty." he ordered
"It all needs to be resolved. The four women, Nicole, Guilia and Tanya." I admitted
"Well, we know about Guilia. I am sure about it now. I confronted Terri and she all but admitted it to me." he explained
"I still have more to figure out." I reminded him
"Just move Latty to the top of your list." he paused "And stay far away from Morelli."
"Is it really that bad? What do you know?" I was feeling anxious.
"Just let me talk to Ranger please." he suggested
"Okay." I looked over to Ranger who was sitting on the couch near me and held out the phone. He raised an eyebrow and then took it.
"Yo" he spoke
"I guessed that much." he paused "Do you have everything under control?"
He nodded as he listened. "He won't stop. Always chasing an obsession."
Another pause "Over my dead body."
"Then you can step in." he promised
Then he sat up straighter. I watched Ranger intently as he listened but he showed nothing on his face. During these past couple of weeks I had caught him relaxed and watched his emotions shine through but not right now. Right now all I saw was the blank face I had grown accustomed to. Then it all changed quickly. His eyes grew wide and his jaw clenched. I leaned forward trying to make eye contact but he turned away. He picked up a pencil that had been on the table and threw it across the room.
"How do you know? What if she's lying?" He spoke calmly
"No I'm not." He sat silently as he listened again. He got to his feet and began pacing. "Saline?"
I was dying to hear the other end of this conversation. I needed to know what had Ranger so on edge. What the hell could Matteo be telling him. What was going on? I needed to take deep breaths so I can stay calm. I know when the call is over Ranger will tell me everything. I gripped my hands together so I would stop fidgeting. He looked crazy. I couldn't remember the last time I had seen him so furious. He scanned the room like he was looking for something to hit or break.
"You can't just take away someone's choice." he gritted his teeth "I will make sure of that."
I was dying to know what this was all about. Why did Matteo discuss it wiht Ranger? They barely tolerated each other. I was sure Morelli would be going after Matteo, now I had no idea what was going on. He continued pacing and gave some quiet replies. Finally he stopped in front of me and held out the phone. I hesitated as I looked up at him. The blank face was still there and I felt like his eyes were looking over my shoulder rather than at me.
"Matteo?" I put the phone to my ear.
"Stephanie, please stop worrying about me. Everything will be okay." he spoke gently
"What's going on?" I begged him to tell me.
"Morelli's just pressuring me to lure you out. Stay where you are." he ordered
"What did you talk to Ranger about?" I asked
"He will talk to you when we hang up." he assured me
"I don't like any of this." I admitted
"None of us do. We will get this all resolved. Don't worry you will be able to come home." he promised
"What about Terri?" I asked him
"I won't send my cousin to jail Steph. I will deal with her, maybe a vacation to Greece." he offered
"But if she..." I stopped
"If she has any information to help you I will get it from her. I won't allow you to suffer. I promise you that." he answered my unasked question.
"Thank you. I should go now." I sighed
"Take care of yourself and know I am still working things on my end. I look forward to seeing you again soon." he sounded as if he was smiling
"Be careful Matteo." I warned
"Stephanie, no matter what you hear don't leave Ranger's side. Morelli is playing very dirty. You can trust anything he says or does. I know you have a history with him. Just please believe me. I only want to protect you." he warned
"Okay Matteo. I will be very careful. I won't leave Ranger's side. I promise." I nodded
"Thank you." he said quickly
"Thank you." I told him
"Ciao." he said before he disconnected.
I ended the call and turned to Ranger. "What in the hell..."
"Not now." he pulled the phone from my hand and dialed
"Report" he spoke
I listened intently trying to figure out things while only hearing his half of the conversation.
"I just spoke to him."
"Did Silvio get the name and do the search?"
I watched him closely and his free hand balled into a fist. The hand holding the phone showed his knuckles turning white from the grip he had on it.
"You checked video?"
"Who talked to her?"
"We have eyes on her?"
"And him?"
"Where's Terri?"
"Any word on Taylor?"
"Sooner than I planned."
"Tell Hector I want that information ASAP"
"I want to be immediately notified if any of those things change."
Then he disconnected. I jumped to my feet and went to him. I waited for him to speak but he said nothing. He was staring over my head. I turned around but here was no one there and nothing to see.
"Ranger..." I began
"Give me a minute." he leaned in and kissed my nose before he walked away.
I watched him walk right out the front door. I stood helplessly watching him. I stood still on my spot for what seemed like forever when I heard noises in the back of the house. I went out onto the balcony and looked for the source of the noise. I spotted Ranger over near the woods. His shirt was off and he was chopping wood. He was swinging the axe and each time he came down the wood split easily. I stood with my hands on the balcony watching him. I took deep breaths and tried to think of what Matteo could have said to set him off like this.
What exactly was Morelli doing now? Going after Matteo and his family? Probably. Using his new job to keep Terri away? Definitely. Did he think hurting Matteo would lure me out? I didn't even know the answer to that question. I felt a loyalty to him, but did that outweigh my fear of strip searches and jail? I had already decided that if I felt someone was too close I would turn myself in so Ranger wouldn't be in trouble. I would do that for him. I would do anything for him.
I forced my eyes to look away and focused on the ocean. I let the sound of crashing waves tune out the sound of his axe striking the wood. I looked down at my rings and felt a small smile creep up on my face. I studied the ring he had made for me. It was breathtaking and perfectly made just for me. The diamond was a bit bigger than I would have chosen. The sapphires were beautiful and something I would never have thought of on my own. Any visions I might have allowed myself to have about an engagement ring never came close to this. I could have nver imagined something so spectacular.
I felt arms wrap around my waist and jumped before I realized it was Ranger. I leaned back into his chest and felt his breath on my ear. We stood silently and he pulled me closer. It was as if he couldn't get me close enough to him. He nuzzled into my neck and I tilted my head. I was dying to ask him what the hell was going on but I didn't say a word. I knew he would tell me, but I also knew he needed time. For whatever reason what Matteo had told him really upset him. He kissed my neck and pulled away.
"I need a shower. You pick something for lunch." he left me standing on the balcony alone while he went inside.
I went into the kitchen and pulled out some lunch meats. I set bread and condiments on the counter with the meats and cheeses. I made myself a sandwich and got some coke to drink. I brought my stuff to the table and sat down. I had no appetite so I just sat there waiting for Ranger. I was staring off into space when I was brought back to reality by a cabinet closing. I turned to see Ranger getting plate down for himself.
I turned around and found myself staring out the window. I wanted him to talk but knew better than to push. This adulting thing was bullshit and I hated it. When he finally sat down at the table I got up and brought my plate to the refrigerator to save for later. I washed my hands in the sink and turned to dry them. I glanced over at Ranger and his head was down focused on his plate. I walked over to him and set my hand on his shoulder.
"I'll be in the living room." I told him before I walked away.
I needed to keep myself busy before I flipped out and demanded information and answers. I took deep breaths reminding myself this was Ranger. Ranger never lied to me and he always gave me information when it regarded me. I grabbed a folder from the end table and sat on the floor. My back rested against the couch and I spread some papers out on the coffee table in front of me. Last I heard the guys still had not located Lynn Van Leer. She was the one woman who could connect Martin and Conklin. Maybe I had been looking to hard for connections. It was possible my dumb luck had brought me into more than one mess at the same time. I had never been so stumped before. The guy who blew that shit in my face had to know me somehow. It couldn't have been completely random. I needed to know if i had pulled the trigger. Whether I was controlled by someone else or not I needed to know.
"Tomorrow." Ranger said as he sat down on the couch. He lifted a leg around me so that I was centered between his legs.
"Tomorrow?" I asked
"Yes tomorrow we will find out if the powder was devil's breath." he leaned back into his seat.
"Good. I need to know." I leaned against him and dropped my head to his thigh.
"I know." he agreed
"Steph." he began "They found Taylor dead."
"WHAT? Officer Tayor dead? Where? When?" I turned sideways to look up at him.
"Apparent suicide. Anonymous tip said he was back home. When the police arrived he was hanging in the garage." he spoke calmly
"Damn it. You know that wasn't a suicide. Damn, he was nice to me." I felt the tears in my eyes
"There's nothing we could have done." his voice was still calm
"What else?" I asked as I turned away from him.
I pulled my knees up and wrapped my arms around them. I let my head fall down and fought back the tears of guilt.
"Terri has secluded herself in one of the Grizzoli safe houses. It's a matter of time before she is arrested or moved to a new location." he added
I sat silently waiting for more.
"Morelli is on the war path. He is pushing Matteo hard. He thinks Matteo has you stashed away some place or knows where you are. The warehouse was a trap. Matteo was meeting with associates from Harry the Hammer''s family when someone started shooting." he paused "Matteo lost two men. Harry lost three."
"And the sixth man?" I asked
"A deep cover FBI agent." he answered
I sighed but said nothing. I knew more was coming and I was afraid of what he would say.
"It's so hard to tell you anything. You blame yourself for everything. You have no control over any of this." he reached out and squeezed my shoulder.
I kept my head down and said nothing. Of course I felt guilty. Everything goes back to me. If I wasn't involved, if I hadn't taken that skip. If I hadn't given Lula money. All of these things were now leading to death and lives ruined.
"Terri told Matteo something she found out. He checked into it and he's sure it's true." he sighed
"What is it?" I asked when he didn't continue.
"Stephanie, when was your last period?" he asked
"I'm not pregnant." I pulled my head up.
"When did you get your last birth control shot?" He asked
"What the hell Ranger? I got my last one May first." I rolled my eyes
"And before that?" he pushed
"February first." I thought about turning to look at him but instead jumped to my feet. "What the hell is this all about?"
"When's the last time you slept with Morelli?" he asked
"What?" I nearly screamed
He was on his feet and he grabbed my arms. "Think Steph, when was the last time?"
I stood for a minute feeling the grip of his hands on my arms. He wasn't hurting me but it wasn't exactly a loving gesture. "Honestly?" I was thinking "We were off all through February and March. I was off men."
"And then?" he kept his grip on me.
"We just became on without me realizing it. We were drinking beer, eating pizza and watching games." I explained
"So when was the last time? April?" he bent over to catch my eyes and I looked up at him.
"New Year's Ranger. New Year's Eve. I made him wear a condom because I was worried he might be cheating." I confessed
"Why not after you got together?" he asked
"Is this really necessary?" I asked as I tried to pull away.
"Babe please." he pleaded
I sighed and then relented. "I started the shot because I was terrible at taking birth control pills. My first shot was in November. I was hoping it would stop my periods but I still got them sporadically. The doctor said stress and the shot were messing me up. I had no desire to uhm...well the shot killed my sex drive."
"Who is your doctor?" he asked
"Dr. Morgan. She's at St. Francis." I furrowed my brows. I was absolutely confused with this whole conversation.
"Meghan Morgan?" He asked
"Yeah." how did he know that? "Ranger, tell me."
"Morelli was screwing her." his grip eased but he kept his hands on my arms.
"My gynecologist? Morelli was screwing my gynecologist?" I tried to pull away from him.
"Silvio has some video of them together at the hospital and at her condo. The security company for her complex is Rangeman." he released my arms and pulled me into a hug.
"What the hell does all of this mean?" I still didn't understand
"Saline Babe. She was giving you saline shots. Morelli was trying to get you pregnant." he whispered as he laid his head against the side of mine.
"WHAT?" I struggled to pull away but he held me close.
"Babe" he whispered
"Let me go." I demanded as he released me. "What the fuck? You're lying. My sex drive was gone. My periods were erratic. Why would she?"
"Terri told Matteo. Silvio found the video. Lester questioned her. Morelli told her you were nervous about having kids and wanted to leave it up to fate. He wanted an extra chance by changing out your shots. He talked her into bed by using her as a shoulder to cry on. The man who wanted a baby more than anything and his selfish fiancee." he stayed where he was and I took another step away.
"SELFISH? I told him. It was never a secret. I can barely take care of Rex. I don't know when or if I'll ever want..."
"Steph." his anger was slipping away.
"But..."I tried to come up with an argument.
I turned to stare out that damn window again. He was the one who suggested I get on the shot. He was sick of condoms. I had agreed and he offered to find me a doctor who had experience with it. He said my doctor was old and only wanted to push the pill. I saw him flirting with some nurse at the police officer's holiday ball. I thought he was cheating. We went to a party at Carl's house for New Year's Eve. We left before midnight and went back to his house. He was anxious to do it without the condom, but I told him it wasn't safe yet.
I was remembering the last few months. We broke up shortly after New Years because he was angry I had no desire for sex. Ranger was visiting his other offices and I focused on my FTA's. When we got back together in April I was still having issues. He promised he would be patient. We were only together for a couple of weeks when I went after Latty. If he had gotten me pregnant on New Year's Eve I would be more than four months along and definitely showing.
Then I let out a gasp. But with Ranger? Shit! We hadn't used any protection. Neither one of us had spoken about it. I could be now. I could be right now. I threw up twice in the past two days. What if? I spun around and Ranger was there. He pulled me into his arms and held me tight against him.
"It's my fault. I knew you were on the shot. I still hold your medical power of attorney and your insurance claims go through Rangeman." he sounded like he was a computer stating facts.
The tears began to flow and I couldn't stop them. "I should have asked." he spoke softly as he rested his head on my shoulder.
"I should have insisted you wore something. We should have talked about it." I sniffled "I assumed you knew because...well because you always know everything."
He rubbed my back and the tears continued to fall. "I didn't do it on purpose. I would never try to trick you or trap you." I told him
He yanked me back away from him and looked into my eyes. "I never thought that for one second Stephanie."
"Fuck! What if I am? What are we going to do? I mean what am I going to do? I can't do this." I pulled away and went to the bedroom
I fell onto the bed and crawled up to the pillows. I buried my face in the pillow and sobbed. I felt the bed dip and his hand was on my back. He gently pulled my shoulder to roll me over. He cupped my face with both hands. His thumbs were wiping away the tears and then he leaned down and kissed me. He kissed my lips and then moved on to cover every inch of my face with soft sweet kisses. He leaned back and used his thumbs to rub the sides of my face,
"We will handle whatever comes together." he assured me
"But..." I sniffled.
"Babe, a baby is a miracle. Planned or not we took the chance when we had sex. No birth control is one hundred percent. We took our chances. If you are pregnant we'll deal with it together." he hovered above me.
I sat up and pulled myself back to lean against the headboard. "But you don't..."
"Yeah I didn't want another child right now. I knew you weren't ready to even discuss it. But when is anyone truly ready? We love each other. We'll handle this together. " he moved up beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
"I'm so sorry." I moved to him and laid my head on his chest.
"If I really was sure I never wanted another child I would have had a vasectomy. " he reassured me
"I'm so sorry." I repeated
"You have nothing to be sorry for Babe. Morelli was trying to take away your choice." he spoke through tight lips
"How could he? Did he think I would be happy?" I shook my head
"Well, the shots aren't 100% effective. I am sure he would have passed it off by saying you were the small percentage." he explained
"He was trying to trap me?" I felt the anger surge through me.
"He knew you would do the right thing." he stated
"The right thing? What's the right thing? Marry him? Give up my job?" the tears had returned "Give up my life?"
"It was no secret he was trying to change you Babe. You knew what he wanted." he wiped away some more tears
"So you think this was my fault?" I asked
"NO! He was trying to force something on you." he stroked my hair "He was willing to take away your choice. Take away who you are."
I thought for a moment and then felt a chuckle escape "Imagine his face if I am. For him to find out his little scheme had worked but the baby wasn't his."
That got a chuckle from Ranger too. "Poetic justice."
"So now?" I asked
"We wait. I find a doctor to perform a blood test. I don't want to waist anytime taking over the counter tests." he explained "I want to know for sure."
We laid together quietly after that. Both of our minds considering the possibilities. I was furious with Morelli. I was aggravated with myself. I was worried how I would do this and worried I wasn't ready. But then there was a part of me that was relieved. If I was pregnant it would be Ranger's baby and not Morelli's baby. This gave me some comfort. Maybe being pregnant with Ranger's baby wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. I couldn't help feeling grateful that he would be my partner. He would be at my side because he loved me. I wasn't going to go into the whole crazy thought process of comparing myself to Rachel.
"This is nothing like that. If we do have a baby it's not a mistake. It may have not been planned, but any baby made by us would be conceived in love." he spoke softly as he continued to rub my back.
I didn't say anything. "I'm not leaving you Babe. We're new to all of this and not really feeling ready for this next step right now. That doesn't matter. We will handle anything that comes our way. As long as we're together."
"Together." I whispered my agreement
I closed my eyes and rested against him.
When I woke up I was alone in the bed. I rolled onto my side and saw the sun setting through the window. I got up and hauled my self to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and splashed some water in my face. I went out to the living room and found Ranger glancing through the papers I had left on the coffee table. He looked up and flashed me a smile. I crossed the room and plopped down onto the couch. I released a sigh and wrapped myself in my own arms. Ranger got up and came to me. He replaced my arms with his own and pulled me close.
"You want to call him right?" he asked
"I don't want to. I have to." I blew out a breath and Ranger pulled back to look at me.
"You can do it." he kissed me
"I'm not going to mention anything about the shots. I am going to ask him about Guilia. I am going to ask him about Taylor, Martin and Conklin. I am not going to mention Matteo or Ramos either." I explained
"You don't have to explain yourself to me." he assured me as he ran one hand through my hair.
"I'm just..." I shook my head
"Mentally exhausted?" he offered
"Yeah." I agreed
"I'm right here Babe." he reminded me
"No running." I promised
"No shutting down." he agreed as I nodded
He got to his feet and retrieved the phone from the kitchen. He smiled as he moved towards me, and then joined me again on the couch.I knew he was trying to put a show on for me. He was still angry and I knew it because I felt the same. He took one of my hands and held onto it. He was giving me some strength and I needed every ounce. He kissed me on the cheek and then handed me the phone. I dialed the number and listened to the phone ring. Once...twice...three times.
"Detective Morelli." he answered
"Joe?" My voice cracked
"Cupcake." he breathed out "I'm so glad you called. Are you okay? Where are you? Can I come to you?"
"Joe, I need to ask you about Guilia." I told him
"Cupcake let's focus on us." he suggested
"Tell me about her please." I begged
"We went out a few times. It didn't mean anything." he assured me
"You gave her a necklace." I reminded him
"Cupcake." was his only response
"Tell me" I demanded
He hesitated "Yeah, there was more. I thought there could be a future but I was wrong. Then she was gone. No matter how hard I tried to replace you...Well, there's no woman on the planet quite like you." he stated
"Do you know who killed her?" I asked
""Yeah." he didn't hesitate with his answer
"So do something about it." I ordered
"I will. I promise. I'm trying to get my life together. I want to be a better man for you." he explained
"Taylor killed himself." I stated
"Is this just an information call? Why so one sided?" he questioned.
"I need to know." I confessed
"I need to know things too Cupcake." he reminded me
"Joe..." was all I could say
It was incredibly difficult not to flip my shit right now. I wanted to yell and scream at him. He betrayed me. Forget the cheating. Forget the pictures. Forget all the bullshit. He tried to trap me into getting pregnant. He tried to take away my choices. What the hell was wrong with me? I forgave him for the choo choo stuff. What if I had a daughter? If I found out that daughter was fingered by an eight year old when she was six? I would kill him. Joe Morelli. Joe fucking Morelli. He ruined my first time. I let him screw me thinking it would be something special, something memorable. Of course I would remember it forever. He basically humped me and dumped me. Only he wanted to make sure I was thoroughly embarrassed. He made sure everyone knew he had popped my cherry. He didn't care about my reputation.
"Cupcake?" he brought me back to the conversation.
"Sorry. Bad connection." I lied
"I'll give you an answer if you give me one." he offered
"As long as you don't want to know where I am." I told him
"Are you safe? Are you still running?" he asked
"Yes, I'm safe. I'm not running anymore." I assure him "Now tell me about Taylor."
"Probably a Conklin or Martin thing. I'm trying Cupcake. I'm trying to get information on them. I am trying to make it safe for you to come back." he promised
"What have you found?" I asked
"Definitely dirty. I made a mistake trusting Conklin." he admitted "I'm so sorry I believed him. He hurt you and I wasn't there for you. I didn't comfort you. I regret that. I want to make it up to you."
"I have to admit you sound like your old self again." I bit the inside of my cheek.
"You can blame Matteo." he told me after a long pause
"Matteo?" Now I was more confused than ever.
"He told me I had become a man you would never love." he admitted
"He was right. Matteo is a good man." I told him
"He's going to be a jailed man." he suddenly changed his demeanor.
"You need to stop chasing him." I shook my head
"Because you love him?" he challenged
"He's a friend." I told him
"He loves you." Morelli's voice got tight.
"I don't have any feelings for him except friendship." I assured him
"Do you miss me?" he asked
"I just answered a question, your question about Matteo. Now it's your turn. What have you turned up on Martin and Conklin?" I asked
"I have finally been able to connect them. I have some times when they worked together. The allegations against Conklin. I need more witnesses." he confided
"Hope you can find something more." I felt Ranger give my hand a squeeze
"Okay, tell me how you are. How's your health?" he asked
"Tell me about Terri." I ordered
"She's in the wind. I am looking for her but, not too hard. My priority is making it safe for you to come home. I need you home. Now, you're health?" he pushed
"I'm not four months pregnant." I said quickly.
Dead silence. He said nothing. Ranger rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb. Damn it! I didn't mean to say that. I didn't want him to know.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked
"Just that I'm healthy. I'm fine." I assured him
"I had hoped. I mean I know it's been a while but I hoped." he admitted
"You wore a condom. I am on the shot." I reminded him
"I guess I thought we could defy the odds." his voice was quiet
"Joe?" I asked
"Yes Cupcake?" he sighed
"Did you? Did you do something to the condom?" I bit my lower lip
Silence. I waited for his answer. After a minute passed I was beginning to think he had hung up.
"Joe?" I asked
"Cupcake, I didn't mean to. I didn't consciously plan it." he whispered
"You did something to it?" I pressed
"Yeah." he admitted "I was screwed up. I wanted you so badly. I wanted you to stay with me."
"By knocking me up?" I nearly screamed.
"I didn't plan it." he confided.
What a liar! Damn, I was lucky. I was so grateful my body didn't cooperate. Now I knew the truth. This wasn't a new or changed Morelli. This was the real man. He was still scum and had never changed.
"I have to go." I told him
"I love you. I really miss you. Not just Bob or the boys. Me. I miss you." he confided
"Goodbye Joe." I hung up
Ranger wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to him. I closed my eyes to keep the tears away. It seemed Morelli didn't think I knew about the saline shots, at least for now. Knowing he did something to the condom too? This didn't even make me angry. No, not at all. This removed any love I held for him. He had destroyed that tiny piece of my heart that still carried some love for him. It was completely gone. He would never again convince me that he was anything more than a typical Morelli man.
The phone rang and I jumped. Ranger kept his arm around me and squeezed me to him.
"Report"
"Give me the number"
Then he disconnected
"Lynn Van Leer wants to talk to you." he explained as he dialed the number and handed me the phone.
"Hello?" she answered in one ring
"Lynn, this is Stephanie Plum." I told her
"Thank God." she blew out a breath. "I need to talk to you."
"You can tell me anything." I assured her
"I need to speak to you face to face. I am scared shitless" she told me.
"Where are you?" I asked
"I'm at my Aunt's house in Mystic, Connecticut.
"I'll come to you. I'll call you when I'm there. Maybe tomorrow or the day after.." I told her
"Please make it soon. I don't want to end up hanging in a garage or in a car crash." she sounded as if she was crying.
"Tomorrow. I'll call tomorrow."I promised
"Thank you Stephanie."she exhaled another deep breath.
"Thank you Lynn." and then the call ended.