Chapter 17
Valerie opened her eyes during the night. She couldn't believe she slept with Cal. Her body ached in all the right places. "Hey, baby," Cal crooned.
"What are we doing?" Valerie asked.
"Getting to know each other," Cal replied. "I'm ready for another round."
"Me too." Valerie let Cal make her body sing. She had never felt her body release since the first time that Steve and she had sex. Albert was clumsy and too inexperienced to get her to orgasm. Valerie experienced more non-vibrator-induced orgasms in one night than she had from all of her sexual encounters combined.
"Cal," Valerie moaned. "I never thought it could be like this."
"Like what, baby? Intense? Fulfilling? Amazing?" Cal asked, offering suggestions. "I have never felt this way for anyone before, Val. You are everything I never knew I wanted."
"Everything, Cal. I never thought having sex with the right person could be everything," Val confessed.
"Everybody wants to love and be loved. I liked you since your water broke all over me," Cal stated.
"I'm sorry about that, Cal. You were a great sport about it."
"After I passed out," Cal laughed. "Val, baby. Let me show you how good it can be between us. I know you're getting out of another failed relationship." Cal kissed Val's swollen lips. "Please take a chance on us."
"Cal, I already have," Valerie said, raising her hips to pull Cal back into her body. Valerie thought about her relationship with Albert. Everything was fine until Valerie got the children baptized. Mrs. Kloughn wanted Albert to marry a nice Jewish woman.
Stephanie thought about everything she learned about Robin. She never broached the topic, although Robin knows that someone at Rangeman knows about her life.
"Morning," Robin said from the exercise bike. Stephanie sat beside her on the other bike. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, per se. I know about your mom. Ranger got me to run background checks on the TPD gang," Stephanie replied.
"Oh. So you know everything," Robin said.
"I do, and I never told anyone else."
"The thought never crossed my mind." Robin was surprised Stephanie waited this long to broach the subject. "Why now?" She was curious why the topic came up out of the blue.
"Um. Robin, today was your mom's birthday. I'm here whenever you want to talk." Stephanie put the earbuds into her ears to give Robin space.
Robin figured it was time to tell her friends about her parents. She loved her mom, but their relationship was tumultuous at best. Robin's mom never supported her dreams. Roberta Russell didn't want Robin to become a boxer, and she definitely didn't want Robin to join the academy. "A police officer is a job best left to the men," Roberta had told Robin.
Her father recommended taking Karate and boxing. Gabriel Russell wanted his daughter to excel at everything she tried. Robin appreciated her father's support and encouragement. She concentrated on her workout, oblivious to people in the gym.
Stephanie finished her thirty minutes on the bike. She moved to the ring, where Hector climbed in to spar. They quietly talked as Stephanie blocked his hits. He tapped her jaw a second before she knocked him to the mats. "You're not going to kill me?" Hector joked.
"Nope. I can control myself now. I'm surprised I didn't smash in Brando's face last night," Stephanie replied.
"You don't have to worry about Brando or Thompson ever again," he announced.
"Why are you so sure?" Stephanie asked.
"Some of your loyal FTAs made them pay. It should hit the news soon," Hector replied. He kissed Stephanie's forehead before climbing from the ring.
Joseph Morelli got called to the cells. Two people died during the night after they got returned to jail. "How did this happen within the precinct?" Joe demanded. "We have cameras in here."
The officer shrugged. "They got too close to the other men," he said, pointing to the scary men in the next cell. "No point questioning them. They saw nothing, heard nothing and did nothing."
Joe ran his fingers through his hair before he dragged his hand down his face. He requested the video feed. "What do you mean the cameras were offline?" Joe screamed.
"Sorry, detective. The precinct had routine camera maintenance last night. Chief Malone issued an email two days ago," officer Bradley stated.
"Chief Malone, please," Joe said into his phone.
"Who shall I say is calling?" the receptionist inquired.
"Detective Morelli."
"One moment, honey," she replied.
"Malone."
"Chief, it's Detective Joseph Morelli calling from the holding tank. Officer Bradley said you issued an email regarding routine maintenance on the cameras," Joe said, getting to the point. "I never received the email.
"It didn't affect your job. I issued the email to officers working within the precinct. Detectives and beat cops got excluded from distribution," chief Malone stated.
Joe sighed. "Chief, two collars got murdered in the tank last night," Joe informed the chief.
Malone looked at his phone, hoping he didn't hear what he thought he had heard. "What do you mean?" Malone asked.
"Don Juan Brando and Ivan Thompson got tagged in their cells. None of their cellmates are talking," Joe replied.
"Shit. I want a full investigation. Start with the arresting officer," Malone ordered.
"With all due respect, sir, the men were brought in by Rangeman last night," Joe stated, cutting the chief off.
"As I said, start with the arresting officer and work your way through every person involved in their capture. That's an order!" Malone snapped before hanging up. Joe carefully reined in his anger. He placed the receiver back onto the phone base.
Officer Bradley sat at the computer monitor, accessing the information that Chief Malone screamed at Morelli. He forwarded the names in an email to Joe. "I've sent you the names in an email. Let me know if you require more information," Bradley offered.
"Bradley," Joe replied with a nod. He left the stench of death behind as he took the stairs to his office. The coroner would collect the bodies for autopsy. Joe suspected strangulation by the marks on the men's necks.
Once Joe crossed the threshold, he closed the door. He had a feeling that Stephanie Plum was involved with at least one of them. Joe traced back through the case to the initial arrests. Eddie Gazarra and Robin Russell were the arresting officers for Don Juan Brando. Joe snickered at his name. "With the name Don Juan, he must have been high on himself," Joe muttered. He sighed as he read that Vincent Plum bonded Brando, and Stephanie Plum was assigned the capture. Tank Sherman and Lester Santos returned Brando to the TPD on Stephanie's behalf. Joe checked the date. "She was already missing when they captured Brando," Joe said, making a note on the file.
Carl Costanza and Denzel Carter Jr, aka Big Dog, arrested Ivan Thompson a few months after Stephanie got reported as missing. Joe was surprised that Thompson got returned to TPD by Manny Ramos on behalf of Stephanie Plum. She received the bond money.
Frustrated, Joe logged off his computer to speak to the parties involved. He went to the Sergeant's desk to inquire about the arresting officers. Joe hadn't seen them at the precinct, but he rarely ran into the group unless it involved Stephanie.
"Please repeat the names," Sergeant Mathers requested.
"Eddie Gazarra, Carl Costanza, Robin Russell and Denzel Carter Jr," Morelli repeated.
"I'm sorry, detective Morelli. The officers currently are not employed with the TPD," Mathers replied.
"Do you know which precinct they transferred to?" Morelli asked, barely containing his anger and frustration.
"Um. Give me a few minutes," Mathers clicked on the menu options to gather more information the other officers couldn't access. "Tank Sherman called last month to confirm references. I'm sorry, Morelli. I don't have anything else to offer."
"Thanks, Mathers. I have a feeling the officers work for Rangeman," Joe said, tapping his fingers on the desk.
Joe left the TPD with his head held high. He didn't want to stop at Rangeman unannounced. Alas, it was inevitable. Joe needed answers that only the four ex-cops could provide. He drove to Rangeman in his police-issued brown, rusted piece of crap he called a car. Morelli parked on the street and rang the bell for access.
Robin Russell smiled when she saw Morelli at the door. She could have buzzed him through the doors, but she waited for him to press the button. "How may I help you, detective Morelli?" Robin asked.
"I'm here to interview you, Gazarra, Big Dog and Costanza regarding the murders of Brando and Thompson in the holding tank last night," Joe replied.
"One minute, please," Robin said. She picked up the phone receiver and entered the extension for Ranger's office.
"Yo," Ranger replied.
"Detective Morelli is at the front desk requesting an interview with Gazarra, Big Dog, Costanza and me, regarding the death of two men we apprehended last night. What should I do?" Robin asked. She read the Rangeman Protocol manual. No officers were permitted to question any Rangeman employee without the knowledge of the core team.
"Put him in conference room A. I'll collect everyone involved," Ranger replied, then hung up.
"Follow me, detective Morelli," Robin said as she got out of her chair. Binkie arrived to take her place.
Robin waited a couple of minutes before the team arrived. She smiled when Valerie entered the conference room with Cal. There weren't enough chairs to accommodate everyone in the room. Vince pulled Robin onto his lap. Hal got April to sit with him. Stephanie didn't bother looking for a spare chair. She had made herself comfortable on Ranger's lap. Cal stood by the door to let Valerie take the remaining available seat.
"I only requested an interview with TPDs ex-cops," Morelli snarled. His phone chimed, stating cause of death occurred between 1 am and 3 am.
"Every man and woman in this room had a role in the Brando and Thompson cases," Ranger stated.
Joe questioned Robin and Eddie regarding Brando's arrest. Brando got charged with assault. When he got satisfactory answers, he moved on to Thompson's arrest. Thompson got arrested a year after Stephanie disappeared. He got caught stealing from the warehouse where he worked. It was his first offence, but not his last.
"The record indicates Stephanie Plum received the case to capture Brando. Stephanie, did you have any luck finding the man?" Joe asked.
"I found him in the warehouse district where he was employed," she replied.
"You didn't bring him into the TPD. It states on the TPD system that Sherman and Santos returned him to the system," Joe stated.
"Sounds right," Stephanie said.
"Were you so terrible at your job that you couldn't bring Brando in?" Joe asked.
"Wow," Stephanie replied. "Joe, I found Brando the day I got kidnapped."
Joe tamped down his anger. He knew Stephanie went missing shortly after getting the file on Brando. However, he had not realized that Brando was indirectly involved with her disappearance.
"Oh. For your information, Thompson was there too," Stephanie added. "Neither Brando nor Thompson stopped Bianchi from taking me."
"I didn't know," Joe confessed before continuing the interviews. "Brando had a broken nose when he got brought into the TPD last night. Who was responsible?"
"Me," Stephanie replied. She pointed to the bruise on her jaw. "He hit me, and I defended myself."
"Did you kill him or have someone act on your behalf?" Joe asked.
"I wanted to kill him, but he wasn't worth the effort. Brando deserved to die, but I had no hand in his demise," Stephanie answered honestly. Joe could tell she told the truth.
"Before you interrogate Stephanie, I led Thompson through the side door of the club. Cal grabbed me while Manny and Zip took Thompson to the precinct," Valerie interjected into the interview.
"Do you have proof?" Joe asked.
Hector entered the conference room to set up the screen. In Spanish, he said, "I got footage from the Club." Ranger nodded, giving Hector permission to display the video on the wall. Hector split the view, showing the side exit and the dance floor.
Joe watched as his suspect list got shorter. Most of the people he thought were involved were in the bar dancing. None of them used their mobile devices from 11 pm when the men got apprehended until 3 am when they left. Tank, Lester, Manny and Zero were seen returning to the club.
A mobile phone rang inside the room. Joe felt his cell vibrate inside his pocket. "Morelli," he answered.
Chief Malone read the report on his desk. "Detective. A witness came forward. Jackie Harper said she saw Thompson strangle Brando for pulling him into a trap. Thompson removed his pants to hang himself from the bars in the cell. Another man untied the pants from Thompson's neck and placed them back onto the man. The case is closed. Return to the precinct to file your report," Malone ordered.
Joe stared at his phone in disbelief. He wasted several hours investigating a case that had already got solved. "I'm sorry for wasting your time," Joe said before standing. "There was an eyewitness after all." Joe left the conference room. Cal escorted him to the door.
"I wonder who came forward," Stephanie thought out loud.
Hector leaned in to whisper, "Lula's friend Jackie."
Stephanie doubted that Jackie witnessed anything, but she wasn't going to share her thoughts. Cal returned to the conference room to collect Valerie. Stephanie smiled when Valerie placed her small hand into Cal's hand.
She jumped off Ranger's lap to hug her sister. "What's going on?" Stephanie whispered.
"Al and I are getting divorced. We'll talk later, okay? I'm supposed to pick up the children in twenty minutes," Valerie replied.
"Please let me help cover the lawyer fees," Stephanie offered.
"Sure. Thanks," Valerie said. Valerie let Cal escort her to the car. He opened the door and closed it behind her.
Valerie drove to Albert's mom's home. "It's for the best," Valerie said out loud. "Our religions are incompatible. Albert can't get a decent job to support the family."
She parked on the street in front of her mother-in-law's house. Valerie knocked on the door, acting the role of a polite Burg woman. A pretty young woman answered the door. "May I help you?" she asked.
"Um. Yes. I'm here to pick up my children," Valerie replied.
"Ah. The soon-to-be ex-wife. I'm Hannah. Albert's fiancée," she stated.
"I'm sorry, Val. Hannah and I are getting married after our divorce gets finalized," Albert said, his face turned red. "I've given you full custody of the children. Hannah and I can't raise Lisa or Bert because you got them baptized." Albert gave Valerie an envelope containing court documents he filed the day before.
"Oh. Okay. Are you going to visit with your children?" Valerie asked.
"We think it's better for the children that we don't interact with the children," Hannah replied. "Kids, your mom is here."
Angie arrived wearing her backpack and carrying Lisa. Mary Alice, similarly dressed, had Bert in her arms.
Valerie said goodbye and took her children to the car. She would need to get a job and find a new home. The rental house was too expensive for her to manage alone.
"Albert said we can't visit him anymore," Angie stated. "He said that you got divorce papers."
Valerie wiped a tear from her eye. "I'm sorry, Angie. I thought this marriage would work."
"It's okay, mom," Mary Alice said. "Angie and I didn't get attached."
"What do you mean?" Valerie asked.
"Dad didn't want us, and we assumed Albert wouldn't want us either," Mary Alice confessed.
"Are we moving again?" Angie asked.
"Probably. The rent got paid for this month. I have to get a job and find a new home for our family," Valerie replied.
"Can we live with grandpa Plum?" Mary Alice asked. "He bought a new house near Aunt Stephie and Uncle Carlos."