Chapter 42
SPOV
I couldn't agree with my sister more. Dixon was definitely not a nice man. My spidey sense was buzzing. Something about the videos was very troubling and I'm not talking about just the content.
Who was the man behind the camera? From the angle, it looked like someone was either recording from a tiny camera in sunglasses or using their smartphone. My bet was on sunglasses. If this man or woman was here, I'd ask why they thought to record these activities. It has to be someone they would readily overlook. Someone who could easily blend into their surroundings.
Enrique disrupted what I thought was my inner monologue, "What about Camila and her husband James?"
Unknown to everyone except Ranger, Lester, Enrique and me, Camila was Ranger's oldest sister. Where Ranger resembled his gorgeous mother, Camila looked exactly like her very attractive father. Her skin tone was several shades lighter than Ranger, almost halfway between his and Lester's tone. If you didn't already know of her relationship to Ranger, you would never guess she was his sister.
I checked her employment history with Rangeman. She quit a month before Ranger was deployed, citing she needed to care for her ailing mother. As I dug deeper into their personal life, I discovered James was a huge Monty Python fan.
"You're absolutely correct Enrique. Ranger, you need to call your sister," I stated to everyone's surprise. Compiling every stitch of proof, I sent copies to the FBI headquarters and to Uncle Bernie.
We completely lost track of time. My rumbling stomach indicated I missed lunch. "You didn't eat your lunch hija," Ella announced when she removed the plate from the table. On it was an untouched sandwich.
"Sorry Ella. I must have been in a zone."
"Push the computer aside and eat this," Ella set another plate of food in front of me. Mmm… comfort food. I took a forkful and popped it into my mouth. Enrique's eyes snapped up to meet mine as I moaned my way through dinner.
After I finished eating, I was debating getting back to work or having another serving of the gooey, cheesy macaroni and cheese. Ella grabbed my nearly licked clean plate and placed a mini Boston cream cake in front of me.
"Thank you mama," I said with a huge smile on my face. I watched her place another one in front of Mallory. The cake didn't last very long. It was too good to eat slowly.
When the arrest warrants arrived, Juniak asked permission to invite Eddie, Carl, Big Dog and Robin to Rangeman. I heard him ask Eddie and Robin to come alone since they were off duty. Both Lucas and Ranger said it was alright. I watched the camera at the visitor parking area. As I opened the gate, Ranger and Juniak left to meet them in the garage.
As the cars parked, Hector sent a signal through the speaker system, interrupting the cell signal. Nobody will be able to call for help.
Search the cars, search the cars… I continued the mantra. My spidey sense was completely off the charts. Somebody hitched a ride with the group.
Woody, Ram, Manny and Lester ran from the conference room, down the stairs to the garage. Lester leaned over to whisper something to Ranger. His face expressed anger for a split second. Ranger searched Eddie's car as Manny and Woody quietly searched Carl's car. Lester and Ram were waiting for Ranger and Manny to join them. They simultaneously opened Robin's doors, including the trunk. Joseph Morelli had climbed through the folded down back seat to hide in the trunk.
He was quietly cursing as he attempted to place a call. "Morelli," Juniak barked. "What are you doing here?"
"I was invited?" he replied. We all knew he wasn't. If he was, why would he be hiding in the trunk? Morelli was pulled from the trunk by Ranger. Lester snatched the phone from his hand. I watched Ram remove guns from both Morelli and Robin. Woody grabbed her cellphone.
"We both know you weren't. Robin, why did you bring Morelli?" Juniak asked.
"I was at his house when I received the call," she easily answered. "Since it's a police matter, I assumed you wouldn't mind having him here to help."
"You certainly made my job easier," he stated. "Ranger, have your men place Robin and Morelli in your holding cells." Technically they weren't holding cells… more like soundproof rooms. Morelli and Robin wouldn't be able to get their stories straight.
"But… but… I didn't do anything wrong!" Robin protested.
"Robin, you were ordered to come alone," Juniak added. I watched the shocked expressions on Eddie, Carl and Big Dog's faces. They couldn't believe what was happening.
"Hand them over," Ranger ordered as he held out his hand. Each man readily surrendered their guns to Juniak and phones to Ranger.
A few minutes later, the men joined us in the conference room. We gave them only part of the information. The three officers were furious. Morelli wasn't charged with breaking into my apartment since it was technically his first offence. With video proof for conspiracy to commit fraud, embezzlement and murder, he will be going away for a very long time. The question is, will he serve his time in County, Military or Federal prison?
One down… one to go. After questioning Morelli, Juniak learned he was scheduled to meet with Dixon at 2300 tonight. We arranged for Hector, Woody, Junior and Vince to wait for him at the destination. Thankfully, it was at the diner near Vinnie's bond office. If placed correctly, Dixon won't know what hit him.
LPOV
Stephanie had an amazing plan, but I really didn't want her involved more than she already is. She wanted to meet with Dixon and say she heard through the grapevine he was looking for Eclipse. I'm afraid if she tells Dixon her secret, then all her enemies will start looking for her.
Rangeman Trenton employees know her secret and will protect the information with their lives. We couldn't be certain Dixon would grant the same courtesy. Thankfully she understood without us uttering a single word.
Hector wore a wire and a small button camera so we could record everything. It was a prototype he was working on. If this test works, we could make it part of Rangeman's standard field equipment. In Spanish, he asked if we could hear him and if the video was grainy. Steph replied, "Clearly and the video is sharp."
We watched Hector enter the diner behind the others. He sidestepped then slunk behind the counter. His ability to move like a ninja always impressed me. I knew he would wait for the precise moment to move in and cuff Dixon.
"Does he know them?" she asked out of concern for our friends.
"No," Ranger answered. Stephanie visibly relaxed as we watched them approach Dixon. They wisely wore street clothes, but Dixon quickly realized they were ex-military.
He snidely asked, "Did Morelli send you to support our cause?"
Junior, our smooth talker said, "He says you're looking for help."
"I could use a hand," Dixon said before spilling his guts. "There's a businessman in these parts. Owns a security business. He's harbouring my buddy's wife. Won't let him see her. We've been finding ways to take money from under the bastard's nose. People says he's a badass, but he's just an ass."
We could almost hear the rage boiling through Hector's veins. He did not like how this man talked about our boss. The other men were trying hard not to let their emotions take control. "Sounds like a real sap," Vince joked. Behind his back, he signed 'sorry boss'.
Stephanie laughed, "Relax Batman, we all know he's only playing along."
"Have you ever heard of Eclipse?" Dixon asked.
"Heard talk during some missions," Woody stated.
"Been looking for him. Want to get him to transfer all funds to my CI account," Dixon cockily stated.
Stephanie went through all the accounts in the Canary Islands held by an investment or shell company. She found one under the name of Eclipse. I could see her face turning bright red in anger. Hacking further in the branch server, she located ID for the person. "Cocky shit head doesn't even know how to hide himself properly. Who uses their real ID for shit like this?" she muttered in Spanish.
She printed all information and sent copies of the supporting information to both the FBI and her Uncle Bernie. "I wonder if the asshole Morelli knows his account was hacked and Dixon was siphoning funds. Huh… he's been stealing from all his Rangeman coworkers too," she continued in Italian this time. Those documents were forwarded as well.
"God damn son of a bitch has another account listed as Eclipse in the Cayman Islands. What the fucking shit is he trying to pull? He wants help from Eclipse, yet he's tarnishing their name for his own purpose," she muttered in French. I don't think I have ever seen her like this before.
"Babe," Ranger interrupted her musings.
"What?" she snapped.
"You've been speaking in Spanish, Italian and French," Ranger answered.
"Oh. I didn't realize," she said at a lower volume.
Eddie, Carl and Big Dog were staring at her in awe. They had no idea she spoke Italian, let alone Spanish and French. Thank goodness none of them could understand what she said.
"Do you care to share with the rest of the class?" Juniak joked.
"I found a few accounts Dixon opened in both the Canary and Cayman Islands under the ownership of a secret military personnel. All account numbers and transfers from other accounts is categorized and sent to our FBI contact and Rangeman's military contact. We have enough supporting evidence to put Dixon away for life," Stephanie shared. She didn't mention it was her military code name Dixon used.
"Wouldn't you get into trouble for hacking into their banking system?" Eddie asked.
"Wait a minute… you can hack into banking systems?" Carl asked.
"How?" Big Dog asked.
She gave a sigh and robotically said, "I'm kind of a computer geek. Every keystroke I used has been recorded and filed with the information I gave to the FBI and military. They know who I am." When they attempted to get more information from her, she said, "Sorry guys, you don't have the necessary clearance for me to share those details."
"Men, this is all evidence we need to put Dixon away for life. What do you need us to do?" Juniak asked.
"Arrest the fucker," Ranger growled.
SPOV
I have a very strong feeling Uncle Joe understood everything I said. He spent many years in the Army with dad before he was injured on a special ops mission. His wife didn't want him to renew his contract. She didn't complain when he joined the police force. I remember asking him why he chose the police and not go back to the Army. He said between the Army and police force, joining the TPD was a happy compromise. My uncle Joe was running for mayor next term.
He ordered his men to gather intel from the streets regarding Morelli's activities. I could tell they didn't really want to investigate one of their own. "Eddie, Carl, Big Dog, consider this story I'm about to tell you," my dad paused for effect.
"A thirteen year old girl really wanted to have a dog. Her loving, but strict parents told her she could only have a dog for her birthday if she could prove herself trustworthy and responsible. She created many posters with her name and phone number, offering dog walking for free. Her goal was getting her own dog, not making money. It was a selfless act, but one she felt would gain favour with her parents.
One evening, an elderly woman called her, asking if she could start walking her dog every day at 6 am. The girl readily agreed. She wrote down the elderly woman's address and eagerly arrived the following morning. Every day for six months, this girl walked the elderly woman's dog. Not once did the girl ask for a single thing. She was never paid for walking the dog. The girl even provided her own bags to dispose of the dog poop. She never asked for supplies the elderly woman should have provided. All she did was walk this woman's dog for free.
When she arrived on a cold Monday morning, on the day of her birthday, to walk the woman's dog, she berated the young girl. Called her a greedy little bitch. The girl went home crying, wondering what she did wrong. Her mother listened to her story, then talked to the elderly woman. Keep in mind, this now fourteen year old girl never received a cent in payment for walking the dog or for supplies. She used her own allowance to pay for the dog's poop bags.
Do you know what happened after the mother talked to the elderly woman? The girl's mother called her a greedy, manipulative bitch and said she would never get a dog of her own. She believed the elderly woman's lies and not the truth from her own daughter. Nobody would believe the young girl when she was told them the truth. Her father wanted to believe her, but the evidence was stacked against her.
It took many years for the truth to finally float to the top. The elderly woman was heard, by none other than the girl's father, bragging about how she worked with her dog walker's mother to stop this responsible girl from getting a dog. They went as far as depositing money into a bank account the girl opened with her birthday money a few years earlier. Many people saw what happened, yet nobody came forward to tell the truth. They allowed the lies to continue. As a result, this poor little girl was never trusted by anyone in her community again," he finished.
"So you're saying even though he's one of us, he could be doing everything possible to undermine the TPD's integrity and reputation within the community," Eddie stated, finally catching on.
"That is exactly what I'm saying," he agreed. I left my chair to stand beside my dad, wiping the tears from my eyes. He never told me he knew the truth.
When I wrapped my arms around his waist, Carl asked him, "Did the little girl ever get her dog?"
"No. Helen never permitted Stephanie to have a dog," my dad answered.
"Dad, why didn't you tell me you knew the truth?" I asked.
"Because knowing the truth didn't make any difference," he whispered before giving me a tight squeeze and leaving the room.