Chapter Seven: Destiny
The next morning, Carlos woke up early. He saw Stephanie sleeping by his side.
Carlos got up from bed and went into the bathroom. He started the warm water. Once the temperature reached the desired temperature, Carlos got in. He was in the shower and heard someone moving around. Carlos guessed it was Babe.
All of a sudden, he hears Stephanie yell, "Batman."
He jumped out of the shower and put on his cargo pants. Carlos hit the panic alarm that was in the bathroom. He then ran into the bedroom. Someone wearing Rangeman gear and a ski mask stood with Stephanie. "Crap," the man yelled.
"Let her go," Ranger spat.
Ranger walked over to his bed. "Move, Ranger, and she dies," the man threatened.
A few seconds later, Tank and Hal came in very quietly. "If you think you are getting out of here with my wife, you are sadly mistaken," Ranger spat.
Tank and Hal came up behind the guy holding Stephanie and got him in a headlock. He was down in less than a minute.
Stephanie ran into Ranger's arms. "Babe, are you okay?" Ranger asked.
"Yeah, but I don't understand what is going on," Stephanie said, burying her face into his chest.
"Get him out of my penthouse and into an interrogation room," Ranger ordered.
"Got it, boss." Tank and Hal got the guy up and out of the penthouse.
Ranger took a few deep breaths and let go of Stephanie. He looked her up and down. "Are you okay?" he lovingly asked.
"Yes, Ranger, I am fine," Stephanie replied.
"Okay, we are going to the house after we go to your apartment to get some clothes for you," Ranger told her.
Stephanie went into the bathroom to shower. She came out about fifteen minutes later wearing jeans and a tight turtleneck. Stephenie put on her sneakers. She pulled part of her hair into a ponytail while leaving the rest to fall to her shoulders in tight curls.
Carlos approached her once he got dressed in his Rangeman uniform. "We are going to the house. Are you ready?"
"I'm ready. But, Ranger, what house?" Stephanie asked. She always thought that he lived here in the penthouse.
"My house, or now our house, babe," Carlos replied. The two of them walked out of the penthouse.
"Boss, he is in interrogation room three." Tank told Ranger when he peeked into the control room.
"Thanks, Tank. I am taking Babe to the house. I know I can't be the one to question him, so let me know if he says anything," Ranger told Tank. Ranger was too angry to maintain a level head.
"Got it, boss," Tank quickly replied. Ranger went to his office and went to the hidden safe. He entered the code to remove his service weapon from its depths and tucked it into his utility belt attached to his cargo pants.
Both Ranger and Stephanie got into the SVU and drove to her apartment building. They took the elevator to her unit and noticed the door to her apartment was open. Ranger removed his gun and quietly entered. It wasn't until he entered the living room that he saw Helen Plum inside Stephanie's apartment.
"Helen, what the hell?" Ranger asked.
Helen's face went pale. It was then that Ranger noticed Helen's clothing. "Mom, what are you doing here?" Stephanie asked.
"I am sorry. I was not expecting the two of you to show up," Helen sweetly replied.
"Mom, I'm asking you again, what are you doing in my apartment?" Stephanie demanded.
"I wanted to see your apartment and ask you again if you will please leave him," Helen said as she pointed to Ranger.
"No, mom. I love Carlos, and we are happy. I'm packing up some of my things, and I want you to leave now," Stephanie yelled at her mom.
"Well, if I have to get you to break up this marriage the hard way then, so be it," Helen said and walked out of her daughter's apartment. Ranger just watched his mother-in-law leave.
"Babe, is anything missing?" he wondered.
"Not that I can see," she replied. Stephanie walked over to her cookie Jar, where she kept her gun. She lifted the lid to peek inside. "Batman, my gun is missing."
Carlos took out his phone. "Tank, check the video feed for Stephanie's apartment before our arrival. Her gun is missing," he said.
"I will get back to you," Tank said as he hung up. "Ranger and Stephanie should be on their honeymoon. Not dealing with this crap," Tank said to himself.
Tank walked into the control room. "What's up?" Lester asked when Tank approached him.
"Hey Lester, do me a favor and pull up the video for Stephanie's apartment for this morning," Tank replied. He waited for Lester to log onto the system to retrieve the footage.
"You got it, Tank," he replied. Lester and Tank looked at the footage and saw Helen Plum removing the weapon from inside the cookie jar. "She robbed Stephanie's safe," Lester joked.
Tank pulled out his phone. "Boss, Helen did steal Stephanie's gun. We have her on tape," Tank said, then hung up.
Ranger put his phone away and watched his wife pack some of her clothes and personal items into a bag. When she came out, she saw Carlos and noticed he looked worried. "Carlos, what is it?" she asked.
"Babe, your mother stole your gun," he replied. Carlos walked up to her and wrapped his arms around Stephanie.
"Why would she do that?" Stephanie asked.
"I don't know. Maybe we should ask her," he suggested. Carlos took Rex's cage, and they walked out of the apartment. They walked up to the landlord's apartment. Stephanie handed her keys to him, and the two of them left.
While they were on their way to the house, Helen was driving the cab. Helen was driving a little too fast but she wanted to get back home as soon as possible with Stephanie's gun. She did not notice that she was on the wrong side of the road. Helen hit the car heading toward her.
A young man witnessed the crash as he left a store. He used his cellphone to call emergency. "911, what is your emergency?" the dispatcher asked.
"There was a head-on collision on State St. I need some help," the young man said.
"Yes, sir, we have your location, and we are sending the police and fire units on their way now. Please remain on the line until the emergency vehicles arrive," the dispatcher said.
A few minutes later, the fire and police arrived. The firefighters put out the fire and noticed the bodies. Everyone looked at the two cars burned to a crisp. Morelli got called to the scene to oversee the case. His heart raced when he recognized the cab. He noticed the license plate attached to the rear of the car.
"Oh god, no, please don't be who I think it is," Morelli said out loud.