Protecting the King Ch 7
~ ~ Stephanie – Day 4 – Midday Saturday ~ ~
In the day and half since she'd left Morelli's office, Stephanie had been stewing over her inability to help Ranger. She'd taken Joe's warning about Simpkins seriously but there was no way she was just going to sit back, twiddling her thumbs when the one person who had always been there for her, who had always supported her and encouraged her, needed help. She tried to find a way to help and she had. Maybe.
She'd watched that damn video more times than she could count. She'd been so focused on the images and sounds at first that she'd completely missed the time stamp. When she did see it yesterday, a feeling of elation burst through her. For some reason she'd been thinking this whole time that the killing had happened before she called Ranger. Instead, it had happened after he'd arrived. In fact they were probably – what was that tactful way to put it? In flagrante delicto? Basically, they were getting down and dirty against her stupid car at the moment that guy was shot.
She wanted to march right down to the police station and tell that detective all about it. She'd make a formal statement and everything. Yeah, it would be embarrassing as hell. She wouldn't be able to show her face in public for a while but at least only the people involved in the case would know, right?
But Morell's warning kept coming back to her. There was something in the way he said it. Something about the look in his eyes, his body language, that made her pause. She'd never seen him so serious, so she didn't reach out.
Besides, she figured that once Ranger let them know where he was at the time, the detective would call her in to make a statement. She made sure her phone was on, charged, and the ringer was on loud.
At first she stayed in her apartment, waiting for the call. She couldn't stake out Wilmer or anyone else with her phone's ringtone set to blast. As much as she wanted to call her family and friends and let them know that Ranger was with her and that the video was some kind of hoax, she didn't want to tie up the line when the cops called.
Sure, she could go see them in person, but it would be too easy for them to get the truth out of her and there was no way she wanted people to know that at the time, she'd been deliciously dry-humping Ranger in public. She settled for texting the basics - Ranger picked her up when her car wouldn't start - to Val and Grandma who could pass that along to Mom. Connie and Lula also got the basic version because they would hound her for details if they thought there was more. First, though, they apologized for ever doubting Ranger's innocence. Her best friend Mary Lou, got more of a PG-13 version where she admitted to kissing. She asked each of them to pass along the truth to anyone they saw.
That was yesterday. Today, tired of sitting home waiting for the police to call, she was out running errands. She started with a visit to the Tasty Pastry for two Boston cream donuts. After all, a girl needed energy even for boring shopping, right? Then she hit the pet store for hamster crunchies and a big package of bedding. Next up was the big discount store for cleaning supplies and makeup.
The gossip mill was alive and kicking. Every place she went, people wanted to talk about it. Every time, she gave the G-rated version of where Ranger really was. And every time, people were reluctant to believe her because of that damn video. Several people had said they were considering dropping Rangeman as their security firm because of that video. After all, if the boss was a cold blooded killer, how could you trust the guys under him? What kind of person would be showing up to their homes or businesses in case of a break in?
Discouraged, she finished her errands and headed to Pino's. Maybe a meatball sub for lunch would cheer her up. She pulled into the lot. Her parking karma wasn't too bad. She ended up somewhere in the middle but at least she wasn't at the back, farthest from the door. She'd seen a big black SUV up front and wondered which of the Merry Men was here. She hopped out and walked toward the door.
As she got near the SUV, she saw Lester, walking up to it, keys in one hand, a bag and a drink holder in the other. There were faint circles under his eyes but he still had a big smile for her.
"Hey, Beautiful." He sounded tired, too, his voice subdued. "How you holding up?"
"Okay." She paused, considering. She didn't know if he had more access to the police or to Ranger than she did, but it was worth a shot. "Lester, you know he was with me when that guy was shot, right?"
Huh. That was not what she expected to see. Lester's face closed off a bit. Not full on blank face but like he was being careful with his reactions.
"Yeah."
And Lester, one of the more talkative and friendly of the Merry Men, clammed up after one word.
"I'm still waiting for the police to call asking for my statement. Do you have any idea when that will happen?"
Okay. There was his full-on blank face and he didn't answer right away. Instead, he opened the driver's side door, leaned across the console, and fiddled with putting his takeout in the passenger seat. It was a great delaying tactic but finally he had to turn back to respond to Stephanie.
Lester used a neutral spokesperson-type voice. "Ranger stated that will not be necessary as there is sufficient alternative exculpatory evidence."
She stared at him. She knew the words and she knew what they meant but she couldn't make sense of them. Why not use her alibi?
Lester ran a hand through his hair and puffed out a breath. "Look, he doesn't want you dragged into this. He's trying to protect you."
"Oh that's bullshit!" The one time she could help him and he wouldn't let her? How dare he decide for her. "I'll walk right in the station right now and make a statement. I can prove he didn't do it."
Lester held up both hands, car keys dangling from one. "Hey! I happen to agree with you and I said so. Ranger was, ah, very adamant about not doing that. Besides, Jeff – our lawyer – pointed out that the statement alone was not enough. People lie for other people all the time. You know that. You've seen it enough as a BEA."
Dammit. She hadn't thought of that. Still there must be some way. Wait.
"What if there was video evidence of him coming to pick me up? The shop we were behind probably had video cameras, right? Or maybe there were other cameras in the neighborhood?"
"We're already pulling all the footage we can from traffic cams and the like. The problem is getting a clear view not just of the car but of Ranger driving it. It does no good to prove where his car was. We have to prove where he was. Besides, I can't tell you what they are but there are other avenues that we're working on right now."
She huffed and tapped her foot on the pavement. "Then just pull footage from where I was and see if you get something you can use."
He shook his head. "He was very clear that he will not involve you in any way at all. So any images with you or your car, can't be used. And even with nothing in the image to tie you to him, he'd have to explain why he was there and you'd be back in it again."
"But why won't he do that?"
She remembered what the videos might show. Not just him arriving and them driving off in his car, but the hot bits in between. Was that what he didn't want anyone to see? That he was with her? Was she not good enough to acknowledge in public?
"Oh, God. He's embarrassed to be seen with me, isn't he? He doesn't want anyone to know especially since we were going at it like –" She abruptly stopped, her brain catching up to her mouth.
Lester smiled at her. "Okay, suddenly his refusal makes more sense."
"So he is embarrassed about me?"
"No, no! God, no. But he wouldn't want the gossips going after you and if you guys were doing some, ah, heavy petting, they would. He wouldn't want that made public for your sake. He's trying to protect you. If it was just him in the picture he wouldn't care if he was naked and, I dunno, whacking off or whatever. He doesn't give two shits what people think."
So, Ranger was in deep trouble yet he still made her his top priority. Chivalrous but aggravating. She couldn't decide if she was more impressed by his dedication or annoyed by his single-mindedness. Probably both. Perhaps now would be a good time to have a chat with him about it.
"Fine. I'll talk to him myself. Is he at Haywood now?"
Lester dropped his gaze to the asphalt and sighed. "The arraignment got pushed back to Monday afternoon. He's still in lock-up." He looked at her. "Let us handle this. Whatever you do, don't approach the detective in charge of this case. I mean it. Don't go near him. Stay out of this altogether."
Huh. That made two people warning her away from that Simpkins guy. Maybe for once, she'd better listen.
"Hey. Come here." Lester put his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. "You look like you could use a hug."
Crap. Here she was thinking about herself when it was Lester's cousin that was in trouble. Lester and Ranger had grown up together and were as close as brothers. He had to be worried sick. She hugged him back. He always smelled good, like something fresh and spicy. She could feel the strong beat of his heart against her cheek and found it comforting.
"You look like you could use one, too." Her voice was muffled from her face being snuggled into his warm neck.
He tightened his hold in response, rocking them slowly. The tension ebbed from the muscles that she was pressed against. She felt rather than heard him exhale deeply. They stood that way for a couple of minutes. Lester was the first to move. He patted her back, kissed the top of her head, and then kissed her on the cheek.
"I've gotta get going." He got into the driver's seat. "Trust us, okay?"
Stephanie hesitated and then said, "Okay."
She stepped back so he could close the door, then watched as he drove off. Suddenly, walking into a crowded place like Pino's seemed unappealing. Too many watchful eyes. Besides, she'd already spent the morning defending Ranger against skeptical people. She wasn't sure she had the energy to continue. Heading back to her car, she decided she'd hit the drive through at Cluck in a Bucket instead.
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~ ~ Lester – Day 4 – Midday Saturday ~ ~
As Lester pulled out of the lot at Pino's he realized that Stephanie was right. He had needed a hug. That little bit of contact with her had made him feel better than the three hour nap he'd taken in the early morning hours. Of course he also needed real sleep but until Carlos was safe, that wasn't going to happen.
The drive to the parking lot between the stadium and South Riverwalk Park took less than ten minutes. There were plenty of open spots, too, even though it was Saturday. Lester grabbed the bag of subs and the drink carrier and headed for the gazebo just inside the park. There were no benches or tables at the north end of the park so he sat on the low wall of the gazebo instead and waited for Rookie. The wall was about two feet high and two feet wide, made of brick with a concrete top. It was actually pretty nice for sitting.
Unlike many of the people Rangeman regularly worked with, Bill Rooks wasn't ex-military. He'd always been a Corrections Officer. He was someone they ran into from time to time when transferring criminals. In turn, he had come to Rangeman for assistance with a personal matter. Rookie was about average height but had the bulky build of a weightlifter. He had dark brown skin and eyes and kept his hair shaved close to his scalp.
Lester only waited a few minutes before Rookie came striding up. He was in uniform and would be heading straight to work after this. It was a good place to meet him since it was only half a mile from the prison. Lester stood to greet him with a handshake and one-armed hug. They sat straddling the wall, facing each other with Pino's lunch between them. There was a meatball sub for Rookie, an Italian sub for Lester, and a cola drink for each of them.
"Before we dive into this, let me hand this over," said Rookie. "I don't wanna get marinara all over it and knowing me that's exactly what'll happen."
He reached into the big cargo pocket on his pants and pulled out two letter-sized pages folded in half. He unfolded them and laid them on the wall next to the bag of subs. He pressed the heel of his palm over them a couple of times to make them stay flat.
"Basically, I snapped a photo of the visitor list for Thomas Parsley, printed it out, then made notes on it. Like here, Venetia Smith. She's the girlfriend of his right hand man, Abner Vickers. Vickers goes by A.V. or Avie. She started coming in more frequently the past few months.``He pointed to another line. "This guy has been in a few times recently too, though I don't know who he's tied to."
"I do," said Lester grimly. "That is one Detective David Simpkins previously assigned to Newark."
Holy shit. Holy shit this explained a few things or proved them or something.
Rookie's eyebrows popped up in surprise. "As in, the detective that had Ranger arrested within hours of that bogus video popping up online?"
"One and the same. Looks like he started visiting Player a few months before he transferred to Trenton." Lester looked the pages over briefly then folded them back up and tucked them in his own cargo pocket. "I really appreciate you doing this, Rookie."
"Hey, after what you did for my sister, I definitely owe you."
"How is Charlotte doing? And the kids?"
Charlotte had married a good man who later fell into drug addiction and domestic abuse. The violence had escalated when she filed for divorce. Rookie had turned to Rangeman for help extricating her and her two small children. Ranger himself had been part of the evac team that got the little family bundled off to a safe house for the duration of the legal proceedings.
Lester had been on the team too. The kids were the cutest little things. It was sad to see them freeze or flinch when any man spoke too loudly or moved his hand too quickly. Based on her husband's public actions and the medical records for Charlotte and the kids, her lawyer was able to get all of his parental rights severed.
Once the divorce was final, Rangeman had a moving party for them. They got them out of the safe house and into a place of their own in Pennsylvania in less than a day. The Core Team had donated their personal money to help her get set up. That was almost two years ago. Lester always asked about them whenever he saw Rookie.
Even though everything was shit right now with his cousin still in jail, targeted by a conspiracy, Lester knew the value of appreciating the little things in the moment. So he relaxed and for the next twenty minutes, he listened to Rookie's stories about little league soccer, and enjoyed his lunch.
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~ ~ Stephanie – Day 5 – Midday Sunday ~ ~
Stephanie hated knowing that she could help and being told not to. Stopping whoever was trying to frame Ranger was first and foremost. But after hearing everyone talking Saturday, she knew that Rangeman itself was becoming collateral damage.
Stephanie clearly remembered the downfall of E.E. Martin. It was like a bomb went off and everyone had to start their lives over with nothing. It was the whole reason she was where she was. All the Merry Men, all their families, would suffer as the business lost contracts and went downhill. They'd be stuck with no work and a tainted resume. Good luck finding trusted positions in security after that association. So many people were affected by this.
She'd been mulling it over since she got home from shopping Saturday and finally came up with a new plan. She could still do an end run around Ranger without going to Simpkins. She'd go through Morelli instead.
The problem was, Morelli wasn't answering his phone or responding to the voicemails she'd left asking him to call. Her texts went unanswered as well. That didn't bother her quite as much when all of the texts had a status of 'delivered'. Then one of the texts in the middle of the string – not the first she sent or the last one – changed to 'read'. Surely, he'd text back any minute now, right? She stopped texting at 11:00 p.m. but stayed up as late as she could in case he responded.
The last thing she remembered was starting Ghostbusters over again around 1:30 in the morning. The next thing she knew she was waking up on the couch with morning light streaming in through the blinds. She had that groggy hung-over feeling that stress leaves behind. There was a horrible smell that turned out to be her breath. Her mouth was dry and sticky and tasted gross. She was still in yesterday's clothes and her hair was a mess.
Stephanie groped around between the cushions then found her phone on the floor next to the couch. Not too bad – 32% charge left. She'd plug it in as soon as she got up. Checking messages. Nothing from Morelli. Apparently he wanted a personal visit. She'd be happy to oblige. Well, once she made herself presentable.
Forty-five minutes later, she was in jeans, sneakers and a t-shirt with a Metallica logo. Her damp hair was pulled into a ponytail and she had light makeup on. She'd scarfed down a bowl of cereal, brushed her teeth about eight times longer than usual, and her phone was charged up to 94%.
Let's do this.
Morelli's car was out front when she pulled up to his house. She parked in front of him, got out, then checked the driver's door on his car. It was unlocked. A couple of internet searches later, she looked around. It was a typical quiet Sunday morning so the street was empty. Everyone was either in church or sleeping off Saturday night. Stephanie popped the hood and found what she was looking for. Once she took care of it, she put the hood down very cautiously, closing it with a click instead of a slam.
She went up to the front door and politely knocked. Bob the dog started barking. There was movement inside and someone hushed Bob. She thought she heard someone say shit. The door stayed shut. She needed to return his key anyway. Might as well use it one last time.
She knocked as she turned the key and let herself in. A big orange fuzzball hurtled at her. Bob nearly knocked her over with enthusiasm. As she tried to get past him she heard the back door shut and smiled.
Patting Bob one last time, Stephanie went back out front. She strolled up to the driver's side of Morelli's car where the man himself sat fuming. He got out and faced her. He was dressed for a day off in jeans, sneakers and a plain polo shirt. Odds were good that he was going to his brother Tony's house for an afternoon spent with the extended family.
"Okay, cars don't have distributor caps anymore." Joe cut straight to the point. "What did you do?"
"First let's chat." She put one hand on her hip and let her attitude show. "Then maybe I'll fix it."
"Whatever you're planning, don't." He was already clenching his jaw.
"I'm planning on telling the truth. As a cop, you should be cheering me on."
"Depends." Morelli crossed his arms and leaned one hip against his car. "What are you planning to tell the truth about?"
Stephanie had to take a deep breath to steady herself. Hopefully, Joe wouldn't freak out. "Ranger's whereabouts at the time of the murder."
Morelli went very still and his gaze focused intently on her. "And where, might I ask as your boyfriend at the time, was that?"
"Seriously? Seriously." She took one step back and contemplated kneeing him in the nuts. " Mr. Verbena Hasselbeck Gets Rossini's While Stephanie Is Lucky To Get Takeout is pulling the boyfriend card?"
"Hey, you never –"
"Stop it!" She tugged the hem of her shirt, trying to get her priorities back in order. "Look. One person has been murdered. Another is being framed for the crime. You of all people should sympathize. You know exactly how it feels to get framed. And if it wasn't for other people working to find the truth – people including Ranger – you'd have gone down for murder."
"All right. Say I agree with you. Say I don't think Ranger did this. It's not his style and that is not him on the video. Whatever." Morelli was going into cop mode. "But look at it from a prosecutor's point of view. We have the texts between him and the victim setting a meeting for the time of the murder. Yes there was a text canceling the meeting about 15 minutes before it was to take place but that could be a ruse on his part. There is a video with a person matching his general description doing the killing and the victim calls him Manoso right before it happens."
"He didn't call the guy Manoso." Stephanie could help interrupting. "The guy asked him something and he replied with Manoso. Maybe he was asked who he was waiting for."
"Ah, but you can't tell that's what happened. The sound doesn't come through. You can see the picture though, and it paints a different story. Look, even if my gut tells me that this doesn't "feel" like Ranger, there's probably enough to convict and if not, then at the very least it will destroy his reputation and business. Do you really want to throw yourself into the middle of that? Because it will take you down, too."
"If it means that an innocent man doesn't go to jail, then yes. Why are you being such a dick about this?" Stephanie was getting more frustrated the longer she talked to Joe. "Is it because I'm his alibi? Is this some jealous boyfriend thing? If it makes you feel better we were upright and fully clothed. He came to pick me up when my car wouldn't start."
"You can make a statement but the court may need more than your word."
"Why? Because you don't trust me around Ranger? Do you think I would lie for him?"
"I'm trying to tell you that it's not me that you have to convince, Steph. It's the court of law. They've got stricter standards than 'because you said so'. In a case like this, you might have to present something solid, concrete. Something unshakable that will hold up in court even if you weren't there to back it up."
She stared at him, her mind whirling. If she could find video, like she talked about with Lester, that would be concrete. But it would have to be crystal clear images of Ranger. But how would she find video? How would she get hold of it? Who would she give it to since so far nobody whose side she was on wanted her to find it?
"Let me ask you this, Steph. If you can give Manoso an alibi, why hasn't he said anything? Why is he still sitting in a cell?"
Stpphanie sighed and bounced the toe of one sneaker against the pavement. "Lester said that Ranger didn't want to drag me into it because it might hurt my reputation. But what good is my reputation if Ranger ends up in prison for a murder he didn't do? How is my reputation more important than a man's life?"
"I get what you're saying. You've got your spidey senses, I've got my gut reaction. And my gut tells me that Ranger didn't do this particular murder. And that Simpkins is bad news. I don't trust him and I don't want you near him."
"That's what Lester said, too."
"Then if you won't listen to me, listen to Santos. I told you once. I'll say it again. Stay away from Simpkins." Morelli gave her a rueful smile. "I'm not saying that because I'm jealous either, though I have it on good authority that I'm a shitty boyfriend."
"Yeah, you are. But you're a good cop, Joe. And you'd never turn a blind eye to a dirty one."
Okay. She'd probably gotten as much out of this conversation as she could. Time to figure out how to get video to back up her alibi.
"Thanks for talking to me, Joe – even though I had to hunt you down first." She turned to leave.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" He pointed at his car.
"Look up 'starter relay switch'. All you have to do is plug it back in."
~ ~ continued ~ ~