Protecting the King Chapter 9
~ ~ Ranger – Day 6 – Afternoon Monday ~ ~
His arraignment was on the afternoon docket at Mercer County Criminal Court. Detainees from around the county would be sent in groups for morning or afternoon court sessions and the judges would review each case as quickly as they could. Ranger was very much looking forward to going to court and bonding out. This forced inaction and leading from a distance were wearing his patience thin.
Once again, it was Eddie Gazarra who came to fetch him from the cell. They went through the same routine of apology and forgiveness. As always, handcuffs came first before the cell door would open. Eddie was a good guy but he was also a good cop who followed procedures. He escorted Ranger to the transportation loading dock.
The vehicle was a tall cargo van, like any business might use. The interior, however, was modified specifically for moving prisoners. The back split into two doors that opened wide. Inside there was a narrow bench against each side of the van. A solid metal divider ran the length of the van between them, separating prisoners on the right from those on the left. It formed a T with another solid metal partition that ran across the width of the vehicle.
This particular van had a third compartment accessed through a separate door just behind the passenger side door. This compartment was directly behind the cab of the van and had a narrow L-shaped bench. Solid metal dividers kept it separated from the cab and the other two compartments.
Officers Jenkins and Popovich were on transport duty today. Ranger knew each of them from previous cases where he was handing over his charge for transport. It felt wrong to be on the other side of the transaction.
A handful of other male inmates were already waiting to be loaded. Two of them he recognized as previous FTAs that Rangeman had captured. Bergen had been an FTA on an armed robbery charge. Musgrave went FTA on assault and battery. Both had made careers out of crime and violence. The rest of his fellow travelers had the sickly patina and vacant stare of junkies wasting away, almost too far gone for any program to recover. They were most likely facing charges of possession or petty crimes of opportunity.
Eddie waited with him while Jenkins and Popovich secured Bergen and Musgrave in the back of the van onto the left-side bench. The trio of junkies was loaded onto the right-side bench and then it was his turn.
The officers hesitated, observing him for a moment. Then Jenkins mumbled, 'Sorry, man" while Popovich shrugged and grimaced. What can you do? Am I right? Ranger was locked into the third compartment, directly behind the driver and passenger.
This kept him separated from the others which he appreciated. He wouldn't put it past Bergen or Musgrave to start shit if they could reach him. He'd seen the looks they'd sent his way – full of aggression and a promise of retribution. And nobody wanted to ride with junkies who hadn't had a fix. Ranger thanked the officers with a nod, taking their consideration as a sign of faith in him.
Eddie leaned in the doorway. "Hope I don't see you again. I mean, yeah, see you, but later. You know, because you'll make bail. So you won't be coming this way. I mean. Well, you know what I mean."
Ranger nodded again. Sometimes it was a mystery to him how Eddie had lasted this long as a cop. He was just too amiable.
Eddie stepped back. The door closed. The van moved off.
The drive from Trenton PD to the Criminal Court was a short one. Ranger was the first to be offloaded. Bailiff Rusty Naylor, six feet two inches tall with more years than he'd care to admit to and belly that told the truth, was there to greet him. The reddish brown hair that gave him his nickname was neatly cut in a high and tight.
"Manoso. Sorry to see you under these circumstances."
"Likewise."
Rusty took his upper arm, guiding him over to the service elevator used for moving inmates. Inside, he tapped the button for the second floor.
Rusty caught Ranger's look and explained, "Instead of dropping you in central holding in the basement until it's time to move you, I thought we'd put you up in the short term holding by the courtroom right from the start. Less movement, less chance for reporters or paparazzi or anyone else to come at you."
Ranger grunted. Thanks to Lester and Dinsmore, he knew what the general buzz in the street was about the video. Most people barely looked at it but were totally convinced he was guilty. Some folks only had to hear about the video from others to judge him guilty. Considering all he and his men had done to help clean up the community, it was pretty discouraging.
But moments like this with Rusty – with Jenkins, Popovich, Eddie, and others at TPD – reminded him that a lot of good people believed in him. He couldn't say they believed in his innocence because the last of that had been stripped away years ago. That word no longer applied to him in any way. But he could say that they knew he hadn't done this particular thing. Somehow, that mattered.
Ranger wouldn't be the only detainee in the holding area since it served four courtrooms on the second floor. Other prisoners, including those he came with from TPD, would be coming and going as their cases were called, then returned to the main holding area in the basement until it was time to return to whatever lockup had sent them.
The holding area on the second floor was much smaller than the main one, but Ranger would still have a cell to himself. This would cut down on any chance of another prisoner starting an altercation with him. Bailiffs and judges both frowned on that, often not caring who the instigator was but punishing both individuals equally. He definitely didn't want to risk spoiling his chance at freedom today.
His lawyer, Jeffery Dinsmore, would be waiting with the rest of the crowd in the courtroom itself. Proceedings were open to the public so anyone associated with a case on the docket could be there. Lester had promised that Vinnie would be in the courtroom ready to bond him out the minute bail was set.
Ranger had to keep reminding himself that he only had to wait a few more hours. The closer he got to freedom the more urgently he felt the need for action biting at him, like ants under his skin. Being imprisoned here at home was worse in some ways than being held captive overseas, despite the improved conditions.
At least if he was captured on a mission he could actively seek to escape. Here, he had to bide his time waiting for the wheels of justice to turn. Escaping from custody was a crime in and off itself. It didn't matter if he was being held for a murder he didn't commit. If he tried to escape, he could still be charged and convicted of escaping and end up in jail anyway. Internally, he sighed.
For the past few days, Ranger had been rotating through various self-guided meditations and mindful deep-breathing exercises. He'd also combined the latter with some basic yoga positions such as mountain, tree, and the various warrior poses. Right now, he'd focus solely on breathing and stillness to pass the time and stay sharp.
By his reckoning it was about 1400 when Rusty opened his cell. There was a short walk down a hallway, then through a heavy wooden door with a small window in it. They came into the courtroom from the left side. This was a new perspective for him.
The judge's bench was to his left, the Honorable Gregory Hudson presiding. The courtroom bailiff was Alf Johnson, an old fellow on the verge of retirement. Dinsmore was already seated at the defendant's table directly ahead of him. Just beyond that was the plaintiff's table occupied by ADA Cynthia Cartman. At the far end of the room was the jury box, empty for now since everything on the docket was administrative.
Directly behind the tables for the defendant and prosecutor was the railing that separated the court proper from the bench seating for the public. The room was about three-quarters full. A quick glance showed members of various families apparently waiting for loved ones to appear. There were a couple of lawyers, briefcases plonked on their knees, waiting for the client sitting next to them to be called.
Directly behind Dinsmore, Ranger saw Lester and Vinnie who each nodded to him. Looked like Lester had brought extra muscle to be sure there was no difficulty getting him outside into a vehicle because he also saw Cal and Ram.
Interestingly, Simpkins was directly behind Cartman, perched on the edge of the bench to whisper in her ear as she leaned back without turning toward him. Even more interesting was Morelli, two benches behind Simpkins and three people closer to the far wall, watching them intently with his cop face on. Why was Morelli watching them and not Ranger?
Ranger sat next to Dinsmore. They barely had time to exchange words before Johnson called the case. Dinsmore and Cartman both stood to address the judge. At first, the hearing went as expected. The court confirmed that he was in fact Ricardo Carlos Manoso and he had the right to, and had retained, legal counsel. Ranger was charged with murder in the first degree and pleaded not guilty.
Next up would be the discussion of bail. Dinsmore requested that Ranger be released ROR, on his own recognizance - that is, without need of bail at all. Previously, Dinsmore had said that he didn't think it would happen, but requesting it did give him a chance to remind the judge of Ranger's good standing as a successful businessman, philanthropist, and a security expert who normally worked hand in hand with the police.
Dinsmore expected Cartman to come back with a high bail figure that the two of them would negotiate down. Vinnie would write the bond for Ranger as his team got him outside and back to Rangeman. Instead, Cartman asked for the exact opposite of ROR.
"Your honor, considering the callous brutality of Mr. Manoso's crime, the People ask that no bail be granted."
Dinsmore looked as startled as Ranger felt at the rancor emanating from Cartman.
"Your honor," Dinsmore quickly responded, "as we have just noted, Mr. Manoso is an outstanding member of the community, a special forces veteran who works tirelessly to make Trenton safer. He poses no threat to the citizens of Trenton or Mercer County."
Facing Dinsmore, Cartman hit back, raising her voice. "He executed a man in a savage and unprovoked attack — "
Cutting her off, Dinsmore responded in kind. "Is the DA's office now pronouncing verdicts instead of trying cases?"
"No bail," she insisted, "and the People demand that he be moved to the New Jersey State Prison today to await –"
"This is not standard procedure. Your honor, these requests are highly prejudicial and harmful to my client –"
A loud BANG echoed around the courtroom as Judge Hudson slammed his gavel down and yelled "Order! Both of you!"
The entire room went still. It was quiet enough that Ranger heard the judge take in a deep breath and slowly release it.
"Ms. Cartman, this outburst is not what I have come to expect from you and I will not tolerate it. Same to you, Dinsmore." He set the gavel down on his desktop and sat back. "Now, Ms. Cartman, explain your reasoning for denying bail."
She smoothed one hand over her hair as she composed herself, then rested the fingertips on the table top. "Your honor, Mr. Manoso is a flight risk. He is a wealthy man who frequently travels throughout the United States and overseas. He has contacts all over the globe, including in non-extradition treaty countries. Thanks to his time in the special forces, he has the knowledge and acumen to elude any force that may come after him. He could easily disappear and never face trial."
The judge looked pensive. After almost a full minute of silence he said, "While I personally don't believe Mr. Manoso would take flight, Ms. Cartman does make a valid point. He has the resources, skills, and contacts to disappear at will. Bail is denied."
"Your honor, what about the transfer to –"
"You've gotten all the concessions you're going to get today, Ms. Cartman. Don't push it."
"Yes, your honor. Thank you."
Bailiff Johnson was already calling the next case so Ranger and Dinsmore had to make way for a young lady and her lawyer who were walking up from the public seating.
Ranger looked around them to Lester, Cal, and Ram. His men all had their blank faces on, but he could tell they were fuming. Vinnie looked dazed, as if he was trying to figure out what had just happened.
Simpkins was standing at the railing, whispering with Cartman, then they both turned and looked at Ranger. He could swear he saw triumph or something like it in their eyes.
And Morelli's eyes were bouncing from them to Ranger and back again, then settled on Ranger. After a moment, he got up and left the courtroom.
By that time, Rusty had grasped Ranger's arm and was leading him back to the holding area where he'd wait until the rest of the passengers from the TPD van were processed. Then back to jail they'd all go.
Fuck.
~ ~ Stephanie – Day 6 – Afternoon Monday ~ ~
Denied. Bail was denied. Stephanie turned and paced back down her hallway again. She just couldn't get over it. She reached the front door, pivoted on her toes and paced back the other way. How could Ranger have been denied bail?
Apparently, Vinnie had been in the courtroom when it happened because he texted Connie right away. She had texted Stephanie who was at Victoria's Secret shopping for the perfect "Sorry you got framed / Welcome home" gift for the recently incarcerated. Within minutes, Steph's phone started ringing and buzzing with a constant onslaught of calls and texts. Ignoring them all, she put the sheer peignoir set back on the rack, put her phone on silent, and left the mall.
She could have sworn she drove straight home but found herself standing in her kitchen with a big white box from Tasty Pastry. She dropped her purse on the counter and set the box on the table. Rex got a hello scritch on the forehead followed by a grape and half a baby carrot. Stephanie opened the cabinet over the counter, stared at the dishes, then shut the cabinet door. This news was too upsetting for something as civilized as portions. She grabbed a fork and a paper towel and sat at the table.
She opened the box trying to remember what she'd gotten. It turned out to be a big round layer cake with pale brown frosting trimmed with white scalloping. Happy Anniversary was written in yellow piping in a circle around the edge of the cake. In the center, in green, was the name Verna, a plus sign, and a big smear. Seemed like someone's anniversary wasn't so happy after all.
She raked her fork through the frosting down the side of the cake. Based on the color she was pretty sure … yep. Chocolate buttercream frosting. So good. And the cake was a moist rich chocolate with raspberry filling between the layers. She powered her way through almost one third of the cake before she was ready to deal with reality. Tucking the fork into the box, she shut the lid and started thinking.
Before she knew it, she was pacing the apartment still stuck on the fact that the court had denied Ranger bail. Okay. Stephanie halted in the living room and gave herself a pep talk. Pull yourself together. Yes, Ranger's still in jail. Get over it and move on to planning something. You've got the proof that will clear his name. Now what?
Ranger wouldn't let anyone on the defense team use her alibi. The prosecutor wouldn't take it either and even threatened Stephanie with interference or obstruction or something. Cynthia Cartman had said she couldn't use a video that someone just walked up and handed her as proof of innocence and yet she used an anonymous video that had popped up online as proof of guilt.
Online. Where anyone and everyone could see it. Online with attention-getting hashtags and a clickbait title.
Every single person that Stephanie had offered the alibi video to had refused to watch it. What if she could make sure everyone saw it? If the first video going public had gotten Ranger arrested, surely making this one public would get him released?
Just the thought of it made her heart pound and her palms sweaty. Oh god, the gossip mongers would go into overdrive and the entire Burg would be in an uproar. It would be absolutely mortifying. She wouldn't be able to go out in public for months without constant whispers behind her back. Eyes following her every move yet suddenly averted if she turned their way. And the story would get bigger and more salacious with every telling, despite the video showing exactly what happened. Her stomach started flipping from nerves. More pacing seemed to help that.
What was it that Grandma Mazur had said the other day about not being afraid of gossip? That it meant you had done something memorable? It was while Stephanie was driving her home after the funeral.
"Gossip just means that you've done something interesting that most people don't get to do. Most people gossip because they're jealous. They know they'll never be anything but boring."
Grandma Mazur was as far from boring as you could get. Heck, Grandma was likely to post that kind of thing just to show she still could. And if letting the world see her getting frisky with a fella meant saving him, she would do it. She'd post it online to save her man and be proud of it. Maybe that was the way to handle it. Hold her head up and say "yep, that's me" and dare people to say something rude.
Pushing the cake box aside, Stephanie put her laptop and the flash drive that she'd copied the video to on the kitchen table. First up - creating an account on the video site. It took her 30 minutes and a chunk of cake but she finally had it all set up. Then she read the help pages for uploading and even watched a How To video. Making note of the title and hashtags on the original, she tried to come up with something equally eye-catching.
In the end, Stephanie uploaded the alibi as Innocent Manoso Framed for Murder!. She used the same hashtags, too: Ranger by his nickname and his full name, Rangeman, the City of Trenton, and the Trenton Police Department. She added tags for the prosecutor's office as well as Manoso is Innocent, Free Manoso, Framed, and Wrongly Accused.
Once it was uploaded, she pulled her phone out of her purse, sighing when she saw the number of missed calls, voicemails, and texts. Well. Those numbers would all soar, that was for sure, once the video started making the rounds. She brought up the video on her phone, copied the link, and paused. Shit. It was out there but once she did this next bit, it was really real. She couldn't deny that she was the one who had made it public.
It took three more bites of cake to work up the nerve, then she texted the link to Mare, Connie, Lula, and Val. She told them it was Ranger's alibi and to pass it around to everyone. Then in a rush of sugar from that last mouthful of buttercream she thought "What the hell. Might as well get this over with, too" and texted the link to Lester because he'd need to know that it was out there making Ranger's refusal null and void. She also texted it to Morelli because he deserved to learn about it first from her.
Jittery with unease, she started pacing again. What if posting that wasn't enough to make the prosecutor drop the charges? Should Stephanie also try giving her statement? But to who? Crap. What to do? She hadn't thought beyond making it public. What next?
Ten minutes later, a knock on the door interrupted her ruminations. Lester's voice was muffled by the closed door. "Hey, Beautiful. I take it you heard about the bail."
Stephanie stood frozen in place. This was it. This was the World After The Video. Lester would be the first person who would look at her with full knowledge of her going at it hot and heavy in public like a dog in heat. She could picture the censure and disapproval in his eyes. He'd be so disgusted with her behavior that he'd stop being her friend just like everyone else. She'd be barred from Rangeman. All of Trenton would turn their backs on her and she'd spend the rest of her days alone and unwanted and mocked and —
"I know you're home, querida. I thought I'd give you the chance to open the door first but I will be coming in to talk about it, okay?"
The soft caring tone of his voice snapped her out of her runaway thoughts. Opening the door a crack, Steph peeked out. Lester, eyes full of sympathy, pushed the door open enough to hug her tightly.
"You okay?" He patted her back, then let go of the hug to shift position, hands on her shoulders, so he could look her in the eyes. "That took balls of steel."
She made a noise that was half laugh, half sob then got herself under control. "Actually, it took almost half of a layer cake from Tasty Pastry."
He looked from her to the table and grinned. "There's nothing that a good sugar buzz can't fix."
She found herself grinning back. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. She had at least one person who wouldn't judge her.
"We do have to talk though, about what's going on and how this might affect our investigation."
Lester started to close the door, when a voice bellowed down the hallway.
"Leave it open!"
Lester and Steph both looked out the doorway. Joe Morelli had just come out of the stairwell and was striding quickly down the hall, his face like a thundercloud. So subtly that she didn't realize what he was doing until she was in her kitchen looking at his back, Lester put himself in front of her and maneuvered them both into her apartment.
Morelli started yelling when he was halfway down the hall. "Dammit, Stephanie! What did you do? Do you have any idea the amount of shit I'm already taking for this stunt? What the hell were you thinking? Do you even care how this makes me look?"
Morelli came through the door and pulled up sharply when faced with Lester. For a moment the men glared at each other. When Lester spoke it was in a calm, unemotional tone and Steph knew he'd dropped into professional bodyguard mode.
"You know what she did and you know why she did it. If you want to discuss this, you'll speak to Stephanie in a respectful manner."
Morelli gave Lester the stink eye then craned his head to look around him at Stephanie. He did modulate his tone but the aggravation came through. "I asked about the alibi and you told me you weren't having sex with him."
Okay. This was where she got to practice the whole "hold your head high and dare them to come at you" attitude that Grandma Mazur could pull off at the drop of a hat. You can do it, Steph. Look relaxed and sound nonchalant.
"No, I said we were fully clothed and upright." She knew she'd gotten the attitude right, but it didn't slow Morelli down.
Joe was shouting again, "You two were dry-humping against the car! In public!" He moved toward her as he spoke and didn't seem to notice Lester's large hand pressing against his sternum, keeping him at bay. "For Christ's sake, the two of you are grinding away at each other! What the fuck, Stephanie? I try to kiss you in public and you freeze up. He practically mounts you in the street and you can't get enough! What the hell is that?"
He's better at it, his dick is bigger, incredible sex appeal, I love him more – it took less than a second for so many reasons to pop into her head, any one of which would escalate this into a knock down, drag out fight that even a professional like Lester, who was bigger and stronger than Joe, would have a hard time quelling. She refocused on the reason they were all standing there.
"Look, Joe. What really matters is that an innocent man has been framed for murder. And no matter how personally painful it may be for me, the right thing to do is prove that innocence." Her mouth was dry and sticky from the stress of this confrontation. "What kind of a person would I be if I let a man go to jail for life just to save myself some temporary embarrassment?"
Morelli stepped back, running one hand through his hair, making it stick out all over. Lester pulled his hand away but kept it out and ready. Staring at his shoes, Morelli huffed out a breath and put his hands on his hips. He ran his hand through his hair again, finger-combing it down.
He'd gotten himself under control when he asked "Why didn't you come to me first?"
"Why didn't I …" She gaped at him. How dare he … "I did come to you first. I went to you AND to Lester. I told you both that I had the alibi and BOTH of you patted me on the head and said not to worry about it."
"Well, Beautiful, to be fair, I did tell you that was Ranger's decision not to use it. And I did let you know we're investigating."
She scowled at Lester. "But you didn't say WHAT you were investigating or how, and you didn't ask me to help."
Lester put his hands up in a placating gesture. "Again, not my decision. If it's any consolation, I'm ready to go against my cousin's wishes and invite you in. Please? No one searches like you. You see patterns that others miss. Come to Haywood first thing in the morning and I'll bring you up to speed, okay?"
Stephanie looked at him, as if mulling it over. She wasn't of course. Damn right she'd be there. She'd jump at the chance to finally be part of the team helping Ranger. She just wanted Lester to squirm a bit.
"Okay. I'll be there."
Lester smiled at her but before he could reply, Morelli butted in.
"At least tell me why you didn't just take this to the prosecutor. It'd be easy enough for you to find out that Assistant District Attorney Cynthia Cartman is in charge of the case. Why didn't you just take it to her?"
Stephanie could feel the surprise on her face. "I did take it to her. I did that this morning. As soon as I got the video I took it straight to her. Offered to make a statement and give her the video to back it up."
"This morning? Before the arraignment?" asked Lester.
"Yes. I was heading to her office and ran into her on the sidewalk. She said my story was just hearsay and that she couldn't take the video from anyone not connected with the case."
Joe looked at her strangely. "You told her that Ranger was with you and that you could attest to that fact?"
She nodded.
"And she said that your direct testimony was inadmissible hearsay?"
She nodded again.
"And she refused to look at the video?" He seemed thrown off by what Steph was telling him.
"Wouldn't even touch it. Said it couldn't be used in court. Then she said if I tried to give a statement or the video to anyone else she'd charge me with obstruction or tampering or something. That's why when I heard Ranger didn't get bail I posted the video online. It was the only way to make anyone see it."
Lester and Morelli exchanged glances.
"I was there in court, man," said Lester. "I saw what you were looking at."
"They were awfully cozy," replied Morelli. "There's something off about him. He's dirty, I can feel it, but I haven't found it yet."
Since Stephanie wasn't in court she had no idea what they were talking about. She was pretty sure that the "dirty" comment was about that detective that Joe and Lester had warned her away from. Maybe something she'd said had set off alarms about the prosecutor, too. She had certainly made Steph's spidey sense go off.
"Well, as soon as Steph gets to Rangeman tomorrow there's a new name she can start searching and cross referencing." Lester paused a moment. "I was planning to talk to you, Morelli. I think we should join forces. Each of us is only looking at half of what's going on. How about we meet tomorrow. I'll share what we have so far, you share everything you've dug up on Simpkins."
Morelli's cop face was out in full as he thought about it. "Okay. We'll meet … not in public … meet at my house at 11:30."
The men shook hands. Morelli said something about Bob the big dog eating his couch and then left.
Lester turned his attention to Stephanie.
"You need something more than sugar in your stomach to help fight the nerves. Dinner is – " He opened a couple of cabinets then rummaged in the fridge. " – grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, and beer." He kissed her forehead, pushed her toward the living room, and patted her on the butt. "Go get Ghostbusters started. I'll bring it in when it's ready."
Stephanie did as she was told. She sat on the couch watching the opening credits and listened to Lester putter in the kitchen and occasionally talking to Rex and felt the tension ease from her body. Thank heavens for good friends. She might just get through this.
~ ~ continued ~ ~