Chapter 7

Stephanie POV

Two weeks have gone by since the Core Team arrived in Trenton, and I'm relieved. Ranger hasn't realized that the twins are his yet. Granted, he hasn't seen their picture, nor has he asked their ages. Since the first morning, he has treated me professionally, calling me Michelle like I requested with me referring to him as Ranger. Granted, it's a little strange for me to use his nickname, but it works. John and I have been on a couple of more dates, and as much as I want to advance the physical part of our relationship, I can't. I don't know why I'm having such issues being intimate with John. He's been nothing but a gentleman, not forcing me or pressuring me, but I know he must be getting frustrated. I'm starting to get scared that I'll push him away.

Today, Ranger asked to meet me after the morning meeting. Something about my contract. I hope he's not going to make me come in earlier. Last week, Cal asked if I wanted to spend an hour or two each day helping with the skip tracing. He said that my knowledge of Trenton, especially of the Burg, was invaluable to the team. I told him I would, as long as I didn't have patients to see. I arrive at the conference room five minutes early, with my coffee in hand. I sit in my designed chair between Bobby and Manny. Since the Core Team arrived, we sit by the department. At first, I didn't understand why, but after seeing last week's meeting in action, it made sense. Sitting together helps when someone has a question about our report in that we often share our information. While I have the specifics on the therapy anyone is getting, Bobby and Manny have their overall health record.

At two minutes to nine, Ranger enters. The other men in the room quickly sit or find a place to stand along the wall. At precisely nine, or 0900, as they say, the meeting begins. After going through everyone's report, we are finally on the fugitive apprehension report. It is my favorite part of the meeting because I am so proud of these men's work to keep the people of Trenton safe by bringing these low-lives back to jail.

"We have ten days left to bring in Detective Morelli. He is proving to be elusive. Most of the TPD believe him now to be innocent and are not helping us. The Burg is solidly in his corner. We have only sighted him once, but not long enough to follow or apprehend." Zip reports.

"What have we learned about him?" Ranger asks.

"Well, he comes from an abusive home. His father beat his mother regularly. There's no evidence that Detective Morelli or his siblings were ever injured, but his father died when he was twelve. Since then, he was raised by his mother, Angelina Morelli, and his paternal grandmother, Bella Morelli. Mrs. Bella Morelli is feared by almost everyone, so no one who knows her is talking, afraid of her giving them the eye. When Morelli was in high school, he was the big man on campus. Morelli dated Theresa Grizioli for most of his high school years and had sex with anyone he could. When the detective was eighteen, he enlisted in the Navy. The morning he left for the Navy, several people discovered a poem he wrote about his last conquest. His naval career was subpar; the highlight was him being his ship's boxing champ. When he left the Navy, he applied for the TPD academy and was accepted. Since he returned, everyone has said that he is reformed, no longer the bad boy. From what we gather, he is 'the' most eligible bachelor in the Burg, and most mothers want their single daughters to date Morelli. However, he is often seen frequenting local bars and leaving with various women."

With the discussion of the poem, I can't help but look at the floor. I hope the guys never determined who the poem is about.

"What did the poem say?" Vince asked.

"Something about her being 'soft, sweet, and good to eat; a sexy vixen and a treat, almost as tasty as a cupcake.'" Zip responds.

I try to control the tears from forming. It's sad that even fourteen years later, it still hurts to hear those words.

"Do we know who the poem refers to? Maybe that woman will be willing to help us find him." Lester states.

"We tried to find out her name, but those who we asked refused to tell us. They said they were protecting an innocent woman. Officers Gazarra and Constanza have always been open with us in the past, so we respected their refusal to name the subject."

"Damn, that could be a key."

By now, the tears are falling. I'm staring at my lap, hoping no one picks up. I owe Eddy and Carl lunch for their loyalty.

"Michelle, are you okay?" Cal asks.

"Do you know who the poem is about?" Ranger asks. I think he already knows but wants my confirmation.

I keep my eyes down, slowly nodding my head. I know everyone is watching me now. "Me." I manage to squeak out.

"Fucking pig."

"Cocksucker."

"Mother fucking jackass."

"Pendejo."

I look up to see a room full of angry men. I'm confused by their reaction.

"Men, let's calm down." Tank booms.

"Michelle, I hope you understand that everyone man in this room would like to teach Morelli a lesson for disrespecting you like that. We didn't like it when we thought it was about some faceless woman but knowing that he wrote that about you, well, we want to defend your honor." Lester explains.

"You needn't worry about that. Two years later, when I was eighteen, I was driving in the Burg when I saw Joe. He was on leave for two weeks. I'm not quite sure exactly what happened, but all I know is that I accidentally on purpose hit him with my father's car and broke his leg. In hindsight, I should have backed up. I probably would have broken both his legs then."

A few guys smile, and a couple of them laugh, clearly pleased with my concept of revenge.

"Men, I'm going to give you a thirty-minute break before we come back here to redouble our efforts to bring in Detective Morelli. Michelle and Woody, please stay." Ranger orders. The men clear out quickly, including the rest of the Core Team. Once the door is closed, Ranger turns to me.

"I know you don't want to talk about it, but what did Morelli do to you? Whatever it was clearly still affects you. It might help to talk about it. Whatever you say will stay here. We won't share it with anyone else without your permission."

I look at Ranger and see Carlos. I feel safe here with him, much like I did when we first met in Miami. I'm glad that he asked John to stay, though, because I prefer not having to tell my story twice.

"Morelli is two years older than me. My mom always told me to stay away from those Morelli boys, that they were no good. I did my best to avoid them, even though I was attracted to Joe. He was the football star, the quarterback, one of the most popular guys in school. He was and still is handsome. But, he, like almost every other guy in high school, ignored me. When I turned sixteen, I got a job at the Tasty Pastry. My best friend, Mary Lou, used to spend the summer at the shore with her family. Usually, I would spend a week with her there. However, my parents promised me that the summer before my senior year, I would stay there with Mary Lou the entire time. I wanted to save money for the summer.

"It was the last week in June. Joe graduated the previous weekend with my sister, Valerie. The next day, he was leaving for the Navy. I never closed by myself. Typically, Sara would close with me, but she wasn't feeling well that day. I told her she could leave an hour early since Wednesday nights were always dead. I started the closing routine at five and was just about finished. All I needed to do was count my drawer and lock the door. At five to six, Morelli sauntered in. He told me his mother sent him for cannoli for his impromptu going away party. I grabbed a box and went to the refrigerator to get his order. When I came out, I brought the box to the machine that put the string on it. While I was tying the box closed, Joe put his arms around my waist.

"He told me I was pretty and that he wished he wasn't leaving. He knew I was going to the shore, and he said that he wanted to spend the summer together there. I was dumbstruck. I couldn't believe that Joseph Morelli wanted me. My sister tried to get his attention for three years, yet he saw me instead. I was flattered. Before I knew it, he was kissing my neck and touching me. At the time, I didn't know that he closed the blinds and locked the door. That night, he took my virginity on the floor of the bakery.

"When he finished, he paid for the cannoli and left an extra twenty for me. I was scared because I wasn't ready to have sex. I had never even kissed a boy before that night. I don't know how I managed to lock up the shop, but I did. When I made it home, I took a shower immediately, trying to wash off his touches. By the time I got out of the shower, my mother knew. The first poem was written immediately after, in the bathroom of Pino's, when he went to pick up pizza for the kids at the party. I never got to the shore that summer because I was grounded. I also lost my job. My first real date and boyfriend was my ex-husband, Dickie Orr."

"Michelle, I'm so sorry that was your first experience," John says, pulling me into an embrace. He whispers, "I get it now, don't worry."

I'm relieved that he understands why I'm so resistant to be intimate with him.

"Michelle, thank you for telling me what he did. Did you ever report him?" Ranger asked.

"Report him for what?"

"Rape."

"He didn't rape me."

"Did you want to have sex with him?"

"No, not at first, but after he started touching me, I went along with it. I mean, I said no, but then he changed my mind."

John and Ranger share a dark look. "Michelle, did you ever say no?" John asks.

"Yes, no, I don't remember!"

"Michelle, did you or didn't you?" Ranger asks forcefully.

"I think so, but it's all fuzzy now."

"If you said no, even once, then he should have stopped. He had no right to take advantage of you. It was rape." John replied angrily.

"Look, I don't know what it was, except that it was almost fifteen years ago. I'm over it."

"Okay. Fine." John says, clearly upset with me.

"Do you want the guys to know anything?"

"If you feel it's important for capturing him, then you can simply say he had sex with me when I was sixteen and leave it there. However, I'd prefer if they didn't know."

"Fair enough. Woody, go get Michelle something to drink and a snack. I think she could use it."

John nods then leaves the room.

"Babe, look at me." I look at Carlos. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For taking advantage of you and leaving. It wasn't right that we did what we did when I knew that I would probably never see you again."

"Carlos, you didn't take advantage of me. I was a willing participant."

"Still, I feel bad."

"No harm, no foul. What we did is nothing like what Morelli did."

"Does Woody know?"

"No, I didn't tell anyone. The only people who know about our past are the people who were with us."

"If you ever need to talk, you know I'm here for you."

"Yes, I know. Thank you, Carlos."

"You're welcome, Babe."

I moment later, John walks in with a bottle to water for me along with a piece of banana nut bread.

"I figured you could use some sugar."

"Thank you, it's perfect."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, John, I'm fine. It actually felt good to share what happened. I've kept it inside so long, living in denial. Thank you."

A few minutes later, the rest of the men start to enter the conference room once again. I can tell that Ranger isn't pleased with what I told him, but he'll deal. Once everyone settled, Ranger started the meeting again.

"Gentleman, Michelle had given my permission to tell you that Detective Morelli took advantage of her when she was sixteen. She repaid him by breaking his leg with her car a few years later. She doesn't want to talk about it further. I that you will all respect her wishes."

I see a hand raised. Ranger raises his eyebrow. "Yes, Hal."

"Um, Sir, I'd, um, Ms. Orr., I'd like to apologize on behalf of the men in this room for responding inappropriately when we heard the poem. We didn't pause to think that it was written about some girl. It shouldn't matter whether we know the person, because it could have easily been our sisters, cousins, or girlfriends. Please don't think less of us for acting like stupid guys."

I was moved by what Hal said. It made me feel cheap when they were clearly excited to find out the girl's identity, but I think it was for the same reasons as the rest of the boys when it happened. They thought I would be easy.

"Apology accepted, though it wasn't necessary."

"Yes, it was, Michelle," Ranger stated gently as I just stared at him. He turned back towards the room, "is there anything we found out about how we could bring him in?"

This time, John spoke up. "We did manage to discover that Joe was still out at bars looking for a hookup. Even FTA, he still needs his needs met. From what we have gathered, Morelli goes into Philly to find is woman de jour."

Lester speaks up, "we can use a distraction. Maybe we can call Jeanne Ellen in or Cara from Miami?"

"Cara is still on maternity leave, and Jeanne Ellen has been skip tracing for Les Sebring. Morelli would probably recognize her."

"What about using Michelle?" Les responds.

"Wait, what's a distraction?" I ask.

"It's when we send someone in to lure our skip out. Typically, we use a woman to get a guy out of a location. The promise of sex is usually a good motivator. It helps to prevent collateral damage." Les informs me.

"I'll do it."

"No." Ranger and John said simultaneously.

I turn to glare at both men. "I want to do it. In fact, I need to do it. Having an opportunity to embarrass Morelli by bringing him in, that's an opportunity that I can't pass up. Besides, if this is all about getting Morelli, I can assume that you guys will be there to keep me safe, right?"

I wasn't going to back down. I wanted to do my part. I saw the moment Ranger lost the war in his mind. John, though, wasn't going to agree.

"Fine, Michelle, you can go it. However, if at any point you change your mind or feel you can't go through with it, you must let me know. I don't care if it's thirty seconds before you are due to go into the bar. Got it?"

"Yes, Sir," I respond sassily. Ranger almost smiles.

We spend the rest of the meeting going over when and where this operation will take place. As we are discussing the plan, I interject.

"We have a problem."

"What's that?"

"There is no way that I would ever go to a place like that solo. It's THE place to go and be seen. Going in there solo will send the wrong message. I need to show up with at least one or two girlfriends."

"I think my girlfriend, Rebecca, and Zero's girlfriend, Abby, would be willing to help out. That way, we can control who knows. Neither of them is from the Burg, so the chances that word gets back to Morelli is slim to none."

"That will work. Michelle, I'll let you take the lead on developing a backstory in case you need it."

As much as I was nervous about the upcoming distraction, I felt good to be helping out.