Five little soldier boys going in for law; One got in Chancery and then there were Four.
"Have you run a background check on her?" Stephanie asked.
"Yes, but I couldn't find anything," Zip replied.
"Would you mind if I took a look?" Stephanie wanted to help Zip after hearing his story. It took everything she had to tamp down the emotions. How did Zip catch Judith Cook in bed with Joseph Morelli? When Zip gave Stephanie the date, she was sad to learn Morelli's undercover mission in New York was literally under the covers. Joe and Stephanie were in an on-phase of their relationship. Did Joe know Judith was married to one of her Merry Men? Stephanie had many questions.
She entered Judith's name into the search engine. Stephanie chewed her thumbnail as she read through the details of the woman's life. Judith Cook's background was too thin. Whoever filled in her education didn't do their homework. They had the incorrect school name for the city or state. There was only one way to determine Judith Cook's true identity. Photograph. She gasped when opening the picture. "Oh, Zip. Judith played you," Stephanie replied.
"What do you mean?"
"I know her. Judith Cook is my old college roommate. She went by Sydney Franco. Judith makes Joyce Barnhardt look like an amateur. She changed her name after a scandal involving her boss at Succession Marketing." Stephanie accessed the public court records to uncover the name change documents. "Judith had changed her name after each subsequent divorce. She willingly signed a prenup but used the loopholes to take her ex-husband for everything he's worth," Stephanie explained. "May I see your prenup?"
Zip gave Stephanie the document. She used a yellow highlighter to show Zip how Judith could capitalize on the divorce. "I noticed that line, too," Zip said. "I've never cheated on her. How do I get proof?"
"Leave it to me," Stephanie replied. She contacted Hector to gather the dates and times of Zip's shifts, where he got stationed and where the tracker in his phone placed him. "I know Judith could claim you left your phone in the car while you cheated. Hector will gather the GPS data from her car and phone to determine her location during your short marriage."
"She got a new phone and number when we separated," Zip said. He didn't know how to track the previous GPS data from a new device.
"Judith has a Gmail account. If she kept it logged on with the google maps services, her google account would have everything saved. Unless she deleted the history, Hector could retrieve everything," Stephanie explained. "In college, Sydney used every loophole to her advantage. I'm not surprised she used the ones in the prenuptial agreements."
"She lied on our marriage license application," Zip said. Stephanie asked Hector to retrieve any photos, videos or motel reservations in her name. She sent Hector a list of all aliases to check.
"Technically, no, she didn't," Edna interjection. "Judith Cook had never married."
"Why do I always get involved with women who cheat?" he asked. Every woman Zip dated had cheated on him. "I thought Judith was different."
"Sydney, I mean Judith, wouldn't know the meaning of monogamy even if it got tattooed on every inch of her skin," Stephanie said without much thought. "Zip, when did you return from your honeymoon?"
"June 8th of last year. I think our plane landed early that morning. Why?" Zip sat beside Stephanie as she retrieved images Hector sent. "Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?"
"Yes, Zip, you are. Your bride is entering the hotel room with Mooch Morelli two hours after you returned to Trenton," Stephanie replied. "She can't deny it. Her face is clear, and she rented the room under her birth name." Stephanie printed every name change on the record for Judith Cook.
"I appreciate you doing all of this for me," Zip said. All Zip had left to do was figure out why he attracted the wrong type of woman. Edna watched Zip. She could read his feelings on his face which was unusual for the men working at Rangeman.
"Stephanie told me about Sydney Franco. Every boy Stephanie dated wound up in bed with Sydney. Poor Stephanie walked into the dorm room and caught them every time," Edna said.
"It was college. The boys only cared about scoring. Sydney confessed to planning it that way," Stephanie added. Zip realized there was more to Stephanie's dating history than Joe and Dickie cheating on her. "Every man I dated cheated on me."
"Not Ranger," Zip replied. Stephanie rolled her eyes. Stephanie wasn't "dating" Ranger, so if he was with another woman while she was with Joe, it technically wasn't cheating.
"Whatever," Stephanie snorted. "Ranger doesn't date. Whatever he did between the times we hooked up was his business, not mine. He doesn't do relationships, and I don't do casual sex. I know he loves me, but to think he waited around for me to be available for sex is ridiculous." Zip knew Ranger never slept with another woman since the day he met Stephanie in the diner.
"I think you and Ranger have different opinions on what you mean to each other," Zip said. Stephanie let his words circulate through her brain. She would revisit them another day. For now, Stephanie had to collect the data for Zip to use in court. Zip waited until Stephanie finished compiling the reports. "Wait… when did you get a printer?"
Stephanie smiled at Zip. "I had a feeling we'd need one, so I got the hotel to set one up in the room," she replied. Zip was impressed. He knew Stephanie's intuition, or spidey sense as she called it, was unmatched by any Rangeman employee. To see it work independently from Rangeman was remarkable. "We don't leave tablets, phones, computers or documents in the hotel room." Zip didn't need the reminder from Stephanie. He understood the protocols.
After ordering room service for dinner and eating, they retired for the night. Edna wanted to enter Belvedere Castle the minute it opened.
The following morning, Stephanie and Zip practiced self-defence in the living room. Stephanie woke up at 5 am, unable to sleep longer. She had too much pent-up energy. Zip was willing and able to help her burn off the excess.
"Morning, kids," Edna said when she entered the room. "I'll order breakfast." Zip and Stephanie gave Edna a nod as they continued to spar. Edna quickly placed the order so she could watch Zip's nearly naked body move as he deflected Stephanie's punches and kicks.
Edna licked her lips as a bead of sweat ran down Zip's chest, disappearing into the waistband of his shorts. Stephanie caught the look in her grandmother's eye. "You're much better than January," Zip replied.
"I had lots of practice," she said. "You wouldn't believe how much I learned from hogtying pigs, calves and sheep."
"The guys aren't going to know how to spar with you," Zip joked. He swiped his leg to knock Stephanie on the floor. She swung her leg, catching his and pulling it up. It was a move she learned to do on Woody's family farm. Zip fell hard to the floor. "Excellent move." Stephanie stretched her arm to help Zip back to his feet.
"Thanks, Zip. I feel better." She left the room to shower. Twenty minutes later, Stephanie was ready to go.
Zip shook his head. Stephanie's sparring ability wasn't the only thing that changed. She woke up early and completed a reasonable exercise regime. He was shocked when Stephanie showered and dressed within twenty minutes. Stephanie was about to comment but remained silent.
Edna sat in the wheelchair without complaining. She knew the walk through Central Park would be exhausting. Zip pushed the wheelchair, leaving Stephanie free to look around. They walked to Belvedere Castle, getting that out of the way on the first day.
"Wow," Edna said when they entered the castle. "It's better than I imagined." She saw the art and antiques inside the main room. They followed the group through the castle. The room containing microscopes and artifacts.
Stephanie grabbed field packs for the three of them. They used binoculars and maps to view the various birds on the grounds. Stephanie pocketed the notebook and pen. She wasn't interested in recording her observations. Stephanie followed Edna and smiled when her grandmother looked at the skeletons and the paper mâché birds.
They stayed at the Belvedere Castle until it closed. Edna loved seeing everything. "Do you know why I wanted to visit the Castle?" Edna asked as Zip pushed the wheelchair through the park.
"No. I wondered why you wanted to visit here," Stephanie replied.
"Your grandfather proposed to me with the Castle in the background. I had never seen such a beautiful place. We kept meaning to come back, but we never seemed to find the time. When they renovated the building and reopened it, we planned our vacation. Harry and I couldn't visit because your Aunt Shirley died. We always found an excuse to push off the trip," Edna explained.
Stephanie felt there was another reason why they never carried out their plans. "You had to protect me. Grandma, you didn't need to give up your life for me," Stephanie said. "I would have been fine."
"You remind me so much of your Aunt Shirley. I didn't want your mother to smother your spirit." Edna motioned for Zip to stop walking. She took Stephanie's hand and tugged her to the front of the wheelchair. Stephanie squatted in front of her grandmother. Edna held her granddaughter's hands. "Stephie, your mother and Shirley never got along. I'm not sure if it was jealousy or not. But I know she expected you to follow in her footsteps. I couldn't let her do that to you. You're not the typical Burg girl," she explained. "I refused to let your mother take away everything that makes you special."
"I'm nobody," Stephanie argued.
"Stephie. You are everything to me. Who else would give up their livelihood to travel around the states and the world to entertain their dying grandmother?" Edna didn't give Stephanie the option of answering. "You, my darling, Stephie. Only you. From the second I held you in my arms, I knew you would mean more to me than anything. I know you mean a hell of a lot to your Merry Men and Ranger. Everyone who meets you falls in love with you."
"Not everyone," Stephanie interrupted.
"Only those jealous people dislike you. Pay no mind to them. Live your life to the fullest and be happy. It's the only way to deal with those naysayers," Edna told her granddaughter. "Now, young man, how are we dealing with that skank?"
"Why don't we return to the hotel to continue this discussion?" Stephanie suggested. Edna looked around and realized they were drawing a crowd.
"Sounds good," Edna replied.
They spent a quiet evening reviewing the plan for Judith Cook. Stephanie had asked Ranger to hunt down Judith's previous husbands under her old names. He sent Stephanie a text. "Listen up, Zip. Ranger found Judith's ex-husbands. They're arriving in court to support you. None of them knew she had changed her name so many times. He discovered Judith got a new social security number with every name change. She had physical proof of assault and harassment."
"I wonder what excuse she'd use to change her name this time," Zip wondered.
"It doesn't matter. We're not letting her get away with it any longer. She needs to face the consequences of her actions. Her days of hiding behind a new identity is over," Stephanie said.
"Why didn't the courts catch onto her plan?" Zip asked.
"She married in a different state, then changed her name before leaving. Unless she committed a crime and they have her fingerprints, they wouldn't have a way to track her," Stephanie replied. Zip couldn't believe he got duped by the woman.
Edna sat beside him on the couch. "How old are you?"
"Twenty-seven," he replied.
"You're still young. That woman was married five times before marrying you. She had lots of experience manipulating men. Tell me, what attracted you to her?"
Zip described a shy woman. She wanted to get married to start a family. Stephanie snorted as Zip described Judith before she became a lying, cheating and conniving bitch. "I know the perfect woman for you, Zip," Stephanie said. "But you have to fix yourself first. You're going on a diet."
He looked down at his body, wondering what she meant. Edna laughed and asked, "How much does Judith weigh?" Zip shrugged but joined in the laughter. Stephanie had referred to Judith as the weight Zip had to lose. "No getting married until at least a year after your divorce," Edna warned. Zip promised to follow her instructions.
Once Zip was secured with their plan, they went to bed. He felt the weight slightly lift from his shoulders. It still affected him, but he knew Judith wouldn't be a problem much longer.
Zip woke up the following morning feeling refreshed. He entered the living room to watch Stephanie do her push-ups and sit-ups. She had wedged her feet beneath the couch to hold them in place. "How many?" Zip asked when she finished.
"Ten sets of ten," she replied. "In five minutes."
"And push-ups?"
"Four sets of ten before my arms give out." Zip raised an eyebrow.
"Running?"
"Um. When I ran on the farm, I could run seven miles in an hour," Stephanie replied.
"Damn, woman. You could pass the Rangeman entrance tests. All you need to do is spar with Ranger on the mats for thirty minutes," Zip said. "We sparred for over an hour yesterday. You didn't seem winded at all."
"I've got to shower," Stephanie suddenly said. She wanted to get away from the conversation they were having. Stephanie already planned to work for Rangeman once the bucket list was finished. She didn't need the men to constantly remind her.
Zip waited until he heard the shower turn on before asking Edna, "What did I say wrong?"
"Stephanie will work full-time at Rangeman once we get done with our mission. Whenever someone comments on working at Rangeman, it reminds her of my imminent death. She knows I'm dying, and the only reason she isn't in Trenton working for Rangeman is that she's travelling with me," Edna said. "I can see it's wearing her down. Stephanie will be devastated when we get through this mission or if I die before we finish."
"How do we help?" Zip asked.
"Support her. Let Stephanie help you. It wouldn't hurt for you to warn the others, not to mention working at Rangeman," Edna replied. Edna could see Zip trying to form the follow-up question. "My granddaughter feels guilty for the men paying for our trips. She runs the more challenging searches for the office."
"Stephanie has done more than enough for us," Zip argued.
"I know. But she doesn't see it that way. The food should be here soon." Edna excused herself to get changed.
When Stephanie entered the living room, everyone pretended nothing emotional had transpired earlier. Stephanie was her typical cheerful self after drinking her first cup of coffee. Zip felt not holding a grudge was one of Stephanie's endearing qualities.
Once everyone finished eating, they walked to Strawberry Fields and the 911 memorial. Edna had Zip and Stephanie search for names. She touched the letters of her best friend's grandson's name. He was a first responder. "What happened to him?" Stephanie asked. His death was obvious. Stephanie wanted to know if he worked in the tower.
"He rescued several men and women before the building collapsed on top of him," Edna replied. Zip escorted Stephanie and Edna to the bench. He kept them within sight as he grabbed hotdogs and drinks from the street vendor. They spent the entire day at the memorial site, only leaving once Edna fell asleep in her wheelchair.
"She's getting worse," Zip said as he pushed Edna's wheelchair. Edna remained sleeping as they returned to the hotel.
"I know. I'm afraid we're not going to do everything on her bucket list," Stephanie confessed. "I hope she hangs in until the final trip."
"How much longer?"
"A few more weeks. We're leaving for an Alaskan Cruise on the weekend. I had to move up the timeline. Hopefully, you can get dissolution tomorrow for your brief marriage to Judith Cook."
"I just want Judith gone," Zip said. "I'd pay anything to be free of her."
"Not me," Stephanie replied. "She wants you to relinquish your financial security. Don't let her win this time."
Zip prayed for a miracle. He wanted Judith and the sour taste she left behind to disappear. Vanish, leaving only a red mist to mark her existence. Stephanie laughed. "Red mist," she repeated. "Oh my gosh." Stephanie continued to laugh.
"Please tell me I didn't speak my thoughts," Zip groaned. Stephanie nodded as she continued to laugh. "We never meant to hurt your feelings, Steph."
"It's fine, Zip. You're not the only Merry Man I caught speaking their thoughts."
Edna slept through dinner, concerning Stephanie and Zip. They cautiously approached her bed to reassure themselves that she was still alive. Stephanie released the breath she held when she heard the faint snores.
Zip grabbed Stephanie's hand to pull her off the bed. He used a head motion toward the door, letting her know it was time to leave the bedroom. Stephanie let him guide her to the couch as she wiped the tears off her face. Without thinking, she sat on his lap. When Stephanie attempted to move, Zip held her tight. "Would Edna be offended if we got a baby monitor?"
"Probably," Stephanie replied honestly. "She wouldn't want us to hover either. Grandma hates helicopter parenting."
"What does that mean?" Stephanie carefully explained the concept. Halfway through the description, Stephanie realized her mother was a helicopter parent. Helen felt it was her job to oversee every aspect of Stephanie's life. "I can see how that would bother your grandma."
Stephanie kissed Zip's cheek before excusing herself. She was exhausted from the day. It was emotionally draining. Stephanie texted Ranger instead of calling. She didn't know if he had returned from DC. He quickly replied, saying he had another few days of debriefing.
