Chapter 5:

Aziza followed Khari from the building and led him to a coffee shop down the street from the morgue. Khari downed the first cup of strong, black, coffee so quickly that he gagged as the hot liquid surged to the back of his throat. He gradually composed himself.

"Are you okay?" Aziza asked, not for the first time that day.

"I'm fine...it's over...I'm fine." Khari waved the waitress over and she refilled his cup. He closed his eyes trying to shake the picture of Ranger lying on the table. He took several calming sips of coffee before opening his eyes to see Aziza staring at him curiously.

"I-I have a problem with that sort of thing," Khari admitted. He stared down at the table. Aziza laughed. Bitch, he thought.

"No kidding. A lot of people have a problem with "that sort of thing." It's nothing to be ashamed of. Believe it or not I've seen worse than what happened with you today." Khari looked up and smiled.

"Maybe you can tell me those stories over dinner sometime," he suggested shyly.

"I'd love too," Aziza responded blushing slightly. Khari stared at her for a few moments before shaking his head and getting down to business.

"I just can't get around this. Ranger was 32 years old and in perfect health. What could have happened?" Khari noticed that Aziza looked hesitant.

"I don't suppose you can talk in cases like this," Khari said finally.

"Not usually. I have to admit that it all looks very odd. Cause of death was stroke caused by overdose of steroids..." Aziza stopped speaking when she noticed the shocked look on Khari's face.

"Steroids?" he asked. Aziza nodded. Khari's head sunk to his hands.

"Are you surprised?" Aziza asked. She wanted to reach over to comfort Khari but he somehow seemed on the edge.

"It's not possible," Khari mumbled.

"What?"

"It didn't happen that way. It's not possible. Ranger didn't take steroids. He never would. Khari closed his eyes. He could see Ranger standing in front of him.

"Discipline and exercise," Ranger had said. "You don't need that shit. It's only gonna kill you." How long ago was that? 12 years? 13 years? He would not have changed his mind. He could hear Aziza calling to him but he kept turning things over in his mind.

"I can do whatever the fuck I want, Ranger." That was Lester high on speed. Ranger knocked him out cold and Khari helped carry Lester to the hospital where he signed in to rehab. He shook his head and focused on Aziza.

"What's wrong? You kept mumbling things. All I caught was Ranger," she asked.

"Nothing," Khari wiped his hands over his face.

"You are a lifelong friend, right?" Khari shook his head. "I gather from his med records that he was a Ranger in the Army but why do you call him Ranger?" She really wanted to pursue what had caused Khari to zone out as he did but she felt it would be better just to change the subject. Khari laughed. It worked, she thought, letting out a hysterical giggle.

"Because probably from the moment he was born he wanted to be a Texas Ranger. The boy was obsessed with the wild west. Usually he got whatever he wanted but he had to settle for Army Ranger. You wouldn't believe how little he settled."

Khari listened carefully to Stephanie's story in an attempt to absorb every detail. When she was finished he sat back in the booth and sipped his coke slowly. He'd been surprised that she had wanted to meet at McDonalds. On arrival he saw by the two Big Mac containers and super-sized fries that she seemed to have a compulsion to eat when nervous. He looked across at Stephanie. She looked as though she might burst into tears. He glanced at Shiloh, who was seated next to him, but she was focusing on a Quarter Pounder. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"So this guy calls from Cuba saying that Joe asked him to do something for which he is owed money. It could have been about something else," Khari observed.

"No, no, it wasn't. He specifically said that it was about Ricardo Manoso," Stephanie argued. Her voice was high pitched and excited. Shiloh looked up.

"I'm not expert but I've read a lot of mysteries and people need motive. Why would your boyfriend want to see Ranger dead?" Khari shook his head at Shiloh. He was almost sure that the way she'd put the question would put Stephanie on edge. Stephanie's mouth had fallen open. Obviously she wasn't expecting the question. It took a few minutes to formulate an answer.

"I-I...H-He wouldn't want to see him dead," she stammered. "I-I really don't know why he'd do it." Shiloh smiled at Khari and pursued her line of questioning.

'Then why are you so sure that he did?" she asked. She calmly stirred the ice around in her coke not looking at Stephanie.

"I'm not," Stephanie hesitated before continuing to speak. "Look, Joe didn't like Ranger. I don't think that he believes that Ranger and I ever slept together or anything. Joe once wanted me to stay away from Ranger because he suspected that Ranger wanted to sleep with me...actually he said that Ranger looks at me like he does and maybe he was right. The fact remains that Ranger and I never slept together and I'm sure that Joe trusts me on that."

"So Joe asked you if you'd ever slept with Ranger?" Khari asked. Stephanie didn't seem put off by the lack of tact so why should he be?

"When we got back together Joe asked me to tell him if I'd ever been with Ranger while we were together. I told him that I'd never been with Ranger at all and he believed me. Look, I love Joe and it would kill me to see him get locked up but if he killed Ranger he killed Ranger. If I don't find out for sure I'll always wonder. Maybe at some point after we're married when we're fighting over this or that it would come up. I don't want it to happen that way...and if Joe did do this than he's not the man I thought he was." Stephanie took a deep and shaky breath. Khari nodded and glanced at Shiloh.

"Only one thing to do," Shiloh said. Khari nodded.

"What?" Stephanie asked looking back and forth between them.

"Wire you up and confront him. We'll be there if you need us and, if not, you know for sure."

"How would I explain the wire if he found out?" Stephanie asked nervously. "He'd think that I didn't trust him."

"Do you trust him?" Khari questioned. Stephanie stared at the table for a moment.

"Yes."

"Then what are we doing here?" Khari stared at her meaningfully.

"You're right," she whispered. "Let's do it."

An hour and a half later, Khari and Shiloh were seated in his SUV on the road behind Joe's house. They listened as Stephanie hummed while she popped things in and out of the microwave. Pino's, Shiloh thought drooling. Stephanie had stopped on the way home. They had heard Joe come in and listened nervously as he seemed to be playfully trying to entice Stephanie to join him in the shower. She kept giggling and, from the sound of feet, sounded like she was jumping back. They'd heard Joe's feet landing on the steps and breathed a sigh of relief.

"You think he did it?" Shiloh asked.

"Depends on if there's more to the story than she telling us. I get the idea that there is. He seemed like a nice guy. I wouldn't think he was capable but then I only met him once. He was up on charges once for murder and skipped bail. Who knows, maybe he got a lucky break when he was cleared." Khari shrugged.

"Maybe he..." she stopped speaking when they heard him coming down the stairs.

"This looks great, Cupcake," Shiloh groaned. Of all the terrible nicknames. Khari smiled tolerantly at her while listening carefully the conversation through the speakers. Chairs scraped the floor.

"Thanks. Should I make a salad or something? You gonna be fine with that?" Stephanie asked. She sounded very strained. Khari prayed that Joe wouldn't pick up on it.

"Are you okay, Cupcake? You seem really nervous and I don't know where you heard a word like 'salad.'" Damn! Khari thought. He mentally shrugged. He would have to be an idiot not to pick up on Stephanie's edge. They heard a metal utensil slowly scraping a plate.

"You got a call today," Stephanie said. "From Cuba. He said to tell you that he'd done what you asked and wants the balance of his money." Stephanie's voice sounded very sad.

"Wait. He doesn't speak English and you don't speak Spanish. How did he leave a message with you?" Joe didn't sound concerned but Khari was aware that it could be an act.

"He speaks Italian. They're not such different languages, Joe."

"You don't speak Italian, though." There was an edge of teasing to Joe's voice. He didn't seem concerned at all.

"Vai Affangulo, Joe," Stephanie answered.

"Impressive. Just cause you know some swear words doesn't mean you speak a language." Joe's voice sounded angry.

"Should we go in?" Shiloh asked. Khari held up his hand.

"Quello non è il punto, Joe. Perchè avete impiegato qualcuno per uccidere il Ranger?" Stephanie's voice screamed through the microphone. Shiloh sat straight up.

"We've got to get in there now."

"Why? What?" Khari said after Shiloh as she jumped from the SUV. He heard Joe's voice coming through the speakers low and dangerous.

"What did you just say?" he asked.

"I-I-I wanted you to know that I-I understood him," Stephanie answered nervously.

"What did you say, Steph?" Joe asked seeming to ignore her plaintive protest.

"Perchè avete impiegato qualcuno per uccidere il Ranger?" she whispered.

"Why in the hell would I want to kill Ranger and what in the hell would make you think that I would spend money to do it? Where did you get the idea that I hired someone, Steph?" He stopped speaking abruptly as Khari heard a door slam. "Who the hell are you?" Joe asked. His voice coming loud and clear from the speakers. Khari raced around the house and ran in through the front door. Joe was standing next to his chair wearing only boxer briefs. His hands were laced behind his head and Shiloh's Glock pointing into his back.

"What's going on here?" Joe asked Khari. Khari nodded to Shiloh and she lowered the Glock. Joe fell into a chair.

"You want to know about the phone call?" he asked. He turned to Steph. "After all this time I can't believe that you'd think that I would have someone killed. Shit, Steph, if I'd wanted Ranger dead I would have done it myself. Why in the hell would you think I'd want to kill Ranger?"

"Well..." she began. He cut her off.

"You told me nothing happened and I believed you. Were you lying to me, Cupcake?" Joe stared at her and she shook her head slowly.

"Nothing ever happened between us, Joe. I swear."

"Than why would you think that I wanted to kill Ranger?" he asked.

"It was the phone call. He said that it was about Ranger and that he'd done what you asked and you still owed him money. I couldn't think of anything else, Joe. Honest." Tears were pouring down Stephanie's face. "I had to do it." she said as she pulled out the wire. "I always would have wondered. I know you didn't, Joe. I guess I knew that you didn't then too." Khari cleared his throat and they looked in his direction.

"May I ask what the phone call was about?"

"I called a contact who hooked my up with someone in Cuba who could get me information about Ranger's dealings in that country. I was trying to help Steph out. I knew that he was doing things that weren't exactly legal and knew that he could have gotten himself killed that way." He turned back to Stephanie. "He was calling to tell me what he'd found out. He had to pay people off for information and needed to be reimbursed." She sighed deeply.

"Can you..." he stopped her again.

"I don't know, Cupcake. How could you think that I could do that?" his dark eyes were serious and she looked down at the table not able to hold his gaze. The moment had been too personal. Khari noticed that Shiloh blushed as she pretended to stare out of the kitchen window. A cell phone rang near Khari.

"My work phone. Could you toss it here?" Joe explained. Khari picked it up and handed it to him.

"Morelli...I'm off, Carl...yea...shit...yea...I'll be there." He flipped the phone shut and stared at Khari for a moment before speaking. Khari got the impression that he was being very careful not to look at Stephanie.

"You know a Lester Santos?" Joe asked. Khari noticed that Stephanie's eyes went very wide.

"Yea," he answered warily.

"He was found dead a few minutes ago," Joe said very seriously. Khari felt his knees going weak and noticed Stephanie's mouth falling open and a shocked expression pass over her face. "Carl called me because his last visitor was one Stephanie Plum." He looked back at Stephanie. Her head had fallen into her arms on the table and she was sobbing.