The Missing Piece in Ranger's Life
oOoOo
Chapter 9
Ranger POV
Little by little, Stephanie had been moving her stuff to Rangeman. I knew this. My cursory glance into her wardrobe as I left the other night confirmed our plan was already in motion. Ella had been helping with sorting her things and packing. Only a few things were left. The spartan furniture she had was inconsequential, but they would soon be disposed of in the dumpster. Only two people knew … Ella, and of course, Tank.
Her furniture was all an assortment of mismatched pieces, à la dormitory style, mainly as a result of the many untimely disasters: break ins; a fire; a fire bomb; and let's not forget the couch with the death cooties from Soder, the sawn in half corpse. It seemed pointless buying new furniture when these sort of things happened to her, on an alarmingly regular basis.
Ironically, that couch invoked such an amusing memory, especially after she single-handedly disposed of said couch into the hall, outside her apartment. The body parts had long since been removed after the police, forensics and a clean-up crew had eventually cleared her apartment as safe to move back in.
Temporarily moving in with her parents, was not the best solution, since her sister and two nieces were there as well. I know she wouldn't have moved in with Morelli, at least, not at that particular time of their on-off relationship, which was firmly in the off mode. But, in all honesty, I knew that was a last resort. But, the crowded living arrangements, sleeping in her childhood family home, on the couch downstairs, in a house with only one bathroom, probably hastened the move back to her apartment as soon as it was cleared. And, purely because of that "cooties couch", to celebrate that feat, I fondly remember her baking chocolate chip cookies.
Apparently, she was not marking her territory as I thought. "To cast away the demons," she explained matter-of-factly. And, that turned out to be a most remarkable night which I will never ever forget, because I said, "Pay-up time. I'm collecting on the debt." Not one of my better moments, but, in hindsight, inexplicably, it was the most outstanding and memorable experience. Part of me regrets the way I went about it, with putting each of her requests for assistance on a virtual payback account, The Deal. I am an opportunist. In truth, there is no price. But I stupidly thought that having her for one night would get her out of my system. How wrong I was. To think I was bragging, okay, maybe being arrogant, about saying I could ruin her for all other men. That in itself was true. But, it was actually the reverse. And, as a result, I craved her even more. Now I know, after all this FUBAR clusterfuck of a mission, she truly is the Missing Piece in my life.
Staying in her apartment was a ruse. Tank made sure there was a watch and patrols on her apartment which had been stepped up once our status was suddenly changed to MIA, and then PKIA. That was not part of the original plan. Well, we had put in place a few contingency plans, but this clusterfuck scenario was beyond all our expectations. Thankfully, security had been upgraded for her apartment, including her bedroom window and that rickety fire escape. Hector had set up cameras at both entrances to the building and right at her door. How providential that turned out to be. That was Hector's speciality. Ever since she shot that first new lock that he installed for her so long ago, he had fallen for her and would do anything to protect her. "Bang, Bang!" It still made me chuckle. That must have been around the time when she started encountering her many weird stalkers.
My musings were interrupted when my phone rang.
"Tank."
"Yo Ranger. Just keeping you apprised of the status quo, of all things Morelli related. It was decided to keep a tail on the fuckwit, especially since he was seen lurking near Stephanie's apartment. We have yet to locate his two accomplices. Lula is also on our radar since she has giving us plenty of cause for concern. The two of them together makes me want to barf."
"Yes, Same here. Go on."
"The other night Hector and Manny had been tailing Morelli and found him in a bar near Rutgers, with a lot of jailbait hanging off his arms. That manwhore has no morals. Of course, most of them were under age. Tough shit. He's going to hell anyway."
"Jailbait?! Ugh! He must be getting desperate. Or does he need a break from Lula, and Joyce, and the other key holders, and that mob princess, Terri Gilman?"
"Hm. Yeah. He's really fallen from his golden pedestal. Makes you wonder. Hector and Manny made sure he saw them. He was totally hammered and could barely stand but he was full of bravado in front of his groupies. Hector told a few of the Latina girls to move on, giving a hint of Morelli's nasty rep. He sneered at them calling them Spics. That apparently cleared a few more, and the other three soon left him sensing a dangerous situation. They laughed and left him to it."
I grunted in disgust at the man, who used to be a good cop.
"When Hal and Ram caught him outside Stephanie's apartment, legless again, he had a six pack of beers and a pizza in hand. They told him to clear off. Morelli blurted out how he knew you were dead. "I have connections," he admitted, so full of shit. He said you were MIA and likely killed in action. He was bragging. When asked what the hell he was doing there, he responded: "I came back here because she's all mine now. No more competition and distraction. No more excuses. She's mine because I had her first. It was meant to be. She is a Burg woman who was brought up to live the Burg life. It was already decided and even ordained."
By this time, I had arrived as back up. Not a pretty sight. He's a mess.
"That's not what you said that afternoon as you spat at her feet. As if she would ever come running back to you for a pity fuck! Get real man."
My unexpected presence startled him. His leery eyes went wide and was ready to start swinging. On cue the TPD arrived and removed him for us, threatening to charge him with drunk and disorderly behaviour since the neighbours had all come out to see what the ruckus was all about. Mrs Bestler, the elevator controller lady, had called the cops to protect Stephanie when he started banging on her door. How he got home I don't know and don't care."
"Tank. Is Cal available? I want to ask him something."
"Sure. He's in the break room. Just a minute."
"Ranger, Sir. Good to hear you."
"Thanks Cal. I'll get to the point. Firstly, I hear good things about you, especially being her partner. Well done. You have her back."
"Always. And she has mine. She is really amazing."
"I know. I want to know something that concerned me, you know, worried me. When I went to see Stephanie on one of my earlier secret night visits, I noticed she had been crying, from the tear tracks on her face. Do you know what that was all about? Were you with Stephanie at this time? Was she hurt? Do you know what happened?"
"Tear tracks? Yeah. Sure, I know. Dinner at the Plum residence."
I made an exasperated sigh. Should have guessed. I wondered when or where her despicable mother was going to make her appearance.
"Go on."
"Stephanie, being my partner, insisted I came with her for the family dinner summons, from her mother. No problems. I was totally okay with that. We had already established that as part of the terms of our partnership, with Tank, in the beginning.
But, jee-zus, Ranger, that woman is a real piece of work. Her Grandma was very welcoming, respectful and hands free, but her mother looked like she'd been sucking lemons. I sat down next to Stephanie and shook hands with her father, Frank, sitting between them. We made some small talk until Helen opened the door and Morelli arrived. Her father scowled.
Talk about a complete change of attitude from her mother. Stephanie glared at her and rolled her eyes but held her own. She was strong and folded her arms. Grandma glared at her interfering daughter. It was blatantly obvious what Helen had planned.
Steph had given me a couple of possible scenarios on our way over so I wasn't surprised. Grandma winked at me, said to call her Edna. Quickly she picked up her placemat and cutlery, got up and sat beside Stephanie, knowing full well that Helen was planning to seat that fucker Joseph next to Stephanie. And she grabbed Helen's chair. Ha! That was quite funny. No way was Edna having that, so she thwarted that plot. Stephanie remained quiet, predicting the prepared salvo. Dinner was served and then it was on.
Helen and Morelli together start in on her about settling down.
"Hey, Cupcake. Looking good. The … um … missed you."
"The name is Stephanie. I am not a cupcake."
"It's time you settled down."
"I already have." Steph was calm and cool in response. I was proud of her.
"You need to be a respectable woman in the Burg." Her voice was getting very edgy.
"No. That's not for me."
"Joseph is your last chance."
"Helen, enough of that," Frank growled with a warning glare, but Helen went on regardless but Steph cut her off.
"No. You are so wrong. He is not. I don't want your precious Joseph. He had his chance. He blew it, big time. He screwed around. He lied. He cheated. We broke it off months ago, end of story, well before Ranger …"
"He's told me. That man, that … Ranger thug is dead and you can't possibly live your life like that, with all those men, alone in that building. People are already talking. What will the neighbours say? Why me?"
Oh, man. The bitchy tone was dripping with sarcasm. I despise that woman. I can't believe how she talked to her own daughter like that. Stephanie calmly stood up.
"Goodnight Daddy. Thanks for sticking up for me. You too, Grandma. Love you both."
"Sit down!" Helen commanded irritably. "You haven't even finished your dinner. And I made –"
"Cake? No thanks. C'mon Cal. Let's go. I lost my appetite as soon as he walked in and sat at the table."
Then Steph stared her mother down and with remarkable control said, "You can plot and plan all you like, Mother. It's not going to happen. Ever. My life. My choice. And I will live it in the way that makes me happy. And where and how I want to live is none of your business. I don't care what you think anymore. I couldn't give a stuff about your precious Burg. I'm done. If you ask nicely, maybe Daddy will divorce you so you can marry Joseph yourself. You seem so obsessed with him, so you can have him all to yourself."
And with that we walked out, Edna seeing us to the door, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"Way to go, Baby Girl. You did that well. So proud of you."
We didn't stick around for the fall out, but I could hear Frank yelling at Helen and then kicking Morelli out. We drove off. Steph was quiet all the way back to her apartment. I called in for back up to keep an eye on Morelli.
"You didn't take her to Rangeman?"
"No. She wanted to go back to her apartment. It's starting to look rather bare, but I checked her fridge and it was full, with plenty of water, fruit and meals. I insisted on staying with her. She was upset by this time, but didn't want to show weakness. We ate one of Ella's delicious dinners. I am full of admiration for her, Ranger."
I agreed.
"I wasn't prepared to leave her alone, and told her so. While I cleaned up, she had a shower and changed into her pyjamas. We sat on the couch and then she cried. She knew that they were being nasty, and that you could not be dead, but it made her sad. She sensed you were still alive. She asserted that very strongly. She looked drained and I suggested she go to bed. Once she was sound asleep, I left and called in to the patrols for an update. That's about it."
"Thanks Cal. That explains a lot. You nailed it with her mother, a nasty piece of work. Well done."
I hung up. That explains a lot. Steph has handled that situation commandingly. That was the best way to deal with that contemptable bitch. I was proud of her. But it always comes with a cost. I went down to the gym for some work out and company with my team.
Two hours later, just as we finished lunch another incoming call.
"Tank."
"Yo, Rangeman. How's it hangin'?"
Seriously? Pfft. Tank humour. When did that happen? I could hear the rumble of his baritone laugh emerging, which began as a chuckle, now booming loudly the longer I remained quiet. How do you answer that? Straight up, wait up, hold up, … No, don't even go there. So, I answered as flatly as I could.
"Yo."
Another huge rumble from Tank. Clearly, he was amused as the rumble became a choking cough with laughter close by, from somewhere behind Tank. What the fuck?! In the background I could hear Lester singing the rest of the line from that Shoop song, followed by a chorus of shoop-shoop-ba-doop. Shit! Did I say that part out loud? Like Stephanie always did? Madre Dios! Who hired these idiots?
"I can hear your eyes rolling from here, man! Stephanie would be so proud of you."
"Report!"
"Sir! Yessir!"
"Fucker! Is there a reason for all this levity?"
"Indeed. There is."
I growled. Bloody insubordination. He is sailing too close to the wind. It's not like I can order him, or Lester, to the mats. It's like getting blood out of a stone trying to get a direct answer at the moment. If I didn't know him better, I would say he is enjoying all this clusterfuck drama unfolding.
"And?"
"You're sounding a bit stir crazy, Ranger."
Another little chuckle. I growled in frustration.
"Get on with it, Tank! Cut the shit! Just cut to the chase, damnit."
"We now have confirmation of the perpetrators involved. Other than those two motherfuckers who used to work with our Handler until recently, there was no outside coercion or involvement. No international terrorists nor past enemies. It all came from within, and that motherfucker Morelli. The source of the mission corruption was stateside only."
He let that hang in the air for a bit allowing me to absorb that. Part of me was hugely relieved that there was no involvement from any of my past enemies.
"You know, in the back of my mind I always had a notion that this FUBAR TARFU situation did not have the feel of a professional hit. We know how that operates because of our vast Black Ops experiences. It felt amateurish at best. But hell, they certainly created a massive clusterfuck. And for what? What was their purpose? Can I see Morelli as the instigator? Meh. Maybe. Jealousy? Power? And his two accomplices? What did they stand to gain from all this? Was it for dollars? Notoriety? With whom would they be able to share that sort of information? I can't imagine Morelli having a secret stash to fund or stage something big like this. Does he have a secret slush fund? An off shore account? Doesn't seem likely to me. And what about Lula's involvement? Is she a party to all this shit too? Is she complicit by association with Morelli?"
"Exactly. And, how were they able to involve those jungle guards and idiots who had captured the target? Perhaps that started off legit and then one of those motherfucking wannabes activated the changes."
"That figures, with our reckoning Tank, because the raiding parties we encountered were not organised in any way. They appeared to be acting alone without any central communication or coordination."
"Those are the same questions we have been considering, Ranger. We have almost an identical set on our display board in the conference room. It has made for interesting discussions here and the team are all keen to sort this clusterfuck. Rodriguez and Manny have been adding to the search using their forensic accounting skills. At the same time, Stephanie is doing a deep search on both Lula and Morelli as well. There's not much she doesn't know about that asshole, but it's worth a more intense search. Like, for instance, did he inherit more than just that house on Slater from his aunt?"
"Good to know. That motherfucker and his asshole buddies have no idea how lucky they are in not have to deal with me meting out justice."
As much as I hated having to admit that, I growled to myself, partly in disappointment, but mostly for that strong desire for personal retribution. There are so many ways I could make them disappear without leaving a trace. I have had so much time to think, and plan, and visualise their demise. So many options. Miguel, Rex and Thiago as well. Their imagination, like mine, is unrestrained. I'm sure Tank and Hector would be next in the queue, along with the rest of Rangeman. I can imagine Hector would be very "creative", especially where it involves that fucker Morelli.
"Yeah. I hear ya. Once it attained this level of treachery, we had to leave it to the Feds to deal with those two assholes. Our Handler has given his assurance that they will face the full brunt of their betrayal and treason. This is not playing toy soldiers. The consequences are real. This sort of sedition comes under Federal jurisdiction and the betrayal of this kind, as much as I would eagerly join you with meting out our kind of punishment, must be dealt with on that higher level. I can imagine you have already visualised so many scenarios of punishment, bodily harm and disposable of their bodies.
I laughed a sardonic laugh. Shaking my head, I asked an all important question. Well, two came to mind. Okay, three.
"I hear ya. You read my mind. You know me well, Tank. But, in all this fucked up shit, is Stephanie's safety, or her life, under threat? I don't trust that fucker Morelli. Secondly, is there a money trail? What did Hector's search of Morelli's phone and laptop history reveal?"
oOo
TBC
A nice long chapter for y'all. And the Muse was feeling generous. See? No cliffie.
Tank was very chatty, and playful. Ranger has so many questions. I wonder what revelations there are? How about you?
