Chapter 20
Morelli walked up to his double. "We paid you to keep an eye on her, not stalk her. Four dozen roses, with the message "you will be mine, Cupcake". It was to say, "Will you be mine, cupcake?" Joe said as he glared at him.
"Oops sorry," the double said.
"We both warned you to stay away from Joyce Barnhardt," Ranger snapped at him.
"Who would not want to go after something like that?" the Morelli double said. "She was HOT."
Ranger and Morelli looked at Stephanie. "Crap," they both said as they looked at Stephanie again.
Stephanie started to take a few steps toward the Morelli double. Tank grabbed her and was holding her back with all his might.
"Give me your gun," Stephanie demanded as she turned in her husband's arms.
"No," Tank replied.
"That is okay, darling. I have mine." Stephanie grinned and started to dig in her purse. Tank grabbed her purse and looked inside to locate her gun.
"How did you?" Tank could not finish the sentence because he was too stunned.
"Please, tell me your wife did not bring her gun," Ranger groaned.
Tank removed Stephanie's gun from her purse. "Sorry, Boss," he replied. Of all the times Stephanie was asked to bring her gun, the one time she wasn't reminded, she had remembered.
"You see, my slimy ex-husband, who shall remain nameless, had an affair with that tramp on our wedding day," Stephanie stated. "The asshole had to pick that tramp."
"Okay, well, that clears up a lot," Butters said as he examined her.
Tank looked at Stephanie when all of a sudden, her stomach growled. "Here, babe," Ranger handed over a bag.
Stephanie looked into it and saw two Boston cream donuts. Smelling the donuts made her throw up.
"Huh," Both Morelli and Ranger said as they looked between Stephanie and the puddle of vomit on the floor.
"You see, Stephanie can't have any sweets. The baby does not want her to eat them," Tank said. "It takes after me," he proudly added. "So, what is the game plan here?" Tank asked everyone.
"Well, I don't think we can put Cupcake in because of the baby," Morelli said in the open air.
"There is a problem with that, Morelli, while Stephanie and I were in New York the first time. We got followed during our night out. The person following us was parked outside the hotel too. We can't pull her out. They have seen her with me," Tank explained. He didn't want his pregnant wife involved any more than Ranger or Morelli.
Butters took a closer look at the camera. "Tank, does anything look familiar about this camera?" Butters asked.
Tank looked at Stephanie. Looking into her eyes, he said, "Behave, I'm letting you go."
He released his grip on her, and she ran as fast as she could at the fake Morelli. Ranger took three steps and grabbed her before she could throttle the man.
"Wow," Ranger said. "What have you done with Babe?" Tank shot him a look that could kill.
"Okay, I'm shutting up now. Babe, I will let you go, and you will behave," Ranger ordered, shaking his head. Ranger released his grip and monitored her closely with Morelli's help.
Tank approached Butters holding the camera. Both Butters and Tank took out their guns and went outside. Butters saw their target first and chased after him. He tackled him in three seconds.
Butters and Tank brought the man they captured into the building. "Give me one reason why I should not shoot you," Butters yelled at Drake.
"I have a better idea," Tank said, smiling as he crooked a finger at his wife. Tank returned the gun to his wife.
"Tank," Ranger warned. Ranger and Morelli looked at each other before hiding behind the corkboard.
"Why are they hiding?" Butters asked Tank.
"Now, I am giving you one chance to tell us why you are here. If you don't tell us, I will have my wife shoot you. Just to let you know, my wife is a lousy shot. She shoots everyone in the foot," Tank said, smiling. "That is why my Boss and Morelli are hiding behind the corkboard."
Butters wasn't convinced, and Drake didn't believe him either. What woman would carry a gun without knowing how to aim.
'I will let her prove it," Tank said. He saw the soda can on the table, "Go on, little one, shoot the can on the table."
Stephanie aimed, fired and watched as the bullet hit the leg of the table. Everyone watched as the table broke. She turned back to the guy next to Butters and smiled evilly at him.
"Okay, I will talk. I got hired by somebody to kill Sanders. I don't know who it was. I got an envelope with money in it and a name. That is it. I swear," Drake pleaded.
Tank walked up to his wife and said, "You are getting better." He held out his hand, silently asking for the weapon.
Stephanie handed her gun to Tank. "I love you, little one, but how did you get this through airport security?" he asked.
"You don't want to know," she replied, grinning.