A spider's web

by Leserei

The spider's web. The network spread by a spider. Tangles of silken threads of a spiderweb usually covered with accumulated dirt. Something that entangles, obscures, or confuses.

10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Wasp

I started to get paranoid about being watched and for a solid week we stayed in the house. I'd been in to see my boss at work and seeing as how he knew me so well, he was very understanding of the position that I'd been put in. We both agreed that maybe it was better if I took some time off work until after the court appearance. He was willing to mark it down as vacation time that was due, so I'd cashed my cheque in for the full time I would be officially away from work, like I had done for the past few weeks.

After that week of being cooped up and constantly overthinking the position that I was in I started to venture out more, thinking that maybe whoever had set me up would leave me for the courts to decide what would happen to me. That week did give me the opportunity to start writing this book, if nothing else it might explain what had happened to me and to Mylo. During my expeditions away from where we were staying, I collected together anything that I had held on to and started to find places where they could be hidden, in the hope that someone could follow the clues and find them.

That's when I looked more deeply into what would happen if I failed to turn up for court. I wasn't bothered about losing the house, but it did concern me that Vincent Plum would send someone after me. I spent an age at a local library researching who that person might be and once I discovered that it would be a woman, spent even more time finding out about her.

I had no doubt in my mind that she would eventually find me. She was very successful at her job with one of the highest capture rates in the state. I have to say that I was dubious about her reputation, a reputation that had her involved in more disasters than one person should be. More in depth information had me realizing that this only happened because of her ability to put together clues and root out people who were involved in the mystery that she was trying to solve. And let me tell you, she never baulked her responsibilities if it meant bringing down any bad guys involved. She was the perfect person who could help me to solve the mystery that I'd gotten myself mixed up in, in so many ways. She had connections that she could fall back on for help, so I began to plan for her inevitable arrival.

The house we were in was perfect with an escape route that would never be found. Mylo helped me to set it up, remembering the ways through what to me appeared to be a maize. If the bad guys came for me then we could stay together and stay hidden for a very long time. My backup plan was for Mylo to escape on his own, I knew that something might happen to me so I had to know that he would be safe. He was what was important and if this book and everything that I had collected were destroyed then him being safe and alive would be worth it.

So now I am waiting for that special woman to arrive and can only pray that she can help me.

SPOV

As I came to that last sentence, I flicked through the book hoping to find more. There was nothing, just lots of empty pages with no other clues hidden within the pages. As I sat back on the bed, I knew that I'd have to read it again, thinking that maybe within Charlie's words there were some hidden clues. As I came to the photos that had been left with Arthur, I studied them carefully trying to imagine what Charlie had been trying to tell me. The Trenton Times, St Francis Hospital, The New Jersey State Museum, a zoo and a car dealership and that warehouse that I'd visited down on Lamberton Road. Though I was beginning to think that maybe that was somewhere that Charlie hadn't quite learnt enough about. That left one photo that I didn't recognize. It looked like a new building with a large sloping roof and tall narrow windows, though there were windows in the sloping roof. Trees separated the road from the building and had blocked the view of seeing any more detail, like doors or signs for the name. There looked like cars parked next to it in a large parking area with no signs of any trucks or vans. I had absolutely no idea where this was and unlike the other photos there were no people in view.

I'd just replaced the photos in the back of the book when I heard a knock on the door. Hiding the book back under the mattress I went through to the lounge to answer it and found Nico and Maria outside. Maria came inside but Nico remained on the doorstep. It was time for me to go. I picked up the coat and scarf that I would need, then followed Nico up to the main house where Ramos was waiting for me.

"Everything is arranged Stéfani"

I nodded my head to Ramos but felt too nervous to say anything. Nico surprised me when he came to my side and handed me what looked like a flak vest. I know I frowned as I looked at it and I immediately turned to Ramos. Did he think that I would need it?

"For your protection as added insurance. It's a very special vest"

As I took the vest from Nico, I was surprised at how light it was and as Nico fastened the velcro straps around my side at how comfortable it was. It felt almost squishy as I ran my hands over it, certainly different to the ones that Ranger had made me wear. I put the jacket that I'd carried with me on over the top of the vest, pleased that it fitted so well, that the buttons would fasten over the vest. It was a beautiful jacket, a Nordstrom camel coat which fastened down one side from the collar to my hips. It hit mid thigh and went well with the black denim jeans that were tucked into the top of the beige booties.

I had nothing else with me, no money or wallet or bag only the silk scarf in my hand. Nico led me out through to the front of the house and outside where a white SUV was waiting for us with the engine running. Nico helped me into the back and then went to sit up front in the passenger seat. As soon as his door closed the car moved slowly from the drive and on our way to Trenton.

I raised my hand out in front of me looking at the way it was shaking. I was so nervous about doing this, about being out in broad daylight. What if someone saw me and recognized me then called the police? What if the person I was going to talk to panicked and called the people they knew? I closed my eyes and tried to breathe normally trying to tell myself to stop being such a wussy. I'd faced worse things than this before, but this time it was my life that depended on it, or at least my life that I had known. Being in prison wasn't a life to me, in fact I think I'd do anything to avoid that. I definitely wouldn't look good in orange and certainly couldn't cope with being someones bitch.

By the time we were entering Trenton I think I'd come to the conclusion that maybe life on a Greek island might not be such a bad idea. As I looked out through the windows it was difficult to judge what the weather was like, due the dark tint of the glass. Knowing that the car was one of Ramos's I was pretty sure that no one could see inside but it didn't stop me from arranging the scarf over my head and around my neck or from putting on the sunglasses that Maria had found for me. My hair was pulled back into a neat French roll and my eyes were covered. With the clothes that I was wearing I was confident with my disguise.

I was aware of the car slowing down and coming to a stop, stopping in a space along the street. Nico turned around from the front and looked at me, hopefully to fill me in on what I would need to do next.

"The place you need first is the pawn shop. Make sure no one overhears you and give the man this"

In Nico's outstretched hand was a gold chain with a single charm hanging from it, of course it had to be a charm in the shape of a small revolver. As I took the bracelet in my hand and placed it the pocket of my coat Nico continued talking.

"The person you need to talk to lives in the apartment above the shop. You'll be given the code to open the door next to the shop"

I nodded my head and as I opened the door, I made sure to look around me, yeah, Ranger would have been proud of me. I was sure I heard Nico say they'd look out for me when I was finished, but I was too keen to move across the sidewalk and into the shop. I had to walk past a door that I assumed was the access to the apartments and was soon pushing open the door to the pawn shop. The place seemed long and narrow with glass cases on either side. There were lots of phones and electronic pads for sale along with jewelry and what could be expensive ornaments. The place was cleaner than I expected it to be and fortunately empty.

I was soon stood at the counter looking through a glass screen at a man who was busy looking at his phone. As soon he realized that I was there he looked up at me and smiled, one I felt that he used to greet customers with, because it never reached his eyes. He looked quite old behind the glasses that he was wearing, age showing in his greying hair and the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. I smiled back and removed my sunglasses, my hand already in my pocket, fisting the bracelet in my hand. As I handed the bracelet through the opening below the screen, I saw recognition cross his face, though his smile disappeared.

"836927"

Was all he said to me before he resumed working on the phone. I walked out of the shop and glanced up at the windows above the shop, not sure of who I was going to be talking to and praying this wasn't a trap. Finding the keypad, I had to take a deep breath to settle my nerves worried that I'd hit the wrong numbers. I heard the lock opening so pushed the door open to find myself at the bottom of a steep set of stairs. My boots sounded on the wood as I made my up the stairs to the first door on my left.

Knocking twice I stood back, almost wanting to move to the side as I would do if going after a skip. I stayed still, well my legs did, but my heart was hammering inside my chest. When the door opened, I was surprised to see a woman stood in front of me. She took a step out and looked back down the stairs before re-entering her apartment and standing with the door open for me to follow her in. She walked in silence down a hallway into an open plan room.

It made my own apartment seem big in comparison. It had a kitchen area with the area by the windows set out as a lounge which is where she walked to. As she sat down on the couch, I chose the chair opposite her. The silence was killing me, but it gave me the opportunity to look at this woman. I hadn't really thought about who I would be meeting with, something that I was regretting now.

Maybe she had a similar role to what Katy had done but then I was wondering how she could possibly help me to find who had shot Charlie. She looked to be about the same age, in other words my age, but she looked tired and probably too thin. Her blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail drawing attention to her large brown eyes.

"Did Ramos send you here?"

I nodded my head not sure what else to say to her, after all it was her story to tell.

"I didn't know what I was getting into when I started to work for Walter. He said it was easy, safe and paid well"

I was surprised when she just started to talk, as though she knew why I was there, though the fact that Ramos had set up the meeting should have clued me in. I was intrigued though with what she was saying so decided to push her for more information.

"What did you do for him?"

Wondering if she also moved drugs and money between different contacts.

"I helped with mapping out areas and finding properties"

Wow, I so did not expect that.

"Why are you worried now?"

"Walter's boss, he doesn't like me, and he doesn't trust me. He uses people and then they disappear. I haven't seen Walter for ages, and I'm worried about what might have happened to him and that I'll be next"

I was beginning to wonder how talking with this woman was going to help me clear my name and then it occurred to me that maybe Ramos had set me up with this meeting in order to get him more information. Damn, I'd played right into his hands, but it wasn't going to stop me from finding out as much as I could.

"What's your name?"

"Jenny"

"Jenny why don't you leave town instead of staying here?"

I watched as she swept a loose strand of hair behind her ear, my eyes drawn to the tattoo on her arm. Charlie had mentioned that Katy had a tattoo on her arm as well and I was sure that above her wrist Jenny had the same tattoo, a spider's web.

"They don't know that I'm here, I went to a friend and she said I could hang out here while she was on vacation"

"Jenny, I have to ask. What business was Walter involved with?"

I watched as Jenny lowered her eyes obviously not really wanting to say anything, maybe she didn't want to get this Walter person into trouble. I knew that I had to get her to talk.

"Jenny, to be safe then we have to stop these men. I can help do that, but I need to know more"

As I said that I could tell that she was nervous, her hands twisting together on her lap as though considering what to say. When she did begin to talk, she never looked up at me.

"At first it looked as though they wanted to improve areas, you know, buildings that could provide better places for people to live. Then Walter was asking me to find a suitable warehouse for a friend"

I had a feeling that she was talking about the apartment and restaurant that Charlie had been involved with and probably that warehouse that I ended up at.

"What happened to make you doubt that?"

"I bumped into a girl that I knew years ago. She looked awful and I was sure that she was working the streets from the clothes that she was wearing. She started to complain about how her pimp had let some other man manage her and that she'd been moved into this building that was really no better than where she'd been before. She had the same tattoo as me on her wrist"

I was glad that it was her that mentioned that because I was curious at how significant it might be.

"What's the significance of the tattoo?"

"Walter asked me to have it done, it made me feel special, like he actually cared for me. I'm not so sure now. When I asked where her building was, it was one of the ones that I'd helped to find"

I had an awful feeling that Jenny had then started to look at some of the other buildings that she'd help procure.

"You looked at the other buildings, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I mean I couldn't quite believe what she'd said to me. When I checked on them, they really didn't seem to have had much work done to them, except the addition of security, that stopped me from nosing around too much because I know the reputation of that Rangeman company"

I hadn't expected Jenny to tell me about the prostitutes, but in some ways, it confirmed what Ramos had said to me, someone was out to take control. What was on replay was what she'd said about the addition of security. Ranger would never get involved in securing buildings if he knew they were being used for prostitution or drugs. I was absolutely sure of that, so why was his equipment on them? Did he know or was someone stealing things from him?

That was as far as my thinking got when there was the sound of feet on the stairs. Jenny stood up her eyes wide as she looked at the door. I could feel her fear as she stood there and was surprised when she suddenly turned to me and started to push me toward the corner of the kitchen. The sound of banging came from the door and a man's voice was shouting.

"Jenny, open the door"

As I was pushed through a door her whole demeanor changed.

"It might be Walter. He'll help me but he cannot know that I've spoken to you"

I watched as the door closed and could only sink down onto the floor. It was like déjà vu being pushed into a hiding place only this time there was no secret exit to make my escape through. The door was ill fitted so with the light that seeped through the cracks I could make out better where I was. It looked as though I was underneath some stairs, their shape obvious above me. It seemed that this was where Jenny, or the friend she'd borrowed the apartment from, kept their laundry.

I pushed myself to the far end of the cupboard, having to kneel down under the slope of the ceiling and then pulled out what felt like bedding from a basket and draped them over me. It wasn't the best place to hide, but I was hoping that maybe whoever had come into the apartment wouldn't suspect me being here, so wouldn't think to search the place.

I'd expected to hear talking but after a couple of mulled sounds there was nothing. As the silence continued, I could feel myself getting more and more worried. Had everyone gone and the place was empty or were they talking quietly? Would Jenny come get me when the coast was clear? Panic began to build up inside me because I hated being inside small confined spaces. I almost jumped when I heard a door slam and was praying that it meant that Jenny's visitors had left. I waited, my heart beat echoing in my ears until I decided that I had to move. Very carefully I moved the covers from me and as quietly as possible inched my way toward the door.

The light coming through the cracks didn't show any moving shadows, so no one seemed to be close or walking near to where I was hiding. I very carefully inched open the door, wide enough to look out into the kitchen. There was nothing that looked out of place so pushing the door open I took a step outside. Silence enshrouded me, like the feel of a thick fog that permeated through to my bones. Stepping further into the kitchen the place looked to be empty which had me breathing a sigh of relief.

They'd left, maybe Jenny would be safe if the man she knew as Walter had come for her. My relief was short lived as I stepped further into the lounge area. Behind the couch I could see the feet and ankles of someone. To get out of this apartment I had to walk past them, and my hand shot over my mouth to stop the scream that threatened to erupt from me at seeing the scene emerge. Laying on her back in a pool of glistening blood was Jenny. Stepping closer to her I knew that she was already dead. Her eyes were open staring to one side as she lay on her side and there was a small hole in the center of her head where blood had trickled out and down her cheek and onto the floor. My hand came back to my mouth to stop the contents of my stomach from escaping, my throat burning as I swallowed it back down.

All I could do was stare at the grotesque scene in front of me totally unaware of anything else around me. That is until the sound of sirens pierced through my foggy brain. That had me moving toward the door. I had to get out of here, I couldn't be caught near another dead body. Once in the hallway I looked down the stairs and could make out the shadow of someone through the glass of the door and hear as they started to try and open it. The only place to move was in the opposite direction, there were other stairs somewhere, right?

At the end of the hallway, I found a door with the sign for a fire escape, so I pulled back a bolt and opened the door finding a set of stairs going up. Closing the door behind me, and as quietly as possible I was soon at the top. If this was a fire escape then there must be a ladder that led down to safety, I sure as hell hoped so. I didn't think that someone would be waiting for me at the bottom on the ground, so this seemed the most logical place to go. I pushed down on the bar and stepped out onto the flat roof, the wind circling me, threatening to blow the scarf off my head so taking the scarf off my head, I held on to it not wanting to lose it.

I started to look around for any sign of an escape and seeing the top arch of metal at the edge of the roof started to walk toward it, positive that it was the top of a fire escape. I was almost there when the sound of a door banging open had me turn around. Two men were stood there, looking at me.

"Miss Plum. You need to come with us"

I stared at the man who had spoken to me not knowing if he was with the police or was the one who had killed Jenny. In some ways the way he was dressed reminded me of how Joe would wear jeans with a jacket over the top of a shirt to conceal his weapon. Looking at his face I realized that I didn't like the look of him. He made my skin crawl and it wasn't how he looked, though the after effects of acne on the skin of his face didn't help. My spidey senses were going into orbit making me feel extremely threatened.

My attention was drawn to a second man who looked to be trying to come toward me from a different direction. He was older and was definitely carrying excess weight, but he was the one who was looking around, taking in everything around him and looked to be trying to outmaneuver me.

I stepped back, my foot stopping against the small ledge that surrounded the roof. I was trapped with nowhere to go, my eyes darting back and forth between the two men. I think I heard the door open again but wasn't looking that way, my eyes were looking between the two men and trying to work out if I had anywhere to go. I quickly realized that I was cornered, the fire escape now blocked as a way of escape.

A sound startled me, a loud retort like a car backfiring or a gun, and I felt a horrendous pain in my chest. My hand came up to where it hurt and when I looked down, I could see red blood seeping through my coat. For some reason I looked up, my heart skipping a beat when my eyes locked onto those of Ranger. Maybe he said something, but I couldn't hear it, my eyes were becoming unfocussed, and my legs were turning to jelly. Maybe I could feel myself tumbling, maybe my last thought was of falling off the garage roof when I was a kid, but it was the last thought that I had before darkness swirled across my eyes and as the pain disappeared.

RPOV

"We searched every tunnel in the hope that maybe she'd got lost down there. The only possible exit was through a section where the walls and ceiling had collapsed"

Sat in the early morning briefing I was listening to Miguel as he explained his search of the tunnels that originated at that house. I was looking at the large screen seeing how thorough he had been but also disappointed that there appeared to be no sign of Steph.

"Once we broke through, we found ourselves in what looked like an old railway tunnel. Probably abandoned years ago. There was evidence that someone had used the place, cans of food and dirty bedding but no one was there"

"Other exits?"

I asked because if someone had been using it then there must have been an easier route than back through the passages.

"One, it took us up and brought us out next to the main line. Slick and Cal are there now scouting around for any signs of Steph"

I looked at the map for where they found the exit and couldn't help but notice that it was close to river, before the track turned south to pass over the bridge.

"Overlay a satellite image"

I demanded, getting up to stand closer in order to see more detail. It was then that I could see what could have been an old off shoot and cursing softly to myself realized that by following the river it would be relatively easy to access Lamberton Road.

"Ranger?"

"Get the men to check out this area, by the old off shoot"

As Miguel took his phone from his pocket to send the message I turned to Ram. The fact that Ram had taken so long to analyze the contents of that substance was beginning to worry me.

"I eventually managed to isolate an unknown substance mixed in with the powder that Hector gave to me. Erythrina velutina, a species of leguminous tree. It is indigenous to Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, and Hispaniola. Somehow, it had been synthesized and concentrated into a very potent additive"

"What does it do?"

Santos asked before I even had a chance to say something.

"It looks to have the same effects as Benzodiazepines or Benzos that were introduced as a replacement to barbiturates, but in very high concentrations. It was always believed that it could have a natural source because trace amounts have been found in plants, various tissues of different animal species but literally at a microscopic level. I couldn't find anything in any research papers of being able to synthesize it"

"Memory, anxiety, and epilepsy"

Came from Hector, yeah, he knew that those were the symptoms that Castillo had described for his man.

"Ram, it has to be produced somewhere, look for where"

"It can't be derived from the plant because it would need thousands of tons to extract even a small amount"

Another drug from South America then. I wondered whether or not the government

were aware of it yet, though from what Ram had said it could be being made anywhere.

"Tank, did you or Silvio find any connections in the files?"

"One probable and one possible. We're almost certain that a redevelopment of apartments, with a restaurant underneath tie in because of where the money came from"

"Are they a client?"

I asked because it wasn't the type of building that we would normally cover.

"No. They approached us, but I told them that the property didn't meet our criteria. That's when Silvio came across another connection. Seems Richard Orr was used as the lawyer, so that led us to that property up on Nottingham Way"

My memory of the property he was referring to was of an electronics company that manufactured high end gadgets, from stereo systems to lights that used sensors.

"Orbinto"

I heard Tank say.

"If I remember, then the security we have at that property is for break ins only"

"Si. Sensors on all openings"

I remembered at the time trying to talk the electronics company to upgrade to cameras, but they insisted that the site was secure with boundary fencing and 24/7 manned guards.

So two businesses that had approached us seemed to be tied into whoever was manipulating the finances. Okay we'd refused to cover three of the properties, the warehouse with Jackson, the apartment block with the restaurant and gambling business but Orbinto was one that we'd accepted.

"Tank add it to the patrol rota, but for it to be discreet"

As I looked around the men, they weren't forthcoming with any more information, I could tell from their expressions that they hadn't found anything new on Steph and that was really beginning to worry me. The idea that she was being held somewhere, scared to death or heaven forbid alone and injured somewhere was scaring the shit out of me.

There was nothing more that could be done. Zero had nothing else to tell us from Robyn Russell but he was seeing her later in the week and nothing had come through from any of the phone taps that Hector had instigated. My biggest worry was what the hell Morelli was up to. He never had come back to me about Watson's arrest or even contacted me to ask if I had any leads on Steph. His silence wasn't normal.

"What the hell is Morelli up to?"

Okay, that surprised the men sat around me, but I think they could understand that his behavior wasn't normal for him.

"Eddie called for any updates that we might have on Steph, in passing he said that Morelli had been hit with a couple of bodies that had turned up"

I nodded to Tank, appreciating that Eddie at least was concerned enough about Steph to have been in touch. That Morelli was possibly tied up trying to resolve some murders might have him focused on his work, but it didn't sit well with me. It didn't take a moment of time to call and speak to me, so what was his game? Brown had me turning to him as he began to speak bringing me back to what was happening in the meeting.

"The woman, Kathleen Jerome, her body has been collected by her family ready for burial"

"Any idea on why they hadn't heard from her or reported her as missing?"

"Wordsley, at the mortuary, just said that there'd been a big fight and she's told them that she moving down south"

That had me remembering that Watson was still in the hospital.

"Watson?"

Brown shook his head as he answered.

"Still in a coma. The doctors aren't overly optimistic and the men on guard duty haven't seen anything"

That news wasn't good because if Watson should die from his injuries the police would be upping their charge against Steph to murder. What Brown had said had the meeting come to an end, but I nodded at Tank as the rest of the men made to leave the room.

"Need to visit Juadyn"

From the look on Tank's face, I was sure that he was up for that, maybe he thought he'd be able to get rid of some of the pent-up emotion that seemed to be affecting everyone, I was all for that but for once I wasn't too sure how a meeting with Juadyn would go.

Normally we were civil on the occasions that we had to meet but I had a feeling that was about to change. I wasn't bothered about theatrics for this outing, so remained in my usual uniform of black cargos and T-shirt but added a vest and jacket. As I came out of my office Tank was kitted out the same and passed me the rifle that would be needed. As we travelled down in the elevator, I knew Tank would be just as well equipped as me, three guns and two knives.

Juadyn ran his operation out of an old apartment block south east from Stark. The streets were empty as we neared it with the occasional lookout hiding behind garbage bins or in doorways. Juadyn would know of our arrival especially as I was driving hard and fast. Pulling up in front of his building I could see the shadows of men watching us, waiting to see what we would do. With a flack vest on and two guns in view I stood down from the truck with my automatic in my hands. The secret to approaching men like Juadyn was to show no fear.

"Ranger my man, what you doing here?"

Juadyn appeared in the doorway, flanked by two of his men, his arms hanging loosely by his side. I wasn't going to be stepping inside his lair, this conversation would take place out here on the street for everyone to hear. Tank was stood just to my side and I knew the backup cars would be somewhere close to ensure that if things went FUBAR they'd come in firing at anything that moved.

"I'm here to make sure that you understand something Juadyn. Seems there are rumors around that need putting to rest"

"You mean that you're working against us"

So what Castillo had said was right, someone was setting me up against the local crews in the area.

"Not true, I assure you. But I do need to know what the hell is going on"

"The great Manoso doesn't know. Forgive me if I don't believe you"

"I spoke with Castillo and he mentioned a new product on the streets"

Watching how the expression of the man in front of me changed ever so slightly I was certain that the same thing was happening to him. The problem that Juadyn had was that he relied on pushing his drugs on the street and didn't have as much control over what came into the area.

"Yeah, there is and they're undercutting our prices"

"What else"

"The girls are being hassled on the street. Seems there are other places the punters are going"

That the women who worked the streets were being victimized was new to me. That meant that whoever this new group was were organized and looking to make a hostile takeover.

"Hassled how?"

"Told to move to some new place or face the consequences"

I felt Tank move toward me and showed me the message on his phone. I didn't waste a moment in reacting to it and was back in the truck driving away from Juadyn. I didn't give a fuck what Juadyn thought, because the message was from Hector saying that he'd caught sight of Steph.

As Tank input the address into the sat nav I had questions that I needed answering but Tank was ahead of me. Hector's voice came over the speaker in the truck.

"The jewelry shop, Hardys, that we do security for. The cameras are positioned to capture the sidewalk. Estefania, she went through the door next to it, she's still there"

I was going as fast as the traffic allowed, probably faster passing through several amber lights. What had me worried was the sight of police cars heading in the same direction.

"Be aware, police on route"

Confirmed that we were all heading in the same direction. I didn't bother to park the truck, in fact I was out of the door before it stopped, heading toward the door that was situated next to the jewelers. I could hear voices coming from the top of the stairs and having ran up the stairs turned into the first door that was open. As I entered the room there were a group of people surrounding something and as they moved allowing me to see what they were focused on, I had to stop all forward motion from what I was seeing.

At first, I was so afraid that the body laid across the floor was Steph but as one of the officers moved, I was faced with the sight of a woman that I didn't recognize. Her face looked so peaceful as she lay there but it was the hole from a gunshot through her head that betrayed her silent demise. Looking around there was no sign of Steph and I knew that she hadn't left the building, Hector would have informed me of that. I left the room and looked further down the hallway and seeing another open door headed that way. Another set of stairs had me slamming through the door at the top only to abruptly stop.

Stood at the edge of the roof was my Babe, though she obviously didn't realize that I was there. She was looking back and forth between the two men in front of her, her expression similar to a prey that had been cornered. I recognized the two detectives Rosbourne and Jeffreys, but they were so focused on watching Steph neither one of them turned at my entrance.

That's when I heard the sound, one that was all too familiar to me. I heard the retort of a gun going off, but I never moved a muscle. My eyes were locked on Steph and that's when I saw her hand move away from the jacket that she was wearing. Blood was seeping through from her chest, I started to move forward, shouting her name as she looked directly at me, and then watched as though in slow as she started to collapse.

Running to the edge of the roof, I was too late to catch hold of her. I steeled myself to look down to where she had fallen but all I could see below me was the torn awning below me. I had to believe that she'd survived the fall, that the bullet that had hit her wasn't fatal, that with medical care she'd be okay. She had to be okay. What the hell would I do without her in my life.

There were people below me, many just there for what they could see. As the police started to push people out of the way I turned to go back down the stairs, realizing that I was alone on the roof top. I needed to be with her. It was as my phone rang in my pocket and I actually managed to take it out that I recognized the id as Tank.

"She's not here"

I stopped walking, trying to work out what he was saying.

"They took her to the hospital already?"

I certainly hadn't been aware of seeing an ambulance, or hearing it leave.

"No. She's gone. With all the people around no one seems to know what happened"

"Stay there Tank"

"Santos has headed to where he thought a shot came from, what the hell happened up there?"

Of course Tank wouldn't know, the only people who knew that Steph had been shot before she fell was me and the two cops who were already up here when I'd arrived.

"Someone took a shot at her, that's why she fell. Tank it looked like she'd been hit in the chest"

"Shit"

Was all I heard as I finished the call. Turning from the door I looked around the empty roof, closing my eyes as I realized that if I'd only been a few minutes sooner, she might still be alive. A shot like that to the chest would be fatal. I hadn't been able to find her in time, I hadn't been there to save her.

As my eyes opened the view in front of me was blurred with the tears that were forming and the feeling that came over me was gut wrenching, a pain so indescribable building up in my chest. I'd lost her before I'd ever had the chance to tell her how much she meant to me. Why the fuck hadn't I swallowed my pride four weeks ago when I last saw her. Why the hell hadn't I told her that I was changing my life, for her? I'd finished the jobs for the government so no more going away with a chance of never returning. I had eyes and ears constantly watching for any old enemies who might turn up, so my life was safer or at least more secure. I was ready to make my move with her, regardless of whether Morelli was on the scene or not, but my pride had insisted that it had to be her who came to me, her who made the choice.

Sighing I looked around me, my eyes catching the fluttering of something caught on the edge of the roof. I walked over and squatting down picked it up, recognizing it as a deep blue silk scarf. I looked over the edge of the roof, realizing that I was overlooking the front of the building. That had me wondering where the hell Steph was and who had taken her because I wasn't ready to give up on her.

I knew Tank was with me as I looked out into the distance, but I didn't say anything.

"The police are running around in circles trying to find her. They're not liked around here but an old woman who was coming out of the jewelry shop swore she saw a man carrying Steph into the pawn shop. The guy in there is denying anything"

I pulled my eyes away from staring across the skyline and looked at Tank, knowing that the heartache was probably showing on my face.

"We'll find her again, she'll be okay"

I didn't respond because I wasn't sure if he was saying that for me or for himself. My eyes went back to the scarf and the image of Steph as I'd last seen her, as she'd looked up to see me, her eyes locked on mine. I saw fear and shock in her beautiful eyes and for a moment maybe regret and confusion. But the more I visualized her the more I focused on what she was wearing. Not her customary attire of jeans and an old jacket but clothes that were well fitted and expensive, right down to the boots on her feet. Where the hell had she been to get those? Who the hell had got them for her and why had she been here where a woman had been murdered?

"Santos has the shooter, he's taking him back to Rangeman"

At least maybe we'd get some answers, but I wasn't banking on it. I looked down again and started to walk around the edge of the roof until I was looking over the small alley between this building and the jewelry store.

"Get Hector to have the footage from the jewelry shop for me to see"

Maybe whoever had taken Steph would have passed the back of the jewelry shop and we had cameras at the rear that would pick up any vehicle that drove behind it.

As soon as we arrived at Rangeman I made my way up the stairs to the conference room on five. The room seemed full as I entered, and I nodded at Hector for him to show us the views from the cameras. My nerves were on overdrive as an image appeared on the screen, an image that had to be Steph. The scarf still gripped tightly in my hand only supported that. I knew it was her, the way she held her head and how she walked along the sidewalk and as she opened that door and disappeared inside.

"This is fifteen minutes later"

Two men were approaching the door, both dressed in black cargos and jackets. Shit they could pass as Rangemen from what they were wearing. We watched as they tried to open it and then as one of them used his boot to force the lock open.

"Do we have faces Hector?"

I watched as Hector shook his head and was close to slamming my hand down on the table. Okay we could maybe identify one of the men from his profile but the other one, the taller one had a baseball cap pulled low over his face, putting his features into darkness.

"Are they ex military?"

Asked Santos who had just walked into the room. Maybe, but they hadn't kept themselves in peak form if they were.

"Hector the back of the building"

We all watched as vehicles passed back and forth down the narrow street. From trucks to white vans and cars. None seemed in a hurry to move away from the pawn shop, and I felt defeated knowing that a vehicle could have driven in the opposite direction. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, maybe some hope at who might be calling me.

"What the hell happened?"

I recognized the voice and was as mad as hell that he was calling me now.

"Morelli. Maybe you should be asking the detectives who were there"

"They said someone shot her and she fell off the roof"

"That's exactly what happened"

"Have you got her somewhere Ranger?"

"No"

I finished the call because there was no way I could tolerate his attitude; not once did he ask if I knew how she was. I focused back onto the screen, the two detectives as they went toward the door, followed by other people that I assumed were the ones that had been inside that apartment when I'd arrived. We saw police officers stopping and checking any passing vehicles but by then she'd gone. I was missing something; I just knew it.

"Hector distribute any plates and models and have some men follow them up. Santos, the man downstairs?"

I just assumed that Santos had already spoken to the man, judging from the contusion on his knuckles.

"Told to kill a woman if she came up onto the roof. He doesn't know why and to be honest isn't interested"

Maybe the shot was intended for the woman from the apartment, in case she'd tried to run or hide. There was enough of a doubt in my mind to think that Steph hadn't been the intended victim, but then again?

"Does he know who hired him?"

"Still working on that, Brown's with him now"

"Then me"

Came from Hector. Whilst I wanted to beat the shit out of that man, I knew that my men would find out what he knew. I had other things on my mind.

After the men left, I spent my time going through the videos that Hector had provided. I looked at those that panned across the sidewalk looking for a time when Steph might have arrived. As I fingered the scarf in my hand, it made no sense to me, the expensive clothes told me that maybe she'd been somewhere safe. What I was counting on was that she was still alive.