Disclaimer: Everything familiar belongs to JE.
Warning: Adult Situations, Adult Language, Sexual Assault
****Chapter will contain mildly graphic description of rape. If this will upset you, skip the section between the *. PM me and I'll give you the two sentence synopsis.****
Chapter 27: Wednesday, August 23rd, 0800-1100
MDPD
Rossi's POV
Today is our fourth day in Miami, and we are no closer to finding the unsubs responsible for these crimes. We have a lot of theories, but nothing solid. Ranger won't be joining us today or tomorrow unless something breaks. His men will be here though. Today is the wake for the Martines, and rightly, Ranger is staying with his little girl. Lester will be here, but he'll be leaving to go to the wake, as Ranger's cousin, it's only proper and understandable.
Yesterday, Hector brought us a gadget that sweeps for electronic bugs. I've never seen anything that small or sensitive before. It seems that Rangeman tries out many new toys for Uncle Sam. Garcia is over the moon to be working with Hector, who is her hacker idol. I hope that he can teach her a few new things to make her even better at her job, though I have to say, Stephanie does a great job of digging up dirt on people. I've looked over some of her searches on the Rangeman employees, and I'm impressed at a depth of her research. I'm also surprised that I agree with her findings. She would make a hell of a behavioral analyst with her instincts and her ability to read people.
Matt and JJ were going to the wake today and the funerals for the Martines. There is a small possibility that the unsub will attend the services, possibly looking to tie up loose ends by taking out Julie. I don't believe that the person pulling strings wanted any witnesses left behind. Hector was the first to arrive and looked determined. He went directly to Alvez, who is the go-between for Hector and Penelope. Hector claims not to speak English, though I secretly think he does, with something that had him very excited. It seems that there is a chance that a recording of the encounter at the Martine house can be found somewhere hidden on the Rangeman server. He wants Garcia to help him find the recording.
Overall, I must say that I am impressed by the business that Ranger runs. It seems that he has all the various security needs that a client could have addressed in his plans. I wonder if he has a location near D.C. I would like to use his company to secure my home. I am most impressed, though, by his daughter. That girl is tough as nails, strong, and determined. Most fourteen-year-olds who have been through everything Julie has would be insecure and withdrawn. None that I have encountered would want to look at crime scene photos showing their family dead, in such a gruesome manner no less.
The connection to the Trenton mob is interesting. Though far-fetched, I can feel that it is the right connection. It is a fairly well-known fact that only washed out, low-level mobsters in their retirement were in Trenton. To see that they were trying to be bigger, more powerful, was disconcerting. The fact that one of the head guy's niece was in Miami, seen talking to two of the victims, is evidence that supports the case. I'm not sure though if she realized that Julie observed her.
"Okay team, I just got off the phone with Chief Petrillo in Trenton. He said that in reviewing their cases, they found two similar B and E crimes that occurred right before the first break-in here. The person targeted was a Rangeman customer in both instances, and one of the residents connect to the law firm from Miami. The firm they work for in New Jersey is one of their branches." Emily informs us.
"Does that mean that Detectives Morelli and Gaspick are staying?" JJ asks.
"It means Morelli is staying. He was the lead detective in the second case because one of the assailants, the lookout, was killed by the homeowner. We need to make nice with the asshole." Emily replies.
I respond to Emily and JJ's concern with one of my own. "Detective Morelli seems to have an ulterior motive. I'm pretty sure it involves getting Stephanie away from Ranger. I'm not quite sure how far he's willing to go to discredit and sully Ranger's reputation."
"I agree. There is a strange dynamic between those three individuals. Lt. Col. Manoso can put his feelings for the detective aside to do what is necessary to solve the case, but I'm not sure Detective Morelli can do that. Garcia, you said that Stephanie is dating Detective Morelli?" Alvez asks.
"According to the Facebook pages of many Burg residents, Stephanie is Joe's fiancé. However, they break up and make-up more often than you guys travel for cases. There are lots of pictures of Stephanie and Ranger, many of them with him holding her, treating her nicer than Joe, who is usually yelling at her and standing over her menacingly. I've also seen a video of Steph and Ranger making out in an alley and let me tell you; it is H O T…HOT."
Hector responds in Spanish, and we wait patiently for Alvez or Emily to translate. Alvez does the honors. "Hector said that Ranger is in love with Stephanie and she with him, but the two of them are stupid, stubborn, and in denial. Morelli treats Stephanie like shit, wanting her to be home barefoot and pregnant, with as many Morelli babies as he can manage to impregnate her with, even though Steph isn't comfortable with the idea of being a mother or a housewife. He wants her to quit her job and calls her a disaster and inept at every opportunity. When something happens, like one of her cars blowing up, he shows up on scene ranting and raving, yelling at her, never stopping to ask if she's okay. Ranger shows up, asks if she's okay, and hugs her. He always praises her and tries to keep her safe, though she often rejects his offers, too proud and too independent for her welfare."
Things are becoming much clearer in my mind now, and I think Emily feels the same way. "Okay, we have to take what Morelli says about Ranger or Rangeman with a grain of salt, making sure to base our conclusions on facts. Be prepared to break up a fight or step between them if necessary. While Chief Toledo is willing to have Morelli work with us, I can kick him to the curb if need be; I'd prefer to keep Ranger happy. His connections and equipment are much better, and I feel that even though his daughter is a victim, he can keep his emotions out of the equation and in check, something that Morelli has already demonstrated is difficult for him to do."
"I agree. We need to make sure Manoso is happy and in the loop. We can solve this with or without Morelli." Simmons states.
About ten minutes later, as we were looking over the case files from Trenton, Detective Morelli comes strutting into the room. He approaches JJ first. "I see you're looking at my files. If you need help understanding what's there, I'm here to explain." He smiles at her that I'm sure women swoon over, clearly flirting with JJ.
"I appreciate your offer, but I've been reading poorly written police reports for over fifteen years. I don't need any help interpreting what you wrote." She responds.
I see a flash of anger and hear Hector says "pendejo" under is breathe. I know enough street Spanish to know he called Morelli an asshole.
"What's that gangbanger doing here? You feds do know what those teardrops mean." Morelli says.
"Of course we do, detective, but considering there are no outstanding warrants against Mr. Gutierrez, and he has the clearance required from the Pentagon, he can work with us."
I see the shock register in Morelli's eyes as he discovers that Hector has clearance he doesn't have.
"So, Detective Morelli, what can you tell us about these two cases?" Simmons asks.
"Well, the first one, that occurred on Pine Street, happened about three months ago. Someone broke into the house, stole some low-end jewelry, and a laptop computer. No one was injured. Rangeman never responded when the alarm tripped. When the homeowners discovered the break-in, they called Rangeman first, then Rangeman called TPD. They were on our crime scene before we got there, and we can't know if they removed anything from the site. For the second case, Mr. Richard Orr's home was also burglarized. He was home, with a lady friend, when it happened. He managed to stop the burglary and shoot one of the assailants."
Orr, that name was familiar. I can't place it though. "How is he related to what is happening here?"
"His law firm, Perina, Martin, and Orr is the Trenton branch of Cohen, Perina, and Sanchez, the firm where Escobar works," Morelli responds.
I notice that Hector is talking softly to Alvez. I'm sure filling him in on the details that Morelli is leaving out.
"There's another connection. Richard Orr is Stephanie Plum's ex-husband. They married about ten years ago; their marriage lasted for a hot minute when Stephanie walked in and found Orr screwing another woman, Joyce Barnhardt. Then, about two years ago, Orr was involved with some shady characters with questionable business dealings. He disappeared, and Stephanie was a suspect in his disappearance. Orr went into protective custody, living with Detective Morelli, unbeknownst to Stephanie, who thought charges were coming for a murder that she didn't commit."
"I wonder if Ms. Plum is directly related to what is going on or if this is all a coincidence." Tara expresses her concern.
"With her, anything is possible. Steph is the worst BEA I ever met and has no right investigating this case. I suggest unless you want to have things blow up around you, that you keep Steph away from this investigation." Morelli says.
I'm a little shocked by what he said, because she is highly competent and intelligent, in my opinion. Yes, Detective Morelli has an ulterior motive, what is it? At that moment, Ranger's other men, Woody and Manny arrive.
"Garcia, I heard you and Hector are trying to find a recording. Do you need some more help?"
Garcia is temporarily flustered, but she recovers quickly. "Sure, the more hands on deck the merrier. Come on, Merry Men."
Manny and Woody start laughing. Once they calm down, Manny explains, "Wifey calls us her Merry Men. I find it interesting that you chose those same words."
Garcia joins in the laughter and the tension is gone. I watch as they settle into their work. Thirty minutes later, I watch Woody make a phone call as Garcia stands excitedly.
"Ugh, guys, you may want to come over here." I hear Garcia exclaim.
Those of us remaining in the office head to her computer. "We got video and audio from the Martine house." She continues.
"How?" I ask.
Hector responds, in Spanish, which Alvez translates. "After Julie's kidnapping, Ranger placed panic buttons in her bedroom, the bathroom, and the family room so that if Julie was ever in danger, she could press the button and the internal cameras would start recording, sending the information and alert to Rangeman. When the unsubs overrode the system, they didn't know about the panic button. While Rangeman never received the alert, everything said and done was recorded. Julie mentioned hitting the panic button yesterday."
Prentiss responded in Spanish, "so that means we know what they did and what they said?"
"Si, but I no look until Boss give okay. It's his bebe." Hector replied in broken English.
"Does Manoso know?" I ask.
"He does now," Woody responds. "I called him while Hector was talking to you. He asked that you give him twenty minutes to get here. He wants to see and hear what happened sooner rather than later."
Emily looks at me, and I give her a nod. It was a silent agreement to honor his request. After all, he didn't keep the video from us. Exactly twenty minutes after the call, Ranger was walking through the doors, wearing a black on black custom-tailored Armani suit. Stephanie was with him, wearing a tasteful black dress and black heels.
"Thank you for waiting for me. I need to see what those assholes did to my baby girl." He says after greeting Emily warmly. Then, I see his body stiffen as he notices the detective. "Morelli."
"Manoso."
You can cut the tension with a knife. "Joe, what are you doing here? I hope you still aren't trying to get me to go back to Trenton with you." Steph responds.
"No, these cases link with one of mine from a couple of months ago. I'm now officially the liaison between TPD, MDPD, and the BAU."
"Great, just fucking great. Can't I ever get away from the Burg?" Steph says under her breath.
"Babe," Ranger says, amused.
"Out loud?"
"Yup."
"Are you sure you can handle watching what they did to your daughter, Ranger. It will be hard for us to watch as outsiders, but I can't imagine what it would be like for you to watch." Reid says.
"I need to watch it; I don't have a choice. Besides, I have seen and done a lot during my work in the Army and with the government."
Prentiss looks to Garcia, "we're ready."
****mildly graphic rape scene****
The video comes on and is surprisingly clear. I can see Ron, Rachel, and Julie. Tied to the bed, spread eagle is Julie. She wore a nightgown to bed that night, which unfortunately provided easy access for the unsubs. We watch the unsubs touch Julie on her chest, between her legs and other areas where a fourteen-year-old shouldn't be touched. I give her credit, she's still fighting and refusing to show any fear or pain. I watch as one of them forces himself in her mouth, making her give him a blow job. I see Julie gagging, and the moment she tries to bite him. Good girl, Julie. The unsubs are undeterred, though, because they start to have rape with her, with Julie still fighting as much as she can with her arms and legs tied to the bed. We watch as two of them take her at once, while a third force himself in her mouth. We aren't even listening to what is being said by Ron and the other unsub; we are all too revolted by what they are doing to Julie. As much as we want to look away, we cannot. Finally, her rape is over, and the unsubs move onto Rachel. She doesn't get it nearly as bad as Julie, but that is because Ron quickly speaks, giving up whatever information he has to save his wife, but not his adopted daughter. I watch Ranger's body coil and tense, as he sees what happened to his daughter. I watch as tears flow freely from Stephanie, but she doesn't seem to be watching the video anymore. Once it ends, Ranger takes a few breaths and closes his eyes. "Can you play it again without the video so I can concentrate on what they are saying?" He asks Garcia.
****end of scene****
She responds in the affirmative and he looks at Stephanie, seeing what I'm seeing. He touches her arm gently. "Babe?"
No response. By now, we are all watching Stephanie. "Babe, Stephanie, are you okay?" He asks, concern filling his voice.
Morelli walks over and grabs her arm. "Cupcake, what are you doing? Why are here if you can't handle it. You should be home right now raising a family."
"Don't touch me. Leave me alone." She exclaims as she swats his hand away, not wanting to be touched. It's clear that she's not in the present right now.
Ranger moves in front of her, shoving Morelli out of the way. "Babe, Stephanie, look at me. It's Carlos. You're safe. No one is hurting you. Come on, Babe, talk to me, please."
I see his words start to register on her face. He's getting through to her. Her eyes focus, and she shakes her head, looking into Ranger's eyes. "I felt it again. I felt their hands on me, them inside me, hurting me, taking from me. I felt helpless again. I don't want to feel that way ever again."
"What are you talking about, Babe? When did it happen?"
"Oh, please, stop being so dramatic, Cupcake. Why must you always be the center of attention?" Morelli responds.
"Detective, I suggest you keep quiet, or you can leave. Ms. Plum doesn't need your negativity right now." Tara replies.
"What would you know?"
"I am a forensic psychologist. Trust me; I know how trauma affects people, especially when they may never have dealt with it."
That shut up Detective Morelli. He is an asshole, most definitely.