Chapter 48

A Trouble Shared Is A Trouble Halved

Hector's POV

I cast a wary glance in Angelita's direction. She was eerily quiet as she stared at the video monitor. The only movement was the occasional blink of her eyes as she watched Morelli sitting on the living room couch, elbows on his knees, hands on each side of his head, waiting for Gilman to get out of the shower. He looked like a man with big regrets. I didn't feel sorry for him and I hoped that Angelita wouldn't fall for any of his excuses. Seeing this for herself was hard for her, but it had been necessary.

What she'd done today had shocked the shit out of me. Before I brought her here, I'd gone through the house and seen his stash of sex products in his bedside drawer. The likelihood of him mistaking it for his favored lubricant was pretty good. Obviously, Stephanie thought the same thing. I could have stopped her, but I thought she deserved her pound of flesh after what they've been doing behind her back.

If she hadn't taken action against them, I would have. But my plan would have involved releasing the recording of this evening's activities. After I got through with them, neither Morelli nor Gilman would have been able to look anyone in the face. For now, I'd hold onto the recording as insurance. The cop would stay out of her life or I'd make him. And if he tried to hurt her in any way, he'd be signing his death warrant, but he wouldn't know that until it was too late.

Finally, Gilman came out of the bedroom, walking slowly, and they got into her car and drove away, presumably to the urgent care center. Angelita watched as the car disappeared down the street. I wondered what was going on inside her head, but instead of asking, I said, "Stay here while I remove the equipment." I slid the van door open and sprinted to the house.

On the way back to the van, I remembered to grab the GPS transmitter from Morelli's SUV. Now that Angelita was aware of his betrayal, I wouldn't need to keep track of his movements any longer. I slowed as I got closer to the van, wondering what I could say to her to make her pain bearable. I was worried about her. She should be crying or expressing her feelings in some way. It wasn't good to hold it all inside. I slid the van door open and deposited the equipment in their cases. Even though the screens were now blank, she still stared at them as if she was seeing the scene replaying over and over. "Let me help you into the front," I said, holding my hand out to her.

At the sound of my voice, she startled, and like a trusting child she put her hand in mine. I helped her out of the back and into the front passenger seat, buckled her in, and we got on the road, heading home. We were halfway back to Trenton and she still hadn't said a word. Her silence worried me. I needed Lester. He always knew how to coax a smile out of her, but he wasn't here. I was going to have to bring her out of this by myself. "Are you okay?" I asked, and then immediately groaned. Of course, she wasn't okay.

She stared out the passenger window at the passing cars. Her voice was faint when she finally spoke. "Does Ranger know?"

I'd never betray her trust. Ranger hadn't ordered me to follow Morelli. I did this all on my own because I had a bad feeling about the cop. My answer was quick and truthful. "I have not told him about my surveillance."

She turned to look at me. "Are you going to tell him?"

The truth about Ranger and his Miami puta almost slipped out, but I couldn't do that to her, not right now. Besides, Ranger is not in a relationship with Angelita. Technically he hadn't been doing anything wrong. But if he continued to string her along, he would answer to me. "No. I may work for Rangeman, but you have my complete loyalty."

She waited a beat and then nodded her head. "Thank you."

Now that she was talking, I had something I needed to know. "You told Morelli that you were going to marry him. What are you going to do?"

"Break up with him," she said without hesitation.

I hoped it was that simple, but she did have a weakness for Morelli. I've seen plenty of women betrayed by their men and watched as they went back to them time and time again. I had to know that she would stand by her decision. "Women have a way of making excuses for men they love."

I glanced at her as I drove and saw in her eyes that her decision had conviction. "You don't have to worry about that, I know it's over." I believed her.

I focused back on the road. After what happened today, I didn't think she'd want Ranger to stay the night again. She would need some space to deal with her feelings. Halfway to Trenton, I said, "I will stay the night tonight."

"I think I'd like to have Mary Lou come and stay with me if that's alright."

Of course, it was alright. She only had to ask anything of me, and I'd do it. "Call her," I suggested.

She placed the call and we finished the drive in silence. By the time we pulled into her parking lot, it was dark outside. We took the elevator up to her apartment. I checked the sensors to make sure no one had been inside. "I will stay with you until your friend gets here." I took a seat beside her on the couch and put my arm around her. She leaned her head on my shoulder and sighed.

"Can we keep this between us?" she asked.

"I do not know what you are talking about," I deadpanned.

She snorted.

Several minutes later, there was a knock at the door. I got up to check the video monitor and saw that her friend Mary Lou was here. When I opened the door, she took one look at me, and her eyes widened to the size of saucers. I gave a satisfied smile. It gives me pleasure to know that I've still got it. Angelita had crossed the room to greet her friend. After they hugged, I pulled her in close and whispered in her ear. "Will you be okay?"

"Yeah," she whispered. "Thank you for telling me the truth. It had to be hard for you."

"The cop is pendejo (asshole). He is no good for you." I kissed her cheek and waited in the hall for her to close and lock the door. I didn't walk away until I heard her engage both bolts and set the alarm.

Stephanie's POV

I locked up and as soon as I turned around, Mare had switched into maternal mode. "You sounded strange on the phone. Are you okay?" She inspected me from head to toe. "This is going to require wine, isn't it?" She didn't wait for an answer. She pulled two bottles of red wine out of her massive sized purse and placed them on the coffee table before going into the kitchen. When she came back, she had two wine glasses and a corkscrew in her hand. She pulled me down on the couch beside her and began struggling to get the bottle open. Since I had one hand in a cast, I wasn't much help. Finally, the cork popped, and she poured each of our glasses to the very top.

This wasn't a good idea. Red wine made me sad and whiny and then gave me a headache before I passed out. But I didn't listen to my experience. I wanted to blot out everything I'd seen today, and this was a quick way to do that. Mare clicked her glass with mine and we took large gulps.

The next thing I knew, I was bursting into tears. I couldn't stop the scene with Joe and Terry from playing out in my head. I saw everything like it was happening all over again. I was torturing myself and I couldn't stop. How many times had he left me and gone to her? I wanted to scream and cry and rage against his lies.

Mare's eyes narrowed in worry. She'd been so happy when I told her that Joe had proposed in Cuba. "Spill it," she said. So, I did. As I told her about what I saw today, she went through the appropriate reactions. First, she smiled when I told her how attentive and loving Joe had been since I'd been back. She practically beamed with joy when I told her that I'd accepted his proposal. Her mouth hung open in shock when I told her about Joe's love nest. And finally, she scowled in hatred when I told her I witnessed him having sex with Terry Gilman. "That bastard!" she sneered. "I hope he catches crabs from her!" As soon as the words left her mouth, she started laughing hysterically.

"What the hell is so funny?"

"You said that most of his hair… down there," she covered her mouth, trying to keep from laughing, "was missing." When she hiccupped, I started smiling along with her. "He can't catch crabs… if he doesn't have any hair left… for the little buggers to crawl around in."

I laughed harder than I had in weeks. "Thanks, Mare," I said as I tried to get it together. "I can always count on you to put things in perspective." She was the sister of my heart—my champion—my supporter—and I loved her.

After the laughter died down, she shrugged. "You know how men are. It could just be about sex."

"I don't think so." I shook my head for emphasis. "You didn't see the way he was with her."

"So, what was his plan?" she snarled. "Did he think you and Terry would become sister wives?"

I kicked my feet up on the coffee table and put my arm around her. "I wouldn't consider being a sister wife with anyone but you." She propped her feet beside mine in a show of solidarity and made a weird face as she stared at the blank TV screen. "Do you—" I started to ask.

"Quiet," she shushed me. "I'm plotting his murder."

I nudged her shoulder. "Have you been watching CSI again?"

She pointed her finger at me accusingly. "You and Hector got to have all the fun! I thought I was your partner when it comes to spying on that cheating bastard."

"You are," I assured her as I reached for the bottle of wine that we'd tucked in between the couch cushions to keep it from falling over. After I topped off my glass, and took another sip, I informed her, "But I won't need your services in the future because I'm steering clear of relationships for the rest of my life."

She gave me a look that said, uh huh… we'll see about that and then changed the subject. "Have you eaten?"

Hector had offered to stop on the way to and from Philly, but I'd been too wound up to think about eating. When I realized I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, I started laughing uncontrollably.

Mare looked at me like I'd gone stark raving mad. "What?" she asked.

"I haven't eaten since breakfast," I managed to say between laughs.

At first, she was horrified. I was still grossly underweight, and it reminded her of what I'd been through. But my laughing fit was contagious. She tried not to join in, but she couldn't help herself. In between laughs, she asked, "What's so funny about that?"

"For weeks I was so hungry I couldn't think straight and now, thanks to Joe, I've lost my appetite."

That sobered her up. Her eyes filled with tears and she flung herself at me, hugging me tightly. "Oh, Steph. I'm here for you. Whatever you need." I nodded against her chest, feeling lucky that I had a best friend like her. Her life has been like a sit-com compared to mine, but anytime I've needed her she's always been there. She finally let me go and pulled her phone out of her purse. "Wine on an empty stomach is not a good idea. I'll order Pino's. How does meatball subs sound?" I agreed and she placed our order.

While we waited for our food to be delivered, she opened the second bottle of wine. She had just filled her glass when my phone rang. Since it was lying out in the open on the coffee table, she could read the caller ID. "It's Joe!" she whisper-yelled as if he could hear her even though we hadn't answered the phone yet.

I crossed my arms over my chest and turned away. "I don't want to talk to him."

"If you don't talk to him, he'll get suspicious." Her words began to slur as she leaned in close to my face and whispered very slowly, drawing out each syllable. "He can't know you had anything to do with the sticky situation." She bit her lip to keep from laughing at her creativity. Her face started to turn red and then she snorted as she fell over onto the couch cushion. Watching her was the funniest thing I'd seen in a long time. I joined in her laughter. It was like we were thirteen again. Finally, the phone stopped ringing.

We both stared at the quiet phone still lying on the coffee table. "Think!" She sat up and began waving her hand in circles as if that would bring power to our brains. "We have to figure out what you're going to say before he calls back. Don't forget, Terry's connected to the MOB." She dragged the word out in exaggerated slowness. "If she finds out you're responsible for her ass needing a lawn mower, she'll have you fit with cement boots and thrown in the Delaware."

I felt my eyes bug out. Oh boy! I didn't want to be in trouble with the MOB, and I really didn't want to get thrown off a bridge… again. But because of our saturated alcohol content, I thought it was funny. I couldn't hold the snicker in. And Just like Mare predicted, the phone rang again. "Shit!" we both said at the same time.

She reached for the phone and tossed it to me. "Answer it!"

I screamed and threw it back to her. "I don't know what to say. You answer it."

She threw it right back to me. "Just act normal." She rapidly nodded her head and narrowed her eyes to appear wise.

I cleared my throat and put the phone to my ear. "Hey, Joe. How are you?" I spoke extra slow so he wouldn't suspect I'd been drinking. I did not need to hear a lecture from him about anything.

There was silence from his end, and I wondered where Terry was. Would he call me with her sitting right next to him?

Mare nodded her head encouragingly and whispered, "Ask him about his meeeeeting."

I nodded. That was good. Mare was really smart. "Did you have a good meeting?" I enunciated each word carefully.

He was silent for a minute and then he said, "You're acting weird? Have you been drinking?"

"I—" I hesitated and then realized I didn't owe him an explanation… not anymore. "I'm a grown woman, Joe. If I want to have a drink, I'll have a drink." Mare was nodding her head approvingly, like I was a genius, and then she leaned in close, putting her ear next to the phone so she could hear him better.

"I called a minute ago," he said. "Why didn't you answer?"

Mare pointed to the bathroom. "I must have been in the bathroom," I told him.

"Okay, I just wanted to let you know I won't be back until late Sunday night or maybe Monday morning."

"Oh," I managed to sound disappointed. "I thought you were coming home sooner."

"One of the guys on the team got sick and I had to take him to the urgent care center. I need to cover for him until he gets better." There was no discernible deception in his voice. He sounded as earnest as always.

Even though I was boiling with anger at his deception, I was able to muster some fake concern. "I hope your friend gets better and I hope you don't catch whatever they have." Mare almost choked as she tried to stifle her laugh.

He turned the focus away from him. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay."

"Is someone staying with you tonight?"

I wanted to tell him Ranger was staying overnight since I knew he wouldn't like that, but I didn't. "Mary Lou's here. We're having a girl's night."

"That's nice. You girls have fun. I love you, Cupcake."

Hearing his lies had cut through my alcohol addled brain, igniting my anger like a match dropped on a can of gasoline. "I know exactly how much you love me, Joe, and I want you to know that I feel the same way about you." He hung up, thinking he'd fooled me like every other time.

Mare and I sat there for a few minutes in the deafening silence. "Steph?" she finally asked, "are you sure things are over with him? You've been in love with him since middle school. All you ever talked about was how perfect it would be to marry Joe Morelli."

"Yeah, but I was a kid, what did I know? Let's not forget Dickie. I fell in love and married him, so clearly my judgment isn't reliable." We both stared at the blank TV screen, not speaking. We had the type of friendship that sometimes didn't require words. We'd known each other since we were in diapers. She'd been there for all the tough times and seen me through them just like she was doing now. I might not be lucky in the man department, but I lucked out with a best friend. Tears filled my eyes and I pulled her in for a crushing hug. When I released my grip on her, she was fighting her own tears.

She placed her hands on each side of my face and narrowed her eyes all serious like. "People are going to show you their true colors, and when they do, you have to believe them." I nodded in agreement with her profound statement. "I learned that at an inspirational seminar my mom took me to. It's from Oprah's friend, Maya Angelou, do you know who that is?"

I shook my head.

"That's okay." She looked at me with pity that I didn't know some random woman she was quoting. I braced myself. There was nothing Mare liked more than sharing what she learns. "Now that Joe's showed you the kind of man he is, you have to believe him," she nodded emphatically. "It's like Dr. Phil always says, 'The best predictor of past behavior is future behavior.'"

I narrowed my eyes as I tried to make sense out of what she'd just said, but I couldn't. "I think you got that backwards." I laughed.

"I did?" Her brows furrowed and then she waved her hand as if it were inconsequential. "Doesn't matter. My point is. Now you know he's a cheater that can't be trusted… right?"

Instead of answering her, I said, "You've been watching too much daytime TV."

"Dr. Phil comes on during Adrian's naptime." She shrugged as if that explained everything.

I was feeling lower than low. I leaned my head on her shoulder, letting my tears fall. "What's wrong with me, Mare? The men I love, either don't want me, or they cheat on me?" I sniffed. "Unless you count serial killers. They always want me."

"You listen to me, Stephanie Plum." She squeezed me closer. "Any man who can't appreciate your beauty, on the inside and the outside, doesn't deserve you."

"You're lucky to have Lenny. He loves you so much."

"One day soon, you'll meet the man who'll love you forever, it's just not the right time yet." As she wiped my tears with her sleeve, there was a knock at the door. Mare went to get the food from the delivery guy, but she couldn't open the door because she didn't know the code to the alarm. It was a good thing Hector had reminded me of it when he left. I got up and went to the door. Before I did anything, I checked the video screen and recognized the delivery kid from Pino's. I punched in the code and disengaged both bolts. Mare paid for our food while I locked up. I wasn't taking safety for granted ever again.

We spread the food out on the coffee table and brought sodas in from the kitchen. As we ate, we entertained revenge scenarios in excruciating detail. Neither Joe nor Terry fared well in any of them. After we'd exhausted those, Mare turned pensive. "I know you think that if you ended up happy with Joe, it would somehow make what happened to you in high school bearable, but it won't."

The bottom dropped out of my stomach and I sat up, glaring at her. "You promised to never talk about that summer."

Her face fell and I thought she was going to cry. "I know I did," she said as she looked down at her lap. "I thought I was being a good friend back then, but what if keeping your secret was the worst thing I could've done for you?" I started to object, but she held her hand up. "Wait, just listen to me," she pleaded. "What happened to you is one of the worst things that can happen to a girl. And it wouldn't have happened if Joe hadn't written those poems about you on the bathroom and stadium walls. He made you a target for revenge. He thought it was all a game. Well, he screwed the wrong guys girlfriend and you paid the price."

I couldn't believe she was bringing all of this up now. I never wanted to think about Mason Treadwell let alone talk about what he did to me.

She didn't say anything for a few minutes and then her eyes sparked as if she just remembered something. "And let's not forget what happened last year. Dave Brewer almost killed you because Joe slept with his prom date back in high school. All this time, I've kept my mouth closed, because you were happy, but—" She sighed angrily. "You've been attacked twice now. How many times do you have to pay because Joe can't keep his dick in his pants?"

I swallowed the knot in my throat and stared at the floor. What could I say? Everything she said was true, even if it was brutal to hear.

"And now he's strung you along while cheating on you," she added.

"I'm done with him," I said.

She studied me for a minute and saw the truth in my words. She gave me a nod and picked up her phone, scrolling through her playlist. While she searched for a song, she asked, "Do you think Hector made a recording of Joe and Terry?"

That was a fair question and now that she'd brought it up, I wondered the same thing. "He didn't mention it, but I'd say he probably did."

Her mouth transformed into an evil smile. "Will you ask him to hook me up? You did a good job describing it, but I wouldn't mind seeing it for myself."

I didn't want to see it again and if Hector had it, I hoped he was keeping it well hidden. Joe would not be happy to find out his, 'sticky situation' as Mare coined it, had been immortalized on film. "If you want to see it that badly, you can ask him yourself."

"Party pooper," she said and returned her attention to her phone. "Ah, here it is." As "Enter Sandman" started playing, she jumped to her feet and then pulled me up with her. "We need to cleanse your apartment of everything belonging to the cheating liar." Mare found a box in my hall closet and we stumbled through my apartment, searching every nook and cranny for anything belonging to Joe. When we were done, we both looked at the nearly empty box. The only things I'd found were a couple outfits and his shaving kit. It seemed pitiful compared to the number of things he'd had stored at Terry's house.

Finally, Mare passed out on the couch, but I was still wide awake, wondering what my life was going to be like now that Joe and I were done. The way things were going, it didn't look like I was ever going to get married or have a kid. I tried telling myself those things weren't meant for me and that I was better off without them. Now I just had to make myself believe it.