Thanks to all your wonderful reviews I was able to get this chapter done faster than usual. And then RL happened and I couldn't post it, so sorry. But I appreciate each and every one of your reviews, please keep them coming, I'm such a review slut…

Spaciba to the real Stayce, you're one in a million, Babe! I don't know how you do it without telling me to go to hell…

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JE. Except for the characters I invented. But I don't make any money…

Rating: PG13 easily…

Living on A Prayer

Chapter 24

Thomalla looked pained. "Stephanie, you don't understand…" he said slowly, "It broke my heart when I found out…"

I took a step back and crossed my arms over my chest, "Why don't you tell me exactly what it is you think you found out?"

My cell phone rang at that moment and I pulled it out to ignore the call. I pressed the button without looking at the caller ID and let the phone slip back into my bag.

Thomalla had sat down back on the bench and was running a hand through his thin hair.

"Start from the beginning," I said, "Did you know when we talked on the phone yesterday?" He shook his head. "This all started this morning," he said and stared off into space again, "I was called into the Chief's office…the Feds were there…I had no idea what it was about."

I sat down next to him, crossed my legs and made myself wait for him to continue.

"At first I thought it was about the case, they asked about the progress. But then their questions turned to Morelli, and what I knew about his work…what I knew about his informants."

I tried to be patient, it seemed painful for him to tell me, but I was growing more impatient by the second.

He looked up, "They asked me about the evidence from the last bust, and I told them Morelli had taken care of it. Steph, they said it never showed up at the lab." I shrugged, "So?"

He sighed. "We'd been working on this case for almost a year and it finally looked like we were getting close. We got a tip and we interrupted a huge drug deal. We must have confiscated over 100 kilos. And it's all gone."

I sucked in some air. "Why would it be Joe's job to take the evidence to the lab?" I asked.

Thomalla shook his head, "It wasn't. He insisted." That didn't sound like Morelli to me and I frowned. "So they're saying Joe took the drugs?"

Thomalla shrugged. "Not in so many words. They also asked about the other results, fingerprints and such. Everything that Morelli had insisted on taking to the lab personally…I had to tell them I lost track of it after…after," He took a deep breath, "After Morelli was killed."

"We know who killed him," I said, "and it had nothing to do with any evidence." None of what Thomalla said made any sense.

He ignored my comment. "The crime lab doesn't have any record of evidence from that bust." He continued, but I didn't want to listen to it any longer. I got up, "I have to go."

Thomalla grabbed my forearm, "Did you know his body was autopsied?" He asked and I felt bile rise in my throat. I shook my head numbly, "Why?"

Thomalla looked up, "I guess it's standard procedure…I didn't know, Steph. Believe me, I would have tried anything in my power to stop him, you have to believe me."

"Stop who from what?" I asked confused. He must have lost it, I figured, he was making less and less sense.

"Steph, they found cocaine and amphetamines in his blood."

I'd heard enough, and I didn't believe a word of it. I wanted to just walk away but my feet didn't cooperate, I was frozen in place.

"They asked me if I noticed anything about him and when I said no, they said that's what they thought, he must have used for years. That's how they think they got to him, you know? He'd need more and more money for drugs…they'd pay him to look the other way…" Thomalla was talking more to himself at this point. I saw white spots dancing in front of my eyes and I was afraid I was going to be sick to my stomach since the squishy feeling was back.

My cell phone rang again, but I didn't bother getting it out of the purse this time. Thomalla glanced at my bag, "Are you armed?" he asked and I looked at him surprised. "I don't mean to scare you Steph, but I don't know how many of them are out there and if they're after you. Are you armed?"

I shook my head no, but I couldn't help remembering Ranger's words about the subject. "And who are they?" I asked with my eyebrows raised, "The feds?" Thomalla shook his head. "The 'bad guys'," he said, "People Morelli should have never gotten cozy with."

I got up slowly. "I don't know what you're on, but it's clearly too much. I thought you knew Morelli, but you just proved you didn't. If you really were his friend, you wouldn't even think those…those…" I couldn't think of a word strong enough for the madness of it. Thomalla got up as well and held me by my elbow. "That's exactly what I said at first. You didn't see the reports, Steph. Morelli was killed because he didn't deliver on a promise."

I pulled my arm free and glared at him, "You're wrong. And I don't have to listen to you. I'm leaving." I said and turned to go. Thomalla sighed behind me. "I don't believe it either. I think it's fabricated. I don't know why or who, but it looks pretty bad."

I stopped and faced him, "That's not what it sounded like a minute ago," I gestured behind him, "You said they convinced you."

He shook his head, "They were very convincing, yes. But I didn't believe them. I needed to tell you what they had before I shared my opinion. I'm glad you came to the same conclusion, because I need your help, Stephanie." He reached out and touched my arm again and I didn't pull back this time. He had a weird way of asking for my help, but if there was anything I could do to make people see the truth, I would.

"Morelli told me about evidence he had. So powerful, he didn't trust the lab or the vault with it, he took it with him," Thomalla started and his voice had changed to the likeable pitch again. "Not to hide it, to keep it safe. Morelli suspected someone within the department was corrupt, said this evidence could prove it." He took a deep breath.

"Then why don't you hand them this important evidence?" I asked, "Don't you want to clear his name before this gets any further?"

"I think I know how to exonerate him, Steph" Thomalla said, "But I can't do it without you. Joe never shared what it was he had; I only know it had to be small for him to hide it."

We had started walking and were now back at Thomalla's car. "Did he ever give you anything to keep safe or asked you to take care of something?" He asked when he unlocked his car and opened the passenger door for me. I tried to think but nothing came to mind. My head hurt from last night's alcohol and today's shit. "I can't of anything, what kind of evidence are we talking about?"

He shrugged and put the car in gear, "Maybe a notebook, or a disk, a CD, something like that."

CD rang a bell, but I couldn't figure out why. Something about a conversation…hadn't Joe given me a CD and told me…Yes! He said he had burned me a CD and I had laughed at the high school-sweetheartness of it, but when he gave it to me he said to just humor him and enjoy it, but to never listen to it on my laptop. That last part didn't seem important at the time though; I'd appreciated the gesture but never got around to listen to the disk. Could that be it? And if it was, what happened to the CD?

"Anything come to mind?" Thomalla prodded. I wanted to check for myself before I shared my thoughts. "Don't know yet. I'll have to think about it."

"Think hard, Steph, there isn't much time," Thomalla urged. He turned to me when we stopped at a light, "They're making me turn state's evidence the day after tomorrow. The case will be closed after that. Morelli will be made the scapegoat and everything we did this past year will have been for nothing." His blue eyes were pleading. "Is that how you want Joe to be remembered? His name sullied for good?"

The light changed and he focused on the road. What a stupid question, of course I didn't want Joe's reputation destroyed. But I didn't want to tell Thomalla I had the missing evidence without knowing what it was first. If only I could remember what I'd done with the stupid CD!

"Is your car at Pino's" Thomalla interrupted my thoughts. Shit, I'd forgotten all about it. Where was my car? Was it at home or still at RangeMan?

"Just drop me off at my parents', my Dad will take me home later," I said. The day couldn't possibly get any worse, so I thought I might as well get my mom over with. Plus, I could mooch food which I'd missed at Pino's due to my hasty exit.

And for some reason, I needed to be home. After the mayham and insanity of the past days, I needed the familiar bedlam of my dysfunctional family. Maybe I could take a nap in my old bedroom and let everything go through my mind again.

Thomalla nodded and turned left into the Burg.

It was right between lunch and dinner, I hadn't announced my visit and I wasn't in my own car, yet, sure enough, Mom and Grandma Mazur stood behind the storm door, watching me get out of the car. I assured Thomalla I'd call him as soon as I thought I found anything and closed the door.

I shouldered my bag and walked the short distance up the steps.

"Stephanie, what a nice surprise," Mom said, and I knew I was in trouble. She would ask me to help her in the kitchen next. "Good to see you're in one piece," Grandma Mazur said and I smiled at her. "There's some lunchmeat and fresh bread left, are you hungry?" She asked and nudged me inside.

I was starving and it felt incredibly comfortable to be sitting at the kitchen table and have my mom prepare a sandwich for me. I ate hungrily and let my eyes wander over the three generations of Plum women. I could hear the TV in the living room where my dad was undoubedlty watching. In short, all was well in the Plum family.

"Have you talked to your sister today?" Mom wanted to know when I washed down my sandwich with a glass of milk. I shook my head no, "I haven't talked to her since last night. I stayed until Albert got home. Did the girls stay here overnight?"
Mom nodded, "Thank God we were able to keep it all from them. The poor girls, they would have been traumatized for life! Valerie said she explained it all to Albert and he is staying home with her today to help her cope."

Maybe it was just me, but I could have sworn I heard the unspoken accusation in my mom's voice. Proabably she blamed me for everything that had happened.

"Well," Grandma Mazur said as she helped herself to a cupcake off the plate in the middle of the table, "What matters is that everybody came out of it alive and well." She took a big bite out of the cupcake and winked at me.

"Those are for the girls!" Mom whined with a look at Grandma Mazur, but Grandma waved her off, "There's plenty left for them. You put too much sugar in anyway, more 'n one will make you sick." I grinned. I was sure there was nothing wrong with my mom's recipe; Grandma just needed a way to put her back into her place.

I pushed my empty plate back and helped myself to a cupcake as well. I felt a lot better already.

"I visited Joe's grave today," I said, knowing it would calm the waves somewhat. "That was nice of you," Mom said and she looked pleased. Grandma patted my hand and sent me a smile.

"So what are your plans for tonight, is there a viewing?" I asked Grandma Mazur. She got excited, "Yes, poor Ed Mancuso is laid out," she said, "He had a heart attack while getting his backyard ready for winter. God rest his soul. " We all crossed ourselves at that.

Mom got up and put my plate and glass in the sink. "Stephanie, do you have time to stay? I could use your help upstairs."

I sucked in some air. This was it, the Plum inquisision was about to start. I realized I couldn't avoid it forever. "Sure Mom, I don't have any plans." Grandma patted my hand again and got up to join Dad in the living room. I took a deep breath and a cookie from the jar for courage and followed my mom upstairs.

Mom was folding laundry in their bedroom when I joined her. Obviously not something she'd need my help with, but at least I was going to get yelled at in privacy.

"It was a terrible thing what happened at Valerie's house yesterday," she started. I took a deep breath, "Uh huh."

"As I understand it you saved Valerie and Lisa from that lunatic. You could have been killed!"

"Uh huh" Really, what could I say? She was right, but I hadn't been killed and Teddy was in jail because I'd acted on instinct.

"I think that was very selfless of you to risk your life for your sister."

Wait a minute, what? Was I dreaming? I wanted to ask my mother who she was and what she'd done with my mom. My mouth gaped open and my eyes felt like they were bulging out of their sockets before I got a grip.

"Thank you," I said almost automatically, since I had no real comeback. I was still waiting for the 'But…'

Instead she asked, "Do you know who this terrible man was?" I shook my head to clear it. "It…his name is Teddy Gardner. He killed Joe." That last part had more or less blurted out and my mom's horrified face told me it shouldn't have.

She bunched up the t-shirt she had been folding against her chest and sucked in some air, "Are you sure?" I just nodded. I wasn't going to explain all the details to her; I was still waiting for those wounds to heal. If I told her everything, I would relive it. Mom only needed to know the gist anyway. "He killed Joe and he attacked Ranger's men and he broke into Val's house. But he's in jail now, and he was denied bail."

Mom crossed herself again, "Thank God! But why me? Mary Kuzak's daughters never get attacked by madmen!"

Finally! Now we were back in familiar territory. Still, Mom had said daughters, plural, I wasn't singled out. I spontaneously kissed her cheek and hugged her briefly. She was a little surprised at that but smiled.

"Mom, I'm pretty tired. Do you mind if I take a nap in my room?" I said to change the subject and not give my mom time to recover enough to blame me. "Sure," she said, waving in the general direction of my bedroom, "Go ahead; I'll wake you for dinner."

I plopped down on my old bed in my thinking position on my back and stared at the familiar ceiling. I had wanted to get it over with and listen to what my mom had to say, and she had totally surprised me. Funny, the one time I was sure she'd blame me.

I was glad I'd come here rather than go home. My parents' house always felt like a refuge, even with the verbal attacks, it still felt safe. I'd come here to sort things out, but the familiar sounds of my mom puttering in her bedroom and the TV from downstairs lulled me into sleep.

Grandma Mazur woke me at 5:55, at least that's what time she said it was. "Thought I'd give you a couple minutes to come back," she smiled as she sat down on the edge of the bed, "Rough night?"

I'd spent last night drinking and passing out on Ranger, but I wasn't going to tell her that. "It's been a rough week," I just said and she nodded.

"I don't know if Ellen told you, but we are mighty proud of you for saving your sister like that," she said and touched my shoulder. It felt good to hear it, but I kept waiting for someone to blame me for Teddy being there in the first place. "She's my sister," I replied and meant it. I'd do it again if I had to.

Grandma Mazur nodded and got up. "Well, wash up for dinner, we're having chicken!" With that she left my bedroom.

I went to the bathroom to tame my hair and make sure I looked okay. I felt a lot better after my nap, both physically and emotionally. I still had to talk to someone to make sense to it all though, and I knew I couldn't have that kind of talk with my family.

My dad was already at the dining table with his knife and fork in hand when I got downstairs. Again, I had to smile at the predictability of it all. This was home.

I went and got the green beans from the kitchen and we all sat down to eat. Mom was telling us about the latest Burg gossip and it was very relaxing to hear who got engaged and who had a haircut that their husband didn't like.

"You should check your phone," Grandma Mazur said, helping herself to more mashed potatoes, "It's been ringing off the hook. I wanted to answer it but Ellen told me not to." This earned her a glare from my mom. I'd forgotten all about my cell phone. It was in my bag on the table in the hallway, where I'd dropped it as soon as I came in.

Although it was a regular Monday, Mom had gone through the trouble of making pineapple upside-down cake. My voicemail messages would just have to wait until after dinner, I decided and dug in.

I didn't stop eating until all that was left of the cake was a smidgen of whipped cream and I had to open the top snap on my jeans. I was ready for another nap, but I knew I had things to do. Reluctantly, I got up and retrieved my cell phone. I had ten new voicemails. What or who was so important, I wondered as I dialed in.

Stayce Krenzler had called twice, first asking me to call her back and then telling me she'd stop by after her shift at eight. I checked my watch, it was almost seven now. If a meeting would get her to stop leaving me messages, I'd talk to her. Ranger had also called twice, telling me to call him. I had planned to ask my dad to take me home, but since I needed to talk to Ranger anyway, I called him to pick me up.

"I'll be there in 15," he said and disconnected. Perfect timing, I thought, I'd get to listen to the rest of my messages. I called Lula next to assure her I was fine and hadn't fallen off the face of the earth like she had suggested in her message. She wouldn't let me go until I promised her I'd be by the office the next day and we'd have time to talk.

Valerie had left a voicemail to tell me she was all right and to call her, Mom had left two messages earlier. I'd call Val from home, I decided, and deleted all messages.

Since I didn't want Ranger to come to the door, I said my goodbyes and went to wait for him outside. I knew once he'd ring the bell, Mom would ask him in, feed him dinner, and God knew what Grandma Mazur would do to him.

Mom gave me the obligatory bag of leftovers and made me promise I'd be by again soon, Dad waved goodbye when I poked my head into the living room and Grandma went to get ready for the evening viewing. All in all, it had been a good visit.

I'd barely reached the curb when Ranger's black Mercedes stopped right in front of me. "Thanks for picking me up," I said and smiled at him when I buckled my seatbelt. I realized I was happy to see him, I'd even missed him. 'You see, Stephanie? I told you you've been spending too much time with him,' an inner voice spoke up, 'You don't see him for a few hours and you miss him? Get a grip!'

I scoffed and Ranger turned to me with a raised eyebrow. I waved him off, "Just having ridiculous thoughts." He gave me a full-on smile, "You? No! That's so hard to believe!" I punched him jokingly and he peeled away from the curb and threaded the car into traffic, still grinning.

"I see you've had dinner," He said and I almost jumped in surprise. Ranger doesn't talk when driving. I looked at the grocery bag on my lap, "Yeah, and I have enough leftovers for tomorrow. Unless you want some, are you hungry?"

He raised an eyebrow as if he was thinking of insulting my mom's cooking, but thought better of it and just shook his head, "I'm good."

The rest of the fifteen-minute drive was quiet, and I was oddly relieved when Ranger parked the Mercedes in my lot, it meant he was coming up.

"No whining?" he asked when he killed the engine and opened his door. I just stuck my tongue out at him, knowing exactly what he meant. Maybe I should give him a hard time for babysitting me so it wouldn't seem odd to him.

Ranger stopped me when we got off the elevator and took the keys out of my hand. "Let me just check first," He said and pushed me behind him. I rolled my eyes behind his back but didn't complain, I wasn't too eager to walk into a chaos like the day before or find a sick present. He waved me in a couple minutes later and holstered his gun, "All clear, doesn't look like anyone's been here."

"Except for the cleaning fairy," I said when I stepped into the tiny foyer. Someone had removed all evidence from the mess, my guess was Ella. I was going to send her a gift basket for this!

Then I heard it. Unmistakable. It was Rex running on his wheel! I dropped my bags and rushed into the kitchen. There was Rex's cage, sitting on the counter. He stopped running and blinked at me. "Oh Honey, I missed you, too!" I said with tears of joy in my eyes. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed him and I turned around to face Ranger. "Thank you!" I said and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer, "You're welcome," he whispered into my ear.

I pulled away to kiss his cheek, but he turned his head and I ended up planting a kiss on the corner of his mouth. Ranger smiled at that and I knew he'd done it on purpose. I cleared my throat, suddenly realizing how close we were, and took a step back.

"I need to talk to you," I said, successfully changing the topic and ending the 'moment'. It was true though, I needed someone level-headed to talk to, to go over the horrible news with. My reaction to it was natural, but Ranger could be more objective and tell me if I over-reacted. Still, the talk could have waited. I used it as an escape to cover up the feelings Ranger stirred in me. I couldn't deal with them right now.

I grabbed two beers out of the fridge and joined Ranger in the living room. He'd taken his utility belt off and was unlacing his boots, as if settling in for the evening. I sat down next to him.

"So what do you need to talk about?" He asked, taking one of the bottles from me. I bit my lips trying to decide on the best way to start, when the doorbell rang.

Ranger stiffened immediately, "You expecting someone?" I nodded, "That's gonna be Detective Krenzler. I forgot about her, she left me a voicemail…" I started to get up, but Ranger put his hand on my arm. "Let me answer it, just to make sure." He got up and sent me a curious look, probably because I didn't object. I was surprised, too. What had happened this afternoon that made me glad Ranger was around?

I could hear Stayce ask for me when Ranger opened the door, so I got up and took a deep breath for courage. Hopefully, she wouldn't go all shrink on me, I'd cried enough for a couple years.

Ranger stepped aside to let Stayce in. "I'll be back in a bit," he said, retrieved his gun belt from the living room and kissed my cheek on the way out.

"Please come in," I said and let Stayce pass me. She was dressed in a professional pantsuit that looked pretty flattering on her.

"I won't take up much of your time," she said, "but I've been trying to reach you for days now, I decided to just stop by." I nodded and led her into the living room.

"What can I do for you?" I asked when we both sat down on the couch. Stayce took a notepad out of her purse and crossed her legs.

"On the contrary, Stephanie. Do you mind if I call you Stephanie?" She didn't wait for my answer before she continued, "It's about what I can do to help you."

I barely resisted the urge to roll my eyes, "What is it you think I need help with?" I asked, although I had a pretty good idea. She reached out and put her hand on my forearm. "You don't need to act brave, Stephanie. The loss you suffered must weigh heavily on you. I'm here to listen. To help you come to grips with reality."

Obviously she didn't know me well. On my best days, reality wasn't my best friend, and these past days hadn't been close to being my best. She reminded me why I'd never seen a psychiatrist.

"I'm fine, really," I said, and to me, I sounded pretty convincing. Stayce shook her head, "You don't need to be fine. It's okay to be upset. You just lost the most important thing in your life."

I chose to change directions. "It was tough at first," I said, "But with the help of my friends and my family, I got through it." There, didn't that sound sane? I sure hoped so.

Stayce made some notes on her pad, then looked at me, full of pity. "Detective Thomalla asked me to talk to you. He said you'd need someone to help you make sense of it all."

Hah. As if there was any sense in it! There was no reason in the world Morelli had to die, and there was no reason whatsoever for Teddy to become obsessed with me. I knew I had to keep those words to myself though, or else Stayce would never leave.

"He called me today to tell me you got some disturbing news. Is it something you want to talk about?" Her hand was back on my forearm, and I wondered if that was a patented gesture of hers. Probably she was a really nice woman and I would have liked her if we had met under different circumstances. But right now, all I wanted to share with her was that it was none of her business. And that I'd been trying to talk about it when she interrupted. I picked up my beer and took a sip to stall for time.

I shook my head slowly, "No, I don't think I'm ready to talk about it just yet," I said and managed to lower my eyes and look hurt. I could see Stayce nod out of the corner of my eyes. "Do you promise to call me when you're ready to talk? I'm here for you, Stephanie, any time."

I nodded and managed a sad smile. God, I could really fib when I had to. "Thank you. I appreciate it, Stayce." I said, and I meant it. We stood together and she shook my hand, "Any time, day or night," she repeated and I nodded. I walked her to the door and promised her I'd be in touch. After I'd closed the door behind her I leaned against it. I'd been so close to losing it. I don't like sharing feelings, much less with strangers, so it kind of angered me that she had almost make me break down. Of course she was right, I wasn't over it, but talking about it wouldn't make it better. Eating lots of cake and going shopping were more likely to help me than talking.

I jumped when there was a knock at the door, and before I could turn and look through the peephole, Ranger opened the door and squeezed himself in. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. I just need a drink," I said and Ranger did the almost-smile. "You must have been a lot more convincing with the shrink, or else she wouldn't have left so soon." I just shrugged and turned to go back to the living room and my beer. "Do you know her?" I asked when Ranger joined me. Again, he took off his utility belt and unlaced his boots, and for some reason the Army command 'As you were' flashed through my mind and made me giggle.

Ranger picked up his own beer and looked at me, surprise now clear on his face. "Something funny?" He asked, but a smile was playing around his lips.

I waved it off and spontaneously scooted over to him, resting my head on his shoulder. "So do you know more about her?" I asked again. I could feel Ranger shake his head slightly, "Only that she's the grief counselor. I can check her out if you want me to."

I nodded, "And can you run a check on Thomalla, too? I want to know all about him before I talk to him again."

"You got it," Ranger said and put his arm around me, "Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?" I pushed myself up against his chest to be able to look at him. "No, there's more," I took a deep breath, "I know you and Morelli weren't exactly best friends, but what is your opinion about him as a cop?"

Ranger looked at me for a moment, as if he was choosing the right words. "He was a good man, and an honest cop," he said with such confidence that tears welled up in my eyes. "Now tell me why you asked."

So I did. The whole story, from Eddie and Pino's to the cemetery.

TBC

A/N: What do you think? Is Detective Krenzler really only trying to help Steph or could she have ulterior motives? Ranger asked me and I couldn't tell him…let me know your opinion!