Ranger
Joe Juniak had left a few minutes after he confirmed that Judge Caruso was assigned the cases for Joseph Morelli and Helen Plum. Stephanie and I decided it was time to get some sleep before we reviewed the data she and Hector collected regarding Bella Morelli. I agreed with Juniak's assessment that Mancuso wasn't hiding with Salvatore Sunucchi. Sunny wouldn't want the police officers to look too closely at his business. The nail studio on the main floor of his brownstone was a front for his illegal activity. Only people Sunny had pre-approved could access the secret room in the basement.
An hour after Stephanie and I made love, she fell asleep, and my satellite phone rang. I quietly slipped out of bed, relieved when Stephanie only rolled over when she groaned. Soft snores filled the room, making me smile. "Manoso," I answered.
"Am I interrupting you, son?" Frank asked.
"No, sir. Stephanie's asleep," I replied as I moved into my office and closed the door. I didn't want to wake Stephanie by talking.
"Ah. You're good for eight hours," Frank joked. "Helen got arrested."
"Yes, sir. The detectives found evidence hidden in a locked metal box."
"Juniak explained everything to me. I have no intention of bailing Helen from jail or hiring an expensive lawyer. Edna refuses to help. Helen can hire that bumbling idiot, Albert Kloughn, for all I care. I believe that was the lawyer Edna promised would represent Helen. He will get paid once Helen receives her sentence. I will handle her at that time." General Plum didn't have to explain further. I knew what he meant.
"Any luck finding Pacini?"
"Intel shows he's on a mercenary mission in Mexico. He left two days ago," Frank explained. "It will take him a minimum of two weeks to get into position." Interpretation: Stephanie has some room to move around Trenton to locate Mancuso. "Expect a parcel soon," Frank said before hanging up.
I heard a timid knock on my office door. "Babe?"
Stephanie opened the door. She was disappointed to see I had slipped on a pair of track pants while I was on the phone. "Is everything okay?" I nodded and pointed at the box in her hand. "Tank dropped this off. I heard your phone ring and answered it. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all, Babe. I have nothing to hide from you." She gave me the box bearing my name. I slipped a knife from my pocket and slit the top open.
"Tank said Binkie scanned it, and there wasn't anything suspicious inside," Stephanie said with her lip twitching. "I think it's for me." I raised an eyebrow.
When I removed the envelopes, I started laughing. At the bottom of the box were four different types of wigs for Stephanie to wear. I slit open one envelope and tipped the contents onto my desk. Stephanie lifted the identification cards. "Bianca Montgomery," she said. "I hope nobody in Trenton watched the soap opera All My Children."
"Why? It's a good name." I didn't see anything wrong with the identification.
"At least this Bianca is a blonde." I removed the wig from the box and passed it to Stephanie. She motioned me to set it on the desk as she braided her hair. Stephanie pulled the wig over her head and was surprised it fit her head shape. She opened the contacts case and excused herself for a few minutes. I didn't recognize Stephanie when she returned.
Standing before me was a gorgeous blonde with steel-grey eyes. "Babe?" The tight jeans and skin tight shirt made me hard.
"Yup. It's me," Stephanie replied. "Do you have the contact solution for lenses?" I removed a bottle from the box and passed it to Stephanie. She grabbed another wig and contact lens combination for Jennifer Rappaport. The red hair and green eyes reminded me more of the Black Widow from the Marvel universe. "You like this one?" Stephanie wore a tight, black spandex pants and tight black shirt. Would you like me to wear a spandex jumpsuit instead?" Stephanie purred.
"Babe," I groaned.
"My husband has a crush on Black Widow? Interesting."
"No. I have a crush on my wife. You are a sexy woman." I kissed her until her leg involuntarily wrapped around my hip. "Let me see the other disguises."
Stephanie grabbed the other wigs and contacts to try them on. Annie Dutton was a woman with black hair and brown eyes. The final identification was for Nikki Munson. She was a platinum blonde with pale blue eyes.
"Did you enjoy yourself?" Stephanie asked when she pulled my Rangeman shirt over her head. She looked sexy in the outfits she selected with the disguises, but seeing her wear my clothes made me lose control.
Stephanie cuddled close after we made love. "What did the general want?"
"Pacini got shipped to Mexico on a mission," I replied.
"Are supposed to share this intel?"
"Babe."
"I know. You're telling me about the country but not the city. Why did he send the identification and disguises?" I opened my mouth to answer, but she placed a finger over my lips. "You don't need to confirm what I know. Are you okay with me roaming Trenton to locate Mancuso?" Stephanie asked.
"Yes, but only if you carry a panic button and a tracker," I replied. Stephanie nodded. I didn't mention that one of my men would follow her to ensure her safety. She let me lean over to grab a note off my nightstand. "I found this in the box."
Stephanie read the letter from Frank Plum. She wiped a tear off her face after reading the part where each identity had a few hundred thousand dollars in a bank account and a credit card. However, if someone got too familiar with one of her identifications or discovered it was a fake, it had to get burned. "Getting the names from my grandma Mazur didn't surprise me. She loved watching those cancelled soap opera. But why destroy the identification?" Stephanie asked.
"For protection," I replied. "Those identities would pass all background checks and scrutiny. I have some I created for you."
"You do? Why can't I use those?" Stephanie lifted her head to rest her chin on my chest.
"They're for when you and I have to disappear," I explained. Stephanie squinted her eyes as she thought about the implications.
"Oh. Do you think Ella can get me fake eyebrows to match the wigs? It would add authenticity to the disguises." I kissed her forehead and agreed to have Ella purchase the items online. We couldn't risk someone seeing her buying the items in Trenton or Newark.
Stephanie
Carlos didn't like me leaving Rangeman, but I needed to follow Angie and Bella Morelli without anyone catching me. He reluctantly let me go after ensuring I had the panic button and tracker. My first time leaving the building to venture around Trenton made me nervous. I wore a blond wig and grey contacts. The identification in my Coach purse was for Bianca Montgomery. I was surprised to find a car in the garage. The registration had Bianca as the owner. "Freaking Batman thinks of everything," I mumbled.
I parked on the road in front of the Tasty Pastry. After taking a deep breath, I forced myself to get out of the car. People stared as I entered the bakery. "May I help you?" the girl behind the counter asked. I read her name tag. Valentina. She resembled Tina Rosolli. I couldn't remember if Tina was a short form of her name.
"Yes," I replied. "May I have a strawberry cream donut and a large coffee with an espresso shot, two creams and three sugars?"
"Name?" Valentina asked.
"Montgomery," I replied. She wrote my name on a cup and passed it to the barista. I paid for my coffee and donut and moved to the side for the next customer to approach the counter. Nobody paid attention to me as I ate my donut while drinking the coffee. I people-watched as I pretended to get occupied with my phone.
The door opened and the atmosphere changed. I looked up to see Isabelle Morelli. She briefly glanced my way before ordering a Boston cream donut and a coffee with cream and sugar. Isabelle paid for her food, then left. When I returned to my car, I found a note under the wiper. I shakily removed it to read, "Train station. A bag lady on the bench will have the key for you."
I sat in my car before calling Lester. "Yo. Are you sick of my cousin already?" Lester joked.
"No. Carlos has business meetings today," I replied while looking through my rearview mirror. A man slipped into the ally beside the bakery. I narrowed my eyes. "I found a note on my car. Should I be worried?"
"What does your spidey sense say?" Lester asked.
It wasn't humming. I replied, "I should get the item from the location mentioned."
"Then do that," Lester said and hung up. He didn't seem too worried, which made me think Carlos didn't have meetings and was following me around. I smiled and drove to the train station after grabbing food from McDonald's drive-through.
There was an open spot at a meter in front of the train station. I dropped a few coins into the machine and ensured it registered before approaching the woman on the bench. "Hi. I brought this for you. I assumed you could use a decent meal."
"Thank you. She said you'd bring me food. I'm supposed to give you this key." The woman reached into her shirt pocket to get the item. "It's for locker 63C."
"What's your name?" I asked.
"Eula Rothridge," she replied. "I don't need your name. The young girl said it wasn't important."
"Thank you, Eula." As a rule, I didn't like lying. I left her to eat her food in peace. It didn't take me long to find the locker. Inside the locker, I found a sealed letter-sized envelope. A bulge near the bottom was the rough shape of a flash drive. I planned to park the car a few blocks from Angie Morelli's home, but I decided to return to Rangeman instead. After returning the key to the attendant at the ticket counter, I went home.
Nobody met me as I made my way to the seventh floor. I entered the apartment and placed my keys in the silver bowl by the door. The keys to the Turbo 911 were missing. I smiled, knowing how much Carlos loved driving that car.
Before opening the envelope, I grabbed a pair of nitrile gloves from the office. I didn't want to touch anything without protection. The envelope could get burned to destroy my fingerprints. It seemed strange to be concerned now, when it didn't bother me at the bakery or the train station, but my spidey sense guided me.
I gently pulled the documents from the envelope. A flash drive got taped to a note. I messaged Hector to bring me a secure device to view the content. He arrived as I was reading the tidy handwritten message.
Mom (yes, I know that's who you are),
I know you didn't want to give me up. Last year, I borrowed my grandma Plum's computer for a project. I found some concerning emails. I printed off everything I could find. The USB drive contains a bunch of photographs Gigi (great-grandma) had hidden from grandma Plum. Gigi gave me the pictures when I asked about you. She made me promise to hide them from grandma Plum, or she'd destroy them.
Anyway, I got my friend to rent a locker at the train station to hide the documents and flash drive. Oh, the drive also has the backup copy of a video I gave to the detective after he searched Valerie's van. I'm glad my friend hid the stuff for me because I caught Valerie going through my room last week. My soccer practice got cut short because a teammate broke her arm. Valerie didn't know I would be home nearly an hour early. She claimed to be putting away my laundry, but it was a lie. I had already put away my clothes.
Please put the envelope contents in a safe location. I had it hidden in the train station since yesterday. We gave the key to Eula. She wanted us to pay her with food for the favour. I assured her that you'd bring her something good. Eula gave me a funny look. I closed my eyes and saw you give her the McDonald's bag. What did you buy? Please find a way to tell me it was a Big Mac, two double cheeseburgers, two apple pies and an extra large French fries. Hmmm… how can you tell me? Let me think for a minute. Ha! I know. Order five dozen donuts and send them to Mr. Potter's class at Holy Rosary. He won't get mad. I promise. Just send him a black coffee.
Stay safe. Once you stop the man from the emails, we can be together. For now, I have to keep pretending. Watch grandma Morelli's house. You'll find what you seek. ;)
Love always, Isa.
PS: I don't use Belle anymore. It's too close to Bella. *shudders*
Hector held out his hand for the flash drive. He ran a virus scan on it before opening the pictures. "You loved her," Hector said as the images flashed across the screen.
"I still do." He wrapped his arm around my shoulders as we viewed the pictures. I gave him the letter to read. "She saw me in the Tasty Pastry and left a note on my car." Hector raised an eyebrow when I passed him the torn, lined paper.
"How did she leave the note? Our surveillance shows Valerie drives the girls to school," Hector asked. I shrugged before a name popped into my head.
"Tory Mancini. She's Abby's older sister. Tory volunteered to drive Abbie and Isabelle to school because her mother didn't have enough room for her in the car." Hector entered Tory Mancini's name into the search program. Victoria was seventeen. Her brother, Mark, was ten, and her sister, Abigail, was twelve. Hector's search showed Carina, and Paulo Mancini lived outside the Burg. The Tasty Pastry wasn't on their route to school. She drove out of her way at her sister's request. Valerie would never have done that for me.
Meanwhile, inside the Mancini's second vehicle, Tory asked, "Was she there?"
"Yes," Isabelle replied. "She was in disguise, but I still knew it was her."
"Did you talk to her?" Abby asked.
"No. I didn't want to draw unnecessary attention. You know how much the Burg bitches like to gossip. Thankfully, it was too early for them. I'm glad Gigi gave me some spending money. It would have been awkward to order a donut and coffee without a way to pay for it. Abby, did anyone see you put the note on the car?"
"Nope. I used my inner ninja," Abby joked. "Is she as pretty in person as in the magazines?"
"Prettier," Isabell replied.
"What's the story when anyone asks?" Tory wondered.
"That my stomach was complaining too much from the lack of sustenance, and I needed food before it consumed us all."
"I could work with that. But why the Tasty Pastry?"
"Their Boston cream donuts are better than anywhere else," Isabelle replied.
"Are they?" Abby asked.
"No. But nobody knows my preference. She ordered my favourite."