AN: I'm not sure when I'll be posting after this. I should get one in tomorrow, but the next week is iffy. I'll try my best, but I'm not sure on my schedule, so no guarantees. Reviews are more than welcome. Thanks for reading!
"Mr. Plum, there's something you need to know…"
"What? That you're screwing around with another woman, only days after my daughter's death!"
"Stop!" Well, here goes nothing. "Daddy, please stop," I whispered.
"Daddy? I'm not your…" Recognition showed on his face. "Steph?...." he whispered.
I nodded. If I talked, I would surely cry.
"How… You were… They said… How?"
Ranger cut in. "We faked her death. We thought it would be safer that way." This wasn't entirely a lie.
"Oh, Steph…" I wrapped myself in his open arms. "Daddy…"
He pulled back. "We've got to tell everyone. They'll be so happy…"
"No!" Ranger and I shouted. "Mr. Plum, you don't understand. Steph's not out of danger yet. The killer's still on the loose. We need to keep it a secret. If word were to get out… things wouldn't end well. For any of us. Understand?"
"Yes, perfectly. I would do nothing to hurt my little girl. My only question is… Why did you tell me? I'm glad that you did… But wouldn't it have been just as easy to tell me a lie?"
"Yes, it would have. But Steph reminded me that having someone on the inside could prove to be useful. We want you to continue on with the funeral. We hope that Cezar can't resist the opportunity. There a task meeting in twenty. Everyone who knows will be there. All of Rangeman, a few cops, including Morelli, Diesel, and a few of his friends. You in?"
"Of course. Wouldn't miss it."
"Let's go."
The meeting was to be held at a warehouse owned by Rangeman. It was large enough to hold the entire task force, with the added bonuses of it being monitored by Rangeman, and, therefore, secure, and giving Rangeman an excuse to be there.
We arrived about five minutes before the start of the meeting. Along the way, Ranger had briefed my dad on the current situation, excluding Diesel's involvement. That was very strictly need to know. I also found out that the men Joe was bringing had no idea what was going on. They had just been told to come to the warehouse.
As soon as Ranger stepped in the door, the room fell silent. He seems to have that effect on people. We walked towards the front of the room, where the Merry Men had set up a projector and microphone. Ranger kept me by his side and my dad brought up the rear. As we neared the front, dad was pulled into a seat by Bobby, leaving me to stand with Ranger.
"You are all here today to find a killer, a murderer. The murderer of Stephanie Plum." I noticed he flinched as he said this, even with the knowledge that I was very much alive. He glanced at me. I took it as my cue to speak. "Now you know that's not entirely correct, Ranger. Cezar wasn't successful." The policemen gasped as this sank in. I recognized Carl, Eddie, and Big Dog among them. "Thanks for reminding me, Babe." It was almost as though we rehearsed this. "But we should still treat it like a murder, considering you're technically dead, legally anyway. You know he wouldn't hesitate to finish the job, either."
I turned to the audience. "We need your help to catch this bastard, before he kills again, er, tries to kill again." The policemen sat in stunned silence. After a few minutes, Eddie broke the silence. "Steph?... Is that really you?"
"Yup, and before you ask, I'm not a ghost. I'm still quite alive." Then, sensing an opportunity, Ranger cut in. "We faked her death. We flushed the drug out before it killed her." That was a lie, of course, but what they don't know won't hurt them. Frankly, the less who knew about Diesel, the better.
They still seemed to be in shock, so I prompted, "Will you guys help?"
"Of course! What can we do?" they spluttered.
"Mr. Plum has brought to my attention that a memorial service is being planned. We wish for it to continue, in hopes that Cezar will show. If all of you could assist us, we would have an increased chance of catching him. Now we need a plan…"
Sorry if this was a bit of a filler. There should be a bit more action in the next chapter.