Undercover - Chapter 9

I opened the door to find Ranger dressed in black SWAT. He was wearing a hat that said 'Security'. I could tell by his bulk that he had on a Kevlar vest under his jacket. He looked pretty intense. I was trying to lighten the mood and to stall until my dad could get here, so I said, "Hey, I know you and Morelli aren't the best of friends, but I'm pretty sure you don't need the armor tonight."

Ranger didn't smile. Not even a twitch.

"Come on in. Can I get you something to drink? We have beer." I continued.

"No. I'm going back to work. Where's Morelli? He asked me to meet him here." So much for the smalltalk.

About that time, my Dad came to the door. I was still holding it open, even though Ranger had walked past me into the house. I could read my Dad's thoughts. 'Maybe Stephanie needs me to kill a spider or something. No. There's the Cuban. I must be here in some official capacity as a father.' He stood up tall and entered the room with a bit of a swagger.

"Mr. Plum," Ranger acknowledged my dad with a nod of his head.

"Mr. Ranger," my dad didn't get it. I guess he thought Ranger was his last name. Oh well. Ranger didn't seem to notice.

"Let's all sit down and I'll tell you why Joe asked you to come," I said to Ranger. Everyone made themselves comfortable, including Ranger. For that to happen, he took off his jacket, the armored vest and his gun belt. He's been pretty bundled up and the evening air is not exactly cool. His dark skin is glistening over his muscles in his arms. I'm glad my Daddy is here.

Dad and I sat on the sofa while Ranger took a chair against the wall so he could keep watch on the doors. He is always wary.

"Ranger, I need to share some confidential information with you in a professional capacity." He twitched his mouth. I guess he didn't think I would have any confidential information, maybe, or that I had a professional capacity.

"Well, I'm sort of getting ahead of myself. Have you heard the good news? I'm going to have a baby." I think that's important to the story, so I thought I would tell him that upfront.

"Congratulations." He said with no display of emotion whatsoever. He hadn't answered my question. I'm sure he'd heard it from someone anyway.

"Thanks. Anyway, Joe has been called out of town on an undercover assignment and we thought you should know about it."

"Alright. How does it involve me?" Ranger asked.

This wasn't going at all like I expected it to. I thought he'd at least act interested or maybe even flattered that we thought he should know or something but he was staying as far detached as he could.

"Well," I started, "since it is undercover, Joe's going to just go missing and no one is supposed to know where he is, including me or any of our families. He's faking a drug problem and Vinnie is going to post bond not knowing that it isn't real. I'll ask for the case, of course, but I wanted you to know what was going on so that if Vinnie asks you to track Joe down, you'll know to turn him down."

"Fine. What else?" I decided not to ask Ranger to help me apprehend Joe for our second meeting. He was acting so distant and cold I really didn't want to have much more to do with him.

"That's it. We just wanted you to know what was up. Please keep it confidential."

"Of course." He rose, gathered his paraphernalia off of the floor and started for the door.

"Thanks for making time to come tonight." It was hard for me to keep Ranger at such a distance.

He didn't respond. I opened the door and he left.

Daddy was watching all of this with a sort of amused look on his face. "Is Joe still leaving tomorrow night?" He asked.

"Yes, unless something's happened to him." I bit my lip. "He went to meet with Gilman an hour ago and I haven't heard anything." I wasn't really worried. He's a big boy and can take care of himself.

"Okay, Honey. I assume you just called me over so that you wouldn't have to meet with Ranger alone. Do you need me to do anything for you while I'm here?" He put his arm around my shoulder and leaned in for a hug.

I crumbled. For the first time since all this had been going on, I just really broke down. My Daddy was just the man for this job. He gathered me into his arms and just let me sob. When I finally managed to gain a bit of control over my emotions, I managed to squeak out, "I'm scared, Daddy."

"I know, baby. I'd be worried about you if you weren't. Joe's a good man and he loves you. He'll be back here with you before you know it. He's putting a lot of faith in you to be able to handle things on your own while he's gone. I don't think your mom could have done it. You're still working, you're trying to get established in this house, and you're getting ready to start a family. We've always known you were the strong one but you never cease to amaze us. We are so proud of you."

This was the most I've heard my dad talk in my life. He's not one for open displays of affection. Bob was sleeping on the cool tile floor in the kitchen. It was getting late so Daddy thought I should let him out one last time before bed. I did and he came back in with no problem. On his best behavior for Grandpa, I suspect. Daddy made sure I was all settled and had my doors locked before he left to go home.

I felt better after crying. There's always something cathartic about that. I didn't want to go to bed without Joe, so I started my typical routine. Orange shirt, red sweats with the elastic cut out of the legs, crash on the couch. No warm Joe to snuggle into. I knew this would be my life for a few months. A year ago, I felt fine without Joe around. Now I feel half full. My mom said that's how it is supposed to be after you marry someone. They carry a big piece of your heart around in their chest and that you give away even more of it with the birth of every child. She reminded me to keep a little of it for myself. I never felt that way when I was married to Dickie. He just gave me heartburn.

I ate chocolate ice cream and watched Seinfeld reruns until I fell asleep. Joe called at 3:45a.m. "Sorry to wake you up. I just didn't want you to worry. Everything's okay but there's been a little change in plans, Cupcake. We had to move our departure date up. I'm leaving early in the morning. I'm about to go into lockup. I'm so sorry I won't get to see you again before I go. I had some very exciting plans for tomorrow and the big sendoff." I knew what kind of plans he meant. He made me smile.

"When will you and Terri leave? If I come to the station, can I see you?" I just wanted to kiss him goodbye.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Cupcake. We'll be leaving early. As soon as I can get Vinnie to move on getting the bond done we'll be out of here. Don't worry about me. You'll get some info from Dunphy periodically, but I can't promise anything. I can't wait to see you October 14. I love you."

I sighed. I knew that he loved me. "I love you, Joe."

That was it. I was heartbroken because I'd packed him a little care package of pictures of us on our honeymoon and a note from me that was slightly X rated. I really wanted him to have it, but I knew not to go against his wishes. I'll give it to him in October. I got a calendar. October 14 is 63 days away. I wasn't sad. I was just filled with anticipation. I would be 4 months and a week pregnant by then. I'd probably have a little baby bump. I didn't know when you could start feeling the baby move, but maybe I'd have a little sonogram picture or something to show Joe when I saw him.

Oh, we'd forgotten to pick up the cradle from his mother. I'd have Dunphy do it tomorrow. He'd reminded me at the gym that he would do anything I needed him to. I suspect I'll need him to do a lot. I wonder if he would clean up Bob barf off the kitchen floor. I guess we'll see about that when it's time.

I called Bob and we went upstairs to bed. It sounds really gross, but I saw that sweat soaked brown shirt Joe had worn at the gym. It was now a prized possession. It smelled like Joe. I stuffed his pillow into it like a pillowcase, and snuggled it under my head and fell into a dreamless sleep.

I didn't wake up until after 9a.m. It was eerily quiet. Bob was snoozing. No one had called. Joe had been arrested on drug related charges last night. He would have called Vinnie's bond answering service and Connie would have heard about it when she got to work at 7:30 this morning. Considering the fact that the news would be all over town by now, I figured I'd better face the day.

I got up and did the shower and hair thing. I figured I needed to look haggard given the night I supposedly would have had, so I skipped all makeup. This pregnant glowing thing wasn't at all a bad deal. Even with no makeup, I looked pretty darned cute. I put on my newest jeans and a funny little pink t-shirt that made my eyes look bloodshot.

I called my mother. "Stephanie, are you okay? My telephone hasn't stopped ringing all morning. Your grandmother went to the beauty parlor this morning and heard that Joseph was arrested," then in a whisper she added, "Isn't this a day early?"

"Yes. The plans changed last night. Tell everyone I'm fine and that I've always been strong and independent." That wasn't a lie. I just had to remember how to be strong and independent.

I wandered into the bond office around 11a.m. I could see the worry and shock on Connie's face. She rushed over to me and hugged me to her bulging breasts. Connie didn't need to be pregnant to have huge boobs. "Where's Joe? Vinnie bonded him out at 8:15 this morning. I had no idea he was using drugs."

"Neither did I. I haven't heard from him since Vinnie bonded him out." That was the truth, too. I'd decided that I would just be vague but to try not to lie. Now that I'm going to be a mother, fibbing just seems really serious. It's a shame, too, because I'm a really good liar. I think it is one of the first things that attracted Joe to me.

Lula came barging into the office like a raging bull. She was breathing fire and spitting nails. "Where is that stupid shithead?"

"Who?" I asked, assuming she meant Vinnie.

"Your husband, that's who! I can't believe he would be this stupid. He's got everything in the world going for him. How could he do this to you, especially in your condition?" She looked like she could kill him if he walked through the door.

"I'm sure it isn't as bad as it sounds," I offered, trying to make it not sound like such a big deal that my police officer husband had a drug habit and was fired. "We'll be fine. Me and the baby, I mean."

"Are you going to divorce Joe?" Connie asked, eyes wide.

"Oh, no. That's not what I meant. I mean, Joe will be fine, too. I just haven't talked to him so I don't know what else to say right now." I was stammering. I'm not very good at 'not lying', I'm much better at just making things up off the cuff.

Connie and Lula told me I should go home and see if I found him there. They asked if I'd called his cell phone. I finally just said, "You know I think it's up to him to find me. I don't have to chase him down, you know. He's got my number." I thought I sounded tough and independent. They looked at me like I was crazy.

"Well, how are you going to pay your bills? In just a few months you are going to have to stop chasing skips. Joe's been fired, or at least that's what I heard. What's up with that?" Lula asked.

"I don't know. We'll be fine. I'm not going to worry about it." More crazy stares. I went and picked up 4 new files out of Connie's box. "Are these all mine?"

"Sure. Take them. You're going to need all the help you can get," she answered.

I drove straight to my parent's house. Grandma Mazur and my Mother were standing at the front door looking out. My dad's car was gone, so I assumed he was out driving the taxi.

"Hello," I said as I entered the house. "How is everyone?"

"Tired of hearing the telephone ring." My mother responded.

Grandma asked what kind of drugs Joe was into. I told her I did not know.

My mother fed me lunch, almost forceably. She was determined since Joe wasn't here to make sure I had some good food to eat every day that she would have to become the diet police.

I set out to find my first skip after lunch. His name was Horace Howard and my paperwork said he was arrested for solicitation of an undercover cop. A male undercover cop, dressed as a male prostitute. Horace was an auto mechanics vocational school teacher. He happened to be getting out of his car just as I pulled up in the lot. I checked his picture again to be sure it was really him, and it was. "Horace Howard?" I asked.

"Yes." He responded. "Who are you?"

"Stephanie Pl….uh, Stephanie Morelli. I work for the Vincent Plum Bail Bonds agency and you missed your court date. I need to take you downtown to get you rescheduled."

"Morelli? Isn't that the name of the cop who got arrested on drug charges? Honey, if you are related to that loser, you have bigger problems than I do." He was starting to walk away.

"Mr. Howard, I'm afraid I'm going to need to take you in." I clicked one handcuff on him and tried to catch his other hand.

"Oh, no, you don't. I don't have time for this crap. I'm giving a test today in transmission repair. It's critical for the course." He jerked his arm away from me. I started looking for my gun in my purse, but I couldn't find it. I found my gas and shook the can to activate it. I normally wouldn't gas someone at this point, but I was feeling pretty cranky after the crack he made about Joe.

He'd already made it to the door of the building. I couldn't gas him inside. It would impact too many people so I ran up behind him and kicked the door shut on him while he was halfway through. It caught him by surprise, but the best part was that the swinging door whacked his cuffed wrist and the open handcuff wrapped around the bar on the door, clicking shut.
Well, he wasn't mobile anymore. At that moment, a great wave of naseua hit me and I tossed up my lunch in the flowerbed just outside the doorway.

I called my friend Eddie Gazarra who drives a blue and white. I told him I was sick and that I needed him to come pick this guy up. He said he'd be right here.

I went to get some donuts to replace the lunch I just lost. By the time I made it to the station to pick up my body receipt, it was almost 3pm. I'd dreaded going in because everyone knew me and everyone would know what had supposedly happened with Joe. Surprisingly, no one mentioned it. No one. Not even my good friends. It's almost like all the cops knew it wasn't real, but they were honor bound not to say anything. I think is a testament to Joe's character that his friends on the police force know that he would never do such a thing to me.

I figured since I was here, I would go up to Joe's little dingy corner office upstairs to pick up some things, like his plant and a couple of pictures I wanted to have at home while he was gone. I rounded the corner and there was Dunphy standing in Joe's doorway talking to someone and laughing. He saw me and his eyes got wide. "Hey, friend, how are you holding up?" He tried to steer me away from Joe's door by my arm, but I wanted that plant. It would die if Joe wasn't here to water it!

I heard Joe's voice. "Who you talkin' to?" He's here!

"Joe?" I pushed past Dunphy and stuck my head in the door. I couldn't believe what I saw.

Joe made eye contact with me and then said, "Aw, Shit," he spun his chair around so I couldn't see his face, but I'd already seen it. He had been severely beaten. One eye was almost swollen shut. There was a long gash across his chin. His lip was still bleeding, as evidenced by the blood on the paper towel in his hand. I think his nose may have been broken.

"Omigod, Joe! What happened?" I automatically rushed to his side and raised my hand to touch his face.

He winced and then caught me by the wrist, stopping my movement toward his injuries. "Cupcake, this isn't makeup. It really hurts." I noticed several things. There were no defensive wounds on his hands. He'd not even defended himself. Also he wasn't wearing his wedding ring. Tears stung my eyes. I don't know if I was mad, or sad, or just worried.

"I'm gonna leave you two alone." Dunphy pulled Joe's door shut and then stood with his back to the small window, blocking anyone who may have tried to get in or see inside.

Joe started, "Sweetheart, when a good cop falls from grace, the other cops don't take it kindly. This was always a part of the plan. I just didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry, okay? I'm fine. It's not the first time I've got the crap kicked out of me. It would be nice if it was the last, but it's doubtful considering I'm such a smart ass." He was trying to smile, but it hurt too much. He noticed me looking at his hands. "Handcuffs. You can't fight back."

"Okay. I'll try not to worry, but oh, your beautiful face." I wanted so much to caress it, but I settled for putting my hands against his chest. I felt something hard and realized he was wearing his wedding ring on a chain around his neck. That was sweet. It reminded me why I loved this man. He was loyal to the end. "Why are you still here? I thought you were leaving early."

Joe let out a disgusted sigh, "Just waiting on my date. Terri had to call and tell Takata we were coming. They said that they just happen to have a job opening in their organization for someone with Terri's unique skill set. Now I'm just waiting for her to get her butt up here and pick me up."

I had a very naughty thought. I said, "Well, we might as well make the most of our little bit of stolen time." I reached for his zipper. I thought he was going to object at first, but I could tell he didn't want to. I gained access to the object of my affection and told him to sit down. In no time, I was on my knees in front of his desk chair. Joe normally would never accept a blow job without the chance to reciprocate, but today, he knew I wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer.

I felt his head fall against the back of his desk chair and his muscles relax when he gave into the feeling. It didn't take long at all for the stress in his body to give way to strong desire. I quicken my pace and in very short order I heard a quiet strangled moan indicating his release. I had just finished tucking everything back into place and he'd gotten all zipped up when I heard the staccato click of spike heels on the tiled hallway floor outside the door. Dunphy stopped Terri at the door.

"Perfect timing!" I said to Joe, with a gleam in my eye. I licked my index finger and drew a stroke above my head in the air. "Score one for Stephanie!" Joe laughed and hugged me to him.

"You are such a dope. I love you." He looked deep into my eyes with his one good one.

"Oh, I have something for you." I pulled the little manilla envelope out of my handbag that held the pictures and my steamy note. "Something to remember me by." I found one tiny spot next to his mouth that looked like it may not hurt if I kissed him and I gave him a little peck.

"Be good, Cupcake. Take care of Muffin and Yourself and Bob and Rex."

He opened the door and Dunphy stepped aside. Terri popped in and said, "Hey, Sexy. It's time to hit the road. Oh, hi Steph. Wow! You are getting bigger every day, aren't you? You know, pink is really not your color. You may need to weed it out of your wardrobe." Terri was wearing a tiny little yellow mini-skirt with a matching jacket. The shirt she wore underneath the jacket left her midsection exposed and her perfect tan and manicure were set off by a diamond ring in her bellybutton.

"Hello Terri. It's too bad your Doctor ran out of Botox before he made it to those wrinkles on your forehead. They look like canyons!"

Joe jumped into the conversation. "Okay, ladies. Let's retract the claws."

He gave me another hug and pressed his forehead to mine. "I'll talk to you as soon as I can. I love you."

Joe turned to Terri and said, "Okay, Miss Thang. It's time for us to put in an appearance downstairs."

There's one thing I'm really conflicted about. I never like Joe to leave, but the view is excellent. I got to watch him swagger down the hall, not caring one bit that he was going with Terri.

Dunphy said, "I'm sorry you had to see your life-sized Ken doll looking more like GI Joe after a bad day in the foxhole."

I realized at that time why I was probably so damn jealous of Gilman when she was with Joe. They looked just like Barbie and Ken together!