Police Station, Jonesboro AK

Stephanie sat quietly, waiting for the cop to finish the paperwork so she could sign it and head back to her hotel room. She was exhausted but almost too exhilarated to fall asleep. People always told her she needed to be aware of her surroundings. Mostly it was Ranger but she was trying hard not to think about him. When she got back to Trenton would be soon enough. Not only was she aware, even if it was a fluke of Mother Nature's call, but she saved herself from a kidnapping and probably worse. She hoped that Ranger would have been proud of her.

The cop walked back into the room. "Okay Miss Plum. Please read over this and sign it if everything is correct." Stephanie took the pages from him and started to read. "Miss Plum, do you mind if I ask you a somewhat personal question?" Without looking up, Stephanie replied "The funeral home was not my fault and no, I don't mind. Oh and call me Steph."

He looked startled for a second then chuckled. "Okay, even if the funeral home wasn't your fault, what about the cars? You seem to have blown up a few of those as well." Stephanie rolled her eyes. "None of them were really my fault either. Can I help it if accidents happen? It's not like I wake up in the morning and say Hey, I think I am going to blow up a car today." The cop chuckled again. "No, I suppose not."

Stephanie finished signing the paperwork and handed it back to the officer. He looked it over and laid it on his desk. "Let's get you back to your hotel room Stephanie. I am sure it has been a long night." She yawned and nodded her agreement.

In the parking lot of the Comfort Inn

Ranger drove into the parking lot. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a cop car pulling out of the lot. He looked over at Tank "Should we talk to the desk clerk first or look for Steph's car?" Tank thought a moment. "Let's check for her car. We can probably figure out which room she is in since it doesn't look like there are many people here." Ranger nodded and headed around the front of the building.

As the reached the end of the lot Tank noticed the car Steph had borrowed from Dougie. "Rangeman, there it is." Ranger pulled in next to her car. When they got out, both men checked their weapons absent-mindedly. Scoping out the rooms near the car, Ranger noticed that the curtains were all open except for two rooms. Knowing that Stephanie hated to climb stairs, he decided to check the ground floor room first.

Carefully picking the lock and unhooking the chain, Ranger eased the door open and slipped inside. He immediately noticed that the person in the bed could not be his Babe as it was a person almost as big as Tank. He slipped back out and locked the door behind him. "Let's check the upstairs room." Both men quickly climbed the outside staircase to the second floor.

Ranger repeated the procedure on the upstairs room. This time he noticed the room was empty. Motioning Tank inside, he flicked on his mag light. Panning it around the room, he noticed Rex's cage sitting on a table. The rat was running his usual midnight marathon and didn't even pause when the flashlight swept over him. Tank flicked on the light. Both men methodically searched the room. Ranger paled at the sight of traces of blood on the sheets. "Tank, something happened here. The room shows signs of a struggle and there is no sign of Steph."

"I don't see her purse her Ranger, maybe she cut herself and went out to get first aid."

Ranger looked at him. "If she went out voluntarily, why didn't she take the car?" Tank thought for a moment. "If she was kidnapped, why would the kidnapper take her purse?"

Ranger flipped open his cell. Dialing Rangeman, he waited for Vince to pick up. Tank noticed that Ranger wasn't able to keep his usually blank face. "Vince, start calling the hospitals around Jonesboro and see if Stephanie was treated or admitted. Call me back in half an hour." He motioned to Tank and they left the room, switching the light off and locking the door behind them. Ranger ran down the stairs and headed to the front of the hotel. Tank got in the car and followed him, figuring he might need to intercede since Ranger was close to losing it.

Once inside the hotel lobby, Ranger strode up to the front desk. The clerk was busy typing into his computer and without looking up said "I'll be with you in just a second." Ranger stood there, vibrating with impatience. The clerk finished what he was doing and turned around ready to assist the person at the counter. He attempted to speak several times but what came out was gibberish. "Uh…ah…my name is Steve and I would...um…like to…um…" Ranger cut him short and slapped a picture on the desk in front of him. "Her name is Stephanie Plum and she is checked into room 245. Her car is still there but she is not in her room. There are signs of a struggle and some blood. Do you know anything Steve?"

Steve continued to look at Ranger with an odd expression on his face. Tank decided to step in because it looked like Steve was reacting the way women did when confronted with Ranger. "Focus Steve. Do you have any information?" The clerk visibly shook himself and replied "As far as I know, Miss Plum should be in her room. Maybe she had an accident and drove herself to a hospital? I haven't heard anything, sorry." Ranger just turned and headed out for the SUV. Tank looked at Steve who was looking at Ranger lustfully. Shaking his head, Tank headed out after Ranger. Jesus, the guy is a sex magnet.

As they were buckling themselves into the SUV, Tank asked Ranger "Where to?" Ranger's cell rang. "Yo." After a brief pause he said "Thanks Vince. Keep an eye on her cards. Tank and I are headed to the local police. Give me an address and send it to the GPS."

After a minute, the GPS lit up. Tank punched a few keys and started the car. They headed out to the police station.

Inside the cop car

Stephanie was sitting in the front seat. She was doing her best imitation of a Drinking Bird. Her head snapped up abruptly when the cop spoke. "Miss Plum, how long do you plan on staying in the area?" Stephanie replied "I was planning on leaving for Memphis in the morning. Do I need to stay around?" The cop blushed "I was actually thinking of asking if you wanted to have dinner with me tomorrow night." Stephanie smiled "I am flattered but I am not available. Plus I really do need to get on the road. You do have my cell number so if I am needed for the case I can come back." Visibly deflated, the cop nodded. "No problem as far as the case goes Miss Plum" he said as he pulled into the hotel parking lot. "Thank you for your cooperation. We will be in touch if we need anything more."

Stephanie got out of the car and gave a finger wave as she headed up the stairs. Once inside the room, she stripped off her pants and dropped into bed. She was asleep seconds later.

Back at the police station

Tank parked the vehicle on the street. "Ranger let me do the talking. You are on edge. The cops don't know us and might take umbrage if you bark at them." Ranger glared at Tank "I don't bark at anyone." Tank just laughed. "Yeah right. And that was a love poem to me, wasn't it?" Ranger rolled his eyes at Tank but the edges smoothed out just a bit. "You are right, I am on the edge. I'm just worried about my babe."

At the front desk, Tank whipped out his government ID and a photo of Stephanie. "Have you seen this woman? Her name is Stephanie Plum. We need to find her; it is a matter of national security." The desk sergeant replied "I haven't seen her but let me check and see if there is anything in the system." After a brief bit of typing, he looked at both men. "She was in earlier filing a complaint against a Jed Hanson. Apparently he broke into her hotel room and attempted to assault her. She subdued him and called us. He is currently sitting back in holding waiting arraignment. Once of the officers escorted her back to her hotel room."

At the news a smile broke over Ranger's face. "That's my babe" he muttered. Tank said to the desk sergeant "Thank you for your assistance." As the two men walked back to the SUV, Tank laughed. "Damn Ranger, Bombshell kicks ass. And to think we were worried." Ranger nodded in agreement. "I always knew she could kick ass if she were just more aware of her surroundings."

Both men couldn't stop smiling as they headed back to the hotel. Pulling into the parking lot, they parked next to her car and headed upstairs. When Ranger reached to pick the lock, Tank said "Shouldn't you just knock? What if she has her gun and shoots you?" Ranger thought for a second. "Nope, she doesn't have her gun. The worse that can happen would be for her to stun me. I doubt that will happen. I bet she is sound asleep and worn out."

This is the drinking bird