A month after I got home, my uncle Frank and I met for dinner to catch up. I was relieved since I had already spent the money I earned on my mission. He must have known cash was tight for me when he mentioned my cousin Vinnie had a job opening at the bail bonds office. I kissed his cheek after he paid for dinner. "Remember to visit Vinnie tomorrow," Frank reminded me.
"I will. Thanks for your help. I could cash in some investments, but I don't want to lose more than half of the money," I said.
"Where did you invest?" Frank asked.
"There's a new security company opening soon. Steve had talked me into investing in their start-up as a silent, invisible shareholder. I own ten percent of the business, and I get a percentage of the profits quarterly," I replied.
"Smart business. Does it have a name?"
"Not yet. The guys tossed around some ideas. Until the CEO returns from his latest mission, they can't get it launched. Their business plan is solid. I like the idea of them hiring ex-military who would otherwise be jobless," I explained.
"Sounds like the ideal place for you to work," Frank said. I suppose he was right. Until they purchased a building in Trenton, I wasn't interested in applying.
"We already purchased a building in Atlanta and Miami. They have a team in place to get the groundwork started. It only needs a name to get registered before they can go live. I'm a silent partner, so I can't exactly arrive at their doorstep to demand a job," I added. There was a reason I insisted on becoming a silent, invisible shareholder. I didn't want Manoso, Sherman, Santos and Brown to know my identity. After I assisted in their rescue, they tried to find out everything about Bennie Blaze. I suspected Manoso already knew but was keeping my secret.
"What's so funny?" Frank asked when my lips curved into a smile.
"Oh. The company CEO is a man named Ricardo Manoso. In special ops, they call Manoso Ranger because he's the best of the elite group. I've met him twice. I met him as Stephanie Plum and again as Bennie Blaze. Even if he connected my two personas, he still wouldn't know I'm Thor's daughter," I replied.
Frank laughed. "I bet that bit of news would shock the man. He has an impeccable service record." I giggled at his choice of words. It would shock him alright. Who needed a taser? Certainly not me.
"I'm not surprised. Manoso is a formidable man. I admit the man is a bit high on himself too. Manoso comes across as being the most desirable man on earth. He isn't aware I know about his daughter, Julie, or his ex-wife, Rachel. The man with the impeccable service record forgot to use a condom on a one-night stand," I added.
Uncle Frank thought it was funny. However, I neglected to tell him about my time screwing the man in public. I was fortunate that he used protection that night. Maybe siring a child out of wedlock made him wiser about his sexual conquests. Natasha would give him a run for his money. She was the female version of Manoso.
"A man like him won't settle for a wife or family," Frank reminded me.
"I know. I'm not looking for a relationship or husband right now," I confessed. Although, if Captain America gave me the green light, I would be full steam ahead. The man made my body hum and tingle in all the right ways. Time only made it stronger. Why won't he see it?
"Give Mr. Rogers some time, Pumpkin. He's more concerned about his best friend, Bucky than he is about beginning a relationship," Uncle Frank said, surprising me that he knew about my long-time crush on Captain America.
"Is that why he won't date?" I asked.
"According to General Richards, Rogers was focusing on finding the Winter Soldier and destroying HYDRA camps," Frank replied.
I ended my conversation with my uncle when we arrived at my apartment. It was time to get back to finding a job. He reminded me to visit my cousin Vinnie the following morning and inquire about the file clerk position. I didn't want to be singing the alphabet song for hours, but it paid enough per week to pay for rent and groceries.
The following morning, I drove my Miata to the bonds office. When I talked to the receptionist, Connie Rosolli, she said the filing position got filled yesterday. She mentioned they were looking for a new BEA bounty hunter since Morty Byers got hospitalized after an appendectomy. I readily accepted the job, knowing I could use my skills to track down the failure to appear felons. After blackmailing Vinnie into giving me the job, I received a few files for FTAs.
My father, Thor, met with me an hour later to discuss my new job. "Heimdall has informed me of your wish to catch criminals," Thor announced.
"Yes. I'll be good at the job. The criminals can't hide from me, and I have more than enough skills to apprehend them," I defended.
"Do I appear to be in a gaming mood?" he asked.
"No. Father, I know my responsibilities," I replied. "My skills could help keep them safe."
"Daughter, you must not use your Asgardian powers against the Midgardians," he stated.
"Why not?"
"You must obey my orders, daughter. Asgardian warriors may use our skills to defend Midgard. Allfather, Odin, commands us to follow his edicts," Thor stated. I knew there were rules to follow on earth. I've never had to use my powers unless Thor or Captain America fought by my side. I knew I could use my abilities to save innocents and my life. Unfortunately, capturing skips didn't fall into the category of saving myself.
"I understand, Father. Your order will be honoured," I acquiesced. If I accepted the job at SHIELD, I could use my abilities as an agent of the organization. It was my decision to refuse their offer. Second guessing myself wasn't wise. Thor left my apartment without anyone seeing him. He got better at hiding in plain sight. Who was I kidding? Thor was staying with Jane Foster.
I read the details for my first FTA, laughing when I saw it was none other than Joseph Morelli. He was a creep who preyed on the virgins of Trenton. I had to admit that I got caught in his trap. Joe was an attractive Italian man. All the girls wanted to be with him. He took my virginity after I finished my shift at the Tasty Pastry. It wasn't how I wanted to lose my virginity, but I was curious about how sex felt. Needless to say, I was disappointed. The so-called Italian Stallion wasn't well endowed. With the moniker of "Italian Stallion," you would expect their penis to be too big for your mouth or vagina. Manoso was better endowed than Morelli.
A few weeks after my encounter in the Tasty Pastry, I started dating Eddie. He didn't pressure me into having sex. Eddie waited until I initiated the act. I got to teach Eddie how to pleasure me. He was a willing participant. We had a lot of time to perfect the coupling until we broke up a year later when I joined the Army. Eddie had used his skills to woo my cousin Shirley.
Snapping my mind out of the past, I read over the charges against Morelli. He got charged with murder. The police statement said it was self-defence, but they couldn't find the misfired weapon Joe claimed belonged to the victim. I had a feeling that Joe was innocent, as he claimed. My instincts were rarely wrong.
Carmen Sanchez had called Morelli concerning a police matter. He responded after hours. When Morelli arrived at Carmen's apartment, Ziggy Kulesza answered the door. He drew his weapon on Morelli and fired. Morelli claimed to shoot Ziggy in self-defence. Unfortunately, none of the neighbours recalled seeing Ziggy with a weapon. "How the heck did the bullet get imbedded into the wall behind Morelli?" I shouted. Idiots. Didn't they know how to collect evidence? Collect everything first, then you discount evidence that doesn't support the case. To assume the bullet was from a previous altercation inside the building was shoddy police investigative work.
I used my laptop and the programs I had acquired to investigate Joseph Morelli. He got discharged from the Navy after serving two of the three years. I dug into his file. Someone had friends, likely relatives, in high places. "What do we have here?" I asked. I used my military clearance credentials to open the sealed file. "You're not the only person to have connections, Morelli."
Joseph Morelli got dishonourably discharged for fighting. He spent more time cleaning the washrooms than he did serving in the Navy. The apple didn't fall too far from the tree. Joe was a hothead. He hit first, then asked questions later. I wondered how he managed to get into the police academy. When I dug deeper, I realized he didn't have to complete the entire police training course. I wasn't surprised he took the easy way to achieve his goal. Joe proved his proficiency on the training course and firing range. "Navy training taught you well." All he had to do was pass the tests, which he had aced. "Surprise, surprise. I never knew you had it in you, Morelli," I mumbled.
The man scored high on the tests to become a detective. His marks weren't the best, but they were significantly higher than the minimum grade required. Woah. He scored well on the other tests to make it to the detective rank. Morelli must have wanted it bad enough. I laughed when I read about his known associates. Most were women. "However, that was not a surprise," I said, laughing.
A snick of a door catching caught my attention. I rolled my eyes as Natasha sat beside me. "I need your help."
"You need my help, or do you want me to assist Steve Rogers without his knowledge?" I asked.
I looked up as her lip curled in amusement. "Assist the Captain," she replied. "Did he do it?" Natasha pointed to my computer monitor.
"The circumstantial evidence proves he did, but I think someone came in to clean up the mess. I bet it's someone working with HYDRA," I replied. "Morelli was in the right place at the wrong time. It feels like something I could use your help on."
"Hmm," she said. Natasha took the laptop to review my research. "The programs need work."
"I know, but it has a solid baseline," I replied. "What do you think? We could modify the code they used to access the data to speed up the process. It doesn't connect to other databases available to security companies. I'm not sure if it was intentional or if they didn't realize it. You could subscribe to receive updates annually through the data dump. It won't cost much. But the database should be stored and accessed locally."
"We could have a virtual database to save on hardware required," Natasha suggested.
"We?" I asked. She grinned. "Are you investing or something? Batman's looking for more investors." Natasha already knew my history with Manoso. She thought calling him Batman was humorous.
"Not yet, but I can see it happening," Natasha replied. She finished rewriting some code, then copied it into the notepad. "Send your feedback with this patch. If you see Batman, tell him about me. He sounds like someone I want to meet."
"You just want to play with him," I said.
Natasha laughed. "I stocked your fridge and cupboards," she said, then left. Natasha must be leaving for a mission. She wouldn't have ensured I had everything otherwise. Natasha took care of her friends. It wasn't that I was broke because I had money. Most got heavily invested to secure my future.
I felt someone watching me, but nobody was there. My spidey sense indicated the man was dangerous. He seemed to be lost more than anything. Could it be? No. There was no way Bucky Barnes would be in Trenton. Wasn't he under the power of HYDRA? "I have food in the fridge. Take whatever you need," I said without looking. I heard my fridge open, then close. "Come back if you need more." I wanted to tell Bucky about Steve searching for him, but I suspected he already knew.
When I sensed Bucky had left, I checked to see what Natasha had left in my kitchen. She must have filled the cupboards when I was talking to my father. "Sneaky spies," I mumbled. Natasha knew how much food I required. A stack of money sat on the counter beside the refrigerator. "What the hell?" There had to be close to ten thousand dollars.
Natasha would never have left the money. Neither would Steve or Bruce Banner. I knew Bucky left the money behind, repaying me for the food he took. It was excellent news. Was Bucky breaking through? He could have killed me in seconds, but he let me live.
SHIELD called Bucky the Winter Soldier. They claimed he got brainwashed by HYDRA and used as their enforcer. It was a shame. Bucky was a good man. Natasha got me a copy of the file to help Steve when required.
I returned to the living room to learn more about Joseph Morelli and his case. All the electronic research in the world wouldn't help me determine who was responsible. I needed a name. Digging into Ziggy Kulesza's past offered nothing.
"You can do this," I said while grabbing a one hundred dollar bill from the money stack. I shoved the remaining cash behind the ice cream in the freezer. The drive to Pino's didn't take long. I had managed to find a parking spot beside the dumpster and prayed nobody sprayed my car with garbage.
I found Eddie Gazarra sitting with a few cops. It took a few seconds to recognize Carl Costanza and Big Dog. The woman was vaguely familiar. I approached the table after ordering three meatball subs. I greeted the men I knew. "Hey, Steph," Eddie said. "You remember Carl and Big Dog?"
"Yes." He quickly introduced me to his partner, Robin Russell. She was a few years behind us in school. Robin grew up in the Burg, but her mother was from another state.
"What are you doing these days?" Eddie asked. "Last I heard, you were working for EE Martin."
"My job was redundant when Baldicott bought the company," I replied dismissively. "I'm working for Vinnie as a BEA."
Eddie slid closer to Robin for me to sit beside him. I decided to pull up a chair and sit at the end of the booth. He appeared sad for a minute. "Did you receive Morelli's case?" Robin asked after I made myself comfortable.
"I did. It appears someone hid his tracks while throwing Morelli under the bus," I replied. "What do you know? Who is investigating the case?"
"Gus Dembrowski is the plainclothesman working the Kulesza case. He confirmed Morelli had a card on Sanchez. She was an informant," Eddie said.
"It seems strange for Dembrowski to release Sanchez as an informant. Doesn't the controlling supervisor keep informant cards in a locked file?" I asked.
Robin replied, "They do, but I guess he deemed it necessary information for the investigation, and the supervisor released it."
"Dembrowski painted a target on Carmen's back. I hope he interviewed her first."
Carl shook his head. "Dembrowski can't find her. Carmen disappeared," Carl explained. "Carmen never contacted her mother."
Where did Carmen go? What was her role in the investigation? Was Carmen dead? My spidey sense indicated Carmen was at the crux of the case. She was hiding, kidnapped or murdered. It was a matter of time before her body would surface.
"Have you checked the hospitals for a Jane Doe?" I asked.
"Dembrowski canvassed all the hospitals and clinics. There is no sign of Carmen or anyone fitting her description," Eddie replied. I thanked the cops for the help when the waitress arrived with my food, then I dropped the money on the table to pay for my meal and cover their cheque.