Please Janet. Put them up for auction. I'd love to bid on Ranger.

Confusion

The floor was quiet after the elevator left. Ranger and Tank walked to Rangers' office and closed the door. A loud crash was heard in the control room. The wall shook. The men looked at each other. The whispers started. Nobody wanted to believe that Stephanie was a threat. They had worked with her for so long, someone should have noticed something hinky if she was not who she said she was.

At the same time, they had all been in situations where leaked information had meant lives lost. Loose lips had sunk many operations over the years and probably would again in the future. They were always cognisant that moles were deeply imbedded in organizations for years, even decades before they were used. Maybe Stephanie was one of those. The men sadly went back to work. It would not be a happy shift.

Ranger and Tank sat down. Tank stretched his long legs out. His eyes looked angry. He looked at Ranger. Ranger looked like he had lost his best friend. Could they have been wrong about her? Had they missed something when they had worked with her? The questions went on and on in their heads. She had worked there off and on for over four years. Never had they felt the need to question her loyalty to her friends, her family, or her country.

The early morning meeting had been a real eye opener to Tank. He had no idea what was going on. Ranger had confirmed to the agents that he had taken the pictures and had placed the listening equipment. He confirmed that Stephanie was a member of the family, but at no time through his investigation did he have reason to believe that she had anything to do with giving, accepting, or handling anything to do with the spy operation. He was surprised that they had added her to the list to be picked up and have her apartment searched. He had tried unsuccessfully to argue her innocence.

Finally Ranger spoke. "I just can't believe she is involved. I worked on this case for the last three months. I followed her parents as they made their trips to the drop offs. I watched as they deposited money in those accounts all over the eastern seaboard. I watched Edna as she deposited notes at the casinos. I watched as they conducted phone conversations from burned cell phones in coffee houses. I listened to their conversations at the supper table. I have taped conversations when Babe came for suppers. Nothing was ever said in front of her. I don't understand why they took her in. Someone must have followed Yuri and saw them at the fireworks. The trip she took to New York last month was probably what clinched her being added into the mix. They probably thought she was taking a package to Yuri. How coincidental that they both wound up at the fireworks."

Ranger then gave a quick rundown to Tank on his activities. He had gone in the wind as Stephanie always used to call it three months ago. He had been called in because of a threat coming from Trenton and as he was knowledgeable about the city, he was the logical choice. Imagine his surprise when he was presented with the file on the Plum and Mazur investigation. He had already loads of information on the family and hoped that Stephanie was not somehow involved in it.

He had spent sleepless nights going over conversations and activities that they had participated in. He reviewed in his mind if she could have gleaned any information while working at Rangeman. Stephanie had slowly started to work more at Rangeman but still liked to bounty hunt. She felt the thrill of the chase and the excitement of a capture. He knew how she felt. There was a certain exhilaration from a capture. He looked at his arm. Well at least most of the time it worked.

Speaking of work, he now had to put together a report of all his observations and activities leading up to the captures. Yes, they were all heading to New York at the present time. While they were being detained, his men had conducted very thorough searches of both residences and Frank's garage. The file folder Tank had handed them contained the results.

Stephanie's place was clean, investigation wise. The men found no hidden safes, panels, or drop boxes that would implicate her. The other team, meanwhile, had found a whole treasure chest of evidence. The basement had been converted into a control centre, complete with listening equipment, computers and logbooks. It was all very state of the art and looked like it had been recently renovated. The equipment was all new and top of the line. The electronics would have made Hector cry. Checking out the garage was another goldmine. Behind the man cave walls was a hidden closet of very advanced weaponry. Who knew that Frank or someone else had knowledge of this stuff?

Ranger wondered if she knew she had over a million dollars in her name in an account in upstate New York. He knew how she scrounged every dollar and hated to ask for help. What would she think of the windfall in her name? He didn't want to think that she knew anything about it because that would have made her whole time at Rangeman a sham.

She seemed so honest and wholesome, a trait that his men had grown to love. He had grown to love her too, but not the same way. He thought of the ring that he had ordered made for her. It was ready to be picked up. He wondered if it would ever be worn now. He had designed it himself. It was a 2 carat diamond in a platinum setting. There were four tiny diamonds entwined at the base of the stone.

Tank and Ranger stood up. Tank patted his friend on the back and left the room. He had to process the reports from the men. He had to work on payroll and the upcoming work schedules.

He thought of Stephanie. She had started to help him some time ago with all those disagreeable tasks. Her business degree made it easy for her to step in and take over. She seemed to really enjoy helping and the men had complimented her on their new schedules. They made requests for time off and they were actually worked into the rotation on the first try. Their payroll stubs had few errors and she had even made some suggestions about holiday pay, and a pension plan for those who wanted one. She had found a new insurance supplier and the insurance rates for health, dental, vision and even the vehicles had gone down, with better benefits. She had reviewed the operating budget and made timely suggestions with respect to ordering supplies, clothing and even weapons. It appeared that she was a godsend. Now, he was back to doing it himself. He shook his head and sighed.

Manny was working the monitors. He had been in on the raid on the Plum house. He couldn't believe what they had found. The family seemed so normal. Frank drove a cab most mornings and then hung out at the club playing poker with the guys. Helen was a stay at home mom and although she was a busybody and had a mouth to match, appeared like a normal Burg mom. Edna Mazur had an attitude all her own. She was fast with her hands and more than one Merry Man had been a victim. Manny was sure that she was rating them and comparing notes with her cronies at the Cut N Curl.

He had a hard time believing that they were leading a double life, but with his background as Black Ops he had come to really trust nobody but a select few. He honestly thought that Stephanie was in that select group, and until it was proven otherwise, he was holding out hope that she had been drawn in unawares.

He thought back to when she pretended to be his wife in the hospital when he had been shot by Scrog. She had stayed until he had been released. They shared the private joke with him calling her 'wifey' and she pretending he was her spouse. He also thought back to all the interactions she had had with the Merry Men. He could not think of one episode that would lead him to believe that she was selling out her country. She had helped them with so many ceremonies. The Wounded Warrior Project, Run for the Wall, Stand Down, the Veterans Day Ceremonies, Memorial Days and helping at the Veteran's Homes to name a few. She had dived in with so much enthusiasm. He hoped it had not been a ruse.

~~~o0o~~~

Stephanie sat in the back with Harold beside her. William drove the car. No words were spoken. The ride was to take four hours.

They had asked if she needed the use the bathroom before they left and she had replied that she would. They had stopped in at the Trenton Police Department and radioed that a female officer was requested for assistance. None other than Robin was dispatched to the car. Imagine her surprise when they saw each other. Taking Stephanie to the ladies room, no words were spoken. What was there to say? Finishing her business she was re-cuffed and escorted back to the car and they were on their way. Stephanie had seen the shocked looks on the member's faces. The most shocked was Joe.

Stephanie fell asleep somewhere in the middle of the ride. She was awakened as they pulled into the underground garage at the FBI. She was assisted out of the car and the ride in the elevator was made in silence. She was uncuffed in a secure area, re-read her rights and handed a complete set of clothes to change into. She was outfitted with an arm and leg bracelet for identification and told that every door was monitored and all her movements were recorded through the bracelets. She was fingerprinted, had her retina scanned and was photographed. She was placed in a cell with a bed, toilet and sink and a small table. The meal schedule was posted on the wall. The woman who had escorted her told her that she would be free from interrogation for the rest of the day and that she better have a good sleep because tomorrow would be a long day.

Supper arrived but Stephanie only picked at her food. It was served on a paper plate with plastic cutlery. There was a slice of very well done roast beef. There were no bones to chew and possibly make into weapons or swallow and choke. The potatoes were mashed, the corn creamed and her water was in a paper cup. There was a small individual sized cup of fruit salad. For once in her life, Stephanie was not hungry even though she had only had a single donut early in the morning. There was a knock and the guard asked for the meal tray back. He closed the door and she could see he was checking off everything on the tray. Nodding, he walked away.

She sat on the cot and pulled her knees to her chest. It was so confusing. She had no idea what was going on. She was being given no information and could not imagine what would happen tomorrow.

Curling up in a ball she fell asleep hugging her pillow to her.