Because you love her- by jersey girl in oxford (sue)
Chapter 3
Ranger had only been back in Trenton eight hours before he got called for a Government job. He passed on the previous two so he had no choice but to go. The job came at the worst possible time. He gave Tank some last minute instructions as he packed. "I want her followed. I want to know who this guy is." Ranger yanked the zipper closed on his duffel. "This job is only going to take about a week. Just keep her safe until I get back. I'll call Morelli then, and we'll figure out what to do." Tank nodded. Ranger called Stephanie one last time before he left. As expected, he got her voice mail. "I'll be in the wind, Babe. I'll see you when I get back. Call Tank for…anything."
Morelli checked his answering machine the second he got back home. There was a message from a very anxious Helen Plum. She hadn't seen or heard from Stephanie all week. After speaking to Helen, Morelli became frantic. He called Stephanie for what seemed like the millionth time. Fucking voice mail! He refused to leave another message that would go unanswered like the others. Thinking Ranger was still in Miami, he called Tank. Tank filled him in on everything he knew. He also explained that Ranger had planned to call him when he got back from his latest job. Morelli thanked him and disconnected. He drove straight over to her apartment.
When she didn't answer, Morelli let himself in using his key. Stephanie wasn't home. Only the sound of Rex running on his wheel. Stephanie was by no stretch of the imagination a neat freak, but the place was unkempt. Even for her. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary. He looked through the kitchen. Nothing in the fridge. No dishes in the sink. No Ben and Jerry's in the freezer. "What's going on, Cupcake?" he muttered aloud. He didn't like this situation one bit. Something was so very wrong here. He noticed the blinking light on her answering machine. Pushing the button, the digital voice said, "You have 78 new messages."
Morelli didn't care if she would be angry with him or not. He was going to stay there until she got home. He called Tank again. Tank reported that Ranger was having her followed, but the team watching her last night lost her trail. Morelli told him he was at her apartment and was going to stay until she got back. They both promised to keep each other informed. He called to have Pino's delivered and turned on the TV. It was well after midnight before he finally dropped off to sleep on her couch.
Morelli was jolted awake by the ringing of his cell phone. It was the station. A body was found at the park. "Be right there." He poked his head in her room. The bed was empty. Stephanie hadn't come home last night. Maybe she was with that guy Tank told me about, he wondered. He ducked into the bathroom to take care of business. He used her toothpaste to freshen up his mouth before heading out.
There were several police cars parked along the curb. He could see the area where the body was by the yellow tape that sectioned it off. Heaviness grew in the pit of his stomach as he walked towards the scene. It wasn't till he saw the look on Eddie Gazzara's face that this could be Stephanie. No way. This must just be a really bad scene. Eddie looked up as he approached. His eyes were red rimmed and filled with tears. His face told him what he didn't want to hear. Morelli stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes darted back and forth from Eddie to the crime scene. His mouth went dry. "No," he croaked. He broke from his paralysis and ran towards to taped area. Carl and Big Dog seemed to come out of nowhere and restrained him. "Is it Stephanie?" Carl looked down at the ground but nodded. "Jesus! Oh my God! No…it's not her! You're wrong!" He pulled away making it only a few feet farther before Big Dog tackled him.
"You can't go in there. They're collecting the evidence. You don't want to fuck up any chances of nailing this mother fucker…do you?" Morelli was speechless. He grabbed Big Dog, and his body was wracked with sobs. This can't be happening, he said to himself. She can't be dead. It seemed like hours before he was able to get control of himself. "How? What happened?"
"They're not really sure," Carl told him. "There is no obvious trauma to her body. She has a bruise and a little blood on her neck, but it doesn't look like she was strangled. The ME is going to have to figure this one out." They all turned their attention to a commotion on the sidewalk. Several members of the press had just shown up. "Jesus, that's all we need now."
"Keep them away. They got off on humiliating her every time something went wrong. I'll be damned if I let them turn her death into a fucking circus," Morelli told them. As if almost on cue, two black SUVs pulled up. Tank and the Merry Men jumped out. He watched as Tank ordered the men to help secure the scene. For the first time, Morelli was actually grateful to see them show up. Once the press was held in place, he stared as Tank marched over to him.
"Is it Stephanie?" Morelli nodded. Tank dropped his face into his hands. Tank knelt down in front of Morelli. "We heard there was a body found over the scanner. When you didn't answer your phone, I got a bad feeling." Morelli's hand flew to his pocket. He didn't have his phone on him. He must have left it in his truck or at Stephanie's. "What happened?" Carl told him what they knew.
"Does Ranger know?" Morelli asked. Tank shook his head.
"Not yet. That's not a call I'm looking forward to." Tank put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. We all loved, Stephanie. She was like a little sister to us." Morelli nodded again. "We'll help keep the maggots out of the area for you." Tank rose and went back to his men.
Two long and excruciating hours later, Morelli was allowed to see her. Her body had been covered with a sheet. With his hand shaking, he slowly pulled back the cloth. Seeing that her eyes were open, he broke down again. No! Those amazing blue eyes that were so full of personality. Her normally bright blue eyes were lifeless and dull. "Who did this to you Cupcake?" he sobbed. "I'll get him. I swear I'll get him and make him pay. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you. Jesus, Steph! I love you so much." He hugged her body through the sheet. A hand on his shoulder told him it was time for them to take her away.
Morelli struggled to get up. When he opened his eyes, the Chief was standing in front of him. "I'm assuming you want to be the one to inform her family?" Morelli nodded.
"I'll go there right now. With the Burg grapevine probably already alerted, this is going to get out quickly." The Chief expressed his condolences. Tank was leaning up against Morelli's truck. "I'm on my way to tell her parents." Tank gave him a slight nod.
"I would like to be there with you when you tell them. I know Ranger would want to be represented," Tank explained. Morelli agreed. No point in turning this into a pissing contest now. Stephanie was gone. Whatever happened between her and Ranger was over. It didn't matter anymore.