A/N: So after the shortes Chapter last week now finally the longest. We are getting to the good stuff, how Steph came in contact with Ranger and the MM. I want a review from each and everyone of you.
Betrayal
Chapter 18
A Spy´s Tale
or
The Life of Stephanie Plum
The Final Act
Betrayal
Part 1
In 2006, you had just started RangeMan, a woman was shot in Miami. Her husband eventually confessed and said he had the gun from a Latino who called himself Sombra8. The Detective who questioned him was the same one who arrested you in 1997 after you stole a car. He remembered that Sombra was your street name once and asked the sub to describe the guy who sold him the gun. His description matched you but after showing the sub your mug-shot he said it wasn´t you. Nevertheless the Detective pulled up your files and confirmed that it couldn´t be you because you were in Iraq at that time.
Five similar crimes happen between May 2006 and January 2008. Two homicides and a robbery in Miami; an attempt murder and a robbery in Boston. There might have been more, but in these cases the culprits were caught and all said the same thing: They brought the guns from a guy named Sombra who matched your description, but not your photo. And on all occasions when they brought the guns you were either out of the country, at Fort Benning or in another town; thus they never had a reason to bring you in for questioning. In January 2008 a man was killed in a hit and run in Miami and he bore a remarkable resemblance to you. In his car were two unregistered guns and in his flat they found a note-book with entries of guns sold for the crimes I mentioned. He was Sombra. Furthermore photos of you were found and bills from a plastic surgeon in Mexico for a facial reconstruction paid from an offshore account which belonged to an Adam Rico Sonor. Which is a really bad anagram for Ricardo Manoso.
By that time the FBI took over. They found really badly hidden evidence that said you were selling guns. Accounts with anagrams of your name Ranger or of members of your family and of Lester's, Bobby´s, Tank´s, Ram´s, Silvio´s and others of your employees. But everything we found was so badly hidden and partly bogus that it practically screamed set up. Even Albert Kloughn would have been able to get the charges, filed on that, dropped in minutes.
So they focused the investigation on people who might want to harm you. Business rivals, enviers you made in the army, enemies you possibly made as a black-ops, ex-lovers with a grudge, etc. They barely started when the tables turned again.
In January 2008 an FBI agent was killed in the line of duty. His death was a coincident which leads us here today. He was normal field agent in Atlanta and had nothing to do with the investigation against you; so imagine the surprise when they found audio recordings of phone calls between the two of you, discussing the progress of the investigation against you.
Now, before you go off, like nuclear bomb, hear me out, please.
The voice on the tapes was analyzed and were matched with a recording of one of your lectures from the SWAT training you did for the Bureau; they came back as an 71.8 percent match to your voice. The forensic audio expert explained the lack of a hundred percent match due to the lack of a compassionate sample - which would normally be recorded using certain keywords and phrases and without background noises – and because the tapes from the agent were seemingly in a very poor quality. Alas the 71.8 percent positive match was enough to bring the focus back to you.
The question however was how to proceed. The Status Quo was, a highly decorated Army Ranger who is also a successful businessman on the one hand and wild assumptions, which didn´t add up, and questionable evidence on the other. No judge would issue a search warrant for any of your property, may it private or business; or even a warrant to bring you in for questioning. Besides it would have been a waste of time as you wouldn´t have said anything anyway and your lawyer would have ripped the reasons for the warrant into pieces before you even set a foot into an interrogation room. And it would have tipped you off in case you were indeed guilty.
Normal observation techniques, like bugging your phone, tailing you or your employees was no option, seeing as you were a security specialist and would have caught on before an observation team even could set up shop. So the case was given to the Black Unit more precisely to the Spy department.
Fortunately we had already two Spies placed in Trenton. Me of course, and my partner, who had just recently arrived, too back me up or extract me should anything go wrong with the New York case. They gave my partner your case, because I was knee deep into finalizing my own. That was in March 2008.
Farmer called on July 20th , 2008 at 9 am and ordered me to meet with my partner. You know her as Jeanne Ellen Burrows.
~~~~~oooo~~~~~
I held my hand up to silence Ranger. As soon as I said Jeanne´s name his temper flared. Another person in his life betrayed him. Although they weren´t nearly as close as he and I, they worked together, occasionally. And working together in this business means trusting the other to have your back. He sat ramrod straight, he clenched his teeth so hard that I was surprised they weren´t pulverized, his fists balled so tight that the knuckles turned white despite his dark complexion and his eyes were mere slits. And I´m pretty sure he stopped breathing. That doesn´t bode well and even more so for the real betrayal, if we make it that far, that is. I looked at the others and they too didn´t fare much better. But I couldn´t really blame them. I was well on my way to destroy everything they believed in for years. Lucky me. I have to take a gamble if I want to make it to the part that really matters.
Ignoring the others I got up from my cooler and kneeled in front of Ranger. I made sure not to touch him. I lowered my head and let my hair fall around my face, offering him my bare neck. I am doing it again. I am manipulating him. This is a position of complete submission. Essentially I am offering him to take my life. Right here, right now. Without going too deep into comparative psychology, I am triggering his primal instincts. Despite all the masks I had worn I´m not a woman who submits and deep down on a subconscious level Ranger knows this. Where Ranger is the Alpha-male, I´m the Alpha- female. I will even go so far and say that I´m his mate. I know Ranger still loves me under all the anger and rage and hurt I caused him and that's what I´m betting on. I hope seeing me in this position will calm him down so far, that he is able to listen again.
It felt like hours kneeling there like that, when finally his hand brushed my neck. His fingertips barely touched my skin, but it was enough. I raised my head and looked at him. With a tiny nod of his head he acknowledged my actions and with a raised eyebrow he told me I´m crazy. Well, nothing new there. I smirked and went back to my cooler. Just then I acknowledged the others again. Eric, Jordan and Adam, who never saw Ranger and me interact, wore looks of astonishment, while the rest looked embarrassed and adverted their eyes. I can only imagine what it must have looked like. And I was glad for their momentary distraction, I just wanted to get on with my story and not answer the bazillion questions they surely have.
~~~~~oooo~~~~~
Like I said I met with Jeanne Ellen and she filled me in on your case and her assignment to get so close to you to extract information out of you and your associates. She told me about her research on you and how she approached you.
Obviously she wasn´t very successful. She didn´t even made it to your bed. And let me tell you that still pisses her off. Especially after all the mental preparation she had to do.
That last statement earned me another raised eyebrow from Ranger and I couldn´t help it but I burst out laughing. And that in turn made his eyebrow almost disappear into his hairline.
"I´m sorry, but I thought you knew. You are the most observant man I know, Ranger. We thought you had seen through her or at least noticed that something was fishy with her. Jeanne prefers women over men in her private life. So whenever she actually has to sleep with a man in the line of duty she has to lock away her real personality much more tightly when we all already do. " I could see that Ranger, Lester and Bobby understood what I meant but the others were pretty much clueless so I explained further.
"We spies learn during our training to lock away huge parts of our own personality in order to assimilate a new one, without losing ourselves. The physical things are the easiest things to suppress or to learn and to maintain. Like the way you walk and talk or physical handicaps like a limp. That is actually not that difficult, is a lot like acting only on a permanent basis. More difficult are mindsets, to change your worldview so to speak, and portray it convincingly, especially over extended periods of time. You really have to believe it. It´s not easy but as soon as you have the hang of it you can slip in and out other personas like in and out of your favorite shirt. But to willingly change your sexual orientation, especially with the level of awareness we have of ourselves is really hard. Oh, it´s easy to flirt a little, kissing or even to have a halfway decent one night stand but to seduce someone in order to build up a relationship, even a casual one, is an entire different thing. The difficult part is not to convince your mind of the person of your non-preferred gender but your body.
You see sexual orientation is nothing we can consciously choose. I won´t go as far as to say it´s genetically but I think we were born with a preference. Be it men, women or both or in Vinnie´s case ducks."
This got me laughs even from Adam and Jordan. Apparently the sexcapades of my cousin are common knowledge at RangeMan´s.
~~~~~oooo~~~~~
Back to the topic, after Jeanne´s plan to form a professional or personal relationship failed she pleaded with our boss to get me on board before they extract her and form another plan.
You see, Jeanne and I were recruited at almost the same time and when we started our "practical" year they brought us together seeing as we were the only females at that time. And although she and I are polar opposites in the physical department, we hit right off from the first minute.
We share a similar history and being the only women in a male domain bonded us. Don´t make the mistake to think that man and woman are regarded as equal. Even the clerisy Black Unit tends to underestimate women. Which is not necessarily a bad thing.
Nevertheless, she briefed me about your case and asked me what I would do now. To be honest I had no idea at first. As I told you we had not that much and what we had had was confusing at best and total rubbish at worst and personal information about you beyond your name was practically non-existent. With that what she had to work with I would have made the same approach she did. So I asked for a few days off to do my own research and to come up with a plan.
Under the pretense of job interviews in New York, I went to Boston, Miami and Atlanta and observed the workings of your company. From your files I knew that you wanted to start a branch office of RangeMan in Trenton and that you worked as BEA for my cousin Vinnie. I wanted to see how your offices worked without coming into contact with you. You were on a mission at that time so it was pretty save for me, besides I mostly kept my distance and was in disguise. My last destination was Miami and so far I only found out that RangeMan provided security for shops, offices and homes, redecorations, bodyguards and fugitive apprehensions. Your company operated 24/7 in 3 shifts with 2 man teams. Your staff consisted of only males except housekeeper which were either family members or family friends. I estimated it would be the same in Trenton. No way for me to get near you in that way.
The only two things I could find out about you personally Ranger was that you are feared and awed. I already knew as much. So I tried a different route in Miami. I researched properties which were for Sale and formerly protected by RangeMan. Took me two days to find something suitable.
I contacted the realtor Mrs. Bennett and played a newly divorced woman who is trying to escape her rich, abusive ex-husband which she relieved off half of his assets. I feigned interest in the house and a special interest into a good security. I told her some cock and bull story about my ex and as luck would have it, she promptly suggested RangeMan LLC.; praising your competence and your services. And after a few choice questions she eagerly gave me a complete account of the more obvious amenities.
Ranger did you knew that there is a contest going on whoever is able to catch your eye?
Oh, and that you all are compared to each other? Seem like Les here is highly sought after…
Whatever. Based on this crumbs of intel I had, I had my plan for a first contact with you. I went back to Trenton and gave Jeanne my O.K. to try it.
I continued to live my life as Stephanie Plum fired lingerie buyer. Through the Burg grapevine and my family I knew Vinnie looked for a file clerk, I just waited until I looked desperate enough for everyone to consider working for that slime ball of cousin. As a file clerk for Vinnie, I would be close enough to get information about you but also distant enough to fly under the radar. Or so I thought.
I swear to be hired as bounty hunter and getting Morelli`s file and Connie arranging for us to meet, Ranger, was pure coincident. Well, I`m nothing if not adaptable and since the whole competent bounty hunter thing didn´t work with Jeanne I thought I´m going to do the complete opposite. And it worked, didn´t it?
Right, so Connie set up a meeting with us and don´t ask me how or why, Ranger but as soon as I saw you I knew you were innocent. And after you rescued me from my shower rod without hitting on me or making some derogatory comments, my mind was set to proof your innocence.
Before you even ask, of course I could have freed myself. Even without lock picking skills, shower rods aren´t designed to support a human body, but I wanted to see what you would do and I had to protect my role.
After the whole thing with Morelli and Jimmy Alpha was solved – which, by the way I still can´t believe you all took as luck that I hit Alpha five times in the heart, through my purse no less- I went back to Quantico for a few days. I had my pinky toe to in your door and I was dead set to solve your case. It was high time that I took charge.
I needed as much information about you as I could get so I demanded complete access to your military records and those of your employees. While the Black Unit has much more liberties than other Law Enforcement Agencies, military files are still off limits for us, especially those of Black ops. Fortunately for me my Boss and the Secretary of Defense were old childhood friends and I got my wish. Furthermore the Directors of the CID, NCIS and later the AFOSI where informed about the ongoing investigation and ordered to full cooperation. They were instructed to ignore any accusation against one of you, should they ever arise and to immediately inform my boss, any course of action would be determine through the Black Unit.
That being taken care of I needed to set up my base. Unlike the New York assignment I needed a much different support system. For the New York job I just needed one location to store my equipment and my findings and only one car whenever I couldn´t use my own.
Going up against you was an entirely different matter altogether. After I read your file I really really wanted to forfeit. You are the best Ranger. Seriously. But I was determined to solve your case and proof your innocence. In order to archive this I had to be smarter, stealthier, cannier, slier, more cunning and more ruthless than you.
I had the Black Unit set me up three hideouts, one in Trenton, one in Newark and one in Philadelphia. At each location I had two different cars and a motorcycle. In addition to those I had a permanent contact in Trenton. I estimated the more we would come in contact with each other, Ranger, the more I would be observed by you, so I couldn´t risk blowing my cover with regular trips to Virginia.
You remember Mrs. Bestler, the elevator lady? She was my contact. And she is far from the slightly loony woman she portrayed; she is actually the first female spy of the Black Unit. We rented the apartment above mine for her and set it up as my base.
I stored all the equipment I needed regularly there: guns, ammo, listening devices, clothes, make-up, wigs for disguises and all my other little spy gadgets. We set up a few sport equipment's: a stationary bike, a set of small barbells, an ab-trainer; things that wouldn´t look too out of place in the home of an older lady. I need to be a the top of my game.
For the first few months one of her three sons, aka my mentors, would stop by every day to look after her. Well, I desperately needed to brush up on my combat skills and I got an intensive course in Rangers and Special Forces tactics and so on, in order to learn your thinking pattern. Let me tell you in the first five months I existed solely on caffeine and sugar and a maximum of four hours of sleep. It was not funny becoming Ranger v2.0 while establishing Stephanie Plum-the-woman-who-is-just-to-stubborn-to-give-up-a-job-she-absolutly-sucks-at-but-has-a-98 percent-capture-rate.
~~~~~oooo~~~~~
I got a few chuckles for my self-description. But now I´m at crossroads. Should I bring my other permanent contact, namely Joe Morelli, up now or later?
And naturally Ranger picked up on my split second of hesitation.
"What is it, babe?"
Gulp…