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Disclaimer: Don't own anything but the plot and Annie. Even the title is borrowed from Van Morrison.

Italics - Spanish

Some bad words, some violence, and fade into black sex-scenes, nothing too graphic.

Chapter 6. More information

On his way back home he got a call on his cellphone. It was Stephanie.

"Hi, Tank. I hear you've met someone."

"Brown and/or Santos should learn to keep their mouths shut."

"I won't reveal my source. Now spill!"

"Annie´s your lookalike from behind, and I met her when Morelli decided to visit her in her apartment. He was dead drunk, and helped himself inside. Scared her, but she managed to run away, and when he caught up to her she threw him good. Hector and I had been called in, and afterwards we took her to Haywood over the night. I brought her home and asked her out on a date."

"Talk about the Reader's Digest version. And what's this about Joe?"

"As I said, from behind Annie looks like you. Curly brown hair, about your height. From the front it's quite obvious she´s not you; she´s got brown eyes, a slimmer build and is a few years younger. But Morelli seems to have fixated on her. The first time was at the mall, when Brown and Cal helped her, and then she noticed someone following her around, and finally he broke into her apartment. And he keeps calling her Cupcake."

Tank waited for Steph to say something, but the other end was quiet, although he could hear her breathe.

"Steph?"

"I didn't know. I was hoping he would move on when I wasn't around. And now he´s…"

Tank could hear a sob.

"Please Steph. Tell me what happened. Annie has filed a restraining order against him, but I don't trust him, and something seems strange at the TPD. Considering that he's a police officer it seems reasonable that there would be more consequences than just a suspension and counseling. Hell, he isn't even officially demoted from officer, just on suspension."

Another sob.

"I'll call you back, Tank. Bye."

Tank swore under his breath and continued home.

When he got home he looked after his cats, and waited for a phone call. Finally his phone rang.

"Yo."

"Yo. Steph told me to call you," Ranger said.

Tank gave him a quick but thorough briefing of what had happened the last weeks, concerning Morelli.

"Fuck. I didn't see that happening," Ranger finally said.

"Spill."

"When I finally got my head out of my ass regarding Babe she and Morelli had been over for weeks. But really, their dysfunctional relationship was in its death throes even before I stepped up. Her mother continued to harass her about Morelli being the only man willing to put up with Steph, and when Edna died a few months earlier, her in-family support was non-existent.

"After Edna's funeral Morelli pressured Steph to move in with him, and her mother started to plan the wedding. Steph refused on both accounts, and both Helen and Morelli were less than nice, to put it mildly. I know you and the core team tried to be there for her, but you had a lot of things going on, with me on a mission, that cluster fuck in the Boston office and half of Rangeman Trenton sick in flu."

Tank made a displeased sound.

"If I had known Morelli…"

"Relax, man. Babe was in her favorite place – land of denial. She didn't want to see the situation for what it was. Without her grandmother she didn't have any support in her family. Her dad´s so dysfunctional it´s a wonder he can drive a cab and interact with his buddies. And her sister´s as caught up in being the perfect Burg wife as their mother."

Tank murmured something that could be interpreted as judgmental bitches, but it was in between clenched teeth, and not that audible.

"It all came crashing down around Stephanie the day before I came back. She hadn´t been to her parents for some weeks, and her mother kept calling her phone, and leaving messages. Unfortunately Steph ran into her at The Tasty Pastry, and Helen berated her loudly to all the nosy Burgites around. To get away from the situation Steph promised to come for dinner the same evening. And she specifically told Helen that if she commanded her presence because she wanted to spend time with and talk to her daughter - Helen´s words to Steph – Steph wanted it to just be her, Helen and Frank.

"When Steph arrived at six o'clock that night Frank had a 'boy´s night' at the club. It must have been the first time since their marriage Helen had gotten him out of the house at their normal dinner time. Steph of course got suspicious, but decided that she could sit down for dinner. It was a quiet meal, not a lot of 'Why me´s' from Helen. As Steph said, that should have gotten her even more suspicious. For dessert there was a pineapple upside-down-cake, which in Steph´s words tasted 'funny'.

"She woke up in Joe Morelli´s house, handcuffed to his bedpost. She wasn't wearing any clothes, and in the bed beside her lay Joe Morelli snoring and stinking drunk, buck naked."

"How the fuck is he still alive!" Tank roared.

"Babe," answered Ranger. "She begged me to let him live. I swear I at least was planning on shipping her mother of to some -stan, and I didn't plan on anyone ever finding any part of Morelli. The thing is, the dumb fucker hadn´t even taken her cell phone away from her. He had just dropped her clothes next to the bed, and she had her cell phone in one of her pockets. Just as she awoke, I happened to call her. I was standing inside her apartment, wondering where she was. She answered, and I was at Morelli's five minutes later.

"Before we got out of there I took some photos, mostly of Stephanie handcuffed to the bed, and of Morelli beside her. Then I punched him, and made sure that he´d piss blood for a couple of days, and cuffed him spread eagled to his bed. And I didn't put his cell phone within reaching distance. I swear that the only person in the world who could stop me from killing him is Babe, and she begged me to take her away from there. She also said she was sure he hadn't raped her while she was unconscious. Apparently he´d been too drunk, 'cause as she said, he wanted her pregnant, there was no way he´d put on a condom."

Ranger took a deep breath.

"I took Steph away with me to my house on the shore. We cleared up our relationship, decided that we were through with Trenton, did a blood test to see what Helen and Morelli had drugged Steph with, and sent them both the result of the blood test, some photos of Stephanie cuffed to his bed with him snoring beside her, and told them that copies were at my attorneys and in another undisclosed place, and if they ever came anywhere near Stephanie again we would press charges. Drugging, abducting and holding captive is a minimum prison sentence of five years in New Jersey. Also for the accomplice, we specifically told Helen."

"Why didn't you tell me? Or anyone else in the core team?"

"I wanted to, but Babe felt so ashamed, both that she had put up with Morelli for so long, for the fact that her mother had fooled her to even visit her family, and for the way Helen had acted. She was a wreck. I decided that the best thing I could do for her was to take her away from Trenton. Permanently. If I had thought that Morelli was a threat to anyone I´d taken care of him, but the reports from Trenton only mentioned that he had begun to drink heavily. Helen as well."

"I´m planning to speak to Gazarra tomorrow," Tank said. "The fact that Morelli´s become fixated at Annie more than a year after Steph moved makes me believe she´s not the first woman he has at the very least stalked."

Tank´s voice softened.

"How is Little girl?"

"She´s much better than when we first moved down here, but she still sees her psychologist every week. She´s had to face some tough truths about herself, her family, Morelli and also her relationship with me. And as much as we both love Stella, we hadn't planned on having a baby that soon, if ever. That has also been something world altering, albeit in a good way."

He paused.

"The christening is still planned for May seventh. Is there any chance that Stella´s godfather will be bringing a date? I've already arranged for the jet, you'll have company with Ella. Luis, Mary Lou and her family, plus Dougie, Mooner and Sally Sweet."

"Not Connie and Lula?"

"Let's just say that the time away has made it clear who are real friends, not just in it for the food and gossip. It´ll be quite small, we think that our wedding party was big enough."

Tank laughed.

"Maybe not the wedding, but definitely the party. I´ll see about bringing a date, I just met Annie three days ago!"

"When it´s the right person you just know. You may not be willing to admit it even to yourself, but you know."

"I hear you, man."

They hung up, and Tank made himself a cup of coffee. Drinking it he couldn't help but think of Annie, her coffee had definitely been better, and a lot stronger. He looked at his watch, and decided it wasn't too late to call her.

"Hello Tank."

"Hello Annie. Thanks for today."

"Thank you. And I totally forgot to give you the clothes and things I borrowed at Rangeman. But I'm thinking that maybe I´ll keep your jacket. It´s huge, but really comfortable."

Tank laughed.

"You're welcome to it. I´ve got more.

"I was wondering if you've time to meet me tomorrow after work. I´ve got some more intel on Morelli, and I'll also talk to Gazarra tomorrow. And of course I´d like to see you."

"I´d like to see you too. But this thing about Morelli sounds serious."

"I think it is, but as long as you engage the floor bolt when you're in the apartment and are cautious when out and about I honestly don't think you're in any danger. I`ll tell you more tomorrow."

"OK."

They decided that Tank should come and pick up Annie from work, and they´d decide where to go after that when they met.

"Good night."

"Good night, Tank. Thanks for calling."

When they hung up Tank decided he was too agitated to go to sleep easily, so he put on running clothes and shoes. An hour later he was home again, and after a hot shower he was tired enough to go to sleep.