Chapter 13 VFW Hall, The Burg, Trenton New Jersey The afternoon of Carlos Manoso's memorial service

"Joe Morelli wants a few minutes of your time." Val whispered in my ear as she kissed my cheek. We were finally back in the Burg with half of the Memorial attendees. Julius and the Manoso tribe had taken the Feds and all their extended family to a local restaurant to continue the memorial, but I was just not up to socializing with the Manoso family without Carlos. There was still a sour taste in my mouth from our first meeting, in spite of the later apologies. Instead, Les and Bobby had worked with my folks to have a lunch set up at the VFW hall for the Burg contingent.

"Tell him I will slip out the back door in ten minutes. I want to talk to him too. And please Val…"

"I know, don't say anything to anyone."

Fifteen minutes later, Joe joined me in the back of the VFW hall. I activated the device Gabriela left with me and smiled and waved at Junior and Manny in the RangeMan SUV that guarded the back of the building.

"Nobody can listen in, so it is safe to talk."

"Stephanie, I need to apologize for my…um… I reacted badly when I found out the baby wasn't … I said things… I don't think you were trying to trick me… I am sorry I… It was unforgivable, the things I said."

"Joe, it was a surprise to both of us. I am just so sorry you were hurt."

"Listen Steph- I need to tell you… about Ranger… I wouldn't count out the possibility of him still being alive, out there somewhere."

"He missed all the extraction point times …" The burning behind my eyes. "And we are struggling to identify the body."

"Keep the faith Stephanie- it's like all those soap operas- if a body can't be identified, the character isn't really dead. And if anyone ever walked off a screen and into our lives, Ranger is that person."

"That's kind of you…"

"I'm not being kind- I am being honest." Joe related the story of a recent meeting Terry organized with Vito Grizolli.

Vito Grizolli sat down with Joe in the back room of a fancy Italian restaurant in Princeton and Terry moved away from them. Joe was surprised that Terry had not mentioned there would be a guest at this dinner.

"Joseph, I know you from when you were a little boy being boxed around by your father. I have protected you like an uncle might, ensuring your safety and keeping Family business away from you- to protect you and your reputation."

"And I have always appreciated that, Vito…"

"Joseph, you struggled this fall and it saddened me. I would not want to see you falter in this way again."

"I don't understand…What makes you concerned…"

"The girl. Joseph, do not imagine a future with her. She is no widow. My source is impeccable."

Joe froze.

"I am hearing rumors, Joseph, and am working to confirm them. Even now, his enemies are plotting to convince the world of his demise. I believe they try too hard to prove this falsehood."

"Can you tell me anything?"

"You have been told what can be told. I will help you if I can."

"Why tell me?"

"Because you will do the right thing because it is the right thing to do." Vito rose from his chair. "Be careful with this information. And protect the girl."

The old mobster walked toward Terry kissed her on her cheek and walked out.

"Holy Hell!" Joe couldn't believe it.

"Joey, we need to have a great meal and keep up appearances." Terry refilled his wine glass and kissed him as the waiter arrived with their entrees.

Joe broke the kiss and told the waiter they will call if they needed anything else. "Of course, you are right. But they are having the memorial…"

"And we will attend together. And you will find a way to get word to her." Terry sipped her wine.

"That Ranger is alive." Holy Hell!

I became aware that my mouth was hanging open when Joe asked me a question.

"When you said there is difficulty in identifying the body, what do you mean? I thought all the RangeMan employees had stored DNA in addition to dental records and fingerprints to ensure that was never an issue when they did government work,"

"The body was… they… Joe, there are no fingerprints – the pads of the fingers were damaged and all the teeth removed. I don't have all the details- I didn't want them honestly… but the man had been tortured…" My tears are slipping down my cheeks. "Do you really believe that it isn't Carlos?"

"Vito believes it. So yes, I believe it is possible." Joe pulled a clean handkerchief from his pocket and asked, "What can I do to help you?"

"Carlos's stored sample- somehow it didn't work. His brother really pushed to have this memorial and I just feel like I would know… if Carlos was gone. I need to know for sure if the body is or isn't him. His brother seems more focused on finding the person on the team that helped make this all happen."

"A mole?" Joe seems incredulous. He knows that loyalty is a key part of RangeMan. "Who could possibly be that stupid. Or have that big a death wish? Is the target Ranger or his brother?" This is why Joe is such a good cop.

"Joe, can I trust you to help me…"

"Anything. Stephanie, I will help you in any way I can."

"I need you to get in touch with your cousin Julie." I attended Julie's wedding with Joe when I was looking for my Uncle Fred. I left the wedding early to go after one of Carlos's high bond FTAs, Alphonse Ruzick after Joe left me at the table and walked off with Terry Gilman.

Julie had married a cousin of Terry's and they moved out of the Burg. Michael Grizolli wasn't Family material, he was studying biochemistry at Temple University when Julie met him. She majored in Biology undergrad and was working on her doctorate the last I heard. They worked in some fancy academic lab near Temple's main campus.

"I need you to give her a set of samples, hair, blood, and saliva from three people and an amniotic fluid sample. I need them compared to one another to see if the DNA matches."

"Yours, the body and Ranger's daughter Julie, I'm assuming." I nod to him.

"I will leave all the samples with Sally Sweet before Friday. Joe- she has to run this as a set of research samples, numbered without names."

"You are afraid someone would alter results if they know they are yours?" I nod again.

"Holy shit- you think they fucked with the RangeMan samples!"

"Joe, nobody can know. I can't risk having anyone directly associated with Ranger show up at a Genetic lab."

Joe agreed to swing by Sally's place to "interview him" as a possible witness. Then he would head to Philly for the weekend and visit his smartest cousin.