Chapter 24

I stood in front of Rafael's door looking outwardly composed. Inwardly, I was nervous but determined not to let him see it. The plan was a good one and it was well underway.

Lester and Vince were in the house, near enough that they could hear and intervene if things went haywire between Rafael and me. I knew Ranger and Tank were nearby and would be listening. I wasn't wired, but the house was.

The plan had been put into action in the early hours of the morning when Rafael's intruder alarm had gone off accidentally on purpose at 3:00 a.m. The police were automatically notified. After RangeMan monitoring had called Rafael and determined the alarm was false, it was electronically disabled and the police call had been cancelled.

Rafael was pleasant considering his sleep had been interrupted when he spoke with a RangeMan representative. RangeMan explained they had run a remote diagnostic and they had the error code, hence the reason for the false alarm at hand. It would be a simple fix, they assured him. They asked for and were granted his permission to enter his home during working hours later in the day. Rafael had received a report late in the day from RangeMan telling him the problem was fixed and the repair technicians had left the home secure and back online.

All that was left was for me to provoke Rafael into confessing to the murder of David. I would try to work from the angle that I knew of his guilt from things I'd overheard the last night I was with him. If that didn't work, I would tell him I had the tape and I'd watched it. Lester, Vince and Tank all knew about the tape, so if I had to mention it I could. They would carry the secret of its existence to their graves.

As soon as Rafael confessed, Lester and Vince would step forward. Another alarm would go off at RangeMan and again, the police would be summoned, but they would be assured it was no false alarm. When they arrived, they would find that Lester and Vince had also responded to the alarm. They would be holding Rafael in place and tell the police they'd just heard the man confess to the murder of David Guzman.

Morelli knew most of the aspects of the plan. Surprisingly, he told Ranger that he had done an occasional drive by of Rafael's home in the years since Rafael had disappeared. David Guzman's murder was one of the few unsolved cases he had been part of and he hadn't forgotten about it. When the alarm went out later in the evening, Morelli would be in his office working late and hear it and drive down to check it out. This was something he and Ranger had agreed upon two nights before.

I don't know how much detail Ranger had gone into when he told Joe about Rafael and me. Ranger would have shared with me, but I didn't ask. Joe was smart enough to know there was more to the plan than he knew and smart enough to know that his lack of knowledge of the details would ensure its success. Ranger had assured him, any confession of the crime would be real and freely given and Vince and Lester would report it exactly as it had been given.

The last part of the plan was for Joe to come onto the scene after the TPD had restrained Rafael. Joe wouldn't arrest him, but he'd be present when the officers did. Rafael might scream he'd been set up, but RangeMan would have the documentation of the earlier false alarm, and they would be well within their rights to have shown up for the second alarm.

Rafael would be carted away by the TPD, and we'd all go home and live happily ever after. That was the plan and it would begin as soon as I knocked on the door.

I raised my hand to do so, and the door opened in front of me. Rafael stood in the doorway looking brooding and menacing, meant to make me more nervous than I was, I thought. I was on edge, but not for any reason he could guess.

"Ms. Plum!" he exclaimed. "It's so lovely to see you again after all these years. You've grown more beautiful with age. Come in, do come in," he put his hand on my shoulder and ushered me into his foyer. His jovial tone was at odds with his facial expression. It was all an act with him and he wasn't doing a good job of hiding that fact. "Come and sit in the den. We'll have a drink and get comfortable with one another again."

I followed him through the living room to the den and surreptitiously glanced at the bookcase. The Disney Princess movie cases were still lined up on his shelf. Did he know? I'd find out soon enough.

"What can I get you to drink?" he asked. "Wine perhaps?"

"Water," I said.

He tilted his head slightly sideways, but said nothing and went to the bar. I was still standing. The whole scenario seemed awkward and I knew I needed to get a grip on myself. I didn't want him to be suspicious.

"Have a seat and make yourself at home," he said. "It's been a long time since we were together and I think we need a little time to get reacquainted with one another."

Those were the words I needed to give me my opening. I sat and waited for him to bring my drink. He returned from the bar and handed me a crystal glass half-filled with water. I'd have preferred a bottle, but still I'd watched him fill the glass. I doubted he'd slipped anything into it. He wanted me undrugged and aware of what was happening. He got his enjoyment from witnessing my pain and humiliation. He wouldn't risk anything that would suppress my reaction. He was in for a surprise.

"It has been a while," I said. "I'm not the person I used to be. You may not be so happy to get to know me now."

"You're not the same person," he agreed. "You're a famous bounty hunter now."

"Did you subscribe to the Trentonian while you were away?" I asked. "I've made the paper a few times, I guess."

"Yes, your exploits made it easy to keep up with your new adventures."

"I've been keeping tabs on you as well," I said. He didn't immediately respond and I knew I'd caught him off guard.

"I might as well just say it and get it over with," I said. "I was afraid of you when you, well, when we were last together. I wasn't happy with the way things were going between us." Giant understatement of the year, Stephanie, I told myself. "I came here tonight to tell you there won't be any more, uh, meetings between us. That's over."

"My dear," he said. "I think the distance between us has dulled your memory. There is every good reason for us to remain connected."

"My memory isn't dull at all, Rafael. I remember every aspect of our… connection and it won't be happening anymore. I said I'd been keeping tabs on you. Would you like to know what I've discovered?"

He nodded and then smiled. It was the smile of an egocentric, sadistic fool who still thought he had control of me. My temper spiked. I stood and paced slowly as I spoke. I had a niggling feeling that I should be taking things slow. The plan was to keep him feeling safe and in control, so he'd calmly confess when I presented him with the evidence. The more I thought about going slow, the more I knew I wouldn't, so I jumped into the deep end.

"Let's see," I said. "Where should I start? I guess I'll start in Mexico. I know about your business in Mexico. You are a securities and stockbroker, not an attorney as you were here in Trenton. You live well, some might say extravagantly. You spend many hours and many pesos at a bathhouse, Toma, I think it's called, where you are a popular guest. I know that you plan for this visit to the States to be temporary, at least that's what you've told people. Maybe you're back in Trenton to scam more people of their life savings. Maybe your lifestyle in Mexico is so expensive that you came north to restock your coffers."

I stopped to collect myself and catch my breath before I continued. Rafael was very still. His cheeks were high with color.

"You look upset," I said. "I suppose you're a little surprised to know that I've been following your life much as you have apparently been following mine."

His voice was soft, and I thought I detected a hint of an accent in his typically flawless diction when he spoke. I was getting to him and that was what I was after.

"You're right, my dear. I am surprised, and upset. Do you think it's wise to upset me, Stephanie, when we're alone in this place…my place?"

He'd dropped the affectatious "Ms. Plum." I was getting to him. Time for round two, and he was right in thinking I wasn't being wise, but then I knew we weren't alone.

"I'm not afraid of you any longer, Rafael," I said, once again resuming my slow pacing back and forth in front of the sofa. "Before, you had something you held over me. Something that caused me to bend to your will, but I'm the one with something to hold over you now. This is the second time I've been to your house in the past few weeks. The first time was when I broke in and retrieved the illicit videotape you made of me…and I took the other tapes as well. Did you already know that? Had you checked to make sure your precious blackmail tapes were still intact? Or did you just assume they were?" His eyes veered briefly toward the bookcase, and I felt a thrill of satisfaction.

I stopped pacing at the table and reached for my glass. I took a long drink of water, partly to collect my thoughts and partly for dramatic effect. Amazingly, I was enjoying myself. I turned to resume my slow pace and found Rafael standing at the end of the sofa, his gaze intent on me. What I was saying was threatening to him and he wasn't taking it sitting down, literally.

"Let me tell you what else I know about you, Rafael."

"Please do," he said. "I find I'm very interested in what you know about me."

"I know you have an incestuous relationship with your sister, the sister who follows you around and cleans up the messes you leave behind.

"Do you remember, Rafael, that I was with you in your private room at your office when someone came into the main office, and you had to leave me to deal with him? I figured out that it was your para, David Guzman. I listened that night and I learned. I learned that David was getting ready to take information on you to the authorities that would have sent you to jail. I suppose you feel safe coming back now that the statute of limitations for your embezzlement and Ponzi schemes has expired."

"You have interesting theories, Ms. Plum."

"I have more than that, Mr. Acosta. I have had a long-term relationship with the detective who worked David Guzman's murder case. I know what evidence the police collected and it all points to you. I can add to what they have and it will convict you of the murder of David Guzman and, as you surely know, there is no statute of limitations on murder."

"You're talking nonsense. Any evidence the police may have on me is purely circumstantial. And there won't be any other incriminating evidence because, to put it simply, I'm innocent of that crime. I don't think it's wise for you to confess to breaking and entering my home. You got a copy of your videotape perhaps, but you don't know if there are other copies."

"You're right. I don't," I said. "Your recording system, the one you presumably still have in your bedroom, is technologically antique. It would require some effort for you to disperse copies of that video on the internet. It would be much easier for you to share copies of a digital file, like the ones you'd get from the system you have in place in your bedroom at your apartment in Mexico City."

His head tilted back and he gave me a deadly stare out of obsidian eyes. The last bit of information, thank you Lester, had shocked him. His fury was building and it was time for the kill shot.

"Rafael, I want nothing more than to pretend I never met you, but I can't. I can't walk away when I have evidence that will without a doubt show your guilt in the murder of David. I have that tape as well. Oh, I know you think you erased it, and you did delete part of it, but only the beginning. The part with the torture, your admission of embezzlement, and your intent to kill David are all right there on the tape. And the wounds you inflicted match up perfectly with the coroner's diagnosis of the fatal wounds found on David Guzman's body. You're guilty."

"You are an intriguing mix of cleverness and stupidity, Ms. Plum. It appears I underestimated you. Yes, I killed David. He left me no choice, but nonetheless it was unfortunate. He was such a young, nubile and willing participant in my adventures. He was the first person I killed. It was hard for me. The second person will be much easier."

Out of nowhere a gun materialized in his hand. Okay, it probably came from his pocket, but it had come out in one smooth motion and it was pointing at me. My indrawn breath caught in my throat, but I forced it out slowly and drew in another so I could speak. And when I did speak there was no tremble, no sign of the terror I was feeling.

"I'm not so stupid that I'd come here without backup," I said.

"Excuse me, Mr. Acosta." The welcome voice came from the living room and both Rafael and I spun around to see the speaker.

Lester and Vince in full RangeMan gear were standing side-by-side, weapons drawn and pointing at Rafael, who was standing too close to me. My heart skipped a beat. I now had three guns aimed in my general direction.

"Allow me to introduce myself," Lester continued. "I'm Lester Santos and this is my good buddy, Vince. We work for RangeMan Security. Your intruder alarm went off again and we responded to the call. The police have also been notified. We've cleared the house. It was apparently another false alarm, and we were on our way in to notify you of our presence when we heard you threaten Ms. Plum."

"And we heard you confess to a murder," Vince added. "You'll need to drop your weapon and step away from Ms. Plum or we'll be forced to act."

Rafael laughed. "Gentleman, do you think you could disarm me before I shot Ms. Plum? I think we have a standoff."

"I could put a bullet in your head before you inhale again. It was my job in the military and I was—am very good at it," Lester said. The usual charming flirtatious Lester was missing. I believed what he told Rafael.

Rafael nodded and lowered his gun and I exhaled a premature sigh of relief. He moved quickly. In only a fraction of a second he closed the distance between himself and me, and I found myself standing with Rafael's arm around my neck and a gun at my temple. Neither Lester nor Vince had relaxed their stance, but neither of them had taken a shot at Rafael. We needed him alive. His arrogance made him think he'd outsmarted them and again, he laughed.

"I believe I've increased my odds of survival," he told Lester.

Suddenly the front door opened and banged loudly against the foyer wall. We all turned to look. I was expecting the Trenton PD. I was wrong.

A woman stood in the foyer at the edge of the living room with a good view to the den and of Vince and Lester who were now standing mid-way in the living room. Her arm was outstretched and wavering, causing the bangle bracelets on her wrist to clang discordantly in the silent room. In her hand was a gun, pointed in my general direction. Four guns in a small area! I'd never seen her before and yet I knew her. She was thin, almost to the point of emaciation. Her bloodshot eyes were rimmed with kohl and her lips were stained dark red. Her features were the feminine version of her brother's.

"Paloma!" Rafael's surprised exclamation was simultaneous with Lester's softer groan of her name. Her eyes darted from person to person and that, combined with her erratic movement, made me wonder if she was high. She looked me over briefly and then let her gaze linger on Lester.

"Diego?" she asked, as if she were uncertain or didn't believe her eyes. Then she laughed and her laugh was eerily like Rafael's.

"Now I understand, Diego. You left me and I thought I hadn't pleased you. But you need Rafael for your pleasure to be complete," she said. "I felt bad I hadn't satisfied you. You had to come looking for this joto!" She waved her gun in Rafael's direction and began speaking in Spanish, incomprehensible to me, as she alternated her remarks between Lester and Rafael. Suddenly she spat on the floor and said, "I kill you both!" and she swung the gun toward Lester.

Rafael moved the gun from my temple and fired at Paloma. Simultaneously, she fired in the direction of Vince and Lester and I saw Lester dive in front of Vince and knock him back. Rafael continued to shoot in her direction. I didn't see much after that because I was lying flat on the floor as close to the edge of the sofa as I could manage with my hands over my ears.

Chaos and more gunshots ensued. When they stopped, I lifted my head to see Paloma crumpled on the floor, her body half on the carpet of the living room and half on the tile of the foyer. Rafael attempted to drag me up from where I had unsuccessfully tried to slide under the sofa, but I kicked out striking him in the knee. He persisted and somehow managed to get me upright. His arm was back around my neck and the gun was once again pointing at my head.

"Drop the gun, Acosta." This time the voice was Ranger's and I looked to see Ranger and Tank step over Paloma and enter the room. Two more guns had entered the room. My eyes saw movement peripherally and I tried to turn my head, but Rafael tightened his hold. Still, I could see Lester lying inert on the floor. He'd been shot!

"No one move," Rafael said. "If you want Ms. Plum alive, don't move," and slowly he backed me out of the den into the living room. I was his hostage, his ticket out. "We're going to the kitchen and out to the garage," he told me softly. "Come along nicely and I'll let you live." I knew a lie when I heard one.

Then Vince called out to me. "Stephanie, wait! Weren't you supposed to be at the ballet tonight?" I stared at him. I didn't see any blood, but he must have somehow become brain damaged. He was talking crazy talk.

"Shut up," Rafael growled and pulled me back another step.

"But the curtain is going up in a few minutes and the Nutcracker is her favorite performance," Vince replied.

It all happened at once. My memory flashed to the first takedown I'd done with Lula and Vince, the one where I kicked Alvin Arledge from behind and shoved his balls up to his esophagus. Rafael's gun wavered toward Vince and without hesitation I twisted around and jammed my knee as hard as I could into his groin. His gun discharged but the shot must have gone wild because no one else dropped to the floor.

Rafael fell from the pain, taking me down with him. He landed on top of me and I felt my breath whoosh out. From my lowly perspective I saw black boots coming toward me and felt Rafael being lifted off me. I looked up and managed to draw in a breath. Tank was cuffing Rafael and Ranger was smiling down at me. He bent and lifted me from the floor, holding me against him, which was good because my legs weren't going to hold me. "Way to take it slow and keep things on an even keel, Babe."

Across the room, Paloma was lying in a puddle of blood, unmoving. I thought she was dead. Lester was sitting against the wall, rubbing his chest and I realized with relief that he'd been wearing a vest. There was more noise in the foyer and I heard, "Police, everyone freeze!" Two TPD officers were in the doorway, guns drawn scanning the room.

"More guns," I moaned.

It took a bit for things to be sorted out. EMTs arrived on the scene and they immediately called the coroner. After Ranger explained the RangeMan presence and indicated Paloma was the intruder, Rafael was mirandized, cuffed and led away.

They tried to clear the crime scene so Lester, Vince and I ended up in the front yard. Ranger and Tank stayed close by as well. I figured we were waiting for more police presence and I figured that would be Joe. I was right.

While we were waiting, I became aware of a low spoken conversation between Lester and Vince that warmed my heart despite the circumstances.

"Dude, you jumped in front of her bullet," Vince said.

"I had to," Lester said. "I knew you weren't vested up and I thought she was aiming for you. I had your six. Number one on the Bro-code list."

"Idiot," Vince replied. "She was aiming at you, but…thanks."

Ranger had settled me on the front steps and he and Tank were in conversation a few feet away when Morelli walked up. Morelli took one look at me and walked toward Ranger. He pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to Ranger before he walked into the house.

Ranger left his conversation with Tank and came and squatted in front of me. "They're going to want to talk to you. I might be able to get them to wait until the morning, but under the circumstances, I think tonight might be best."

I nodded. "I'm ready. I'm straight with what happened."

"I'll go tell Morelli." As he stood, he slipped the item Joe had given him into his pocket and I got a clear look at it. Rolaids!