Ranger
Stephanie refused to visit the doctor in the region. We flew to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to see a doctor at a clinic. It was frivolous, but Stephanie wanted to remain anonymous and keep the nature of the appointment far away from Jersey. Isabelle travelled with us, not wanting to stay in Trenton without her parents. We brought Lester and Bobby. Hector wanted to accompany us, but Stephanie insisted he works on their side project.
Lester, Bobby and Isabelle were impatiently waiting for the doctor to examine Stephanie. I stayed by my wife's head as the doctor completed his tests. She told Stephanie everything looked good. "Sophie, has anyone said you resemble the model Anie Lewis?" the doctor asked.
"You obviously know I'm not her. My name is Sophie Pardo, not Anie Lewis," Stephanie replied.
"You're right. Your eyes are green. Anie has blue eyes," the doctor replied. Stephanie resisted the urge to smile. She glanced up at me to wink. I raised an eyebrow, silently thanking Stephanie for thinking about the contacts. It added another layer for protecting Stephanie.
I watched the monitor as the doctor inserted the transvaginal probe. A small blob appeared on the screen. The doctor took a few measurements, then told my wife she was done. Stephanie pulled the paper gown over her body to cover herself. "How far along?" Stephanie asked.
"Five weeks," she replied. "I'll test your blood for the usual." Stephanie nodded. She conceived three weeks ago, as she predicted. Bobby said the HGC levels had indicated she got pregnant recently.
I passed the doctor a card. It had Stephanie's cover name on it with an email address and burner cellphone number. "Send the results to this email or leave a message on that number. Sophie will return your call," I said. The doctor accepted the business card and attached it to Stephanie's file. We wouldn't be returning to the clinic.
"Remember to make another appointment in two months," the doctor said before leaving the room.
Stephanie used the paper towels to wipe the gel from her crotch. "Thank goodness we don't have to use lubricants during sex. That stuff is gross," Stephanie complained. I leaned my head back and laughed. "Ha ha ha. You're a funny man, Marc."
"Are we having the next appointment here?" I asked.
"It all depends if my friend gets the answers," Stephanie cryptically said. She didn't want to say too much in case someone was listening.
Bobby got a copy of Stephanie's file for his records. The doctor resisted until Bobby said that Sophie Pardo had a right to them. She printed the document and passed it to Bobby. He thanked the doctor for the file and walked through the doors, with the rest of us following close behind.
I hopped in the SUV driver's seat with Stephanie beside me. Lester, Bobby and Isabelle sat in the back. We returned to the airfield, where my pilot waited. "All quiet, sir," Tucker replied. I nodded.
He helped Isabelle climb the steps to get inside the plane. She sat at a table, waiting for her uncles to join her. They would play poker on the way home. When Tucker started the engines, Isabelle asked, "Well, mom? What did the doctor say?"
"Five weeks," Stephanie replied. Isabelle was excited. She wanted a baby brother.
Lester grinned. "I'm going to be an uncle?" he asked. Stephanie nodded, then giggled at his excitement.
"The news remains in this cabin. It's too early to announce it to the men," I said. Hector knew about the pregnancy, having sat with Stephanie when she took the test. He would protect Stephanie whenever I had to leave.
Stephanie was unusually quiet for several minutes. I leaned forward to look into her face. Her bottom lip was trapped between her teeth. My index finger gently tugged her lip free. "Babe?" I asked.
She smiled, then replied, "You have to tell Tank and my bodyguards."
"I know," I replied. "Do you think Hector would figure out the photographs?"
"I'm positive he would. Isa agrees. We couldn't get a read off them, but Isa and I know Hector can uncover whatever is blocking us," Stephanie explained.
"We're directly involved in whatever the photographs represent," Isabelle said. She attempted to describe the distinction.
"It's your turn, Izzy," Lester said to draw her attention back to the poker game.
Isabelle placed her bet, forcing Lester to fold. "Isa, did you see yourself winning the game?" Stephanie asked. I raised an eyebrow, wondering what point Stephanie was attempting to make.
"No. Could you see me winning?" Isabelle wondered.
"Yes. I saw you winning with a two, five, seven, jack and king," Stephanie replied. Isabelle showed Lester and Bobby her cards.
"You were bluffing?" Lester asked. He had two pairs. It finally made sense.
"What does that have to do with the photographs?" Bobby asked.
"Isabelle was playing poker. She couldn't see herself winning because she was directly involved in the game. Stephanie could foresee the outcome," I explained.
"Because the game had nothing to do with her," Bobby added. "It's like a psychic can see what could happen to other people, but they can't see what could happen to them."
"Exactly," Stephanie replied.
"Why is that?" Isabelle asked.
"Our emotions get in the way," Stephanie answered. "It clouds our judgment and prevents us from seeing what's beneath our nose. We can sense something is wrong but not hone into the details." Isabelle smiled at her mother. Stephanie absentmindedly stroked her abdomen. I couldn't wait to see our child.
"Aunt Valerie miscarried her baby," Isabelle said. "She was expecting another girl."
"Tank heard it was a boy," Bobby disagreed. Isabelle laughed.
"Definitely another girl," Stephanie added. "I believe Bubba lied to get Joe to confess."
"That's evil," Bobby said, laughing.
"It worked. Joe admitted to hurting Hawk's sister. Why did he cheat on Aunt Valerie?" Isabelle asked.
"Because he's a Morelli," Lester replied. "His father was the same."
Isabelle shuddered. "So is Uncle Anthony and Mooch." I raised my eyebrow. "Nobody touched me, dad. You don't need to get upset." Stephanie barely stifled her laugh. I would kill any man who assaulted my daughters.
"Did you ask someone to collect your homework?" Stephanie asked.
"Yes, mom. The teachers would email the assignments," Isabelle replied. "Apparently, when a parent pays for the science and music supplies, the teachers bend over backwards to accommodate their children."
I removed all expressions from my face before Stephanie looked at me, but she wasn't fooled. "You're a good man, Carlos," she said.
"They don't have to rely too much on fundraising," Lester added.
Stephanie twisted her fingers into the hem of her shirt. My beautiful wife donated anonymously to the school. She probably sent funds from the company managing her inheritance. Stephanie caught my eye and winked. I raised my eyebrow, silently asking if she contributed. She nodded imperceptibly. I kissed my wife's temple. She was a remarkable woman.
Edna
I have heard many things throughout the years. Helen marrying Frank hoping to gain the Testa inheritance was a shock. When did Helen become greedy? I never raised my daughter to be that way. The paternity test results for Valerie didn't surprise me. Isabelle Plum stumbled across that tidbit while babysitting. She changed her will upon learning the news. Frank's mother wrote her will when Stephanie was five, leaving everything to my favourite granddaughter.
Learning the airlines buried the details of the bombing frustrated me. Helen should have gone to jail for killing a plane filled with passengers. Frank managed to uncover the specifics. Was there more to the story? Why was Helen hellbent on stealing the Testa inheritance? It had bothered me for many years. I hoped Stephanie's Rangeman friends could uncover the truth.
Dead men tell no tales. We have to rely on the living to uncover the answers. Someone somewhere knows why Helen wanted the money. I hoped Stephanie and Isabelle remained safe until we learned the story.
I spent countless hours going through every paper in Helen's file cabinet. Frank had files locked inside his safe. He had assured me that the paperwork wasn't with his documents. Helen didn't know the combination to unlock the safe. The emails exchanged between Helen and Pacini didn't help. There wasn't anything else hidden in the words. I concluded that Helen didn't have written proof.
What was the missing angle? Frank entered the house after I tossed the rest of Helen's clothes into the donation box. "Any luck, Edna?" Frank asked.
"No. I checked everywhere. The locked box in the closet only contained the girls' birth certificates and baptism documents. I checked in every nook and cranny," I replied.
"Did you look behind the washer, dryer and freezer?" he asked.
"I couldn't move them," I confessed. Frank nodded and grabbed a flashlight. He moved everything from the wall while I checked. "Nothing here, Frank."
He opened the freezer, then removed the lid from every container. Nothing got hidden in the food. Each item got shifted as we continued to search. I used the step stool to look inside the laundry room cupboards. "I'm not seeing anything. Maybe Helen didn't have it where we could find it," Frank suggested. "Give me a few minutes to search the attic and my garage."
An hour later, Frank returned empty handed. "I guess she took the secret to the grave," I surmised. "Are you going to sell the house?"
"Yes. I'm selling it to Valerie below market value. She listed the house on Slater St. It should give her extra cash for the girls," Frank replied.
"You know she inherited five million dollars from Helen's estate, right?" I asked.
Frank grinned. "Stephanie arranged for Valerie to get the life insurance policy. She paid the premiums and got Helen to sign the paperwork," Frank said, grinning.
"I knew my baby granddaughter provided for her nieces. Steve Sutton's been sniffing around Valerie," I added. Frank shook his head.
"I'll get the men at Rangeman to redirect him. Valerie doesn't need to get involved with him. Steve is nothing but trouble." I watched Frank use his mobile phone to contact Rangeman. He talked to his nephew, Vince, about Steve. I could only hear Frank's end of the conversation, but it sounded like Vince would watch Valerie's back.
"Do you have any clues as to why Helen wanted your mother's fortune?" I asked.
"It probably has something to do with the Morellis. They grew up close to my mother's childhood home," Frank replied. Ain't that a pip? I bet everything could get traced back to Giovanni Morelli.
"Should we tell Isabelle's friend, Hector at Rangeman?" I asked. Frank said it wouldn't hurt. He called Vince to pass along the message. I knew we got the link correct when my nerves settled. Now, how do we crack a Morelli?
"Edna? What are you plotting?" Frank asked.
"I wonder if we can get Morelli's cellmate to crack Joe," I replied. "How do we get a message to him?"
"Leave that to me," Frank replied. He left the house wearing a grin and a spring in his step. My son-in-law was on a mission.