All familiar characters are Janet's. The mistakes are mine alone.
"Grandma said it was Mooch who was going on vacation and asked Morelli to tag along," Steph began, "which makes sense since Joe wouldn't pay out of pocket for a trip. I was wondering how Mooch got himself two tickets to what should've been paradise. He changes careers as often as he changes women, so I know it couldn't be work-related. I was so busy being relieved that you'd be able to relax a little with Morelli out of town, and then we got the other news, I never thought to ask about that part."
That statement and question were said through Olivia's fingers. Our daughter is more interested in us rather than us having a conversation about something that doesn't interest her.
"When I was at the station last, I heard from Eddie, which he heard via Shirley, that Mooch sold his construction business and wanted to screw around a little, and also keep his cousin's ass out of anymore trouble, before he focused on starting another 'cover' company," I answered. "But I don't put much stock in Burg gossip."
"It's ironic that people have been trained to think 'criminal' whenever your name comes up, yet you can't take a swing at the Morelli family tree without knocking a bunch of lawbreakers out of it. And never underestimate the Clip N Curl crowd," my wife cautioned. "They can find out anything ... what's in your medical files and court documents sealed or unsealed. Somebody always has someone on the inside."
"You come from a scary neighborhood, Babe."
"I do, and I've never been happier to be living away from it. So what do you want to do now, Olive-Pie?" Steph asked our daughter, while Ammo attempted to squeeze his furry body between Steph and Gunny on the couch.
I studied Steph's face, looking for clues on what she's currently thinking and feeling. "That's it?" I asked her. "You said you had questions."
"I did. I was curious what would get Mooch's butt out of Jersey ... he's worse than Morelli at not venturing further than Hamilton Township, and I asked Olive what she wants to do with the rest of our evening. Those were my questions."
"Babe."
"No 'babe' is needed here. I'm good," she told me, just her face peeking out around Olivia's active body.
We really need a sofa the size of a small island to fit our family on. When Julie comes to visit, that purchase may be part of a family outing.
"If you have to ask me if killed Morelli, Steph, I understand."
What I didn't understand is why her expression suggested she's irritated instead of relieved that I'm not trying to hide anything from her.
"I am NOT putting that question between us, Ranger," she didn't hesitate to tell me.
"You said so yourself, the suspicion is there."
"Olive, where's Daddy's 'Off' button?" Steph asked our daughter.
With Steph's assistance, Olivia stood up on her Mama's thighs and then took a small leap of faith over onto my chest. My arms came up automatically even as both of her hands covered my mouth so I couldn't reverse-interrogate my wife. Knowing that Mo had been licking Olive's fingers only moments ago, ensured that I did in fact keep my mouth shut.
"That's better," Steph said, as I gently freed myself from the adorable gag that had been ordered. "What I mean by that, is that you ... Ricardo Carlos Ranger Manoso are my daughter's father. You wouldn't be if I had any doubts about the man you are or where you stand when it comes to what's right and wrong ..."
"Steph," I said, trying to convince Olivia that sitting still for a minute can sometimes be fun if you happen to pull a stuffed unicorn rattle from a side table in order to amuse her with.
"Ranger, I know you. I understand that because of the career path you chose early on, you view the world through a different set of eyes than I do, but I also know that even though you can and will 'eliminate' someone you feel is a threat, it's not something you do for kicks. If Morelli didn't get nitrogen narcosis just from believing he knew better than everyone else, and Mooch not doing much better when it came to rescuing him, there would've had to have been a hell of a good reason ... like Joe was about to cross a line and hurt me or our baby for you to involve yourself in his vacation. Our guys joke all the time about me being as much of a baby as Olive is when it comes to pulling a trigger, but deep down I know what I'm capable of and what I'd do to protect you and our daughters. I can't turn hypocrite and criticize or judge you for doing the same for us."
She took a breath before continuing, and I know I'm hearing her true feelings ... not just what she thinks I want to hear.
"I was stupid for putting him between us in the past because I was terrified of what I felt for you. I grew up, learned my lesson and admitted my feelings, and I will never let him drive a wedge between us again. I'm not asking you that question because I don't need to. And that's all I'm saying on the matter. Now … what are we going to do with you, Olive?"
"Baww... baww ... bawwwww!" She shouted, rocking back and forth in excitement where she was sitting on me.
"You know what, Olive? Your grandmother always told me 'No playing ball in the house', so I honestly can't think of a better thing for us to do. Gunny, fetch Olive's ball," Steph said to Gunner.
To her surprise but not mine, Gunner jumped down to fulfill her command though he came back with two of his and Mo's treat balls instead of Olivia's wiggle and crawl ball in his mouth.
"Very subtle, Gunny," Steph said to him. "Okay, first we treat the beasts and then we'll focus on entertaining our little one."
I got up still holding Olivia, but she's now reaching out her arms for her Mama. I understand the feeling. Not only had Stephanie let me of the hook, she hadn't been interested in fishing for information to begin with. If I had arranged for Decay to supply the gear for the Morelli's dive-party, she knew there would be a reason for it beyond hating him. The tracker I found on her car when I'd been inspecting the damage done to it from the crash, a device I hadn't put there, was the last straw. I value life when I'm afforded the luxury to, but I value my family more.
I filled each of the balls with all-natural training treats and then let Olive roll them down the hall that connects the front door to the kitchen. Our baby wasn't content to be just a bystander to anyone playing, as we had to deal with at the park, so she crawl-ran after our dogs as they retrieved the rubber balls and then settled down to work each of the treats out of them. Olivia plopped down between them and tried to offer more than just moral support.
"Olive's really something, isn't she?" Steph asked me, curling both arms around my waist and resting her head on my chest.
"Yes. And she isn't the only one who is incredible."
She tipped her head back and smiled up at me. Olivia chose that moment to show us the prize she had saved from being devoured, and Steph took off at a sprint to get the dog treat out of the raised baby-hand before Olive mimicked Mo and Gunny and tried to eat it.
Our conversation validated my position and my thinking. Morelli had already been wanted for murder once, I wasn't going to risk the second time possibly involving my wife or my daughter. And I sure as fuck wouldn't allow my family to be dangled in front of a man who is clearly losing it in hopes of our case reaching trial and an unbiased judge chosen who'd overlook the fact that Joe had once been a member of the police force.
If we wandered further into a fantasy scenario, we'd also be in front of a judge who was willing to see this as a third-degree stalking case in the eyes of Jersey law and issue what I call a pathetic maximum sentence of five years in prison ... and not just after the initial arrest, give Morelli a stern 'Don't make contact again' and then release him on his own personal reconnaissance until the trial began like in similar officers-stalking-citizens cases, such as the one over in Hackensack and yet another in Lubbock,Texas. If the legal system worked like it's meant to, protecting those who require it … my company's bodyguard and security services wouldn't be in such high demand.
