Two years later…
Everyone was gathered in the Trenton, New Jersey, City Hall Chambers, waiting for the public announcement. Reporters from various television networks and newspapers were in attendance. The room went silent as the doors opened.
Joe Juniak, New Jersey's congressman, entered and walked up to the front of the room. He waited for everyone to quiet before announcing, "I would like everyone to take a moment to remember the women who lost their lives at the hands of the notorious serial murderer and child trafficker, Patrick Huntington. With the assistance of Rangeman Securities LLC, the FBI has located every child illegally adopted by unsuspecting families for a hefty fee. Unfortunately, all but two children had no living relatives. The President authorized those two adoptions to keep the children with their loving adoptive parents."
Agent Corey Morrison smiled lovingly at his wife. Chelsey had adopted her son James when he was an infant. She was lucky to find the child. Her husband died during a tour in Iraq a few months after the illegal adoption. Chelsey assumed it was legal. The boy she adopted happened to be Corey's biological son.
"A brave woman and her four-year-old son thwarted Huntington's attempt to kidnap a young girl during a convention in Atlanta, Georgia. The woman got traumatically injured during hand-to-hand combat with Huntington. Her bravery is forever remembered," Juniak said.
"Where is she?" Fred Telfer asked.
"She isn't with us today," Juniak replied. It was an ambiguous statement open for interpretation. Men and women gasped at the news. They looked around the room, hoping somebody held the answers.
"Did she die?" Fred Telfer asked, his throat thick with emotion.
"No. I'm not dead," Stephanie replied as she entered the room. "I told you we'd be here." She smoothed the invisible wrinkles from her cargo pants.
"Stephanie Plum?" Mabel Markowitz asked. Mabel pressed a hand on her chest, afraid the woman was a ghostly apparition.
"Stephanie Manoso," Stephanie corrected. She walked to the front with her family at her side. Stephanie pulled Ricky in front, placing her hands on his shoulders. "The true hero of the story is my son, Ricardo Manoso. His quick reaction to the situation kept his sister safe. Ricky ordered his brother to watch his sister, understanding his siblings had a connection. He distracted Patrick Huntington, knowing I was hot on the trail. I'm proud of my son for calling 911 for an ambulance, which ultimately saved my life. He was patient and gave the dispatcher the name of the community center."
"You haven't stepped foot in Trenton for two years. Where were you?" Fred Telfer asked.
Stephanie smiled at Carlos, who answered, "It took Stephanie four months to recover after the incident. We devoted our time helping the FBI locate the missing children. Unfortunately, Huntington died from the gunshot wound to his head." Carlos nodded at his Rangeman family standing in the back. "With the help of our friends, we uncovered Huntington's base of operations."
"Where was he hiding?" Jay Cookson with CBC News asked.
"San Diego," Stephanie replied. "He was living with a woman who claimed to have no idea he was a serial murderer." Stephanie shook her head. Dr. Bailey Marcus had to know Patrick was using her to gain access to the various medical conventions.
"Where is she now?" Jay Cookson asked.
"She got arrested a few months after Huntington's death. The forensics IT department found incriminating evidence on her personal laptop. Ms. Bailey Marcus got stripped of her medical license and remanded into custody. She is serving back-to-back sentences for accessory to murder, kidnapping and child trafficking," Stephanie replied.
"If she was innocent, why did she get convicted?" Fred Telfer asked.
"Who claimed Ms. Marcus was innocent?" Carlos asked. "She failed multiple lie detector tests, and the FBI uncovered verifiable proof Marcus purchased the latex masks and wigs for Huntington." The agents also discovered Dr. Bailey Marcus disliked Dr. Trisha Struthers. Bailey and Trisha attended medical school together. They competed to become the best in their fields… and the bedroom. Stephanie thought it was a ridiculous rivalry. It made Joyce Barnhart's affinity to upstage Stephanie seem tame.
"Damn!" Cookson said. "Not including Marcus, were other medical professionals involved?"
"Yes. Huntington was a smooth talker. He convinced other female doctors to share details of their patients. Unfortunately, the women didn't live long enough to alert the authorities when they caught onto his scheme," Stephanie replied.
"What's next for your family, Mrs. Manoso?"
"We're going home," Stephanie replied, smiling.
"In Trenton, New Jersey?" Fred Telfer asked.
"That's not in the plans," Stephanie cheekily replied.
Joe Juniak approached the podium. He smiled at Stephanie and the Manoso clan. Juniak knew the family had permanently relocated to Miami, Florida. He was sad to see them go, but it was best for their growing family. They had more Rangeman satellite offices to grow the business.
~~~~~
Julie Martine watched the national news with her family. Rachel gasped when the reporter asked if Stephanie was alive. "Mama, you know she's alive," Julie whined, rolling her eyes.
"She was brave," Rachel said. "I would die if I went through that."
"Stephanie is perfect for Dad," Julie replied. "They are brave and protect the people they love above everything else."
"I'm sorry for keeping you away from your father," Rachel said. "It was wrong of me to demand he let Ron adopt you."
"Mama, it's fine. Having Papa's last name protected me from Dad's enemies. In a way, you and Papa kept me safe. It wasn't the same as Stephanie protecting Ricky, but it's still remarkable. Thank you."
Rachel wiped the tear from her eye. She adored Stephanie. The woman was a role model for other girls wanting to venture into jobs typically staffed by men. And Stephanie was humble. She never desired attention or glory. Everything Stephanie did was out of love, not to receive accolades for her good deeds.
Julie's alarm sounded. "Oh. I have to go, Mama. Tio Hector needs me to babysit Estephania and Angelo. He's taking Tio Tito out for their anniversary."
"Stay safe," Rachel said. Julie rolled her eyes. Rachel watched Julie climb into a Rangeman SUV. Smiling, she returned to the couch to watch her reality program.
Julie had a neighbourhood filled with Rangeman employees at her fingertips. Besides, Hector had the best security system in his house. He lived in the two-story house between the Manoso and Santos homes. Lester was home with his family.
Many of the Rangeman Trenton staff relocated to Miami to stay with Stephanie.
~~~~~
Lester watched his son Danny show Lydia how to build a house for her Barbies using Legos. It didn't have doors or windows to fit the openings. He thought Danny had potential as a structural engineer or an architect.
Nicki was in the kitchen laughing at something Sadie had said. His family was perfect. Sadie received an early acceptance into the Architectural program at California Polytechnic. He was proud of his daughter. She would start school in January, having graduated high school early.
"Hey, Tio Lester," Mary Alice called from the front hallway.
"What's up?" Lester asked.
"I heard from Angie. She got to school. I think she has a crush on Binkie's brother, Greg." Mary Alice replied. She could have texted, but she was spending the night. It wasn't uncommon for them to have sleepovers at each other's houses on Friday nights.
"Put your bag upstairs," Lester said. "We're having Sadie's favourite for dinner."
"Yum," Mary Alice replied. Lester smiled when Mary Alice visited her cousins before taking her bag upstairs to the guest bedroom.
The front door opened again, making Lester search for whoever entered his house. His smile grew wide as Carlos, Stephanie, and the triplets entered. "Welcome home," Lester said. "Why are you here?"
"Ricky said you were making Sadie's favourite meal," Stephanie said, grinning.
"How do you know?" Lester teased.
"My spidey sense told me," Ricky replied. All three children inherited Stephanie's spidey sense, but Ricky's ability was the strongest. He was the smallest of the triplets.
Stephanie knew Ricky was meant for something more. She allowed Hector to teach Ricky stealth. Though she was frustrated Ricky had learned the skill surprisingly well by his fourth birthday. Ricky used those skills to escape the adults at the security convention. If he didn't lure Patrick from the other children, Alex would have been captured. Ricky did what he had to do to save his sister. Stephanie and Carlos were proud of their son but made him promise to have a backup before wandering off.
"Tell me, Ricky. How many guests for dinner tonight?" Lester asked, amused by Ricky's ability to predict the future.
Ricky thought a minute before replying, "Thirty-three, but make enough for thirty-five. No. Make enough for everyone to have a scoop. Tia Valerie asked everyone to bring a dish to share. Remember to save food for two people."
"Why do we need to save two plates?" Lester asked.
"Because Sophia and Ana had to work. They're coming over after their shift," Ricky replied. "Tia Jeanne Ellen, Tio Jordan, Mica, Matteo, Tio Ram, Tia Melody, Tanner and Lori are in Hawaii with Abuela Helen and Abuelo Frank. They get back next week."
Lester raised an eyebrow. He didn't have enough room for everyone to sit at the dining room table. Carlos laughed and slapped his friend on the back. "Look outside, Santos," Carlos said.
Tank, Cal, Hal, Vince, Manny, Juan and Bobby were setting up folding tables and chairs in the backyard. They had smaller tables for the children who were too little to sit with the adults but too big to sit in a high chair.
Carrie, Suki and Flora carried bags of food into the house. They would make the salads and leave the men to barbecue the burgers and steaks. Ella and Luis followed the women inside the house carrying paper plates, cutlery and drinks.
Janice, Marlee and Valerie gathered the children to keep them occupied while everyone prepared the food.
"Woah, am I late for the party?" Julie asked when she arrived at Lester's house with Estephania and Angelo in the double stroller. "Hector and Tito are missing everything."
"They need the night out," Stephanie said. "It was generous of you to watch the twins for the night."
Julie shrugged. "Vince and Marlee are coming over for the night. I'll have help if the twins fuss too much for me to handle." Stephanie removed Estephania from the stroller. Carlos grabbed Angelo.
"Julie," Robbie, Bobby and Suki's son, screamed. He wrapped his arms around her legs.
"Where's Neil and Parker?" Julie asked, wondering where Valerie's boys were hiding. Robbie threw his arms in the air. He couldn't find the boys. Julie thought Robbie was adorably overdramatic. She could picture him as an actor.
"They're in the basement playing," Marty replied, taking Angelo from Carlos. Lester created a playroom for the twins to keep them from entering the gym. It kept them occupied for hours. He had enough toys and activities to keep them busy. Lester often wondered if that was why everyone ended up at his house for a communal dinner.
Stephanie looked outside, watching the men set up the tables. Ella threw her head back and laughed when Juan acted out an incident from the hospital.
"Tia Steph. Potty," June said, tugging on Stephanie's pants.
"Where's your mom?" Stephanie asked, looking around for Carrie.
"I've got it, Mama," Alex replied. She loved helping the younger kids. "Come on, June. I'll help you in the bathroom."
Marlee raced upstairs. "Did June make it in time? Janice took Parker to the washroom downstairs. I don't want to upset Carrie because I was busy changing Andre's diaper."
"Alex took her to the bathroom. Did you ever think we'd have this many children in five years?" Stephanie asked.
"No," Marlee replied honestly. "I never thought I'd see Tank with children. He kept the theme his mom started by naming them Monique and Andre. Where did he meet Flora?"
"Many years ago…," Stephanie said, "it wasn't that long ago. I was living in Newark and rented an apartment from Flora. She went to France for school and let me stay at her place for cheap. I invited her over when I heard she was back home. Tank happened to be visiting when she arrived. The rest is history. Now they're living together with two kids."
"Are they getting married?" Marlee asked.
Stephanie turned the question around. "No. Are you?"
Marlee removed the ring from her pocket and slipped it onto her finger. "Yes. Vince wants to get married before the baby's born," she replied. Stephanie hugged her friend. She was happy for Marlee and Vince.
"Hey, did June come in here?" Hal asked. "She has trouble with the pull-ups."
"Alex has her," Stephanie replied. Hal sighed, feeling relieved that another female helped his daughter. He was protective of his children. June and Dalton were lucky to have him as their father. Carrie was trying to get Hal to give their children more choices. It was a learning curve for him.
"I've got to get back to help Janice. She's feeling under the weather," Marlee said, waggling her eyebrows. Janice, Marlee and Suki were close friends. They worked together at St Frances in Trenton. The women still worked together but at Suki's private practice.
"Holy shit!" Manny yelled. Stephanie looked outside. Manny was hugging his friend, Cal. "When is Janice due?" Stephanie opened the door to hear the answer. It seemed Janice and Marlee were due around the same time.
Manny got married while Stephanie was in the hospital. He met Sophia when she was visiting her ailing grandmother. They connected and became inseparable. Juan met Sophia's friend Ana when she invited herself for dinner. She was new in town and didn't want to be alone on her first night. It took Juan a few months to get the courage to ask her out. Ana and Juan eloped.
Stephanie smiled at the memory of Juan entering her apartment at Rangeman. Juan felt confident he could beat Stephanie in Mario Kart racing. He learned many lessons that day. The most important was never to underestimate Stephanie Michelle Manoso. She was feisty, intelligent and kind. Juan's wife, Ana, was a lot like Stephanie. The women became fast friends. All the Rangeman wives were close like family.
Carlos wrapped his arms around Stephanie, resting his hands on her stomach. Stephanie added her hands to the pile. "Did you ever think meeting me would turn into this big, happy, and crazy family?" Stephanie asked.
"No," he replied. He turned Stephanie to face him. Carlos gently kissed his wife. "But I've learned the best things in life were not in the plans."