Author's note: A much longer chapter this time. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last one. Every time I think about quitting, they remind me that there are some people enjoying this. If Steph can stick with it, so can I.

Friday night meant dinner with my parents. This was a tradition that was re-established when I moved back to Trenton. I'd missed the last one because of the Reaper situation, but now that I was no longer on lockdown, I was expected. And no later than 6pm, or the pot roast would be dry.

Thankfully with no clean up or injuries after the Hodge capture, and only Rosa outstanding, I had a quiet afternoon and nothing to prevent me arriving on time. I let myself in and heard the television blaring from the front room. Dad was watching a ballgame. Mom and Grandma Mazur were in the kitchen, and my Mom was drinking iced tea. I guess there was nothing to iron.

"A bar fight?! Suzie Szabo's daughter doesn't get into bar fights. She has a nice safe job at the personal products plant. And a husband and two children."

It seemed the news about William Hodge had spread. This seemed particularly unfair given that it hadn't happened in the Burg and by my standards, nothing much had happened at all.

I looked at Grandma Mazur.

"Stella Marino's son was in the bar. He told Stella about it as he was driving her to the beauty parlour."

So Stella Marino's son was allowed to be in a dive bar on Stark Street at lunchtime and nothing was said, but I wasn't allowed to do my job?

"It wasn't a bar fight. William Hodge was accidentally injured while being apprehended. And Lula was responsible – I just watched."

"The fact that you were in a bar at all. Who do you think will marry you Stephanie, if you hang around bars on Stark Street?"

It hadn't occurred to my mother that I wasn't too fussed if anyone wanted to marry me. I'd had the white meringue dress and the new surname. It hadn't suited. There was one man who I wouldn't mind waking up next to on a monogamous basis, and his views on marriage tallied with mine. I didn't think he'd have any issue with me being in a bar on Stark Street, doing the job he'd trained me for. This however would not be something my mother wanted to hear.

"I saw Joe down at the butcher shop on Tuesday. He was buying ribs and burgers, Stephanie. Those are the purchases of a single man. It's not too late."

Years of practice had taught me when to speak up and when to keep quiet. I made a noncommittal noise and turned towards the oven. "Is there anything I can do to help, Mom?"

She made a shooing motion. "You can't cook, Stephanie. And everything is already finished. Just call your father for dinner."

I told my father that dinner was ready, and took my seat. I looked at what was on the table and tried to think of what my best choices would be. Leaner cuts of meat, lots of broccoli, a small serve of potatoes and no gravy. And no second helpings.

My mother looked at my plate. "Do you not like the pot roast, Stephanie? I thought it was your favourite."

"It's lovely, mom. I'm just trying to eat a little healthier." I thought of what I could say to appease her. "I mean if I did happen to get engaged, I'd want to look good for the big day."

"Stephanie, you're fine as you are. Now eat your pot roast."

It was worth a shot.

I held firm and didn't have second helpings. Dessert was pineapple upside down cake. I had a small slice. I was never going to be Ranger and I wasn't going to live a sugarless existence. I just had to make sure treats were rare and worth it.

I thought of something that would help placate my mother, and hopefully distract her from sending me home with half a cake. "Have you got any cookies, Mom? Yours are the best."

My mother was Hungarian, but she'd learned to make Italian cookies that were good enough to appease her mother-in-law when she married. I was packed off with a box of homemade Italian cookies and a large serve of pot roast, peas and mashed potatoes.

Usually, I would have been thrilled with this and the fact that I didn't need to cook or shop for myself. But this wasn't how I should be eating often. Luckily, I knew what to do with it.

I turned right as I drove off and headed north for a few blocks. I pulled over at Lou's house and rang the doorbell.

"Stephanie?" He looked confused. "I didn't miss another court date, did I?"

"No, Lou. But I thought you might like a home cooked meal." I handed over my mother's pot roast.

He looked genuinely pleased. "You're an angel, Stephanie."

"It's nothing, Lou. You take care."

I headed home, the cookies still safe on the car seat next to me. I had other plans for those.

My Saturday morning session at the gym went off without a hitch. It was a slightly different crowd on Saturdays, the machines were a little busier, but I was finding my way around and becoming more comfortable. Every 'next morning' was a little easier and I was finding exercises I liked. I'd decided that burpees were invented by a sadist and switched them out at every opportunity.

The only FTA I had left was Rosa. I thought she'd probably be home on a Saturday morning. Connie would be working until midday, so if there were no issues with Rosa, she could be out again later this morning.

I knocked on Rosa's door. She was 55 and lived in a two bedroom house, with a pink picket fence and green gables. As far as I knew, Rosa had lived there her whole life, first with her parents and then when her father passed, with just her mother.

Rosa opened the door. "Stephanie Plum? Is that you?"

Good manners demanded that she invite me inside and Rosa had lived her whole life in the Burg. Those manners ran deep.

"Would you like to come in?"

If I could talk to her inside, it might prevent the unpleasantness of me handcuffing her in front of her neighbours.

"Thank you, Rosa." I gestured with the shopping bag in my left hand. "I brought cookies. My mother made them."

Rosa's face lit up. "I'll put on the kettle."

I sat at the dining table, as Rosa moved around, making cups of coffee to go with the cookies.

"I'm here representing your bail bondsman, Rosa. You missed your court date. I need to take you downtown to reschedule."

"My court date?"

"It was on Monday. After the – incident – at the bakery, you were arrested. You were supposed to appear before the court."

"Oh that's ridiculous. It was a misunderstanding. Those cookies were terrible. They tasted nothing like homemade. Nothing like these wonderful cookies. Nothing like my mother's." Rosa let out a sob.

I looked around the kitchen. There was only one plate and one mug on the draining board.

"Rosa, how is your mother?"

"Oh, she's in bed, resting."

I didn't like the sound of this. It was possible Mrs D'Angelis was just resting. But my life didn't tend to work out that way.

"Can I use your bathroom, Rosa?"

"Of course, dear. It's just down the hall."

I moved down the hall, past one open bedroom door- Rosa's - and from what I knew of the layout of these houses, what was probably her mother's bedroom door. I stopped outside. Yep, there was a smell. I knew that smell. I suspected Mrs D'Angelis was in bed and she'd been there awhile, but she wasn't resting. I was glad Lula wasn't with me.

I continued to the bathroom. I didn't think Rosa would turn violent but I checked my stun gun on my belt all the same. I'd taken to carrying it when I was working. If I wanted to make it to 'someday', it was a small thing I could do. I was more comfortable with it than my gun, and as far as changes went, charging and carrying it required less effort than turning down a second donut. I dialled the police station and gave Rosa's address, asking for a welfare check on Mrs D'Angelis. Then I returned to the kitchen.

"Would you like to come to the station with me now, Rosa? Or should I come back on Monday?" I didn't want to spook her.

"Monday would be better, dear. Mother might be up by then."

I didn't think that was likely. I left the house and sat in my car, waiting for the patrol car to turn up. They pulled in, in front of me.

Thankfully, it was Eddie and Big Dog. I got out and leaned on my hood.

Eddie came over. "Hey, Steph. What's going on?"

"Hi Eddie. Rosa's inside and she's FTA. She had a disagreement with the baker at Italian People's bakery over the standard of their cookies."

"That's ridiculous. Their cookies are delicious."

"Yeah, I'm thinking it was a stress reaction to her mother's death. She's in the back bedroom. From the smell, I'm guessing she's been there for some time."

Eddie paled. "Do I want to know how you know that?"

"Hey, there was no B or E. Just good old fashioned snooping."

"We'll take it from here. If you want to stick around and follow, you can collect your body receipt at the station. Technically, you found Rosa and turned her over to us. I doubt she'll get bonded out again until this is sorted out."

"Do you mind if I swing by later, Eddie? I'd much rather go home and shower."

"Sure thing, Steph. I come off shift at 4. Bring your paperwork in before then, and I'll see you get your receipt."

I called Connie from the car, explaining my run in with Trenton's own Norman Bates. Since Rosa was my only open file, there was no reason for Connie to stick around on my part and my whole weekend had opened up.

I showered, taking extra time to scrub away the death cooties, changed my clothes and got out a notepad and paper. I needed to go grocery shopping again and this time, I'd have a plan.

After the police station, I drove over to the supermarket. I felt calmer and more in control this time. I knew what to choose, and while a few new items landed in my cart, I was certain I'd eat all of it. Or nearly all of it.

I was choosing between two different brands of chickpeas when I heard a voice I knew.

"How've you been, Cupcake?"

Joe.

He looked into my cart.

"Wow. This is new. You're actually buying groceries."

I didn't know what to say to such a backhanded compliment so I thought of my new mantra. What would Ranger do? I didn't always succeed, but it often seemed to guide me in the right direction. In this case, Ranger would stay quiet and let Joe reveal his cards.

"I heard about you at the station today – another dead body. You have no luck, Cupcake." I stayed quiet. "I'm glad to see you're coming to your senses." He nodded at my shopping.

I was quickly realising that I wasn't Ranger and saying quiet was really hard, "What?"

"You know, settling down. Stocking your kitchen, cooking. Finally growing up. Maybe you've thought about getting a new job? One that doesn't involve you finding dead bodies?"

"I'm not getting a new job, Joe. Just switching to complex carbs. Besides, you see dead bodies every other day. Are you thinking of getting a new job?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Stephanie. I'm a homicide detective. I'm supposed to see dead bodies, you're not. It's been years and you still don't know what you're doing. Why don't you get a job you can actually do? I can support us."

"Believe it or not, Joe, I have a job I can do. I'm good at finding people and I'm working on getting better at the rest of it."

Joe paused. This was clearly not what he wanted to hear. He probably figured every step towards being a more successful bounty hunter was a step towards Ranger and a step away from him and the Burg. "You know even if you turn into Bounty Hunter Barbie, he's not going to want you. He tells you you're good at this to keep you around, but when he's bored with you, he'll toss you away." No need to ask who 'he' was. "And if you wait too long, I won't be there."

"I don't expect you to wait at all, Joe. You don't seem to like me much now, and I doubt you'll like me when I'm done," I replied and pushed my cart to the next aisle.