Eyes Wide Open

Ranger's POV

Chapter 14

oOoOo

Taking out the trash is a necessary yet unpleasant chore. However, taking out the Trenton Trash has put an entire new spin on this chore.

Toxic. Toxicity. Toxic city. Meh. It all fits.

That's Chambersburg, aka the Burg. It's an enclave of second and third generation Italians who migrated here, who were then followed by eastern Europeans, mainly Polish, Hungarian and Czechs, who also settled there, close to the factories. It began as a "Little Italy" with working class Italians who worked the factories for which Trenton was known, like the sign says on the Lower Free Bridge, "Trenton Makes, the World Takes." Chambersburg is a district in Mercer County, South Trenton. Coincidentally, that was the bridge which Stephanie was avoiding on that memorable day.

Trenton. Yes, I rolled my eyes. The Trenton Times. Grr. A toxic waste of media space which took pleasure in lambasting Stephanie, The Bombshell Bounty Hunter, for sensationalistic headlines at every opportunity. News sells. Good news, bad news, twisted celebrity news. They were ruthless, like shoot first ask questions later. So what, if it's not the complete truth, they just embellished the truth. In actual fact, many times there was no truth to their Stephanie Plum reports. There was never a concern for her welfare or possible injuries. None of her good deeds was ever celebrated, not one. Stephanie has a generous heart and has supported many of her skips in helpful and considerate ways. Worse still, most of the time, they quote that asshole Morelli! The biased and false interpretations from him, in conjunction with the ready availability of video footage from idiot bystanders, took precedence over the genuine, concerned bystanders who showed a proper perspective of the events. Sadly, they were ignored in preference for the juicy gossipy reports.

Media sensationalism. Pfft. Events and topics in news stories are selected and worded to excite the greatest number of readers and viewers. Headlines that grab attention. Large front page photos which capture the readers' attention, not always captioned correctly, just a twist on the situation. This style of news reporting encourages biased or emotionally loaded impressions of events rather than neutrality, and may cause manipulation of the truth in a story. And, there it is in a nutshell: manipulation of the truth. Misinterpretation. Bias. There was no neutrality with The Trenton Times. News sells, and they want to capture the greatest number of reactions.

Interestingly enough, the editor, and a number of reporters and journalists were sacked, especially when the truth about that bridge crash came to light via the Morrisville Gazette. The young teacher from Mikey's school was instrumental in that. She was commended for pursuing the truth for her class with a great community feature in the new truth-driven Trenton Times. The editorial was scathing about past reporting habits and misinterpretations.

Not surprisingly, one of those sacked reporters was a known sidepiece of Joe Morelli, for which we can easily draw our own conclusions. The paper issued a front page apology, redacting the previous disgraceful reporting, not just exclusively the bridge crash, but that was the critical focus. The inside feature article was how the Morrisville Gazette had reported the accident which demonstrated a stark contrast to the quality and integrity that was conspicuously lacking with the outgoing trashed team. The new chief editor was a Stephanie fan, who had been shut down repeatedly and thwarted by the tactics being applied without question from the upper echelons. A new Media Corporation bought the rights to the newspaper and was cleaning house, taking out the trash, from the top down. I suspect our friend Alexander Ramos might be behind that.

I smiled at the cartoon caricature which featured below the editorial on page 2. I had requested a poster-sized version for Rangeman and another copy for my office. It was just a black and white caricature sketch with Trenton in the background in a hazy fog. In the foreground was Stephanie, her gorgeous wild curls blowing in the breeze standing in a typical, yet gorgeous, hero pose, with the caption, Our Bombshell Bounty Hunter. It exuded positivity and light. She was dressed in Rangeman black with a full utility belt. The only colour was a Wonder Woman insignia on her chest above the Rangeman stitching, and the golden Lariat of Truth on her utility belt. It was sexy as hell.

A couple of months after her recovery was complete, Stephanie was presented with a community service Heroism Award from Morrisville at a special presentation at the Morrisville Civic Centre. I was so proud of her, for her courage, her humility and for being true to herself. Meeting the grateful couple whom she rescued was very humbling for her. "I would do it all over again," she said honestly. "It's what I do." The Chief of the MPD, their family, including Robin Russell, were so grateful for all her actions.

Speaking about taking out the trash, Joseph Morelli topped the Trenton Police Department following scathing reports of his misdirection and frequent interference of the channels of information and truth. More importantly, having assault charges brought against him by the MPD, which also included resisting arrest, interfering with police in their duties, and having a high blood alcohol level. He had to appear in court and was found guilty on all charges. He had no allies, or favours to call in, from anyone in the Morrisville region of Pennsylvania. Character references were challenged and promptly thrown out of court. Pending an internal investigation, after thirty days of community service in PA, and substantial fines, he was required to attend anger management, in Morrisville, as well as AA sessions. Both PDs made that a compulsory requirement. Bringing dishonour to the badge was bringing the TPD into disgrace. The media was all over it. He was suspended. His TPD associates, his fanboys who condoned a lot of his unconventional tactics, were also investigated and given notice that the behaviour and attitude demonstrated by Officer Morelli was seriously frowned upon. The Trenton Times made sure to promote the truth in reporting, saying that the now tarnished, alleged former Burg Golden Boy, former Detective Morelli, had brought shame and disgrace to the TPD. His suspension and demotion became public knowledge, accompanied by some very unflattering photos, one of him angry and red-faced in full Cupcake Rant mode. The front page of the Trenton Times was very enlightening. It was a satisfying display of his contempt for upholding the law. Officer Morelli was required to work with a senior officer. After a two week suspension, without pay, being explicitly told he must work with a partner at all times did not sit well with him. Tough. He had to suck it up, with a surly face. None of his known associates was permitted to "mentor" him. Within two weeks, his belligerence became unbearable and he was assigned a desk job with no field work at all. Two weeks later, he was transferred to traffic management, monitoring the Turnpike.

However, following the extensive internal investigations, Morelli was ultimately fired, a dishonourable discharge, from the Trenton Police Department when other questionable and unprofessional behaviours came to light. Their foremost concern was his frequent liaisons with mob princess, Terry Gilman, née Grizolli. His argument that their liaisons were in an official capacity were rejected, especially since he had not substantiated any of their "official" encounters in his log. The Chief of the TPD was familiar with the rumours, and sexual liaisons were definitely not "official" nor sanctioned. Morelli was still required to complete his community service penalties, both in Morrisville and another thirty days in Trenton. He was lucky to escape jail time. Somehow, no other assault charges were registered against him. Hm. Remarkable.

His fines were extensive but there was no jail time for any of his charges. But on official documentation, he has acquired a criminal record for those infringements in being found guilty.

Coincidentally, he was on the receiving end of death threats and a lot of hate mail. His truck was targeted on a number of occasions. Manwhore was spray painted on the side in fluorescent pink. After the respray, within a week, a new set of monikers emblazoned his vehicle, on all sides; wanker, liar, cheater, manwhore and Italian pony. That must have been an expensive repair each time. His garage was firebombed, luckily the neighbouring properties escaped any fire damage.

The Lingerie Line was still one of the hottest reels on social media. It was laughable, that as he removed the evidence, a new lingerie line found its way within a day or two. Between the extensive fines and the frequent repairs, he had to sell his house on Slater to cover the costs. Besides, with no employment, he must have been finding it hard to make ends meet. He was a Burg pariah now, persona non-grata. To avoid further ridicule, he moved interstate, first to Pennsylvania and then on to Ohio. From our last reports, he was working as security in a mall. How ironic. He made a mess of that because he didn't have proper clearance with the security company, by not disclosing his criminal history. Last account was him working for a hardware store in Michigan.

Lula? That was a remarkable chain of events, resulting in a fierce fit of jealous rage. For someone who was rescued and saved by Stephanie, after that terrifying attack by Benito Ramirez, Lula certainly flipped her loyalty. So much for appreciation and gratitude. Stephanie helped her so much with her recovery and rehabilitation, befriending her and even finding her a filing job at the Bonds Office. Lula often assisted Stephanie with low bonds but became an increasing liability with her Attitude and sass. It became patently clear that dangerous situations for Stephanie frequently were as a result of Lula's hot-headedness and impulsive behaviour. But her jealousy over Morelli was just sick, a bizarre fatal attraction. She must have been one of his regulars on Stark Street, when he was seeking information in earlier times. Clearly, they had history. His notoriety for obtaining intel from the working girls was well-known, trading favours, like a blowjob, for intel and I won't arrest you for soliciting. How he got away with that for so long was quite extraordinary.

Lula was fucking Morelli and was often heard referring to him as "Officer Hottie". Her caustic remark to Stephanie about "You got Officer Hottie arrested" was ludicrous, already showing her disparaging attitude. The original Lingerie Line clearly had her lingerie.

Stupidly, Lula did not appear in court on the due date, so she was FTA, classified as a failure to appear. She was captured easily. It was amazing. Someone had slashed all the tyres on her precious Firebird. She was throwing a massive hissy fit and people had reported her, keeping clear of her while she was wielding her firearm around so dangerously. Cal and Ram kept her at a distance but had called the TPD for back up, not taking any chances with her unpredictable and volatile behaviour. While distracted by the police officers, Ram and Cal were able to disarm her. She resisted arrest, while the police officers were trying to cuff her, and, in typical Lula style, made a huge scene. Once again with her resistance, her spandex top rolled down. While she gasped at the horror of a repeat performance, Ram stun gunned her, much to the relief of the two officers. Cal, once again, brought out a blanket to cover her voluminous assets, since no one was going to touch them! Nope. This exact episode was already famous with Eddie Gazarra and Big Dog. Ironically, Cal was there too. I considered hazard pay for him.

In addition to being charged with soliciting, being in possession and wielding an unlicenced firearm with threats to kill, and resisting arrest, the main charge was for creating a detonated exploding device with the intent to cause harm and damage to persons or property. Because she had lit the fuse, the charge was more serious, much like a terrorist. There was intent, intent to kill, as evidenced by all the incriminating security photographs. Her laptop had a lot of incriminating information on bomb making and so much more. She was found guilty and sent to prison for five years with fines for the earlier charges.

The power of influence that the Morellis had over the Burg women suddenly diminished. Apparently, so did that of Helen Plum, by her association with Angie Morelli, and that weird obsession of hers with Joseph Morelli. Frank put her on notice. Helen Plum still envisaged a Plum-Morelli wedding. Joseph Morelli had really done a job on her, manipulating and lying about everything to do with Stephanie, and Rangeman. Thugs and criminals was his favourite moniker for us, and, because he was a police detective, she believed him. Helen started to drown her sorrows, lamenting over the loss of her wedding dreams, but most especially over the loss of her Burg status. The bonus for Frank was the unusual quietness of the phone. He said it was bliss. Frank and Edna had her conveyed to a rehabilitation facility for a psychological assessment, necessary as evidenced by her deep denial and frequent alcohol consumption which included episodes of emergent violent behaviour.

Frank and Edna Mazur came to an accord, sharing the house for the time being. Edna eventually moved into Stephanie's apartment, enjoying the company of the older residents who lived in the apartment building. Helen Plum returned home after six months, mortified that she was deemed an alcoholic. So far, she has been on the straight and narrow, strictly kept in line by Frank. The threat of him leaving her frightened her into submission. Surprisingly, Helen admitted she did not like the person whom she had become. In the process of the Twelve Steps to recovery from her alcohol addiction, Helen was abiding by the principles. Making amends was a challenging journey but she was working her way through that process. She became more involved with the church and its community and charity events. There was hope for Helen Plum.

Vincent Plum was another item of Burg trash that came to an inglorious end. With Stephanie no longer working for him as a bond enforcement agent, and Rangeman not taking any of the lower bonds, nor the low-to-medium bonds, he had a dilemma, especially with the demise of Lula. Joyce Barnhardt was not efficient as a BEA, so Vinnie had to take those skips on himself. Despite advertising for new applicants, there were few qualified takers. Lucille was not happy about this because many of the skips were disagreeable and obnoxious, and as a result, Vinnie was a mess. Harry the Hammer, his father-in-law, discovered that Vinnie had been taking extra bonds to cover his gambling debts, making the business running at a loss. Connie resigned and ended up working for her family. She was fed up with Vinnie's sidelines and extra proclivities having reached her limit with his attitude and contempt. Working for her Family, ironically became the lesser of the two evils.

This coincided with Rangeman withdrawing all our bond enforcement roles. Our contract was up for review and after a core meeting, it was unanimously decided to sever all working relationships with Vincent Plum Bail Bonds. His reputation was not something we endorsed. That was followed by a meeting with Vinnie's backer, his father-in-law, Harry the Hammer, advising him of our intent to cease our business relationship. Harry sold the business and decided to "retire". Lucille Plum knew Vinnie was a weasel with questionable penchants. While he ran a profitable business, she could live the way to which she was accustomed, which her father promised his only daughter. However, when she discovered she had contracted an STD at her annual specialist appointment, Lucille divorced Vinnie. She took him to the cleaners.

Harry suggested that Vinnie needed to clean up his act, or else. He sent him to a rehab facility for his various addictions. It was a parting option: rehab or cement shoes? Which would you prefer, Vinnie? Coincidentally, Helen Plum encountered him at the same centre and assumed he just had an alcohol problem. She was mortified that he not only had that, but also a gambling addiction as well as being a sexual deviant. She was grateful he was not from her side of the family. That little encounter also helped keep Helen in line, and Frank used it well in his arsenal of limitations. What would people say? Would they assume that Helen Plum had the same afflictions?

Remarkably, we haven't seen nor heard much about Vinnie since. Perhaps he's at the bottom of the Delaware. Nobody seems to be concerned since he was released after twelve months of treatment.

Joyce Barnhardt found herself divorced by her third husband – or was he the fourth? He discovered her extracurricular activities appalling and kicked her out of the house, all her possessions neatly stacked on the verge. This time Joyce did not receive a substantial alimony. Quite the contrary, her car was taken from her and loans she had acquired reversed and accounts in her name were frozen. He was a cunning old man who did not like being played. He'd used a PI to track her moves and was utterly disgusted with her. His pre-nuptial agreement had covered those details, in the small print apparently, but Joyce was too cocky and felt she was experienced at her game. He allowed her enough rope to metaphorically hang herself. In the family court, the photographic evidence was so disgusting and overwhelming, that the judge immediately ruled in favour of the defendant. Evidently, Joyce had blatantly flirted with the judge, who had been one of her earlier clients. When she implied at blackmail threats, the judge literally gave evidence against her as well. It was quite sensational. The Trenton Times had a field day with her trial and the fallout. Sugar Daddies were running scarce, or running for the hills. Apparently, her various implants were causing problems like leakage and needing replacements. There was no funding for those expensive repairs. I wonder what her work résumé has as her skill set?

Because of all the negative vibes, hate mail and daily castigations, Angie Morelli moved away from Chambersburg, to live with her sister in Maryland. Old Grandma Bella Morelli had suffered a severe stroke and subsequently died from a weak heart in hospital, grieving for her precious Joey, apparently cursing him with her last words. The funeral was a low key affair with no Burg attendees, just their immediate family. But, the Burg residents did come to watch the hearse depart, casting their own curses at the Bella and the Morellis, without fear from Bella's notorious Malocchio, that Italian evil eye, which frightened so many children and adults alike.

Mooch Morelli followed his cousin interstate, selling his Demo and Disposal business. Anthony Morelli found himself kicked to the kerb for his transgressions. But, Angelina, the stupid woman, took him back again. They also left Trenton. No loss there either. I sensed there was a collective sigh of relief when the Morellis departed from the Burg.

A lot of eyes were now wide open. Morelli being castigated so publicly was a shock to the Burg, where he had been lauded as a model citizen; the supposed Golden Boy; the Morelli who escaped the Morelli curse. The main pundits promoting those wild conceptions were his mother, Bella, and Helen Plum. However, contrary to those alleged opinions and lies, he was the same. His violent outbursts at those scenes where Stephanie's cars went kaboom, for example, they indicated towards his escalating temper.

The Trenton Times did an interesting comparative exposé on some of the accidents or explosions where Morelli got it all wrong. These included the Molotov cocktail thrown at a car in front of Steph's, which missed but then rolled under her stalled vehicle. Before it exploded, she was able to haul herself and her skip to safety just in time. Another was when she took Mooner and Dougie out for brunch, when a car came to park nearby, loaded to the brim with volatile, unstable and out of date fireworks which suddenly exploded. Stephanie saved them and the other diners from harm, calling emergency agencies immediately while keeping a cool head. The icing on the cake was when the last couple of fireworks lobbed right into Morelli's truck! The time she was side-swiped by a truck into a fire hydrant, where he manhandled her after his usual Cupcake rant. Did he check or ask if she was alright? Hell no! Another classic scenario was when she drove past a meth lab as it exploded. She called all the emergency agencies while evacuating all the residents to safety. There were so many more. He read the situations all wrongly and blamed her every time. He's supposed to be the detective. Some of these were not even work related. He just assumed. Of course, The Trenton Times went apeshit crazy with those scenarios! My men destroyed a lot of equipment at those times, in frustration.*

But then, what I found to be so bewildering, were the double standards that existed in Chambersburg. The Morelli men were notorious for their cheating, drunken behaviour and violence, especially beating on their wives, and children. This manifested itself with the next generation in a similar manner. It was common knowledge that, like his father, Joseph Morelli was a cherry popper, and was known to have side pieces while he was with Stephanie, which included Terry Gilman, Joyce Barnhardt, Lula and a number of others who were taken in by his swagger and charm. Puke! His "claim" on Stephanie suddenly intensified when he realised I had an interest in her. To think I sent her back to that asshole after that first glorious, magical night of the Deal. Madre Dios. I was stupid. But he was even more so. That's history. Water under the bridge now. We have moved on and life is good, better than good. Inconceivably good.

oOoOo

TBC

*refer to events from some of my previous stories, i.e. not canon*