Stephanie's POV
Carlos and I drop the girls off at school before the morning meeting. After leaving the girls on the playground with their friends, we visit the principal. The man shakes Carlos' hand and welcomes him home. I smile, knowing Mr. Potter is ex-military.
"Woodrow and Eric are picking up the girls after school. Carlos and I are working on a time-sensitive project," I informed Mr. Potter. We have to meet with the lawyers to present our background check information on the Stantons.
"Woody and Binkie?" he asks. I giggle and nod. "Angie and Mary Alice speak fondly of their bodyguards. The single mothers try flirting, but they don't pay attention."
"Good," Carlos replies. I know he'd fire Woody and Binkie if they didn't put our daughters first.
"How much longer until you have the babies?" Mr. Potter asks.
I roll my eyes and rub my hand down my belly. "I'm only sixteen weeks, which is the halfway point for triplets. I won't be part of the pickups or drop-offs when I reach twenty-four weeks." Dr. Jansen thinks I shouldn't overexert myself. She believes I'll have an easier time with the pregnancy if I keep my stress levels low, meditate and do yoga.
"Wow. Mary Alice said you were expecting triplets, but some of her classmates' mothers thought it was a fib," Mr. Potter replies. "I'll inform her teacher."
"That won't be necessary. I discussed it with Mary Alice, who chose to ignore the others. They will learn soon enough that Mary Alice was telling the truth," I say.
Carlos whispers, "I'm proud of you, Babe."
"We must leave now. I wanted you to meet my husband while he was available," I reply.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Mr. Potter says. "Your adopted children are safe here."
"Thank you. My men, Manuel Ramos and Evan Ramsey, are on patrol in the area. They will keep an eye on my daughters to ensure their safety," Carlos says. "My wife emailed their credentials before the school year commenced."
"Very good," Mr. Potter replies. He walks us to the door. Mary Alice sees us as we leave. We wave as she blows us kisses.
Carlos and I returned to Rangeman, where we met with the men to discuss the upcoming changes for Rangeman Securities. We are expanding in Florida, opening remote offices to manage the accounts in other Floridian cities. The men were happy to have more work and the potential of moving to other cities within the state.
Everyone is made aware of the situation around Valerie and Steve Conti and their estate. After learning about Mallory's criminal activities within the real estate agency, Tank sends three contract workers, Sabrina, Eugene and Sybo, to live in the Conti's house until it closes. Sabrina is keeping a close eye on Mallory.
"Why haven't they arrested her yet?" Lester asks.
"It will happen soon," Carlos replies, reading the message on his phone. He isn't one to check his phone during meetings, but it must have been necessary. "The police are ensuring they have enough evidence to stick. However, it seems she will spend time in a Federal prison for her crimes. A warrant was just issued for her arrest. Bethany is moving to a home for pregnant teens."
I know the baby doesn't carry the fatal genes from the biological father. I'm surprised to learn Bethany's aunt plans to adopt the child. The hospital determined Bethany wasn't mentally stable to raise the baby.
"Are we still planning to open a branch in LA?" Rodriguez asks.
"No," Carlos replies. "We are looking at Chicago and Philadelphia."
"Why not go into Trenton, New Jersey?" Lester wonders. "We can earn a lot of money chasing skips."
"Rangeman will open a satellite office in Trenton, but the branch office is in Philadelphia. Vince and Marco will fit in with the Italian crowd. The residents won't take any issue with them," Carlos explains.
An office near New Jersey will allow Carlos and I to visit his family with our children. I know Maria and Ricardo can't wait to meet their granddaughters officially. They met the girls at the wedding but were only my extended family then. It's different now that Angie and Mary Alice are their official granddaughters.
We review the FTAs for the men to capture. I offer some insight on where to locate them based on their bank withdrawals and purchases—the men on BEA duty smile and nod. Once every topic is covered, Ranger dismisses the meeting.
At 1500 hours, Carlos and I drive to Owen's office. He's awaiting our arrival. I smile as he opens my door. Carlos growls. "Is everyone here?" I ask.
"Yes. The defendant's lawyer arrived a few minutes ago," Owen replies. I appreciate him arranging the meeting so Carlos and I could remain closer to home. "Whatever we discuss inside the conference room must remain unspoken outside those walls."
Carlos and I quickly agree. We follow Owen into the room. I shake hands with the men and women after introducing myself. The women gaze appreciatively at my husband. Seeing their slow perusal of his body, Carlos wraps a possessive arm around my waist. His silent message of "unavailable" was evident.
The defence lawyer asks many questions regarding my interaction with Mallory Stanton. It seems she filed a countersuit against me for loss of income. They presented the document I made Mallory change regarding the commission earned from selling my sister's house in LA. Owen is prepared for the question and has the email exchanges between Mary and me available for rebuttal. It proves Mary did all the work except close the deal.
Mallory also claims I created a false background, causing her to lose her job. She is suing for loss of income and emotional suffering. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. The muscles ache from restraint. "Where do you work, and what is your job title?"
"Rangeman Securities Miami. I'm head of client services and research," I reply.
"What does your research job entail?" he asks, leaning forward to hear my response. I glance at the tape-recording device before answering.
"Primarily background checks for clients," I reply.
"Did you do such a check on Mallory Stanton?"
"Indirectly," I reply. The lawyer patiently waits for me to add to my answer. "I conducted a background check on Bethany Stanton after she falsely claimed my brother-in-law impregnated her."
"Do you have proof?" he sneers.
"Yes. Would multiple videos of Bethany's boyfriend entering the house while Mallory worked be sufficient?" I wonder. His eyebrows raise, getting lost in his hairline.
"It's illegal to place cameras on other people's homes," he snarls.
"I'm aware, which is why the footage is from the Conti residence. You can see Tyler walking up the sidewalk and disappearing from the camera's range. There are also videos from the back and side of my sister's home. On the days leading to conception, Tyler is seen approaching the Stanton's house no less than fifteen times," I argue.
I play the video when he demands to see it. He tries to argue, but I retrieve the live feed and show him. In the video, Tyler is walking towards the Stanton's house. Bethany runs outside and throws herself into his arms. Thinking the video is fabricated, the lawyer called Mallory, asking her to describe what she sees outside the house. Within a minute, we see Mallory approach her daughter. We hear her shouting through the lawyer's phone.
"Shut it off," he demands. I shrug and follow his order. "You still planted false evidence against my client."
"I haven't, but I'm interested to know why you believe I have," I reply.
"Mallory said you planted it a few weeks before meeting you," he claims.
"I didn't know Mallory Stanton got assigned the estate until I visited the agency in LA," I answer. Luckily, I recorded every exchange on the phone.
Carlos whispers, "Proud of you, Babe," as I play the conversation.
"Now that I've proven my innocence, are you finished with your witch hunt?" I ask.
"You could have changed the dates for the plants," he insists.
The lawyer repressing the real estate office jumps to my defence. "We conduct an audit every year. Mrs. Manoso couldn't possibly have planted the evidence incriminating Mallory Stanton. I have proof of missing funds in my files dated back a few years, long before Mrs. Manoso interacted with your client," she argues.
Mallory's lawyer backs off. "There's something else you need to see," I say before showing the lawyers my meeting with Mallory. I drop three DVDs on the table. "Everything is backed up on those discs. There's one copy for each of you." I stand and extend my hand for Carlos to grab. Carlos and I leave without saying another word.
I hear Owen say, "If your client continues to harass Mrs. Manoso through you, I will charge her with defamation of character. Mrs. Manoso is a respected resident in Miami."
The door closes behind us, muting the response from Mallory's lawyer. A few minutes later, I received a message from Sabrina, "Mallory Stanton and Bethany Stanton got arrested." I almost felt bad for Bethany. Almost.
~~~~~~~
Rachel's POV
I met with the authorities to have my ex-husband arrested for murdering my best friend. Jeanne Ellen and I met in college. We were inseparable. Her death is a loss to society. She's an honest and loving woman. Jeanne Ellen was my daughter's godmother.
"It's a matter of homeland security," the police chief tells me.
"She was murdered! How is that securing our country?" I demand.
Chief Preston sighs. He steeples his hands and leans on his elbows. "Your friend was transporting illegal drugs into the country," he replies.
I shake my head. "Jeanne Ellen would never do that," I argue.
"Oh, but she did. Have you received any gifts from Jeanne Ellen?" he asks. I immediately touch the locket on my neck. It's a gift from Jeanne Ellen after I had Julie.
Preston calls a man into his office. The door opens after a double knock. "What do you need to get swabbed, Chief?" the officer asks.
"Her locket. Inside and out," Preston replies. I grab my locket and shake my head. He removes a document from inside his desk. "I have a warrant."
My hands shake as I unfold the paper and read. I hang my head and remove the locket and the watch from Jeanne Ellen.
The officer opens his kit and pulls latex gloves over his hands. He swipes the swab over my locket, concentrating on the clasp and hinge. I watch as he drops it into a vial containing a liquid. He carefully opens my locket and repeats the procedure after popping out the image of Julie. The liquid turns blue. I'm not sure what that means.
I watch the officer pop the back of my watch. He stares at it and shakes his head. After taking a few photos, he swabs it and drops the sample in another vial. It turns blue. My voice shakes as I ask, "What does that mean?"
"It means those items contain traces of drugs. I have to take them for further testing," the officer replies. I'm ready to cry. Jeanne Ellen knew how I felt about drugs. My younger sister overdosed a few years before I met Jeanne in college. How could she do this to me? I wipe the tears from my eyes.
"When will you return them?" I ask.
"Once testing is complete. We don't need them as evidence in court. However, officers will arrive at your house within the hour to search for other items you received from Jeanne Ellen," Preston replies. He nods to the officer and returns his attention to me.
"If they find anything, will I go to jail?" I ask, swallowing my fear.
Leaning forward, Preston asks, "Did she give you anything to store?" I nod.
"Everything is in the locked shed in the backyard," I reply. "Ron and I never touched the boxes." I have second thoughts about mentioning Ron because I have no clue if he touched them. Hopefully, he wasn't that stupid.
"Are you still wishing to accuse your ex-husband of murdering your friend?" Chief Preston asks.
"No," I whisper. "I need to go home before your officers arrive to search my house."
"I'm having my men follow you home. If you tip off your husband, I will arrest you for interfering with an investigation," Preston warns.
I looked around before removing the phone from my purse when I reached the visitor's parking lot. I'm bent over the screen when the door opens. "Phone," he orders. I sigh and hand him the device. He glances at the screen. "I'll return it at your house."
"But what if my car breaks down or I get in an accident?" I ask.
"I'm following you home, ma'am. I'll call for help," he replies.
There isn't another option. Calling my mom to leave a cryptic message without my phone is impossible. I arrive home in time to watch the police arrest Ron. "What are you doing?" I scream. "Release my husband. He's innocent."
"Ma'am, we caught your husband emptying the shed and putting the boxes in that moving truck. I also arrested his friend for possession," the officer replies, pointing to Tim Williamson.
"Ron?" I ask. He shakes his head. "I'll call our lawyer," I shout as they push Ron into the back of the police cruiser. I wished I had never met Jeanne Ellen Burrows as I entered the house. That woman messed up my life. It will be another few months before I realize how much damage she has done.
