Hi all, FFnet seems to have abandoned notifications again! :( So, I hope you are able to follow along. Thanks to those who have kept up and reviewed.
Writing and posting is a little slower for this storyline. I haven't read OFTM in more years than I care to admit, so I am doing a lot of checking details… slows me down. Trying to keep to canon for the overall details but putting my own twist! Hope you enjoy!

Flare Up

I wondered how the grapevine had not alerted me that Morelli had been arrested. For him to go FTA, it must have been a while back now, but I had not heard anything. I guessed that his family had decided to keep it as quiet as possible, and maybe the cops too? It seemed unlikely, but it was the only explanation I could think of. Carlos was in Newark, meeting with the contractor to finalise the terms of the contract for labor and suppliers between Newark and Trenton. I decided to try and get the scoop before I talked to Carlos.

I rang my cousin-in-law, Eddie Gazarra, and asked if we could have lunch. He agreed cautiously. He suggested Pino's and I considered that. It would attract the least attention, but it would probably be difficult to talk privately. Instead, I suggested we could pick up Pino's and enjoy the day somewhere outdoors. I knew, since it was a balmy 66 degrees outside, that Eddie would know instantly that I wanted to talk to him privately.

I drove myself to Plum Bail Bonds and greeted Connie cheerfully. She smiled at me, and I looked meaningfully at Vinnie's closed office door. She shook her head and motioned for me to sit on the fake-leather couch, handing me a cup of coffee.

Connie leaned forward to talk conspiratorially, "Ok, so we were asked by the TPD and the Morelli family to keep this quiet, so that's why you didn't know. Joe was involved in the shooting of a witness recently. You probably heard about it, but the officer's name was never mentioned. It happened at the apartment of a hooker, Carmen Sanchez." I nodded, remembering the news reports. It was about four weeks ago; Sanchez was MIA, but a man had been shot by a Trenton police officer. The details had been sketchy, but there had been a report about the dead man being unarmed.

"Morelli claims that Carmen Sanchez was a confidential informant, and he had received a call to go and see her," Connie continued. "The CI thing was why the TPD didn't want it spread around. Morelli was off duty and said that there were two guys there at the apartment when he arrived, both armed and they shot first. Problem was, when the rest of the cops showed up, there was no Carmen, no guns apart from Morelli's, and only one guy, dead. Dead guy was Ziggy Kulesca, some low life who worked for the boxer, Benito Ramirez. He was shot between the eyes at close range, the other tenants in the building subdued Morelli until the TPD arrived. Like I said no other guns, no other guy, no Carmen. So, Morelli was arrested for murder. Everyone assumed he had something with Carmen and got into an argument with Kulesca when he found him in Carmen's apartment. He was let go with a hundred thousand bond, since he was a local with close community ties, and put on administrative leave until the matter was resolved."

I realised I hadn't seen Morelli in weeks. We had been really busy with the building and had only had one other FTA for Vinnie. It had been straightforward, a gang member who'd gotten high and trigger happy. Hector and I had managed to track him down to a cousin's place and Ranger, Bobby, and Hector had picked him up without any issues. I had had little contact with the TPD and, frankly, had not missed seeing Morelli. But I realised now that he had obviously been hiding out somewhere and staying away from his usual haunts. I wondered if he was still in town, or if he had run away.

Connie finished, "Vinnie's going apeshit. He put the bond up since he was local, Burg ya know? But if he loses the bond, they'll take Angie Morelli's house and Vinnie's name will be mud. Nobody really wants to cross that family, let alone Grandma Bella giving you 'the eye'." Angie Morelli was practically considered a saint in the Burg, having survived and quietly tolerated her abusive husband and philandering sons, but Bella Morelli was insane, trying to curse people by giving them 'the eye'. She would pull her eye down and mutter a curse in Sicilian. She scared the willies out of everyone, and I could understand why Vinnie didn't want to have to take their house to cover the bond.

I sighed. I really didn't want to have to deal with Angie and Bella Morelli either. They had not been pleased when I'd broken Morelli's leg after he had come back from the Navy. My name was already mud with them, and this wasn't going to improve anything.

"Is there anything else you can tell me?" I asked. "Any other info?"

"Well, like I said everything has been kept pretty quiet. But the grapevine has reported a couple of people have spotted Morelli hanging around Stark Street. I don't know why, maybe he's looking for Carmen to help him. She worked a corner on Stark, but she hasn't been seen since the shooting. Morelli's cousin Mooch has been seen at his apartment a couple times. I guess he's been picking up the mail or whatever."

"Mooch Morelli? I remember him, I think," I mused. "Didn't he get really fat?"

Connie chuckled, "Actually he lost a lot of weight. He's in ok shape these days. Still hangs around with Joe, on his coattails." I nodded. Mooch had always been on the fringes of Joe's orbit in the Burg. He was quiet, chubby, shy, not particularly good looking. Joe had been the Burg bad boy; hot, sexy, popular, a little dangerous. Mooch was kinda just…there. Still, if he was still hanging around with Joe, he might be a valuable lead to follow.

I thanked Connie for the information. We finished our coffees, and she told me a few other juicy morsels of gossip. I went out and drove to Pino's. It was about 11.45 and I was meeting Eddie at 12.15. I sat in my car while I waited, reading through the file. It contained basic information, the bond agreement, a copy of the arrest warrant, and Morelli's mug shots. He looked tired, stressed, and pissed in the photos. I would need to do some more research. I thought I would chase up the newspaper reports to see if anything more had been reported. I knew, if Eddie was willing to talk to me, that he would probably be my best source of information.

I saw Eddie's cruiser pull up at around ten past twelve and I got out of my car to greet him. We went in and picked up the subs and cokes I had pre-ordered and went back out to pile into our cars and drive to a nearby park. The park had a small gazebo that would offer some protection from the chilly breeze. We sat and dug into our subs, and for several minutes there was only the sound of 'mmms' from me and Eddie's low chuckles. We finished up our food and wiped our hands on paper napkins. We sat for minute, sipping our drinks before Eddie spoke, "You got Morelli's file?"

I nodded and handed it to him. He skimmed through and handed it back, "Ok," he began, "TPD is being told not to discuss this so it's strictly on the downlow." I nodded again and he smiled at me briefly. "Morelli's in the shit," he grimaced, "evidence is circumstantial but it's still pretty damming. Only his weapon discharged, victim was unarmed when he was arrested, and the only witnesses that stuck around all put him as the shooter against a single, unarmed opponent. Morelli claims there was another man there and that he went there to see Carmen Sanchez. Trouble is, nobody else claims to have seen a second man and Sanchez hasn't been seen since.

Eddie stopped and sipped his coke thoughtfully, "Only way Morelli can clear his name is to find this man or maybe Sanchez. And ideally, he needs the guns too. He's been spotted around Stark Street several times since the shooting, so I'm guessing he's looking for one or the other. He hasn't been spotted since he missed his court date, so I dunno if he's still hanging around or if he's skipped town. Hard to tell. He doesn't want to go to jail, and frankly, I can't blame him. Cops in jail don't do well. So, he'd either end up in solitary for the entire sentence, or dead. Even solitary wouldn't really guarantee he'd stay alive. Either way, a new life in another state or country is probably more appealing, so he could have just taken off."

I frowned, "I wouldn't have thought he'd leave his mom and grandma in the shit like that, though?" I queried. "I mean, they're gonna lose their house if he can't be found and rebooked." Eddie nodded but said nothing. "What are your thoughts? Do you think his story is true?"

Eddie shrugged, "Not sure, honestly. Morelli's a bit of an arrogant ass, but he's always been a decent cop. He was promoted to Detective on his own merits, and his record's pretty clean. No serious complaints. And you're right, he's close to his ma and grandma, so I would've said he wouldn't abandon them. I would've guessed he's telling the truth, but like I said the evidence is not on his side. Unless he finds something better, he's not gonna convince a court."

I thought for minute as I finished my coke. "What about the victim? Or Carmen Sanchez? Do you know anything more about them?"

"Sanchez is a Stark Street 'ho. Morelli claims she was a CI, but that's pretty much impossible to prove unless he can produce her, and she's willing to testify. He is, or was, a vice cop, and they do cultivate prostitutes as informants, but Morelli also has to contend with his teenage reputation of stickin' it in anything in a skirt. The other story, where he was screwing her, and jealous of another man in her apartment, is just as plausible to a jury." I grimaced at that.

"As for Kulesca, not much to tell. Dropped out of high school, record for drugs and petty theft, apparently worked for the boxer, Ramirez, as some kind of dogsbody runner. Not sure why he'd be in Sanchez' apartment unless he was a customer. And Sanchez had been seen previously at Ramirez' place, so it's likely he's a customer too. As I said, none of this supports Morelli's story. I guess she could have had some information about drugs from Kulesca, but…" he trailed off, shrugging.

I could only agree with Eddie's assessment. Morelli really was in the shit. I asked, "Would it be worth talking to Ramirez?"

Eddie looked at me sharply, "You're not on your own here, are you?" he asked. "Cause this is really messy. Ramirez has a reputation of being rough with his women and he's also got an entourage. You're not the right person to be walking into that shithole gym where he operates."

I reassured him, "Ranger is back in town. And Stark Street, I'd stick out like a sore thumb. We've got Hector and others to blend in better there. I'm just looking for ways to find Morelli. I doubt I'm gonna walk up to his apartment, knock, and find him answering the door," I finished sardonically.

Eddie smirked but looked relieved, "Well, I guess someone could talk to Ramirez. He might know something, if Kulesca really did work for him. And if Morelli really is looking for Sanchez or this supposed 'other guy' he might be looking around Ramirez too. But promise me it won't be you, please Steph?"

I smiled at him, "Ok, ok, I promise. Did Morelli say anything else about this 'other guy' who was supposedly there?"

Eddie nodded, "Yeah, he said the guy was white, five-ten, skinny, had a round, flat face with a squashed in nose. Like someone had hit him with a frying pan. His description was pretty specific actually. But then, he's a detective; trained observer."

"Anything else?" I asked.

Eddie thought for a minute, "No, that's pretty much all I know. Like I said, though, I'd appreciate if it doesn't get around that I told you anything. We were told not to discuss it outside the office and to stay away from it. Case is being handled by Mario Sonelli in Homicide. He's not gonna tell you anything, but if you find anything, he's likely to come after you to get it. Rumour is that he's bucking to solve this case quick and clean, thinks it will get him another promotion to clean up the department of a dirty cop."

I thanked Eddie and we parted back to our cars. It was time to talk to Carlos.

Back at the office, I started putting information onto the whiteboard. After I put up what I knew, I started making a couple of calls. I called my bestie, Mary Lou, to ask what the gossip was around the Burg. I could've called my grandma, but my mom probably would've found out, and I didn't want to have that argument.

"Hi, Steph," Mary Lou greeted me cheerfully.

"Hi Lou," I smiled at her sweet voice. "How's Lenny? And how are the boys?"

"Everyone is good. Mikey's first tooth fell out yesterday, so he was thrilled when the Tooth Fairy gave him a dollar last night."

I chuckled at that. "Hey Lou, we've got a skip from the Burg, and I was wondering if there was any gossip going around that is unusual?"

There was a brief silence, "Nothing too out of the ordinary. Some weird stuff about Morelli last week, how he wasn't going to work but was down on Stark Street. But I mean, he's a vice cop, so I imagine he has to work that part of town, right?"

"Probably," I agreed, "nothing else?"

"Maybe if you told me what or who you're looking for, I might be more help," Mary Lou said dryly.

I hesitated, "Ok, but Lou? You have to promise me this won't go back on the grapevine. I mean it, between us please?"

"Sure Steph, for you, of course."

"Ok, well it is Morelli we're looking for. He was arrested for murder. You probably heard about that shooting involving a TPD officer off Stark about a month ago? Well, turns out it was Morelli, and now he's skipped bail. If we can't track him down, Angie and Bella Morelli are gonna be homeless."

"Oh, my God!" Mary Lou was shocked. "Truly? Wow. Nobody has even hinted. Wow!"

"You can't tell, Lou. You promised!"

"Okay, okay, I won't. I swear," she reaffirmed. "But this is huge Steph, and super-hot! You owe me. This is Burg gold," she whined.

"So, have you heard anything else about Morelli? Any other weird stuff?"

There was a brief pause while Mary Lou pondered, "No, like I said, not even a hint about his arrest. And that's pretty impressive with the grapevine. The TPD must be keeping it quiet too. Have you talk to Eddie?"

"Yeah, he gave me a rundown on the people involved. But I really need dirt on Morelli himself. We have to track him down and drag him back to jail."

"Well… Mooch Morelli has been seen around Joe's apartment. Have you seen Mooch lately? He's lost a lot of weight! He looks almost fit, ya know. And Joe's sister, Cathy, is pregnant again with her third. And his brother Tony's wife, Angelina, was seen with makeup caked on bruises again. Don't know if any of that helps you though…" she trailed off.

I snorted in disgust at the comment about Angelina Morelli. Anthony Morelli had followed in his father's footsteps as an alcoholic and an abusive drunk. Everyone thought Joe was the exception and the son who made good. But if he goes to jail, the family reputation would be unfixable. "I'd heard about Mooch," I confirmed, "do you know when he was last seen at Joe's apartment?"

"Hmm… Maybe a week ago? He just stops by from what I heard. Probably just picking up mail and checking on the place. I haven't really heard much, but I'll keep my ear to the ground, ok? I'll let you know if I hear anything else about the Morellis."

"Thanks Lou. I appreciate it. And thanks for keeping it quiet for now."

"You owe me!" she warned.

"I'm not babysitting! You know the last time I did Mikey nearly cut my hair off!"

Mary Lou laughed, "I told you; you shouldn't have fallen asleep."

"I was exhausted! They never stop. I sat down for five minutes and next thing I know I wake up with Mikey holding my hair and a pair of scissors. And his angelic look of innocence needs some work, by the way."

Mary Lou guffawed at that, "I know. He's about as subtle as a brick. But at least I always know when he's fibbing."

We ended the call on a laugh and a promise to get together soon.

Before I could make my next call to my high school classmate who works at the DMV, Carlos arrived back. After we greeted each other with heated kisses, I asked how the meeting had gone. "Fine, Babe. All settled. They were quite happy to agree to use local suppliers and labor when they can." His sharp gaze went immediately to the whiteboard, where he looked over my notes. "What's going on, Babe? Joe Morelli?" he queried.

"He's FTA. Connie called me just after you left." I ran through my morning and everything I had found out so far. After I finished, we stood up and went over to the whiteboard, where I added a note about Mooch, and also Ramirez.

"Wow, Babe. You've already made amazing progress, and it's only been a couple of hours. There are solid leads here. What do you suggest we do from here?" he deferred to my local knowledge.

"Well, I thought maybe you and Hector could go talk to Ramirez? Everyone seems to think I shouldn't go near him. Eddie says he has a bad reputation with women, and the place he works out is a real dive. I would have thought he would be somewhere more upscale, since he's making it big now."

"Yeah, I haven't heard much about him, but if the gym is on Stark Street, it's likely a dive. Hector was saying that it is the center of the illegal activities in Trenton. And most fighters are pretty loyal to their origins and trainers. From what I know of Ramirez' story I doubt he's made all that much money yet. He's up and coming but hasn't had a lot of big-money fights. He's scheduled to take on the champion, but until he's got a big-name win under his belt, he's not gonna be raking in sponsors or making huge money." He picked up the file and leafed through it.

"So, the connection to Ramirez is the guy Morelli shot?"

"Yeah. Eddie reckons he worked for Ramirez as a general lackey, and he also thought Ramirez was a customer of Carmen Sanchez. Eddie thought maybe Morelli would be staking out Stark Street looking for Carmen or the other guy he reckons was in the apartment. Either that, or he's taken off to avoid going to prison. Eddie says he probably wouldn't survive it. But I just can't see him abandoning his mom and grandma to their homeless fates. Morelli is an asshole, but he's a Burg asshole. You take care of family in the Burg."

"Ok, so we check out Ramirez. Maybe stake out the gym or the area, to see if Morelli show's his face. Anything else?"

"Both Connie and Mary Lou said Mooch Morelli is checking in on Joe's apartment. He might just be picking up the mail and taking it to his aunt's place, but he's still a lead worth following. Maybe Bobby and I could do that? You know, stake out the house and see if he shows up? Mrs Morelli is not going to tell us anything. Joe is her golden boy, her shining superstar. She'd become homeless and destitute before she'd give him up. And his grandma is worse." I shuddered at the thought of Bella Morelli. "She'd likely take a steak knife to me if I went to their door looking for Joe."

Carlos smirked, "Ok Babe, we'll call the troops in tomorrow for a briefing and set up some plans. Anything more?

"I was going to call another contact to try and find out if Morelli has more than one car registered. Other than that, I'm not sure. I think Mooch and Ramirez are the best places to start."

"We should check out his apartment too. See what we can find."

"How do we do that?" I asked puzzled. "Nobody's going to give a key, and the super probably won't let us in without a good reason."

"Babe," was all Carlos said.

"What, Babe?" I persevered. "What am I missing?"

"Babe, I won't need a key. We go in, have a look around, leave without disturbing anything."

I looked at him in consternation, "Isn't that breaking and entering? I thought…"

"We're bounty hunters, Babe, we don't need a search warrant!" I shook my head at that. "Besides," Carlos smirked, "Morelli is FTA, I'm pretty sure the super will give us a key."

I am trying to keep Ranger in character balanced between my own depiction in this story and his persona in OFTM. I appreciate any feedback and let me know if you have any more thoughts on how it should go with Morelli! Reviews are wonderful.