Hector and I entered the police station with our skip. Eddie cuffed Johan to the bench and returned my cuffs, which I dropped into my bag. Carl checked me from head to toe. "Did you dress this way for us?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows while offering me an appreciative smile. It reminded me of Lester.
"No. I went to Dominos," I replied without offering more details. Eddie raised a brow.
"And you didn't invite us?" Carl whined. I smacked his arm. "I'm just teasing you, Steph. You look hot." I rolled my eyes.
"Why did you go there?" Eddie asked. He knew I was persona non grata at the gentlemen's club. Sunny Sunucchi's friends and family would think nothing of tossing me over the bridge again. The thought made me shiver.
Two men wearing suits and ties entered the booking area. Which one was Agent Malcom? I must have asked the question out loud because the handsome man with black hair and grey eyes stepped forward, offering his hand for an introduction.
"I'm Agent Malcom from the FBI," the attractive man said. He fits the description from Ranger and Malcom. Let me inspect his badge.
Brad Malcom was an attractive Caucasian male in his mid-fifties. His partner was a younger man in his late thirties who resembled Aaron Hotchner from Criminal Minds. "Hi, I'm Stephanie Plum," I said when I shook Brad's hand.
"I'm Trevor Anderson," the Aaron Hotchner doppelgänger said, offering me his hand. He smiled, making him more appealing than Hotchner on Criminal Minds. His teeth were pearly white, and he had dimples. I admitted it made him very attractive.
"My friend, Hector from Rangeman, was with me tonight. He only speaks Spanish," I explained when I introduced him to the agents. Ram and Hal introduced themselves and stated they only arrived to assist because Smith set my car ablaze. Trevor raised a brow when I shrugged it off. "It's not the first time a skip set my vehicle on fire, and I'm sure it's not the last," I offered as a weak explanation, but it was the truth.
Brad smiled when Chief Jansen offered us an interview room to collect our statements. Hector followed me inside, refusing to let the men talk to me alone. I appreciated having him with me. "Tell me how you captured Jonathan Smith, aka Johan Smith," Brad said as he read his notes.
I went through the entire evening, from Hector and me leaving Rangeman to find Smith at Dominos, a gentlemen's club. "How did you get inside?" Brad asked.
"Someone tossed the trash and left the door open," I replied.
"What happened next?"
"Hector and I entered the private viewing rooms, where the exotic dancers entertain the men. We used the computer screen to see which room they were inside. I doubt the men accepting private dances are aware their pictures are taken and recorded in the mainframe of the club's computer system," I replied.
Trevor cleared his throat, reminding me to stay on task. "How did you know which room to enter?" Trevor asked.
"Smith and his dancer were the last ones to enter a room, so their pictures were visible on the screen for room seven," I explained, without mentioning the dancer was my so-called friend, Lula, soon-to-be ex-friend Lula. She knew I had Johan Smith's file. A good friend would have called me or at least helped when I arrived.
"How does the system work?" Brad questioned. I shrugged. Brad looked at Hector and repeated the question in Spanish. Hector told him how the system worked. He noticed it didn't record us entering the room, meaning someone had to sit at the desk to do so. When the woman requested an available room, the person sitting at the desk would assign one. Dominos kept track of their exotic dancers and the men they entertained. "Thank you," Brad said when Hector finished his explanation.
Trevor directed his next question at me, "You're wearing four-inch heels. How did you catch him?"
Smiling, I replied, "I knew how to run in heels since I was five. When I heard the door, the one Hector and I used to enter, slam at the end of the hall, I took off after Smith. I was too late to save my car from his pyromaniac fingers." I silently apologized to my guardian angel. God knew they had to work hard to keep me safe. Trevor cleared his throat, reminding me to continue. "I wasn't sure which direction he ran after setting my car on fire. Letting my spidey sense guide me…"
Chortling, Brad interrupted, "Spidey sense like Spider-Man?" He would learn soon enough how I managed to find their man.
"Not really," I confessed. "It's what I call my intuition. I let it guide me into the parking area behind the liquor store. Thankfully, Hector gave me this taser to protect me." I placed the taser on the table for the men to examine.
"Tasers and stun guns aren't allowed in Jersey," Brad said, raising a brow as he returned the taser to my side of the table. "We don't need it for evidence."
"They are if you're a Rangeman employee and I am a part-time employee," I retorted.
Brad and Trevor watched as Hector snatched it from the table and returned it to the holster around his waist. "You're carrying," Brad observed.
I nodded as I moved my Glock to my purse. "Before you ask, yes, I have a permit." I dug into my bag to produce a photocopy of the license.
"Where's the original?" Trevor asked, leaning forward with his elbows on the table.
"Stashed in Ranger's safe at Rangeman," I replied. "As I indicated earlier, Smith set my car on fire. Most of the time, my purse is inside the car as it burns. Since I didn't want to shoot Smith, I used the taser. I had my cuffs tucked into my skirt, so I used those to restrain him until backup arrived."
Hector gave the agents his account of the apprehension, which aligned with mine. I understood enough Spanish to know he said almost the same as me, except he added the part where he grabbed my bag from the car. Brad's eyes flicked to mine, and I shrugged as though I had said, "See, I told you my purse is normally in my vehicle."
Brad nodded as he added notes to his file. "How did you know Johan Smith was Jonathan?" Trevor curiously asked.
Smiling, I replied, "I noticed the file I received from the bonds office lacked details. All I had was a basic description of Smith, the make and model of his car, an address and a phone number. The phone number wasn't his. I called it, and an elderly woman answered. She did not know Johan or Jonathan Smith." I leaned forward on my elbows, matching Trevor's pose before adding, "The plates do not belong to him, neither does the car. Both owners reported them as stolen in Michigan. I used the Rangeman research program and discovered Johan Smith was actually Jonathan Smith."
"How did you connect the two?" Brad queried.
Hector nudged my shoulder. "At first, I thought it was a birthday paradox, you know, that two people with the same name are born on the same day. However, what are the chances that Johan Smith and Jonathan Smith were born in the same hospital on the same day at the same time and delivered by the same doctor?"
Brad whistled, shocked that I made a connection they failed to see. "How did you know where to look?" he asked.
"That's where my spidey sense comes into play. Smith's birthdate triggered a response for me to dig further," I lamely explained. "It didn't take long to realize the FBI was searching for the man when I compared his crimes to other jurisdictions. Smith was smart by changing one detail with every offence. Someone in Quantico thought they were searching for a cult of criminals. It was actually one man: Jonathan Smith."
"We could use you on our team. You made the connection in a few hours, which took us years to find," Brad said, grinning at his partner and me. "Thank you for your cooperation. I have one more question."
"Fire away," I replied.
"Who was the woman entertaining Smith in Dominos?" Brad asked.
I rubbed at the wrinkle between my eyes as I furrowed my brows. "Her stage name is Foxy Roxy, but she's Lula. I'm sorry, but I don't have her last name. She works as a file clerk for Vincent Plum Bail Bonds," I answered.
"Vincent Plum? Is he any relation to you?" Trevor wondered.
"Unfortunately, he's my slimy cousin," I replied, standing to leave. I knew the interview was over. There was no reason to hang around the precinct longer than necessary. My chances of running into Morelli increased exponentially every minute I stayed here.
Passing me an envelope, Brad said, "This is yours."
"What is it?" I asked, tilting my head to the side in interest.
"Your reward for capturing Jonathan Smith," he replied. Brad and Trevor left me standing there, wondering what the hell just happened.
I rolled my eyes and opened the envelope. Thankfully, I was close enough to the chair to sit. Hector gently tugged the envelope from my shaking hands. Grandma's words, "Don't worry about it, dear. Things always have a way of working out," jumped to the forefront of my mind. It got me questioning my grandmother's ability to predict the future.
"Is it real?" I whispered, disbelieving the number of zeros on the cheque. It was a lot of money. I was afraid someone would rob me blind. My cut of the bond with Vinnie wasn't even ten percent of the cheque.
"Yes, hermana, it's real," Hector replied. He folded the envelope and stashed it inside his pocket. "We'll deposit it tomorrow."
"You deserve half for assisting. Oh! Ram and Hal should have some because they drove us here," I said, letting my thoughts run away.
Hector snapped, "Stephanie!" It was the first time he used my name. He typically used Angel or hermana and sometimes Estephania. Hearing 'Stephanie' cross his lips sounded odd and slightly stung. Hector lifted my chin with a finger. "I tried Angel, hermana and Estephania, but you were in a trance. Using 'Stephanie' was the only way to break the spell," Hector explained.
I nodded since his logic was sound. It was the only way to get me to pay attention. Whenever my mind wandered, the only way to get me to listen was by using my full name. At home, even saying my first name never worked. Mom had to yell, "Stephanie Michelle Plum," to force me to pay attention. "Sorry," I mumbled. "We should go home before Asshole Morelli arrives."
Unfortunately, we couldn't escape Joe. He caught us in the parking lot. Joe's arms waved as he yelled at me for going after Jonathan, aka Johan Smith. "The man is dangerous. He could have killed you!" Joe screamed. "Did you even take a second to consider how your death would affect your family? Or how your death would affect me? What were you thinking?"
Hector moved to stand behind me. I noticed Ram and Hal exiting the Rangeman SUV to flank us. My overly protective friends prevented Joe from getting too close. "I must get out of here," I hissed only loud enough for my group to hear. Louder, I asked, "Who told you?"
"Gaspick," Joe replied. I wasn't surprised Officer Picky tattled. He would throw his own grandmother under the bus if it meant moving up the ranks in the police department. The shithead doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut. Benny Gaspick doesn't like my Merry Men and does everything possible to make their lives harder as if their lives were easy after serving in the military.
"Figures," I mumbled.
"What did you say?" Joe demanded. My rhino mode engaged.
"I said, "figures." What are you going to do about it?" I challenged, stepping closer to Joe. The others wisely waited to see how I would handle the cop.
"Force you to marry me," he replied.
"For fuck's sake," I sighed. "Joe, I would rather die than marry you! Don't you get it?"
"Get what?" he questioned. The vein in his forehead furiously pulsated as his face turned red from rage. I don't have the patience to deal with the asshole. My vacation couldn't come soon enough.
"You are turning into your father," I said. He hissed and raised both hands, poised to hit me. Eddie and Carl grabbed Joe's arms before he could pack the punch. I wanted him to strike me so I could charge him with assault. It wouldn't help with the already tenuous relationship between some officers and the Merry Men. Ranger would not be happy if his men attacked Detective Morelli, even if they defended me.
"Get off me!" Joe screamed, trying to shake off Eddie and Carl. He yelled at me again, but I was already climbing into the Rangeman SUV.
"Take me home," I replied.
Ram started driving to Rangeman. "She said, 'Take me home,' Ram. You're going the wrong way," Hal said.
"I meant Rangeman," I corrected. "It's time I moved out of the death trap I call my apartment."
"Hallelujah!" Ram and Hal chanted. I laughed at their excitement.
After a few minutes, Hal asked, "Where will you live? With Ram?" I heard the worry in Hal's voice. He doesn't want me to live with his partner.
"No. I have enough money to buy a house," I replied. "That's after I give you, Ram and Hector your fair share."
"Nah, uh," Ram quickly said. "I was the transportation."
"And I was his assistant. You did all the work, Steph. The money is yours," Hal added.
Speaking Spanish, Hector added, "I got you inside the club and ensured Smith didn't try to escape. Your bounty, your money." Ram translated, though he knew I understood most of Hector's statement.
Hal glanced at me over his shoulder, catching the smirk on my face. He winked and turned to face the windshield. Does Hal suspect that I understand Spanish?
I sighed and leaned my head back. Closing my eyes, I thought about how I wanted to spend the three million dollars I received for Jonathan's apprehension. It was all the money accumulated from posted bonds. I wondered if Smith had any money remaining in his late parents' estate. It wasn't my business to know.
"Are you buying a house in Trenton?" Ram asked, curious if I planned to live in Jersey or move to a warmer climate.
Opening my right eye to catch Ram's in the rearview mirror, I replied, "As much as I love the beach, I think I'll stay here. Does Rangeman cover Ewing Township?"
"Parts of it," Hal replied.
"Thanks," I said, closing my eye to think further. I had lots of time to figure out what I wanted to buy. One must-have in a house was a jacuzzi tub. That was non-negotiable. A private backyard and three bedrooms. Oh! I must have at least two bathrooms. It was a huge wish list, but I wanted what I wanted.
I could afford to build a wrought iron fence to surround the property and get Rangeman to secure it with a code for entry. Everything was clear inside my mind. My lips curled into a smile. "Hermana?" Hector asked.
Without thinking, I explained what I could visualize. When I couldn't think of the correct Spanish word, I spoke English. I sensed Ram and Hal were impressed with how far I've come in learning Spanish. "Learning both at the same time helped," I confessed.