Chapter 6
"The Chief told me to come here and tell you about some information we found that overlaps your case. From what one of our informants told us, the guns are being moved along by the street gangs, working as go-betweens for the Families. However, not all weapons make it to their delivery point. It seems that someone is also working with the gangs. As for the women, a few have gone missing here. The ones connected to the case are prostitutes, but others are also disappearing. We aren't sure how their disappearance is related, but it must be." Detective Joe Morelli with Trenton PD said.
"Who are the other women?" asked Ranger.
"One secretary for a local law firm, a nurse from Helen Fund, and a librarian. They are all low risk, and other than living in Trenton, their paths don't cross."
"Let us have copies of the files, and we'll look to see if we can find any connections between the women."
Morelli nodded and handed Ranger a stack of files. They shook hands and started to walk out of Ranger's office. The detective's visit was unexpected, but hopefully, it gave them a lead. The only downside would be working with Morelli, which Ranger and his team didn't want to do.
Morelli was a good cop, honest and hardworking. He had a reputation with the ladies, and rumor was that he was involved with a Mob princess. He was arrogant, believed he was better than Rangeman, and knew more than them. His arrogance often rubbed Ranger's employees the wrong way. Ranger glanced at the clock and grimaced. Agent Plum was due on the floor at any moment, and he didn't inform her that Morelli was there. Ranger hoped that he would be gone before she arrived. Just as he was about to text her to wait in her apartment for the "all clear," the elevator doors opened, and Stephanie stepped out.
"Stephanie Plum, is that you?" said Morelli.
Stephanie paused and looked around like a deer caught in headlights until she saw the detective. Ranger saw a flicker of fear, but then joy took over.
"Joe, what are you doing here?" Stephanie asked as she walked towards Joe. Joe opened his arms, allowing Stephanie to step in for an embrace.
When they stepped apart, Joe asked, "I think the question is, what are you doing here?"
"I'm working with Rangeman on an important investigation."
"Here? In Trenton? Cupcake, are you sure it's safe?"
"Well, you are the first to know I am here. I can trust you to keep that a secret, right?"
"You know you can. But what if they find out you're here?"
"I'll deal with it. I can't let them stop me from doing my work."
"You two know each other?" Ranger asked, trying to figure out what he was missing.
"Yes. Joe and I grew up together. He was in my sister's grade, but his brother Anthony was in mine. Our mothers were friends, and we saw each other often. We even dated back in high school."
Ranger nodded his head. He would need to find out how close Agent Plum and Detective Morelli are, as he is always trying to find out how Rangeman operates. He wasn't looking forward to the conversation he and Stephanie would have that afternoon.
"Steph, I know you are hesitant to be seen around Trenton, but would you like to go out with me? We can go to Philly."
Stephanie's face lit up, and Ranger could tell she still had some feelings for the detective.
"Yeah, I'd love that," Stephanie said as she fished around her purse for a business card, then paused. "Give me your phone."
Morelli handed Steph his phone, and she quickly put her number into his contact list. "Nobody has that number. If someone calls me, I know that you gave it to them. Please don't."
Joe nodded, understanding. He knew things did not go well for Stephanie after her parents died. Joe hoped that one day he could get them both out of the Burg, but when Steph moved away, and the Burg didn't know where, Joe moved on, back with his high school girlfriend, Terri Grizzoli. However, once Joe decided on a career in law enforcement, he broke things off with her. A mob princess and cop were not a match made in heaven.
Lester overheard the exchange and shook his head. Morelli was a player. He made Lester look like a one-woman kind of guy. He couldn't understand why so many women in Trenton exalted him, holding him to the highest level of being. It was as if Morelli was the standard to which the women judged all other men. He didn't get it, and Agent Plum seemed like the other women. With a roll of his eyes, he hoped she got what she deserved from the good detective.
"I'll see you around, Stephanie."
"See you later."
Morelli walked to the elevator, already trying to plan his date with Stephanie. As he was exiting the elevator, his phone rang. As Joe looked at his caller ID, sighed, returned the phone to its holster, and made a mental note to return the call. He knew better than to blow off that caller for too long.
As Joe left the building, Stephanie joined the team in their war room. She sat at her designated location, ready for the update from the other groups. Steph was frustrated that she wasn't further along. She kept hitting dead ends on the victims' computers. Usually, Stephanie would find breadcrumbs or micro bites of data that would point her in the right direction. But in this case, nothing, nada, zip, zilch. It was as if they never used their computers, which Agent Plum knew was not the case. Her frustration level was rising, which wasn't being helped by her adversarial relationship with Lester Santos.
Stephanie couldn't figure out Lester. Sometimes, he was polite to her, respectful, and courteous. Then, out of nowhere, he'd turn into a misogynistic asshole. When they were talking business, things were good. But anytime she asked him something personal, even if it was benign, like "Did you watch the baseball game last night?" he would lash out and become surly. She knew a lot about the other men she worked with but nothing about Santos.
"These are the names Joe gave you? Are you sure they are correct?" Stephanie asked. She put the names into her search engine, but those women did not exist.
"What's the matter? Can't find them? I thought you were the top analyst." Said Lester sneeringly.
"No, I can't. Those women don't exist, meaning someone has the wrong information. I just hope Joe didn't intentionally mess up the names."
"I'm sure you did something wrong."
Stephanie had enough of Lester's remarks. Hadn't she proven that she was good at her job? "What the fuck is your problem, Santos? Why do you always assume that the problem is me, something that I'm doing wrong? Why are you such an asshole?"
Ranger looked over at Lester and Stephanie when he heard her raised voice. Shit, this isn't good, he thought. Ranger was pleased that Stephanie stood up for herself, especially knowing Lester could be cruel and nasty. He only hoped that Rangeman didn't suffer as a result.
"I knew you were like every other woman out there. Falling head over heels for the asshole who gives you two minutes of his time. Flirting with every guy out there, just to get your kicks."
Stephanie was stunned. She didn't know what to say or how to react. Lester's accusations couldn't be farther from the truth. Was this because she accepted a date request for Joe? What did it mean to Lester if she did? Joe has been her friend since grade school and was, at one time, her boyfriend. Stephanie still had feelings for him; after all, their break up was not something either wanted, and they had unresolved emotions. And, the night before he left Trenton for the Navy, she willingly gave her virginity to Joe, wanting him to be the first person she slept with. Stephanie always hoped they would get together, believing fate would intervene. Over the last few years, she heard things she didn't like about Joe but decided she would find out for herself if they were true. In her darkest moments, he was there for her, holding her while she cried, making her feel safe, and giving her the love she craved.
"You know nothing about me, not that I haven't tried to be friendly. You are making assumptions based on nothing. For your information, Joe was one of my best friends, one of the few people I could rely on during my darkest days. Accepting an invitation to dinner does not mean that I am dating him or going to have sex with him. It means I'm taking a night to catch up with a good friend I haven't seen in over ten years. I don't know how you manage to sit down with that stick up your ass, but maybe you can ask Bobby to remove it."
Stephanie took her laptop and moved next to Hector as they both started to figure out the mystery of the "phantom names." Hector glared at Lester, a warning that he was treading on thin ice. That look was enough to have Lester back down. But, instead of getting back to work, he stormed out of the room to the gym.
Ranger, Bobby, and Tank exchanged a knowing look, and Tank knew it was his turn to try and rein Lester in. Bobby already tried. If Tank failed, then it would be Ranger. After that, Lester would go back to Miami. Tank only hoped that Rachel could talk some sense into Lester when she arrived.
The men in the room were impressed at Stephanie's remarks and shocked at how much she learned about Lester. She claimed not to know anything about him, but her intuition seemed to pick up on more than she realized. Stephanie rose a little higher in their esteem, and they knew they didn't want to get on her wrong side.
