Chapter 12

Hector and Ranger entered his office instead of returning to the war room. They were both perplexed by Lester's reaction to Stephanie. When Les talked to her, it was as if Ranger and Hector weren't there. It was clear to them that Stephanie trusted Lester.

"Jefe, do you think she's the one?"

"She could be. I haven't seen that side of Santos in a long time."

"I think she knows what happened to Marisa and who did it. She's blocking it out."

"I agree. Steph's parents most likely figured some of it out. I know we need to get the records from TPD, but how do we do so without tipping them off?"

Hector sat in one of the comfortable visitors' chairs before Ranger's desk. "We could try hacking. That would be about 17 years ago, so around 2007. Most police forces were using digital record keeping by that time. However, if someone inside the TPD is watching, we could tip them off."

"Morelli. Could Detective Morelli get us copies without alerting anyone?"

"That's a possibility. However, we don't want to sign out the records either. If someone is watching, I wouldn't be surprised if an Apple tag or similar device is in the evidence box. I would want to know if it was moved."

"Fuck, this is messed up."

"Not necessarily." A smirk appeared on Hector's face.

"What do you mean?" asked Ranger as he sat behind his desk.

"What if Marisa was the first? We can search newspapers for crime reports around that time. Stephanie said that Marisa was assaulted. We need to ask, but if she was raped, we could look that way. The current victims were not sexually assaulted, but that doesn't mean he didn't evolve from a rapist. Maybe he started as a rapist, but that didn't get him off enough; he needed a bigger thrill, and killing Marisa was that thrill. It's possible he didn't intend to kill her."

"If we take Stephanie's parents and Marisa as his earliest crimes, we can reevaluate the profile. We need to look at the evidence with fresh eyes."

"But first, we need to know what Estefania knows." The men sat quietly, contemplating how to encourage Stephanie to open up and remember. "Do you think Santos can get Stephanie to see Dr. Bloch?"

"I think he's the only one who can. He is the key for Stephanie right now. I don't think either realizes it yet, but they need each other. Lester can give her the strength and fortitude she needs to face her demons, and she can give him the love and nurturing he wants."

"If they don't kill each other first."

Rachel knew from her husband's calls and texts that he was concerned about Lester. Ever since Ashley, Lester has not been the same. Before that viper, he was the most caring, loving, and doting man. He was every woman's ideal boyfriend and excellent husband material. Then, that witch had to come along and ruin him. Now, he is cynical, arrogant, and downright nasty to any female, except for family or those who are already married. From what Ranger told her about Agent Plum, she sounded like a wonderful woman. She only hoped that Lester didn't scare her away. Ranger said that he, Bobby, and Tank were considering offering her a permanent job with Rangeman, and it would be pleasant for another woman, aside from the Rangeman "moms," to work here. Then, she would have someone to talk to and spend time with. It wasn't easy forming friendships with other women when you always went places with company.

Julie, Javier, and Isabella couldn't wait to see their father. They always hated to be away from him. At least, now that he was no longer under contract for black ops, they could Facetime daily. Before then, the entire family would be worried about him. Rachel and the kids were excited to be in Trenton, only an hour or so away from the rest of the Manoso family. Having the opportunity to let the kids play with their cousins was a welcome gift. While the weather in Miami was better, they were alone there. Rachel's brother and sister lived in Delaware, so Trenton was in the middle of both families. Maybe she could convince her husband to make Trenton the headquarters.

The elevator doors opened on the fifth floor, and Rachel ushered the kids onto the control room floor. The men who were working the monitors waved enthusiastically, excited to see the kids again. Before Rachel could ask where her husband was, he walked out of his office with Hector. Upon seeing their father, the kids ran to him and hugged him.

"Mis hijos, I missed you! How was your trip? Were you good for your mother?" Ranger asked his children.

"Yes, Papa, we were. It was fun driving here, even though it took two days," Julie answered. Julie was the perfect copy of her father if he were a girl. She has the same facial features, hair color, texture, and skin tone. However, she was outgoing and friendly, which are not words used to describe Ranger. Isabella, on the other hand, was her mother's daughter. She had dark brown, wavy hair and deep brown almond-shaped eyes. Her skin tone was a little lighter, favoring her mother's European heritage over her father's Cuban heritage. She had a long, narrow face and was petite. Javier, on the other hand, was a mix of his parents. He had his father's hair, eyes, and skin tone but his mother's nose, mouth, and build. He will be breaking many hearts someday.

Rachel approached her husband and wrapped her arms around his neck. They gently kissed, a work-appropriate kiss but still filled with passion and love.

Stephanie and Lester walked out of the containment room, and Stephanie was finally tear-free and composed. She saw Ranger embrace a woman she assumed was his wife and felt a tug of jealousy in her belly as she longed for someone to hold and kiss her like Ranger. As much as she stated she wasn't interested in marriage, she was very willing but hadn't found the right partner.

Lester saw Rachel and the kids, who immediately ran over to greet their favorite uncle. "Heya, munchkins, how are you?"

"Hi, Uncle Lester! When are you taking us to laser tag?"

"Slow down, kiddos, you just arrived. You need to settle in Trenton first, and I'm sure your abuelos want to see you."

"Oh…spoilsport," Javier whined.

"Rachel, Babe, I'd like to introduce you to Agent Stephanie Plum, FBI. Stephanie, this is my wife, Rachel."

Stephanie held out her hand, but Rachel gave her a quick embrace.

"My husband has told me so much about you. I love that you don't take any of their macho attitudes. I'm glad to meet you finally."

"Same here. I've heard so many wonderful things about you and your children. I hope we can get to know each other better. It's not easy being one of two women in the building."

Rachel laughed, her eyes twinkling, "I understand. How about we have lunch this weekend?"

"That would be wonderful."

Lester watched the two women interact and shook his head. Great, he thought. If Rachel likes Stephanie, we'll never get rid of her. He turned to head into the war room when a little voice said, "Will that be so bad?" Lester was left wondering where that thought came from as he greeted Rachel.

"Hi, Rach, how are you?" Lester hugged his cousin-in-law and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm good. How are you? Are you behaving yourself?"

"Yes, mother. Geez."

Rachel gave Lester her death glare, and he held up his hands in mock surrender. "Kidding."

Rachel shook her head and smiled. "I'm sure I'm interrupting some important work. The kids and I will head up to the apartment. We need to settle in. I also need to check in with Tia Ella. Lester, you are joining Carlos and I for dinner tonight."

"Rach, it's your first night here. You should spend time together as a family."

"Rubbish, we have plenty of time for that. I'm not asking you."

"Fine, I'll be there. Thank you for the invite."

"Steph, I'd like you to join us as well."

Ranger rolled his eyes, wondering what his wife was up to. Rachel was known to try a hand at matchmaking, but Lester was not one to set up.

"Oh, thank you for the invite, but I."

"I won't accept no for an answer."

Stephanie was stuck between a rock and a hard place. While she did like the prospect of dining with Ranger and his family, she didn't want to spend the evening with Lester. Even though they seemed to understand each other today, she didn't want to push her luck. However, Rachel was not going to let her back down.

"Thank you. I am looking forward to this evening."

"I'll see everyone at 6:30. Please invite Bobby and Pierre. Where are they, by the way?"

"Visiting with clients. I'll let them know they're invited."

Rachel kissed her husband on his cheek before she and the kids went to the elevator. Stephanie, Les, Hector, and Ranger returned to the war room, ready to discuss the new developments.

When the door closed, Ranger walked over to Stephanie. "I'm sorry if you felt she backed you into a corner. If you don't want to come tonight, it's okay. My wife can be a little…forceful."

"No, it's fine. I do want to get to know her. I am sincerely looking forward to tonight."

"How are you feeling? Can you share your story? We think we might have a new angle."

"Yes. I'll share what I know."

Ranger went to his seat as everyone settled in. "Team, we had a few developments and a new angle we want to focus on. First, Agent Plum has some information to share with you."

Grateful for Ranger's support, Stephanie took a deep breath and shared what she remembered from that night many years ago. When she finished, the men looked at her, not with pity or disgust, but with awe and pride.

"That sucks, Steph. I hope we can find the person who did that to Marisa."

"Thank you, Junior. I appreciate your support."

"After hearing Agent Plum's story, Hector and I talked. We believe that Marisa might have been our suspect's first murder. We hypothesize that he started as a rapist, perhaps serial, and then killed Marisa in the heat of the moment. That kill, though, awakened something inside him. We are not going to be able to access the files from TPD. We don't know that someone isn't watching TPD or is on the inside. Instead, we will search newspaper records, missing persons, and the crime columns in the newspapers and blogs. Stephanie, if you are ready, it would be helpful to see someone who can help you remember what you forgot that evening."

Stephanie was nervous and scared. As much as she wanted to know what happened to her friend and who was responsible, she wasn't sure she was ready to learn the details. Steph always felt guilty that Marisa was the one to die that night and not her. After all, it was because she loved Halloween so much that they were getting together.

"While I don't think I will ever be ready to know, I must try to uncover those lost memories. We need to stop this sick bastard, and if the key is to remember what happened that night, then I'll work for it."

"Okay, I will get you in touch with the person. For now, though, I need you to write down everything you were told about that night and anything your parents may have said to you in passing after the fact."

"Okay, I'll work on that."

"Santos and Hector, you will scour the internet for any newspaper articles or blog posts that fit the attack on Marisa. Let's see if we can see a pattern," Ranger said. "Stephanie, do you have a picture of Marisa?"

"Yes, in my room. I'll go get it." Ranger nodded as Stephanie left the room.

"Cal, Junior, and Vince, I want you to look for similar crimes where the body was dumped in an area similar to the current dump site in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Delaware. After, I want you to expand your search to the entire eastern seaboard. I, with Bobby and Tank, when they return, will look for missing women who had c-sections before going missing. We will find the thread, pull it, and unravel his web. We will bring him down."