Lula's trial finishes with the jury finding her guilty of all charges. She's serving a life sentence in prison. It's where she belongs. Despite Bella's confession in the recording, she's sitting comfortably at home. There isn't enough proof to determine Bella's intent to have Lula fire an explosive into my apartment. The police found the rocket launcher in Vinnie's office, hidden in the storage room behind boxes of other items criminals used as collateral. Lula's fingerprints were on every inch of the launcher, including the trigger.
Her lawyer never knew Rangeman had footage of Lula removing the launcher from the storage room and returning it later. He knew the prosecution had evidence to prove Lula's guilt, but Lula claimed it was a scare tactic to get her to confess and change her plea. It took Perkins playing the video from inside the storage room for Lula to realize she made the biggest mistake of her life. Bella wasn't inside or around Vinnie's office during that time. Proving Bella's guilt boils down to she-said-she-said. A confession without substantiated proof means nothing if the person pleads not guilty.
Bella's testimony implicates Lula as the planner and executioner of the bombing. Lula's lawyer made Bella get a lie detector test despite it being inadmissible as evidence for the trial. Bella, of course, passes with flying colours. She's either a pathological liar or knows how to beat the system. I think Joe got Bella to practice her responses. Zack thinks Bella is the Devil's wife and has no soul. I'm inclined to agree with him.
Today, Grandma would have been seventy-nine. Like Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day, the day hits me like a battering ram. My emotions are all over the place. I know the firsts are challenging, having gone through them after losing Grandpa Harry. It's more difficult with Grandma. Her outrageous behaviour was our entertainment. As on the holidays, I plan to place flowers on her grave. Mom and Valerie will meet me at the cemetery.
Zack and Ranger meet me outside my apartment. "Hi, thank you for coming with me," I mumble.
"There's no place I'd rather be," Zack replies.
"How are you?" Ranger asks. Zack pulls me into his arms after giving Ranger the flowers to hold. I inhale his scent as I suppress the tears.
"I'll be fine," I insist. "I can't believe Grandma's been gone for eight months already. It feels strange visiting her grave on her birthday." Zack releases his grip when I lower my arms. He kisses my forehead and takes my hand.
"We can do this on another day," Zack suggests, but I quickly shake my head.
"Mom and Valerie are meeting me. I can't let them down," I reply, reaching for the flowers Ranger is holding. He carefully passes them to me, brushing his fingers across mine in a comforting way.
Ranger follows Zack and me to the elevator. He presses the button to descend to the parking garage. I'm not paying much attention to which vehicle Ranger motions for us to climb inside. Hector opens the front passenger door and gets into Ranger's Porsche Cayenne. Zack and I sit in the backseat. Ranger is quiet, slipping into what I call his zone, as he drives us to the cemetery.
He finds the perfect spot in the parking lot next to the path leading to Grandma's grave. Mom and Valerie are sitting on the bench, waiting. Valerie is holding a potted plant, while Mom has a bag, which I assume, contains gardening tools. I feel my lips turning into a frown as Ranger opens my door.
As we walk along the path leading to Grandma and Grandpa's graves, I ask, "Ranger, why didn't someone at Rangeman notice Lula taking the rocket launcher from Vinnie's office?" It feels like I should know the answer, but I can't find it inside my mind. My grief is masking my rational thoughts.
"We don't monitor the cameras during business hours unless someone breaks in or Connie presses the alarm," Ranger explains. "After Lula bombed your apartment, Rodriguez and Hector pulled the recordings they copied from the server. Rodriguez or Hector transfers the suspicious footage to DVDs for evidence."
I let his words sink into my mind. Overhearing our conversation, Mom asks, "Where was Connie when Lula borrowed the rocket launcher?"
"At the TPD posting bond for Mooner and Dougie," Ranger replies. "I used the date and time stamp on the recording to cross-check." Batman did his homework.
Mom never asks about Vinnie. I assume it's because she didn't want to know Vinnie was too busy making barnyard sounds as he and Joyce had sex in his office. Ranger shakes his head, indicating I don't need to know.
"How many recordings did you watch?" I query.
"Enough," Ranger replies, shuddering from head to toe.
"I appreciate you clearing Connie's name. She didn't deserve to be dragged into that mess," I say. "Does Vinnie know you put a camera in his storage room?"
"It was his idea," Ranger replies. "The items he accepts as collateral are liquid assets. He can sell them for a reasonable price without losing money." I roll my eyes since I knew the definition, having taken business administration in college.
When we arrive at the gravesite, Mom squats. She opens the bag to remove a gardening shovel and gloves. I watch her pull on the gloves and dig a hole big enough to deposit the potted plant. Mom moves the displaced dirt to bury the ceramic pot. Valerie bends over to put the plant inside the hole. Mom removes her gloves and shoves it into the bag with the shovel. Ranger offers her a hand, which she readily accepts. Surprising everyone, Mom hugs Ranger, appearing tiny in his arms. Her petite features get lost in the brief embrace.
I use that moment to compare Valerie and Mom. They don't look like mother and daughter except for the blue eyes. Though petite like Mom and Grandma, Valerie's features resemble Dad's. Also, like Dad, Valerie's nose is more prominent than mine. Fortunately, I have Mom's tiny nose. It's one of the features I inherited, along with my eye colour and hair. Where Valerie, Mom and Grandma descended from Gypsy women, I'm from a long line of raw-boned wives of barbarian farmers, which is likely from Dad's side of the family. Mom says I'm built like my Grandma Plum. I don't remember Dad's parents. They passed away when I was too young to create memories.
Mom steps away from Ranger, gently tapping his cheek in thanks. Ranger and Zack give us time to talk to Grandma. I smile when we kiss our fingers and touch the gravestone simultaneously. It's rare for me to be on the same wavelength as my mom and sister. When we are, we savour the moment. I wrap my arms around Mom and Valerie. They wrap theirs around me and each other. We embrace for several minutes until a gentle breeze carrying Grandma's voice separates us.
"I think mother approves," Mom whispers. Valerie and I agree. We sniffle and wipe our eyes on the tissues we find in our pockets. Mom's eyes dance in amusement at our reactions.
"Did you put those in our pockets?" I ask. Mom nods and giggles. "Thank you." Valerie repeats my words, which Mom brushes off. It's something she does to show her love.
"Thank you for meeting us today, Stephanie. I know you're busy with work," Mom says. She surprises me by thanking Ranger for allowing me to take time to spend with her and Valerie during this challenging day.
"I'll do anything for family," I reply. Ranger adds that he would do anything for me.
Valerie gasps when Hector materializes out of nowhere. I smile when he offers Valerie his arm and laugh when she blushes and places her hand in the crook of his elbow. Ranger offers Mom his arm. In pairs, we walk along the path to the cars.
At the foot of the path, we bump into Bella Morelli. She's alone. "Why are you here?" Mom demands. "Haven't you caused enough trouble for my family?"
"She's trouble. That whore messed with my Joseph," Bella snarls, pointing at me. "I give you the eye. I have a vision. You will become barren."
"Fine by me," I laugh. Valerie gasps when Mom laughs. Bella glares at Mom and me. Mom isn't afraid of Bella's "eye" or curses.
Snorting, Mom says, "I have a prediction of my own. You will die alone, Bella."
We move past Bella to get to our cars. Mom removes her hand from Ranger's arm and smiles when he opens her car door. I watch Valerie unknowingly mimic Mom's actions and wonder if it's always that way with them. Valerie and Mom get into her minivan. I climb into the backseat of Ranger's SUV. Ranger gently taps the horn, earning a wave from Mom and Valerie.
The return trip to Rangeman is silent until Hector asks, "Why don't you want children?"
"I'm not interested in becoming an incubator and giving birth," I reply honestly. "Mom and Dad have enough grandchildren with Valerie, who is pregnant again. They don't need more from me."
"What about surrogacy? My sister will carry your child," Hector says. I raise my brows and stare.
"She doesn't know me," I reply. "Harvesting eggs is an arduous and painful process."
"How do you know?"
"I read about it on a Google search," I answer. "Google is my friend." Hector taps the information into the search engine on his phone. I roll my eyes and anticipate his rebuttal about the process.
"You're under sedation during the process," Hector argues, reading the information from his phone. "Think about it."
"Fine," I sigh in defeat. Why is everyone suddenly interested in my ability to have children? Maybe they have a point. I'll discuss my options with the doctor. I have a stroke of consciousness and call Joe.
He answers on the third ring. "What do you want, Cupcake? I don't have time for you. Grandma Bella is missing."
"That's why I'm calling, Joe. Mom, Val and I visited Grandma's grave today. We bumped into your grandma," I reply. "She had a vision, and you know those give her headaches."
Joe curses and says, "Bella's supposed to stay away from you." He hangs up the phone after relaying his message. Hopefully, Bella will still be alive when he gets to her. I don't want to be responsible for her death.
We've been at Rangeman for ten minutes when the call comes over the radio. While walking along the path to the parking lot with Joe, Bella collapses, and Joe catches her. The 9-1-1 operator immediately dispatches an ambulance.
Joe calls me several hours later with the news of Bella Morelli's death. He wants me to know Mom and I weren't responsible, which is the least he could do after Bella got off the conspiracy charges. He's crying as he says, "I got to the gravesite when Bella was there. She screamed obscenities and wished you died instead of Edna. Bella didn't realize I was there until I touched her shoulder. She turned around, cursing the intruder to a painful death before seeing it was me. Grandma apologized and cried in pain, clutching her head. We were halfway to the parking lot when she collapsed. By the time the ambulance arrived, she was dead. I should have called when I found her."
"I'm sorry for your loss, Joe. Your grandmother loved you more than anyone else," I reply, unwilling to tell Joe what I really thought about his grandma. Bella spent her life giving people the eye and cursing them. It seems fitting that Mom's curse led to Bella's death. Or maybe Bella's curse rebounded on her.
I call Mom, but she already knows. Angie Morelli is blaming me for putting undue stress on Bella from the trial. How am I supposed to know Bella suffers from strokes? Her death isn't my fault. Bella did this to herself by aligning with Lula to destroy my apartment. Would she apologize if that incident killed me? Probably not. Angie still believes the recording from the funeral home is a forgery. Her opinion doesn't matter. I know the truth. Angie is entitled to believe whatever she wants, even if it is wrong.
It's time to change my life. Staying in Trenton isn't good for my mental health. I hope Mom and Dad will understand.
"Stephanie, are you okay?" Mom asks.
I shake my head and realize she can't see me over the phone. "No. I need to leave Trenton," I reply.
"Your father and I understand. We hoped you could stay here, but it's time you spread your wings to fly. Maybe we'll visit you in Florida during the Christmas holidays," Mom says, making me cry. "Don't be sad, Stephanie. I'll always be a phone call away."
"I'm not upset about leaving, Mom," I whisper.
"Then why are you crying?" she asks.
"Because you're encouraging me to go," I reply. I promise to visit for dinner the following night and end the call.
Ranger finds me crying in my office. He closes the door and sits in the visitor's chair until I stop crying enough to talk. "You're transferring to Miami," he says. I nod. Ranger sends someone a message before standing. He walks around to my side of the desk and pulls me to my feet. His warm arms wrap around me, offering the comfort I crave from Zack. The door opens, then closes immediately.
I feel Zack's hand on my back and release my grip on Ranger. Zack and I stand together as Ranger speaks to Tank, Lester and Bobby. "Hey, Steph," Lester calmly says as he approaches me. "Are we moving to Miami with you? We can stay here if you'd rather go alone." I peek to the side where Lester is standing.
"Come with me. All of you," I whisper. Lester grins and holds his arms open for me to step into his embrace.
"It will take us a few months to move. Zip is leaving tonight. While you were talking to your mom, he received a call from the Miami-Dade Hospital. His sister's in critical condition, and they need him to watch Tyler. For now, Tyler's at Rangeman with Marybeth," Lester says. "She's Miami's version of Ella."
I turn my face up to meet Zachary's eyes. "Will she pull through?" I ask.
He looks sad and shakes his head. "It will take a miracle for her to survive," Zack sadly replies.
"Did they arrest the man who assaulted her?" I question.
"Yes," Zack snarls, and I realize Bonnie's husband put her in the hospital. "Silvio and Marco got there in time to rescue Tyler. Marco shot Brady in the shoulder, forcing him to drop the baseball bat. Tyler didn't get hurt."
Someone lightly knocks twice on my door before opening it. Hal peeks inside and says, "Zip, it's time to leave." I kiss Zack lightly and let him leave with Hal.
With a flick of his wrist, Ranger motions for the others to leave. He sits in my chair and completes my transfer request. "You can leave in three weeks when your replacement arrives," Ranger says as I look over his shoulder.
"Who's my replacement?" I wonder.
"My youngest sister, Mariela," Ranger replies. "She's moving home from Miami. Her husband, Marco, wants to live closer to their families."
"Don't I have to train her?" I ask.
"Mariela's doing the same job as you, but in Miami. Tank will provide an overview of the clientele when she arrives."
"Thank you, Ranger," I say appreciatively.
"Anything for you, Babe," he replies.