Chapter Twenty-Six
When I woke up the next morning, I felt like a train had run me over. I spent the majority of the night tossing from one side to the other, not being able to fall asleep. I had hoped that Ranger would return some time in the night, and had been waiting in bed, straining my hearing for the tell-tale click of the door, when he would return. But he hadn't. Around two o'clock the worry had kicked in. I knew that Ranger could easily handle a night at the police station. But what if the Colonel had been able to place some more wrong evidence pointing at Ranger being the killer? What if he would truly be charged with homicide for a crime he hadn't committed?
On top of my worry came the problem that I had gotten used to Ranger's warm and comforting body next to mine. I had slept dozens of times in Ranger's bed without him before we had been in a relationship. But now his bed felt too big, the pillow slightly too soft without his arm under it. Even Loki couldn't fill the big space that Ranger left behind, though he was a small comfort. He rested his head on my chest, occasionally licking the tears off my cheeks.
At seven o'clock I gave up on sleep and ambled into the bathroom. A look in the mirror confirmed that I looked as bad as I felt. The circles under my eyes were prominent in my ghostly face and under my bloodshot eyes. I hoped a hot, soothing shower would help, but I didn't look any better when I had finished. Trying to improve my mood I had used Ranger's bulgari green shower gel, but I only missed Ranger even more now. And I faced another problem. The bandages at my back required changing and nurse Monica wasn't coming around anymore. Ranger was supposed to change them, but he wasn't here, and I couldn't reach my back on my own.
I sighed. There was only one other option, because I didn't want to subject myself or Tank to the uncomfortable embarrassment of him changing them for me. I called for Ella, and she was upstairs with a small breakfast tray in no time.
"I'm sorry to bother you with this," I apologized when we went into the bathroom together.
"Oh, don't worry. That's what I'm here for," she said, waving her hand. "Have you heard anything from Ranger yet?"
"No," I said in a low voice. "I'm going downstairs to talk go Tank after we are finished here. I hope he has some news."
"I'm sure, everything will be fine," she said reassuringly, but I couldn't be convinced.
Things would only be fine again if Colonel Harris was disarmed and hopefully locked up. When Ella left, I remembered the recording devices Tank had given me the previous night. I retrieved them from my pocket and looked at them indecisively. Where should I put them? They had to be easily accessible and shouldn't draw any attention. I looked at my available wardrobe and tried to determine what clothes suited best for the purpose. I could attach one of the buttons at the cord of my sweatshirt. They already had little plastic knobs at their ends to adjust the hoodie. On closer inspection the button could be easily spotted, but from further away or if distracted, the button was unobtrusive. I didn't see any possibility of attaching one of the buttons to my t-shirts. It would be too easily spotted. I didn't dare to put one of the buttons in my jeans pocket. I might activate them by accident and risk reaching the recording capacity with unnecessary everyday noises. I should also consider placing them on objects I had with me every day. What did I always have with me?
My messenger bag, of course.
I carefully placed one of the buttons on the strap of my bag. I would have to be careful not to accidentally press the button, but I could manage.
What else?
I looked down at me, considering what I always had with me. I changed my clothes everyday. The shoes could be a good fit, but not easily reachable. I always had a hair tie with me since I often had my hair pulled back into a ponytail. But I didn't see how I could attach the recording button to my simple black hair tie. I went into the bathroom, looking through my few toiletries, and by chance I found an old scrunchie. That might work.
I carefully cut a small hole into the scrunchie and pressed the button inside. I could ask Ella for needle and thread to sew the hole close, but it seemed too much effort. I shook the button to the other side of the scrunchie and was confident that it wouldn't fall out.
Happy with my equipment, I dressed in a pair of jeans, t-shirt and the prepared sweatshirt. I quickly ate some breakfast, retrieved my gun from Ranger's gun safe and stowed it in my messenger bag. I called Loki to follow me and together we rode the elevator down to the fifth floor. When we entered the control room, Loki shot forward and there was some yelping before someone told them sternly to stop. As I rounded the corner, I saw Loki saying hello to his sister Red with wagging tail. Rodriguez looked up at me and smiled.
"I just wanted to take a break to walk Red. Do you want to join?", he asked.
"Do you keep the name Red?", I asked with a smile.
"Yes, I got used to it and thought why not just keep it," he said shrugging. "Wanna join us?"
"Actually, would you mind taking Loki for a walk? I have to discuss a few things with Tank."
"Sure, no problem," he said, taking Loki's leash from me.
I walked over to Tank's desk in the control room, and he didn't look happy.
"Let's go into Ranger's office," he said, and I followed him.
"What's the news?", I asked anxiously. Tank not looking happy was a bad sign.
"I have only talked to Ranger's lawyer. He is still held at the police station. They plan to hold him for the full forty-eight hours they are allowed to detain him. We submitted the footage of our cameras in the garage to show that the cars hadn't been moved and also the footage of a couple of public surveillance cameras showing Ranger walking Loki. But the quality of the cameras is quite bad. Personally, I think it's sufficient to identify Ranger, but they are adamant to make it difficult. On top, a witness had come forward, claiming to have seen Ranger at the crime scene. We are waiting for the name to be released, so we can check the background and for any unusual financial activities. Obviously, the witness had been bought, but we need to prove it. Melvin is still working on hacking into the military."
"In other words, there are only bad news," I summarized, and Tank nodded.
"It could be considered good news that as long as Ranger is detained by the Trenton PD, Colonel Harris can't harm him physically. But honestly, I think you are the Colonel's target, and it was part of his plan to have Ranger out of the way. You are Ranger's only weakness. You can torture him, stab him, shoot him. Ranger wouldn't care. What he cares about is you. If something happened to you, it would break Ranger. And if Ranger breaks, a lot of people will suffer, too," Tank said matter-of-factly, and I swallowed. "So, please, don't go off on your own. It's important that you are safe."
"I just want to help," I said sadly.
"I know, but you help us and Ranger the most if you stay on the sideline," Tank said insistently.
"I can't just sit around, doing nothing. And I'm sure that if the Colonel approached me, I could get him confessing incriminatory things that I could record."
"I agree that this is a possibility and that it would be helpful, but the risks are simply too high."
"And what should I do instead?", I asked desperately.
"Do you have any low-risk FTAs?"
"You're allowing me to work?", I asked incredulously.
"If Hal is driving you, yes. I think it's best to keep you occupied so you don't have time to think of anything stupid to do," he said, and I wasn't sure if I should be happy or offended but nodded anyway. "Do you carry your gun?"
I rummaged through my messenger bag and proudly presented my gun.
"The time it took you to find your gun, I could have shot you half a dozen times. Follow me," he said. He could have only looked less impressed if I hadn't had my gun with me at all.
I followed him into the control room, and he opened one of the lockers, retrieving a gun belt. The dislike must have shown clearly on my face.
"I don't care if it's unfashionable or uncomfortable. You're going to wear it. You need to be able to draw your gun within seconds, not minutes."
I rolled my eyes at him, but deep down I knew he was right. What use was a gun if I couldn't find it? I took the belt and adjusted it at my hips beneath my sweatshirt. I holstered my gun and Tank nodded approvingly. The gun pressed into my right hip, but I tried to ignore it. It would only be for a couple of days until Colonel Harris was hopefully rotting somewhere in jail. Tank's words had left me unsettled and nervous. Ranger had told me himself several times how important my safety was to him. But hearing it from Tank was somehow different. Sobering. It was true. Ranger would easily take a bullet and other pains inflicted on him. He wouldn't much care. But the picture that had been taken after my rescue still haunted me. Ranger had looked distressed and forlorn. Almost broken. And a broken Ranger could be dangerous. There was no telling what he would do. Rangeman was a considerably sized company. A lot of people depended on it: employees and clients. The company needed to be in business with a levelheaded boss. Otherwise, clients would lose protection and safety, and staff might lose their jobs and subsequently their homes.
I was the weakness. I was the risk.
I had to be safe not only for my own sake or Ranger's sake, but because of so many other people, too.
Rodriguez returned with the dogs, closely followed by Hal, and Rodriguez handed me Loki's leash.
"The business is all done," he said cheerfully, and returned to his workplace.
Hal stepped forward, ready for a day full of surprises and chaos with me, waiting for my orders.
"How much does Hal know about everything?", I quietly asked Tank.
"He knows, what he needs to know. He is briefed on Colonel Harris and to keep him away from you, and vice versa. He also knows to keep watch for anyone else that might harm you."
"Keep me informed if there are any news about Ranger," I said, and Tank nodded.
"Are you ready to catch some FTAs?", I asked Hal.
"Sure, that's always fun. McKinney is waiting for us in the garage," Hal said, and I tried not to pull a face.
McKinney was professional and skilled, but not very sociable.
"The car will be very cramped if we are three persons and one dog plus an FTA," I interjected.
"Do we have to discuss the importance of your safety again?", Tank asked warningly.
"No, I'm just saying."
"You will only go after the low-risk FTAs that pose no threat to you on the backseat."
I sighed. It had been worth a try.
Hal, Loki and I went downstairs to the garage, where McKinney greeted us with the curtest of nods. We were taking a Rangeman fleet car, and I got into the backseat with Loki. Our first stop was the bonds office where I could cheque in my body receipts from Saturday and explain to Lula why we wouldn't be working together today, and probably also not tomorrow.
"Is this about your car having been burrowed by the FTAs on Saturday?", Lula asked slightly miffed, as if I had no right to be annoyed at her because of the incident.
She was savoring the last bite of the Boston Kreme donut and licked her fingers deliciously. She was wearing a pink wig today, complementing the sparkly pink sequin top. Her bottom was barely covered by a black leather skirt, and she was wearing the same boots she had worn on Saturday.
"No, it's not about the car, but I have to drive with Hal for a while," I said, not wanting to elaborate on the reasons why.
"I heard that Morelli has Ranger in custody," Connie said, the curiosity clearly written all over her face, handing me my cheques.
"It's a misunderstanding and should be sorted out soon."
"So, your extra protection doesn't have anything to do with this?", Connie asked, and I shrugged noncommittally.
"You don't want to talk about it, or you can't?"
"I can't."
Connie and Lula didn't look satisfied. They had clearly hoped for some juicy gossip, but they respected me enough not to press the matter.
"Later," I said, leaving the bonds office and climbing to Hal and McKinney into the car.
"Where are we going now?", Hal asked, and I checked the first file.
Sabrina Tuchinski lived in the Burg close to my parents. I gave Hal the address and relaxed back into the car seat, Loki climbing onto my lap since I was sharing the backseat with him. Usually, Hal and I were chatting when we worked together. Today, we stayed quiet. The atmosphere in the car wasn't as relaxed and fun as usually, and I attributed it to McKinney. The atmosphere wasn't uncomfortable either, but different. The drive to Sabrina's house was short and when Hal pulled to the curb in front of her house, I told him that it wouldn't be necessary for them to get out. However, I took Loki with me, and he did his business on the sidewalk. Sabrina lived in a house similar to my parent's house, but it looked slightly smaller being a row house and not a duplex. When I rang the doorbell, Sabrina opened the door and immediately recognized me. She huffed irritably, and wanted to close the door in my face, but when she noticed Loki behind my feet, she stopped momentarily.
"I just want to talk," I said, raising my hands to signal that I didn't mean any harm.
"No, you want to apprehend me because I didn't show up for that stupid court date. But you know what? This whole thing is ridiculous. I'm neither going to jail nor to court," Sabrina said angrily, but couldn't take her eyes off Loki.
"This is Loki, he is a bit timid with strangers," I said, giving Loki a gentle nudge forward, and Loki sniffed Sabrina's feet.
"He is really cute, but I'm more of a cat person," she said, petting cautiously his head.
"Listen, Connie told me what happened. I get you. I really do. But the problem is that right now you are considered a felon, and that's not good. And obviously, my cousin Vinnie is not happy about loosing your bond. So, how about we talk and see how we can resolve this situation?"
"I don't want to go to jail," Sabrina repeated.
"I understand, and I don't plan to drag you there." I said, fibbing a little. I wouldn't apprehend her right now, but if needed, I would. "But there might be another way. Have you talked to your brother about this?"
"I tried to, but he is refusing to get involved. He says that Rebecca and I are both immature and have to solve this on our own. And Rebecca obviously refuses to drop the charges."
"But Marcus knows that he can drop the charges that Rebecca had pressed, right? Rebecca isn't the sole owner of the deli. She is co-owner. Every owner or co-owner of the deli can drop the charges," I told her, and Sabrina seemed to consider this.
"Every owner?"
"According to my understanding, yes, why?"
"Well, I'm a silent owner."
My mouth fell open, and I couldn't stop gaping at her.
"I don't think Rebecca knows this. I had never been interested in taking over our parents' deli, but they were adamant that I should receive my share of the deli, too. Marcus and I agreed that I would remain a silent owner. He has full reign of the deli and can do with it as he pleases."
"And you didn't tell this the police?"
She shrugged.
"I didn't think it was important."
"I'm not exactly an expert on this subject, but I'm pretty sure that the charges will be dropped if you bring forward evidence that you are partly owner of the deli, too. Do you have any documents to prove it?"
"Sure, it's all filed in my office," she said, pointing inside her house.
"How about you gather the documents, and we go down to the police station to get this sorted?"
Sabrina hesitated but nodded eventually. She disappeared into the house, and I began wondering if Sabrina had left through the back yard. Just when I wanted to knock, the door flew open, and Sabrina exited with a purse and a big folder under her arm. She locked the door, and we went to the car.
"You have your own drivers?", she asked incredulously, when we buckled in on the backseat.
I needed some cheering up, because no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop worrying about Ranger. So, I decided to have some fun.
"They are my apprentices," I told her, and curiously waited for their reactions.
I caught Hal's eye in the back mirror, and he looked amused but stayed quiet. To my regret, McKinney didn't react at all, and I rolled my eyes at the back of his head. Someday I would coax a reaction from him. Sabrina's eyebrows shot high on her forehead, clearly not believing that I could teach the muscled-up, big, tough testosterone-barrels anything, but she remained silent, too.
When we arrived at the police station, my first impulse was to run into the building and demand to see Ranger, but I controlled myself and accompanied Sabrina to the docking lieutenant and explained her situation to him, handing him my papers. Sabrina also handed him her folder that proved that she was co-owner of the deli. The lieutenant explained to us that there was nothing he could do personally, but since court was in session, a judge would look over the files and decide how to proceed.
"It sounds like this will take a while. I can take a cab home when I'm finished, you don't have to wait," Sabrina said. "Thank you for your help. I appreciate it."
I was relieved that I didn't have to stay with her and said goodbye. The docking lieutenant handed me a body receipt and instead of going outside to the parking lot, I took the elevator upstairs. I couldn't resist the temptation even though I knew chances were low that I would be allowed to see Ranger. When Morelli spotted me walking towards his desk, he didn't look all too happy to see me.
"I'm not discussing the case with you," he said, when I stepped in front of him.
"Hello to you, too," I said overly cheerful, and he narrowed his eyes at me. "I'm not here to fight."
Morelli didn't look convinced and leaned back in his chair with crossed arms.
"Then what do you want?"
"I want to talk to Ranger."
"No"
"When will you release him?"
"If no charges can be pressed, tomorrow night. But if he is officially arrested, I can guarantee you that the judges won't agree to a bond."
I studied him for a moment. He looked tired and there was an anger furrowed in his expression that had never been there before.
"Ranger had said time and time again that you are a good cop. That you are a good man," I said sadly. "I had thought so, too. You have not always been the best boyfriend, but you were the best cop. But now your personal objection interferes with your judgment as a cop. Just ask yourself one question: Why would someone want to frame Ranger for a crime that he will ultimately not be convicted for? You will find evidence that the witness had been bought, or the witness even recalls the accusation in a couple of days. But why would someone want Ranger detained for a few days?", I asked calmly, not wanting to argue or to reveal information that was not mine to reveal. I understood Ranger's wish not to involve the police yet, but I would feel considerably better if Ranger was released.
"Just think about it. You claim you love me. You say you want to marry me. Are these the actions of a man that supposedly loves me and should want to protect me? If Ranger had been this petty the dozens of times I had chosen you over him, I would be dead now. He hadn't held a grudge but continued to protect me anyway. You told me that you hoped Ranger and I would break up and I will come back to you. No one knows what the future holds, but if you don't do your work as a cop properly and solely want to make life miserable for Ranger, there might not be a future left for me, for you to hope for sharing," I said and calmly turned around to leave before Morelli rediscovered his language.
It had been tempting to throw the staple gun on the desk between us in his face, when he had refused me to talk to Ranger. But I had expected it, and I hoped that a calm approach would penetrate the stubborn, biased state of mind he was in.
I had just stepped through the doors outside to the parking lot, when I was forcefully yanked back and pressed against the wall next to the door. I wanted to grab for my gun, when lips were rudely pressed onto mine and a body was pressed against mine. And I realized that Morelli had caught up with me and was kissing me, and that it wasn't the Colonel or whoever he had hired to potentially kill me. I wanted to push Morelli away, but he was pressing my wrists onto the wall next to my head. I struggled against his grip, but he wouldn't move, so I raised my knee and kicked him hard between his legs, seconds before he was pulled back anyway.
To my surprise, McKinney had come to my rescue. Morelli was lying on the floor, holding his balls. His face was a deep shade of red, and a vein was visible on his forehead. McKinney looked from Morelli on the floor to me and back again, and the most surprising thing happened: McKinney smiled. It was only a small smile, but he was undeniably amused.
"What the fuck?!", Morelli finally ground out, looking up at me.
"Yeah, I could ask you the same," I said, having calmed down enough to feeling the anger rise. "You don't just go around, pressing women to a wall and kissing them nonconsensual. Play stupid games, win stupid prices."
Hal ambled over to us, handing Morelli a cool pack that he had probably retrieved from the first aid box of the fleet car and handed me my gun that I had left in the car because you couldn't enter the police station armed. I took the gun and holstered it back on my gun belt at my hip.
"Why the heck would you give her a gun? She's dangerous enough as she is," Morelli whined still on the floor, pressing the cool pack to his balls without even so much as a thank you for Hal.
Hal meanwhile looked like this was the best day of his life and grinned at me.
"That's why I love working with you. It's one of the biggest responsibilities and the penalty for failure is high, but boy, it's never boring," he said cheerfully.
I smiled at Hal, but didn't comment. Instead, I narrowed my eyes at Morelli, who had sat up in the meantime.
"What were you thinking?", I asked him.
"You talked about the future, and it sounded like there could be a future with us, so I thought…"
"Jeez. When do men learn to listen correctly?", I exclaimed, and all the men looked at their feet. "I tried to explain that if you don't tread carefully with this case and keep Ranger detained, I might not live to see a future."
"I asked you last night if you were in any danger, and you wouldn't tell me. Tell me what this is about, and I will see what I can do," he said, readjusting his belongings and carefully getting to his feet.
"It's not for me to tell you."
"Did Ranger drag you into something? I can protect you. I would never expose you to danger," he said, and I graced him with a look that called him liar.
"Don't start about my family again," he said warningly, and I shrugged. "That's different."
"Sure," I said noncommittally. "We need to get going. Things to do."
I turned around and headed for our car, closely followed by Hal and McKinney.
"I think it goes without saying that this incident remains between us and does not get reported to Ranger. If not, he might truly be convicted for murder," I said, when we all took our seats in the car, and both men nodded silently.