Chapter 7
Stephanie woke to the sounds of cabinets banging open in her kitchen and instantly began to panic. Then, smelling the wonderful aroma of freshly brewed coffee, she decided that whoever was in her kitchen had to be friendly and was probably just searching for something to eat. If they had meant her any harm, they wouldn’t have made coffee. Her first instinct was that perhaps Ranger had once again let himself into her apartment, but then realized that it couldn’t be him because he never made any noise and seemed to take great pleasure in seeing the startled look on her face when she’d find him just lounging in her kitchen. Not to mention the fact that he knew she never had food in her cupboards, and always brought breakfast with him. Remembering that she had a sleepover guest, she figured that it was most likely Francine searching for something to edible. Stretching, her hand brushed the empty pillow beside her and she gave a little sigh of regret. Despite the fact that she enjoyed her independence, she couldn’t deny that she missed not having Morelli lying beside her when she awoke, and it had been her idea to have Francine stay with her, rather than let all three agents stay at Joe’s so she had no one to blame for her empty bed, but herself.
Throwing back the covers, Stephanie climbed out of bed and walked down the hallway to the bathroom. Stepping inside the brown and yellow room, she caught one look at her hair and had to stifle a scream. She said a silent prayer of thanks that she had decided to come in here and brush her teeth before checking on her guest. Francine gave the air of someone who took pride in her appearance, and probably didn’t mind making comments about the way others looked. Grabbing a brush, she ran it through her hair, and finally gave up, pulling it back into a ponytail. Glancing once more at herself in the mirror, she sighed and made her way into the kitchen. “Good morning Francine,” she said as she entered and noticed her guest already seated at the table nursing a cup of coffee. “I feel like a truly terrible host, I’m the one who should have gotten up and made you breakfast.”
Francine shrugged. “I didn’t sleep all that well, I never do in a strange place, and besides that thing you keep in that cage,” she pointed briefly to the glass box on the counter, “wouldn’t stop running on its wheel. The squeak kept me up most of the night.”
Stephanie did her best to bite her tongue. The thing to which her guest was referring to was her hamster, Rex, and Rex wasn’t just a pet; he was her roommate, her confidant and well the closest she would probably ever get to having children. “I’m sorry Rex,” she said his name quite forcefully and with just a hint of annoyance, “kept you up, I’ll remember to move him into the bedroom with me tonight. He’s not used to being quiet for guests.”
Francine closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m tired, I’m stressed, and you have nothing in this kitchen worth eating, with the exception of this.” She picked up the piece of toast from her plate and casually waved it back and forth.
“I’m sorry, I tend to live paycheck to paycheck, and don’t usually keep my cabinets stocked. What little there is, is usually for Rex.” Stephanie moved over to the coffee pot and grabbing a mug from the cabinet above, poured herself a cup.
“What do you do for meals?” Francine took a bite of toast and then dropped it unceremoniously back on her plate.
“I either get take-out, or bum meals off my parents.” Stephanie shrugged as she pulled out two slices of bread and placed them into the toaster. “Since I live by myself, I usually just grab a donut or six, on my way into work.”
“Don’t tell that to Amanda.” Francine laughed. “She’ll give you a twenty minute lecture on why breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”
“Maybe I should mention it to her. I could use some good motivation to alter my diet.” Stephanie glanced self-consciously down at her waist, and then glanced back at the blonde. It was evident that the woman hadn’t showered yet, since her face was devoid of make-up, yet her hair was perfectly in place and she was still quite stunning. “How do you do it?”
Francine looked over at the brunette with a confused expression on her face. “Do what?”
“Look so good so early in the morning.” Stephanie pulled the butter out of the fridge. “I mean, you look as put together as you did when we went to bed, minus make-up.”
Francine shrugged. “It’s a gift.” She watched for Stephanie’s reaction but when the brunette seemed unfazed by the comment, she found herself just a little put out. “You don’t seem offended by that.”
“I have an older sister who prides herself on being perfect. Perfect in everything she does, including how she looks.” Stephanie sat down at the table opposite Francine. “She’s out in California with her perfect husband and their two perfect kids. Don’t get me wrong, I love my sister, but because she’s so perfect, everything I do, no matter what it is, makes me look like the black sheep.” She laughed a little ironic laugh. “Then again, I’ve never really done anything to alter that perception either. Hell, I have a horrible job, one that I’m not even really good at, and I’m not married, so I’m a huge disappointment to my mother.”
Francine couldn’t help but laugh and, relaxed her poise a little. “You mentioned last night that you had a sister who you felt was better than you, and I think you’re being too hard on yourself. I didn’t get the impression from your mother that she’s disappointed in you. I think just worries about you. I actually envy you a little. My mom and I aren’t very close.” Realizing that she was getting a little too personal with someone she’d just met, even if that someone reminded her a lot of Amanda, she cleared her throat nervously. “As for my appearance, don’t be fooled. I definitely don’t wake up looking like this. I found a clean towel and took the liberty of taking a shower while you were still sleeping. My stomach demanded food before I had a chance to put on any make up.”
Stephanie realized that a normal person might be a little annoyed that someone had gone snooping around her place, looking for clean towels, but nothing bothered her anymore. She had a deadbolt on her door and yet even the most inexperienced thief managed to break into her apartment. “I really do suck at being a host. I should have thought about leaving clean towels out for you, rather than have you hunt for them yourself.”
Francine shrugged. “I should apologize for snooping around like that. I guess it comes from working in the intelligence business, you get used to fending for yourself most of the time.” There was something extremely likable about Stephanie, and the brunette really didn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of her barbed comments. After all, it wasn’t Stephanie’s fault that she’d let her guard down and allowed Adam to get so close so fast. But, she couldn’t deny the fact that she really did want to find him. “So what’s our plan for today?”
Stephanie glanced at her watch. “Well I suppose I should get cleaned up, and maybe, once everyone gets here, we can find someplace to have a decent breakfast. Joe should be here soon with Amanda and Lee, unless his stake out ran long or he’s needed back at the station right away. He’s usually a pretty early riser, but he’s got extra motivation since he wants to keep an extra close watch on me, which means he won’t want to waste anytime getting over here. We also need to wait for Ranger to show up. I called him last night and told him to meet us here. We can see if he managed to dig up anything new on Benjamin, and then some of us should go talk to Mrs. Adams. I don’t think we all need to go, it might scare her if we brought an army with us.”
Francine brought her coffee cup up to her mouth to cover the grin on her face. She was beginning to wonder if she was just a magnet for talkative brunettes or if Stephanie was, in some strange way, truly related to Amanda. Clearing her throat, she smiled. “I think you’re right. It might be easier if you, Amanda and I went to talk to Mrs. Adams. I’m sure the men can find something else to occupy themselves.”
“Well Joe’ll probably have to head into the station, but I’m sure Lee and Ranger can find some thing to do.” Stephanie turned to head out of the kitchen. She paused briefly in the doorway, “If you hear a key turning in the lock, it’s probably Joe, but I’d recommend having your gun ready. Some very strange people have a habit of breaking into my apartment. Oh, and if Ranger happens to just miraculously appear on this side of the door, can you tell me how he did it?”
Francine looked at Stephanie with a very perplexed expression on her face. “I’m afraid I don’t follow you.”
Stephanie shrugged. “Ranger manages to break into my apartment, but the windows are always closed and the locks still in place. I’ve never been able to figure out how he does it. I just want to know if he’s related to Houdini or if he’s an alien.” She smiled half-jokingly, then made her way down the hall towards the bathroom.
Francine shook her head and once again began to wonder just exactly what they had gotten mixed up in. What had started out as a wonderful marriage proposal had turned into a nightmare complete with a cast of bounty hunters, bigamists, and old ladies who got into more trouble than Amanda King. However, she had to admit that even though it went against every bit of common sense to bring civilians into the mix, she was actually enjoying the bit of distraction that Stephanie and her family and friends could provide. She even had to admit to herself that although he wasn’t really her type, the bounty hunter, Ranger, wasn’t exactly hard on the eyes. Reminding herself that she was in the process of swearing off men, or at least only using them, she decided it was best to put thoughts of Ranger out of her mind, but then, again the dark and mysterious bounty hunter might just be the one to take her mind off of Adam-Benjamin, or whatever his real name was. Her musings were interrupted by a knock at the door before she could go any further with that train of thought.
Rising from her chair, Francine made her way to the apartment door and peaked out through the peep hole. Recognizing the three people on the other side, she quickly slid the deadbolt over and unlocked the door.
“Took you long enough,” Lee replied somewhat grumpily as the door swung open and Francine’s face appeared in the open doorway.
“What’s put him in such a good mood?” Francine sarcastically asked Amanda, as the brunette entered the apartment.
“He got some disturbing information about his car.” Amanda closed the door behind Joe and followed the others into the small living room.
Francine looked curiously at Amanda. “Did it break down and he had to take it to a shop?”
“I’m right here, Francine, you don’t have talk about me in the third person.” Lee flopped down onto the couch and let out a small grunt.
Having said that same exact thing to Lee on more than one occasion, Amanda turned her head away from her husband so that he wouldn’t be able to see that she was doing her best to keep a from grinning. “Lee, Joe said not to take it seriously. Besides, maybe she was referring to the Porsche, after all it did blow up, and it was silver. Maybe she just got her timeline confused.”
“Only after it fell of that cliff, Amanda.” Lee crossed his arms and glared at his wife. “I’ve grown to really love the ’Vette.”
“I thought guys didn’t love cars, that they only just got attached to them.” Amanda moved over to the couch and sat down on the arm beside her husband.
Francine looked over at Joe and noticed a smirk on the Italian’s face. “Does someone want to fill me in?”
“Joe’s grandmother and mother stopped by this morning.” Amanda glanced up at the blonde. “Joe’s grandmother seems to think that she’s touched and has visions. Apparently she got one last night that told her that Joe had some visitors, so the two women stopped by with some fresh baked bread and a casserole, which turned out to be a pan of lasagna. Joe said that most of the Italian women he knows call most of their dishes, casseroles because they bake them in a casserole dish.” She smiled apologetically at her impromptu mini-ramble when she caught the impatient look on Francine’s face.
“Wait, I think I’m missing something here. What does that have to do with your car, Lee?” Francine turned her attention towards the sulking man on the couch.
“Did you curse me or something, Francine, because lately I seem to be a magnet for crazy old broads,” Lee glanced quickly up at Joe, “no offense Morelli.”
“None taken,” Joe shrugged. “I love Grandma Bella, but there’s no denying she’s a little off.”
“A little off and a lot scary.” Stephanie commented as she entered the room. “Why are we talking about Grandma Bella?”
“My mother and Grandma Bella stopped by this morning, because Grandma claimed she had had a vision that I had guests.” Joe smiled at Stephanie.
“Yeah and the vision’s name was Mrs. Friolli.” Stephanie gave Joe a knowing look, then glanced over at Amanda. “She’s one of Joe’s neighbors and has Grandma Bella on speed dial. It’s how she always knows when I’m there and the very next morning Grandma Bella and Mrs. Morelli show up at the crack of dawn.”
Lee let out a sigh of relief. “So she’s not really ‘touched’ as Mrs. Morelli so graciously put it.” He looked over at Morelli for conformation.
“I wouldn’t go that far. Grandma Bella’s very good at giving people the evil eye, and some of her visions have been known to come true.” Stephanie shuddered involuntarily. “I take it that she had another one of her visions this morning?”
“She said that she saw a silver sports car engulfed in flames.” Amanda put a hand on her husband’s shoulder. “She glanced over at Lee’s Corvette, gave us what could only be called a knowing look and then they left right after Joe’s grandmother said something about feeling tired and needing to lie down.”
Joe laughed. “Yeah, she claims that her ‘visions’ tire her out and that she needs to immediately lie down after she has one.” He looked over at the agent on the couch with a serious expression. “I really wouldn’t worry about it too much, Lee. Especially if what Amanda said on the way over here is true. If you already had a silver car burn to a crisp, then it’s fairly safe to say that’s what she was referring to.”
“She had a vision not too long ago that I was pregnant, which I wasn’t, but man it scared the bejeezus out of me. Problem was the rumor spread like wildfire through the burg, and before I knew it, people were congratulating me on the street and asking when the wedding was. I really wouldn’t take Grandma Bella too seriously, Lee.” Stephanie glanced at her watch. “Where is Ranger? I’m starving and all I had was coffee.” She looked over at Joe. “Don’t suppose you brought donuts with you.”
Joe shook his head. “I was going to stop off at the Dunkin’ Donuts, but Amanda suggested that it would be better if we went somewhere and had a real breakfast.”
Francine glanced over at Stephanie and smiled.
Stephanie narrowed her eyes and glared as she pointed a finger in the blonde’s direction. “Don’t you dare say, ‘I told you so’.” She caught the questioning glance Amanda was giving Francine and mentally rolled her eyes as she let out a sigh. “Let’s just say that you and Ranger are apparently in complete harmony when it comes to what is and isn’t proper breakfast food.”
Joe walked over and after placing a kiss on Stephanie’s forehead, wrapped an arm casually across her shoulders. “You don’t have anything to eat in the house again, huh Cupcake?” He chuckled when he felt the brunette’s shoulders shrug indifferently.
Lee glanced back towards the hallway and then in Stephanie’s direction. “Where is your friend Ranger, anyway. Wasn’t he supposed to be here by now?”
“Present and accounted for.” Ranger said as he casually walked into the room.
Amanda would have fallen off the arm of the couch if Lee hadn’t instinctively grabbed her arm the minute Ranger spoke. Shaking her head, she turned to look in the black clad bounty hunter’s direction. “You’re better than Lee at sneaking up on people; I didn’t even hear the door open…or close for that matter.” She looked at him and then her husband. “How do you two do it?”
Ranger locked eyes with Lee briefly, and then glanced back at Amanda with a very small smile, “Trade secret.”
Amanda smiled wistfully at Ranger. “And if you told me you’d have to kill me, right?”
With a very straight face, Ranger nodded. “And it would be a shame to have to do any physical harm to you before you’ve had the most important meal of the day.”
Amanda laughed and then looked down at her husband when she felt his body go slightly rigid. She patted his arm gently and shook her head, trying to communicate to him that he had no reason to be jealous of Ranger, but she knew Lee well enough to know that it didn’t take much for his little green monsters to make an appearance. Sighing to herself, she realized that she would have to try and keep any conversations she had with Ranger, in Lee’s presence, to a bare minimum, in order to avoid any kind of scene.
Ranger recognized the look of distrust on Lee’s face and turned his gaze towards the other very jealous male in the room. “Morelli.”
“Ranger,” Joe nodded and then coolly locked eyes with the other man.
Stephanie shrugged Joe’s arm off her shoulder and stepped away from him. She then glanced from one man to the other. “Oh knock it off.” When both men turned their attention on her with innocent looks on their faces, she rolled her eyes and grunted. “Don’t even bother trying to come up with a way to keep me off of this case. If you two feel the need to bond, go do it over something besides me.” She turned her back on them, and taking a deep breath to get her anger under control, looked towards Amanda. “I called Connie while I was getting dressed and got Benjamin’s aunt’s address.” She turned her attention towards Francine. “So, we’re all set to talk to Mrs. Adams, and then I figure we could revisit a few of Benjamin’s old friends.” Glancing briefly in Joe and Ranger’s direction, she narrowed her eyes, “Now, I don’t know about you all,” she commented as she stalked off towards the kitchen, “but I’m hungry. The caravan is leaving, feel free to join me.” She grabbed her purse off the counter and headed for the front door, shaking her head and muttering under her breath.
Ranger glanced over at Morelli. “I’m glad she’s yours and not mine.” He then followed Stephanie out the door.
Francine watched as Morelli shook his head and then made his way out into the hallway, with Lee and Amanda right behind him. “I guess I’m locking up.” She pulled out her lock pick and after closing the door, did something she didn’t normally do, she locked the door instead of unlocking it. “No wonder people are always breaking in, she never locks her door when she leaves.” She muttered to herself and then turned to join everyone in the elevator, only to find the doors closing shut. She looked up at the ceiling and made her way to the stairway. “Mrs. Adams better be a wealth of information, or I’m seriously going to hurt someone.” She stomped down the stairs, pretending that each step was one of Benjamin’s body parts.