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.

*****  *****

         Lee looked down at his watch and then glanced up and stared out the glass windows of the Plum Agency for the fifth time.  “I knew it was a bad idea to split up. We should have all gone to Mrs. Adams, and then met up with you at the station.”

         Joe shrugged. “True, but look at all the time we saved in splitting up. Besides, Amanda was right, if too many of us had gone to talk with Mrs. Adams, she might have felt too overwhelmed to divulge anything about her grandson.  The poor woman just got evicted from the home she’d lived in for nearly fifty years and could do without any added stress in her life.”

         Lee glanced at his watch again. “Fine, but where are they, then? Shouldn’t they have been back by now?” He turned his attention on Morelli and began pacing the small office.

         “Stetson, there’s something you need to know about the older women in the burg. They love to bake and they love company.  Stephanie, Amanda and Francine probably ended up being talked into staying for something that had just been taken ‘fresh out of the oven.’  And I know Stephanie well enough to know that she can’t refuse a freshly baked dessert, it’s a physical impossibility for her.” Starting to get dizzy watching Lee walking back and forth, Joe moved to stand in front of the agent, effectively blocking his path. “Besides, if something had happened to them, my phone and pager would be ringing non-stop.”

         Lee stopped just a few feet from Morelli and gave him a questioning gaze. “What do you mean?”

         Joe chuckled. “Stephanie has a habit of getting herself into a lot of interesting situations, usually as a result of something she inadvertently did.  The cops and emergency personnel, who are called to the scene, automatically contact me the minute they get the call.  My phone hasn’t rung once, which means everything is fine, so please stop pacing, you’re making me edgy.”

         Lee let out a deep breath and moved over to the small worn couch in the outer office.  “Sorry, it’s just with everything we found out today regarding Veranos and his connections, I don’t like my…fiancée out there on her own, especially if what your sources told you was true and Veranos pulled up shop in D.C. because he received a tip that the authorities, meaning us, were on to him.”

         “Amanda’s not alone, she’s got Francine with her, and she’s armed, right?” Joe moved over and leaned against Lula’s desk. “Besides, isn’t Amanda a trained agent too?”

         Lee ran his hand through his hair and nodded. “Yes, but like Stephanie, Amanda has this gift for getting herself into trouble, despite her training, and Francine’s head isn’t really in the game right now.”

         Connie cleared her throat. “You can both relax now.  They just pulled up and are getting out of Stephanie’s car now.” She motioned towards the window with one slender, well-manicured finger. “And they've brought lunch… and Lula too.” She shook her head in mild disgust. “She comes and goes as she pleases, and never manages to file anything at all, though amazingly enough she does manage to find the right file when I need it.”

         “Why do you keep her on then?” Lee asked with mild curiosity.

         Connie shrugged. “She may not be the best file clerk, but she definitely helps keep Vinnie in line.”

         Amanda smiled as she stepped into the office. She resisted the urge to whisper an ‘I told you so’ to Francine.  One look at her husband’s face and she knew that he had been pacing and extremely worried that they hadn’t arrived back sooner. “Sorry it took us so long…”

         Lee had risen to his feet and had approached his wife the minute all the women had entered the small outer office. “What did take you so long?”

         Stephanie placed a big bucket of Cluck-in-a-Bucket fried chicken on Connie’s desk. “Mrs. Adams had just pulled a fresh batch of muffins out of the oven,” she took a napkin from the stack and then proceeded to dig out a chicken leg from the bucket. “She insisted that we have a few.”

         Lee ignored the knowing smile on Morelli’s face and looked at his wife. “You could have called to tell us you were running late.”

         “I’ll make sure she checks in with you every fifteen minutes from now on.” Francine commented acidly as she brushed past Lee and went to sit on the office couch. “But first I’d need to get the number for the ‘me caveman’ hotline.”

         Lula glanced over at Lee as she placed the second bucket of chicken down on her desk. “I think I have an old loin cloth in my closet.  Props from when I used to be a ‘ho. I’m not ashamed of my previous profession, a girl’s gotta do what she’s gotta do to get by. Anyways, I may have given up that line of work, but I haven’t given up finding a good looking man to take back to my place and sometimes I even find one who likes to play dress up.  Don’t hurt none to keep that stuff.” She looked the federal agent up and down and licked her lips. “You’d look mighty fine in something like that. We could probably find something for you to use as a club, too.”

         Lee glanced over at his wife and noticed the slightly bemused expression her face.  He could see that she was looking him over as well, and wondered if she was imagining him in nothing but a loincloth. He also caught the hint of annoyance in her eyes and knew that he was going to get an earful later, when everyone was out of earshot, and he was thankful that she didn’t start in on him now. “So, what did you find out from Mrs. Adams? Has she seen her grandson recently?”

         Amanda walked over to Connie’s desk and pulled out a chicken wing.  She then turned and leaned against the edge of the desk. “She claims that she hasn’t seen or heard from him in months.  She was however, very hurt to know that she had another great-grandson out there who she’s never met. I think that’s what upsets her more than the fact that she lost the house she lived in since she married Benjamin’s grandfather.  Poor woman.  Grandma Mazur was right though, Mrs. Adams did just send her grandson a birthday card. She said didn’t have an address for him, just sent it to a local P.O. Box number.  Apparently Benjamin told her that he’s arranged for his mail to be forwarded, so,” she pulled out a piece of paper from her purse. “We figured we would pass this over to Ranger and have him look into it.” She caught the raise of her husband’s eyebrow and shook her head. “Ranger’s local, the Agency would have to jump through hoops to deal with the post office here in Trenton.”

         Lee crossed his arms and stared questioningly at his wife. “Wait a minute, you said Mrs. Adams claims that she hasn’t seen Benjamin. You don’t believe her do you?”

         “Miss ‘I can read people like an open book’ thinks that Mrs. Adams wasn’t being entirely truthful,” Francine shrugged her shoulders, “I for one think the old broad would jump at the chance to turn her grandson in. I know I would, especially if he had me evicted from my own house.”

         “Francine,” Amanda shook her head in mild disbelief, “Mrs. Adams practically raised Benjamin after his mother disappeared.  You heard what she said, that her son, Benjamin’s father, spent so much time getting divorced and remarried that she felt Benjamin needed a constant mother in his life, and spent as much time with her grandson as she could.  He’s very much like a son to her, and being a mother myself, if it were my son, I don’t think I’d be so quick to turn him over to the authorities.”

         “Why do you think Benjamin’s granny wasn’t telling the truth?” Lula asked, shaking a drumstick in Amanda’s direction.

         “It was something very subtle, really.” Amanda picked up a napkin and then wiped up a piece of breading that had fallen on Connie’s desk. “When we asked her if she’d seen or heard from him, instead of answering us, she changed the subject, asking us if we wanted any more to drink. Then when Stephanie asked her again, she replied that she had received an Easter card from him.”

         “Seems to me she hasn’t really heard from him, then.” Lula shrugged and dug another drumstick out of the bucket of chicken in front of her.  She then picked up the bucket and offered some to the blonde agent.

         Francine shook her head and glared at Lula. “I told you back at that Clucky-Lucky joint that I don’t eat fried food.”

         Lula shrugged indifferently and then turned towards Lee.  “How about you handsome, you don’t have near enough meat on your bones.”  She asked as she tried to pass the bucket to him.

         Lee looked into the bucket and although his stomach had been grumbling earlier, one look at the greasy chicken made him slightly ill as he suddenly remembered a night out with his two stepsons not too long ago.  What had started out as just a fun night out, with dinner and a movie had ended with a bad case of heartburn, which he blamed fully on the greasy burgers and fries he’d eaten way too much of.  He admitted that it was entirely his own fault that he had to drink half a bottle of Pepto Bismol that night, all because he had to show off by trying to keep up with his stepsons, forgetting that they had much younger metabolisms.  He shook his head and waived the offered bucket away. “I’ll pass, but thanks anyway.”

         “Just means more for me.” Lula placed the bucket back on her desk and grinned as she got ready to bite into her piece. “Don’t say I didn’t offer when it’s all gone and your suddenly starving.”

         “Amanda’s right about Mrs. Adams not being totally honest with us.” Stephanie had been pacing back and forth during the discussion, and stopped, glancing over at the brunette. “I’ve questioned enough people now, and I’ve learned to pick up the subtle signs, too.  Mrs. Adams asking us if we wanted more to drink wasn’t so much avoidance of the original question, as it was something that bought her more time to phrase a proper response.  Then when she responded about the Easter card, she didn’t really say that she hadn’t seen him recently, only that she had heard from him, and who doesn’t receive greetings from loved ones at the holidays?”

         Lee knew his wife’s intuitions were usually right on the money and having the young bounty hunter confirm her suspicions, he really had no reason to doubt her, not that he would have anyway. “Okay, so we suspect Mrs. Adams isn’t being entirely truthful, is that all you got out of your visit?”

         “Basically, that and a few extra pounds.” Stephanie chuckled. “Mrs. Adam’s makes better muffins than the Tasty Pastry. She wouldn’t let us leave till she’d given us a care package.” At Joe’s questioning gaze, she shrugged. “Left it in the car.”

         “So what’s our next step? I’ll concede that Mrs. Adams has most likely heard from her no-good grandson,” Francine looked from Stephanie to Lee. “Do we set up surveillance on an old lady, on the off chance that she leads us to him?”

         Lee shrugged. “I don’t think we need to go that far.  What we probably need to find out is her regular daily routine.”

         “That shouldn’t be a problem.” Ranger commented as he leaned against the doorframe of the exterior door.

         “Holy crap!” Lula spat out the piece of chicken she was eating and spun around to stare at Ranger. “When you gonna stop sneaking up on people…and where did you come from? I never even heard the door open.” She glanced over at Connie. “You see him come in?”

         Connie shook her head. “Nope.  But that’s why Vinnie keeps him on the payroll. If he can sneak up on a bunch of federal agents, imagine what he does to the bad guys.”

         “I think we’re getting off track and I do need to get back to the work soon.” Joe chucked his cleaned-off chicken bones into the trashcan and looked over at Ranger. “Has Rangeman suddenly started stalking old ladies?”

         “I had my research guy run another check on Adams.” Ranger watched Stephanie take a piece of chicken from the bucket and shook his head ever so slightly.  How anyone could eat something that greasy and unhealthy was beyond him.  “Among the things he turned up was a report on Mrs. Adam’s daily routine that the FBI filed after Benjamin skipped town.”
         “I doubt that report’s very accurate anymore.” Francine looked directly at Ranger. “He skipped town like four months ago.”

         Stephanie shook her head. “She’s a woman of the burg, her routine is pretty much going to be the same. Trust me,” she glanced over at the blonde, “my grandma pretty much does the same thing every week.  Her routine doesn’t vary too much, unless someone dies and they hold a daytime viewing.”

         “Okay, fine, so she’s most likely a creature of habit. We still have to arrange some sort of twenty-four hour surveillance.” Francine looked over at her fellow agents.

         “Not necessarily.” Amanda looked first at Lee and then at Ranger. “If we can figure out which days she usually runs errands, those are most likely going to be the days or times that she might meet up with her grandson. Then all we have to do is concentrate on those times.”

         “You said you do security work,” Lee turned his attention to Ranger, “I don’t suppose you have access to a few listening devices?”

         “We’ve got a few bugs back at the office. I’ll get one of my guys to plant a few.” Ranger nodded slightly. “I like the way you’re thinking.  If we can listen in, we don’t really need to watch her. If Adams makes contact in any way, we should be able to find out. I’ll have my guys do the monitoring, and keep you posted on what we find out.”

         Amanda walked towards Ranger, holding out the slip of paper with the PO Box number on it. “Mrs. Adams gave us this PO Box number for Benjamin.  She said he told her that he was having his mail forwarded.  Would you mind having one of your men run a check on it?”

         Ranger nodded as he accepted the paper from Amanda. “Shouldn’t be a problem.  Either I or one of my men’ll call Stephanie’s cell if anything turns up.” He then turned towards Connie. “Vinnie said he had a skip he wanted me to bring in.”

         Connie nodded and handed him a file. “Vinnie posted a $100,000 bond on this one.  Arrested on charges of raping his girlfriend. He’s also got a history of spousal abuse. Why Vinnie bothers to post bail for scumbags like this one is beyond me?  They almost never appear for their court dates and then Vinnie ends up sweating until they’re reprocessed.”

         Ranger opened the folder and scanned the contents. “I take it he wants this guy found yesterday.” When Connie nodded, he turned to head back out of the office.  He glanced around the room once. “Call if you need me.” As he passed his protégé, he brushed her shoulder with his hand. Their eyes locked briefly and he tilted his head ever so slightly. “Babe.” Then as silently as he had entered the office, he left it.

         Stephanie chanced a quick glance in Joe’s direction and sure enough, just as she had suspected, his hands were clenched and if he and Ranger didn’t already have some sort of understanding between the two of them, he might just have gone running after the bounty hunter and beaten the crap out of him.  She mentally shook her head.  She wasn’t used to someone being so territorial about her.  “So what next?” She looked around at the three agents.

         “Well, Ranger’s taken care of Mrs. Adams, but I refuse to sit around and just wait for Benjamin to possibly make contact with his grandmother.” Francine stared at Stephanie. “You said something about some of Benjamin’s old friends...”

         Stephanie tossed the remains of her chicken in the trashcan then moved over to Lula’s desk.  “I know from when we tried to track him down before that he spent a lot of time at a bar on the other side of town. It’s not the nicest place, but people flock there because everyone pretty much minds their own business.  Plus, word on the street is that the owner isn’t above helping out a few friends here and there, providing them with places to stay, in exchange for money. Could be that he’s helping to ‘hide’ Benjamin.”

         “Which bar are you talking about?” Joe had a sinking feeling he knew which bar she was referring to, and had an even stronger feeling he wasn’t going to like the answer.

         “Pete’s down near Stark Street.” Stephanie braced herself for the Morelli stubbornness that she knew was about to explode any second now.

         “Are you crazy?” Joe raised his arms in the air. “Pete’s isn’t just some bar, it’s owned by the Grizolli’s.  Pete hides associates of the mob.  You can’t just go in there and start asking questions about Adams.”

         “We did it before, so we can do it again.” Stephanie crossed her arms and stared at Joe.  She was trying very hard to resist the urge to stick her tongue out. Then, recognizing the look on his face as one she’d seen quite a few times in the past when she was getting a little too close to Joe’s work, she narrowed her eyes. “Wait a minute. Let me guess, this sudden aversion to me going to Pete’s has something to do with last night’s stake out, doesn’t it?”

         Joe took two quick steps and grabbing Stephanie’s arm, pulled her out of earshot of everyone else. “Yes, but I don’t really need to let everyone in this office know my business. Stay away from Pete’s.”

         Stephanie did not enjoy being bullied and yanked her arm out of Joe’s grasp.  “Why, are you secretly meeting with Terry Gilman there?” She asked, trying her best to keep the jealousy from her voice.

         “Jesus, Stephanie.” Joe hissed through clenched teeth. “Why do you always have to bring her back into this?”

         “Because whenever you order me to do something that has to do with one of your mob related cases, Terry Gilman and her underwear aren’t far away.” Stephanie began turning away from Joe.  Terry Gilman was tall, blonde and perfect, who always carried a gun and probably wasn’t afraid to use it either.

         Joe gently grabbed Stephanie’s arm and forced her to look at him. “Terry and I haven’t been together since high school…let it rest already.  It’s not my fault that my work keeps throwing us together.  You have to learn to start trusting me.”

         Stephanie looked up at the ceiling and sighed. “I do, it’s just that Terry Gilman always gets what she wants, and I saw the way she was staring at you during your sister’s wedding.  You can’t deny the fact that she wants you, it’s written on her face every time she looks at you. You can’t blame me for being suspicious; everywhere I go I come face-to-face with another rumor about the two of you that’s tearing around the burg like a tornado.”

         “Oooh, I’m so glad I arrived when I did. If I hadn’t, I’d have missed all this entertainment.” Lula picked up her bucket of chicken and walked over to Connie’s desk. “It’s better than cable.” She leaned closer to the office manager, “who do you think’s gonna win, Officer Hottie or Stephanie?”

         Connie smiled and whispered, “My money’s on Officer Hottie, but Steph’s not going down without a fight.”

         “That’s all they are, Cupcake, rumors.  So stop listening to them,” Joe softened his tone and placed a kiss on Stephanie’s forehead, “and trust in me, please. And stay away from Pete’s. I’ve got enough to worry about with this case I’m working on, and I don’t need to add you to the mix.  If you promise to stay far away from Pete’s, I promise to do some asking around for you?”

         Stephanie rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll stay away from Pete’s…”

         “Guess Officer Hottie won that round.” Lula shook her head and took out another drumstick from her bucket.

         Stephanie ignored Lula and kept her gaze focused on Joe. “But…only if you swear that you’ll pass on every scrap of information you find out.”  She gave him a knowing look. “I know you, Joe, you have a tendency to skim over the more important aspects and that’s how I end up in the middle of things you don’t want me in the middle of. In fact,” she scrunched up her nose at him, “I want you to swear that if you leave anything out, I can ask Grandma Bella to put the ‘eye’ on you.”

         Joe laughed. “I promise, but I’m not swearing to that, ’cause it won’t ever happen.  I’m Grandma Bella’s favorite grandson.”

         “Fine, then if you don’t come through to my satisfaction, you can forget about having sex for a month.” Stephanie crossed her arms and smiled.

         “That’s not much of a threat, Cupcake,” Joe raised his eyebrows slightly and shook his head, “considering the fact that it’s been close to four times that long since you stopped by, the boys have begun to forget what sex is.”

         Amanda had inched a little closer to where Joe and Stephanie were talking.  She could tell that their conversation wasn’t getting the rest of them anywhere, and it was delving into matters she felt were better discussed in a more private place, without so many ears.  “I don’t mean to intrude, but Stephanie will be with three highly trained agents, and if going to Pete’s will help us we track down Benjamin…”

         Joe shook his head. “Trust me, Pete’s is not the place that any self-respecting woman goes to.” He glanced briefly over at Lee hoping the other man would jump in and help get this situation back under control.  He wasn’t a begging man, but he might have to make an exception soon if things didn’t turn around quickly.

         Lee had caught the look on Morelli’s face and knew that he really didn’t want Stephanie anywhere near Pete’s, especially after what they’d found out at the station with regards to Veranos. “How about a compromise?” He walked over and stood next to his wife. “What if I go there and nose around a little, while you,” he turned to look at Amanda, “Stephanie and Francine go and talk to Adam’s ex-wife, the one who turned him in.  That way we cover more ground than before.”

         “Of course the ex-wife, now why didn’t I think of that?” Stephanie mentally slapped her forehead. “Though, I’m not sure if she’s still living in the old house, she might have sold everything and moved away.”

         Joe shook his head. “Actually, Lee did a little searching at the station and found out that she hasn’t moved.  To tell you the truth, if I lived in that neighborhood, I wouldn’t want to give it up either. The former Mrs. Benjamin Adams is living the high life, that’s for sure.”

         Amanda had picked up on her husband’s subtle cue.  Joe must be working on something highly sensitive not to want Stephanie around and for some reason he had confided in Lee.  There was no other explanation for her husband, who had most likely spent the better part of the last half hour pacing this small office waiting for them to come back from Benjamin’s grandmother’s house, to change his tune so quickly and willingly let the women go off on their own, again. “I guess that makes the most sense.  How far is Seaside Heights from here?”

         “Just about an hour, give or take.” Stephanie glanced over at the brunette. “Why?”

         “Because I remember from what we discovered in Adams’ file, the reason he got caught was because Eleanor Adams got suspicious and followed her husband and found out he had another wife in Seaside Heights.  We could make a trip to the beach after we talk to Eleanor Adams.”  Amanda turned towards her husband. “I don’t suppose the research you did down at the station turned anything up on her, did it?”

         Lee nodded. “Actually I discovered that his fourth wife, Mrs. Marie Benton, is still living in Seaside Heights, but sold the house she and Adams bought together, shortly after he skipped bail. Apparently, without her husband to support her, she didn’t have the means to hold onto the house.”

         “Great, now that we have a plan, how about we stop talking about it and get back out on the street?” Francine rose from the couch and approached the two couples. “The sooner we find Adams, the sooner we can get the heck out of this wonderful vacation spot.”

         “Francine…”

         “No, Lee.” Francine put a hand up to ward off any further comments from her friend. “You and Amanda may be enjoying this time away from everyone else, but I have a life back home, that I’d really like to get back to.”

         “Francine, that was uncalled for.” Amanda stepped between her husband and their friend. “In case you’ve forgotten, we have a wedding planned which is supposed to take place next weekend.  If anyone wants all of this wrapped up sooner rather than later, it’s us. Now it’s time you stopped behaving like the jilted fiancée and started acting like an agent.” Placing a friendly hand on the blonde’s shoulder, she lowered her voice. “I know you're hurting, and no-one would expect you to be anything but, and although under normal circumstances I wouldn’t recommend that anyone bottle up their feelings, but I think in this case, you're just going to have to.  Revenge might be more dangerous than Adams, and if you give into it someone might just get physically hurt.”

         “She’s right Francine. It’s time to stop sulking.” Lee moved to stand behind his wife, and looked at his friend.

         Francine shrugged Amanda’s hand off and crossed her arms. “You’re a fine one to talk Lee. I could bring up a number of instances where you let the need for vengeance rule your actions. But I’ll be the bigger person and not mention them in present company.”

         Stephanie could see that things were getting way out of hand. “Well, since everyone’s eaten lunch, we’ve taken care of that.  How about we all pile into my Civic and head on over to see Mrs. Benjamin Adams?”

         “Don’t forget me. I’m goin’ with you. You may need an extra able bodied woman around to brow-beat Mrs. Adams into talking.” Lula tossed her now-empty chicken bucket in the trash and moved over to her desk to grab her purse.

         Stephanie let out an exaggerated sigh. She knew better than to try and talk Lula out of coming. “Fine, you can come, but there will be no brow-beating.”

         Joe tried to catch Stephanie’s gaze “I think you should take the Buick.”

         Stephanie turned towards Joe and almost laughed out loud. “You can’t be serious.”

         Joe nodded. “Very serious.  You’re giving three people a ride. The Buick would be more comfortable for everyone.”

         “Ha!” Stephanie narrowed her eyes at Joe. “That’s not why you want me to take Big Blue and you know it.” She tilted her head and raised her eyebrows. “What’s going on, Joe?  First you don’t want me going near Pete’s, and now you want me to take the pimp-mobile. What aren’t you telling me?”

         Joe let out a long sigh. “I just think it would be safer for you to take the Buick. You don’t have the best track record when it comes to cars, and your Uncle’s Buick is totally indestructible.”

         Lula moved over to Connie’s desk and sat on the edge. “Officer Hottie versus Bombshell Bounty Hunter round two.”

         Stephanie ignored her friend and stared at Joe.  He had put on his cop face which could only mean one thing, he was definitely hiding something from her. “Fine, don’t tell me what’s really going on.  And I’m telling you this once and only once, I’m not taking Big Blue and that’s final.   First, there’s no reason for me to leave my Civic behind, especially when we can all fit in that.  Second, I don’t have any homicidal maniacs after me, that I know of,” she raised her eyebrows questioningly at her so-called-boyfriend, “and third, that car stands out like a sore thumb.  We’re going to a very upscale part of Trenton and all the neighbors would call the cops thinking some pimp was trying to drum up business.” Tired of looking at Joe’s unwavering expression, Stephanie glanced around the room and noticed the curious looks on the three agent’s faces.  “My great-uncle Sandor left my grandmother a ’53 Buick.  It’s powder blue and white…”

         “And belongs on Stark Street where all the pimps and ho’s hang out.” Lula stood up and began moving towards the door. “All this arguing is getting us nowhere and there’s a woman waiting to be questioned.”

         “I’m pretty sure Benjamin’s second wife has no idea that we’re coming.” Amanda smiled warmly at Stephanie’s friend and then turned towards Lee. “She doesn’t know we’re coming does she?” Her husband shook his head and she looked over in Stephanie and Joe’s direction. “But I think Lula’s right, we aren’t accomplishing anything standing around here arguing.”

         “In the interest of getting everyone moving, how about I suggest an alternative.” Lee pulled out his car keys. “Since the Civic seems to be an issue, and the Buick does sound like it would turn too many heads in the neighborhood you need to go to, how about if Stephanie and Amanda go in my car? Amanda can drive, especially since it sounds like I really don’t want to be driving my car to the area where Pete’s is located,” he glanced briefly over at Joe, then turned towards Francine, “and Lula can ride with Francine.”

         Lula shook her head as she pushed the front door open, “I gots a better idea.  How about I play chauffeur to the blonde.  I know the area a lot better than she does and I hate having to tell people where to go; it’s easier if I drive. Plus, my car has a backseat, just in case we find our man and want to haul his ass back to jail.” She turned towards Francine. “I know a couple of alleys we could stop at on the way to the big house, if we do find him.” She shook her head slightly at the raised eyebrows that had instantly gone up around her. “What? I was just thinking that Blondie might want to exact some revenge before turning him over to the cops.” She shrugged, then turned and headed outside.

         Stephanie rolled her eyes and sighed; Lula would never change, and she didn’t think she really wanted her friend to. Life might get too dull if Lula suddenly quieted down.  She glanced around the room and then out the glass, noticing that her over-eager friend was already at her car. “Now that we’ve got all the details ironed out, we should definitely get moving.” She smirked at Joe then started to follow Lula out the door.  She stopped when she felt Joe’s hand on her arm and turned to look at him.

         “Cupcake, just promise me you’ll be careful.” Joe softened his features when she nodded and placed a kiss on her forehead.

         “You be careful too.” Stephanie whispered before looking over at Francine.  “Guess we shouldn’t keep Lula waiting too long. If she gets impatient enough, she’ll drive over to Mrs. Adams’ without us.” She watched the blonde nod and then headed for the door, with Francine right behind her.

         Amanda reached out to take the keys from her husband, but grabbed his hand and pulled him with her towards the door. “What was that all about?” She whispered once Stephanie and Francine were outside, and they were far enough away to avoid being overheard.

         “I promise to fill you in more tonight, when we’re alone.” Lee leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on his wife’s lips. He pulled away slightly and looked into Amanda’s eyes. “But the short version is that there might be a link between Morelli’s current case and Veranos.  Morelli says that this Pete’s is apparently a big meeting place for shop talk.”

         Amanda’s eyes widened and she lowered her voice even more. “Shop? As in the mob?”

         Lee nodded. “Yes. I’ve been mulling over the idea of going down there and introducing myself as a potential buyer for some weapons that might be on the market, ever since Joe filled me in on his case back at the station.  Since the need to split up again was sort of forced up on us, I figure it’s the perfect excuse to do some Agency-related work.” He gave her a devilish grin. “I’m suddenly in the mood to bring Ricky Joe Jackson out of hiding.”

         Amanda laughed. “Fine, just as long as Ricky Joe stays back at the bar, ’cause if I remember correctly sex with Ricky was always a huge disappointment.” She smiled and kissed him. “Be careful.”

         Lee placed the keys in his wife’s hands. “You too. I love you.”

         “I love you too.” Amanda stepped away from Lee and moved towards the door.  She could see Francine and Stephanie impatiently standing near the ’Vette and laughed to herself.  She knew that Francine was anxious to go, but that her friend was also not looking forward to riding, alone, with Lula.  Smiling, she opened the door and glanced back towards Joe. “Take care of him, and I’ll keep a close watch on Stephanie.”  She then stepped outside and made her way over to Lee’s car.