22 Caliber - A Stephanie Plum-inspired Story

Chapter Eighteen

By the time I came down to the kitchen the next day, dressed again in my black suit, this time with a silky white blouse and black heels, Hal had arrived for my protection detail. I liked Hal. Nicknamed Halosaurus, he was as big as a stegosaurus and as loyal as a dog. I had known him for a few years and had always gotten along with him well. If I had to have a babysitter, I was glad Ranger had selected Hal to guard me.

Once Hal arrived Morelli was ready to leave for work. After walking the dog, he gave me a kiss and reminded me that I had promised to let Hal look after me. "No escaping, remember?" he said. "You promised." I reassured him. I didn't like it but after all, I had promised. I hadn't even crossed my fingers behind my back when I did, either.

Hal drove to the courthouse in the fleet car Ranger had lent me. "What happened to the mirror?" he asked. I told him Lula had shot it by mistake. Hal smiled. I think Lula was as amusing to the Rangeman staff as I was. Ranger once told me he had a line item in his company budget for me. It was labeled 'entertainment'.

We arrived at the courthouse several minutes before the start of the trial. A Rangeman vehicle had been holding a spot for us close to the courthouse which they vacated when we came. After parking Hal put his gun in the steel lock box under the driver's seat. He wouldn't be allowed to take it into the courthouse.

We entered the courtroom and chose a seat at the back and to the side of the room. This suited Hal because that vantage point allowed him to scan everyone for a potential threat to me; it suited me because it let me look for Roberto. I took out the file on Roberto and showed Hal his picture. He gave a little nod and continued to scan the audience for threats. Hal was in serious protection mode.

The trial started. The high profile nature of the case meant it was a media circus. Roberto and his three children sat in the first row, reporters sat in the remaining rows. Throughout the audience various members of the police force were interspersed. I recognized many of them, including Gavin Mayer, our current police chief. I also recognized Joe Juniak, the former police chief in Trenton who left to become a state senator. The police were there to provide a presence to support their own.

I pointed Roberto out to Hal, whispering we would take him quietly after the trial was over. I did not want to turn the apprehension into a media frenzy. It wouldn't be fair - it would take attention away from the seriousness of the real issues. Besides, my mother would never live down seeing me on the evening news.

We stayed put for the whole trial and waited until the verdict of guilty was handed down. We stood when the judge left the room. The Mendez family cried and hugged one another. Amelia saw me across the room and pointed me out to the rest of the family. They started hurrying to escape from the room. "Let's go", I told Hal. I moved quickly on a collision course towards Roberto, Hal one step behind. Unfortunately the media also saw the Mendez family on the run. They followed the family and cut me off from Roberto. Reporters were jostling me in an effort to get in a prime position to get a statement from the family. One person stuck out their foot as I walked past and tripped me. I went down on my knees, taking down three people and a cameraman as I tried to catch myself from falling. As Hal reached under my arms, lifted me up, and asked me if I was okay, I saw my chance to capture Roberto disappear from the courthouse.

I received a call from Morelli before we reached the car. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes. How did you know?"

"The whole police force is trying to figure out who tripped you. They want to give the person a citation."

"I don't blame them. I don't want to go after Mendez either. Sometimes this job sucks", I said.

"You could always get another job", Morelli replied.

"I've tried that. It didn't work, remember?"

"Yeah, but at least you wouldn't be targeted right now."

"Maybe. How many Rolaids have you taken today?"

"I lost count at ten. Are you sure you don't want to go into a safe house?"

"No. I can't do my job if I do that. Which means I can't pay my rent."

"You could always move in with me."

"We tried that before, too; that didn't work either, remember?"

"Maybe if we got married."

I paused. "I'm not touching that one. I know you aren't serious."

"But if I was serious?"

"I'm still not touching that one." I knew Morelli didn't really want to marry me. He just wanted to keep me safe. "Do you want us to get dinner on the way home? Subs or pizza?"

"Surprise me."