Chapter 11: Plum Dinner Fun, Part II
Bobby’s POV
At 1745, we pull up to the Plum family domicile. The curtains in every surrounding house start fluttering, and I’m sure that the word is out.
An invasion force just pulled up to the Plums’! Everyone, come look! Lots of men with hard bodies just exited three SUVs! And Stephanie is being carried again! The rumors are true!
Mrs. Plum stands alone on the front stoop. Her eyes widen when she sees us and I can see she’s counting to make sure we’ve all arrived. She smiles when she sees me. I’m not sure when, where, or how I became her favorite RangeMan, but I’m not sure I’m happy with the designation. I like to limit my interaction with Mrs. Plum.
Yes, we’re all here. The CO requested our presence. No arguments. No one is dressed in black SWAT; instead, we’re all in dress slacks and black blazers. We brought wine and desserts from the Italian People’s Bakery. I’m not sure who we’re bribing but Bomber said her father is partial to desserts.
While Bomber was dressing for dinner, we revealed to the new RMTrenton Core that we’ve been running a psy-op on Bomber all week. Hal was astonished to learn that both his calendar and his one single question early this morning were the pivotal actions to tip Bomber over the edge at crucial points. Ram and Manny promised to take him out and get him some strippers for having the balls to ask about his responsibility for her and for opening negotiations over her safety and the standards. We told them to add some lap dances and get him completely shit-faced; send us the bill and take plenty of pictures. Hal blushed completely red but he deserves it; the man has developed admirable balls.
Lester then informed them of their new roles in the psy-op, which is to make sure Steph meets standards. Nothing more, nothing less, and they are not required to push her to do it. Motivate her, yes, push her, no. We will administer the assessment to release her back into the field so they can work her as hard or easy as necessary, but she is not to perform any field work until she meets standards. Not even surveillance. Besides, I need to see that she’s going to come through and prove Lester right.
When Zero arrived, Lester informed every man that this dinner was important. We have to look less scary to the parents. Serious, but not scary. The CO doesn’t need drama with her mama. We don’t need visits to Haywood from Mrs. Plum or Mrs. Mazur. Everyone is to pull forth his most charming manners tonight and be willing to talk. Mrs. Plum needs to feel that we will take care of her daughter or she’ll muck up Lester’s plans.
We will follow the plan. The threat of Grandma Mazur duty ensured complete cooperation.
Ranger is leading the charge with Bomber in his arms. Mrs. Plum quickly opens the door to the house and we step inside. It’s calm. No Kloughns, no Edna Mazur. I can feel the gust of wind as every man exhales and relaxes. We might make it. It might be OK.
“Gentlemen, good evening. Bobby, it’s good to see you again.” Mrs. Plum is all smiles at me. Maybe I was too charming last week. I can feel Tank holding back laughter again. Mr. Plum pats his daughter on the shoulder. Warm family greetings.
“Mrs. Plum, thank you for your invitation to dinner. It’s nice to get a home cooked meal. Please accept these gifts from us in appreciation.” Southern boy. Raised right. I know my manners. Lester is writing the thank-you card tomorrow. Mrs. Plum is all smiles and she passes the wine and dessert to her husband. He grins to see the logo of IPB on the box.
“Ranger, here, place Stephanie in the chair. You don’t need to hold her all night.” This is weird. It’s almost as if Mrs. Plum has been replaced by a pod person. A pod person that’s desperate to be nice to us. Ranger places Bomber in the chair closest to her mother and we file around the table and take a seat. I get the chair across from Bomber, next to her mother.
“Mom, I know you have already met Ranger, Bobby, Tank and Lester,” we each wave to her, “but I brought some new guys with me. I’d like you to meet Henry ‘Hal’ Linden, Manuel ‘Manny’ Sanchez, Ramsay ‘Ram’ Sinclair, and Angelo ‘Zero’ Giordano.” Each man waves at Mrs. Plum and nods to Mr. Plum. Mr. Plum casts a sharp-eyed view at Zero.
“Nessuna relazione a Giuseppe Giordano oltre a Ewing sei?” (Any relation to Giuseppe Giordano over in Ewing?)
“Distante, signore, da parte di mio padre. Noi in realtà non hanno molto a che fare con lui.” (Distant, sir, on my father’s side. We don’t really have much to do with him.)
Mr. Plum smiles. I don’t speak Italian, so I have no idea what just happened.
Mrs. Plum begins loading the table with dinner, shushing our offers to help. Dinner tonight is almost the same as last week: Roast chicken and mashed potatoes with gravy. On the other hand the asparagus, broccoli and cauliflower mix is steamed, there’s a huge salad (with cheese and croutons, but I see the effort) and the green beans aren’t limp. Still overcooked but salvageable.
Pod Mom makes me nervous. Every man here who’s sat through a Plum family dinner sees that this is new terrain. She’s smiled at us all evening. She’s acknowledged we exist. She’s serving us a meal more in line with our dietary requirements. Is it poisoned? She doesn’t have a whisky glass in front of her. Even Steph looks a little confused.
“This looks great Mom. Thanks.” Steph reaches for the mashed potatoes and the spell is broken. Just about every man at the table, minus Mr. Plum, reaches for salad and we start passing that down the line. Without Mrs. Mazur here, Mr. Plum is relaxed. He’s chatting with Zero in Italian, looking up from his plate, involved in dinner. Both Steph and Mrs. Plum are stunned.
“Daddy?”
“Yes, Pumpkin?”
“You’re speaking at the dinner table.”
“Yes Pumpkin.” Mr. Plum looks confused at first but then he grins. “Edna’s not here and men outnumber women at this table 4 to 1. It’s never happened before. There’s finally some testosterone here. Kloughn doesn’t count, and Morelli and Ranger by themselves couldn’t make up the deficit. I can relax and enjoy my meal.”
We don’t mean to. We just can’t help it. Every man at the table bursts into laughter.
It’s actually not a bad dinner. We’re stuffed, but every man takes a bit of dessert, except Ranger. No one has mentioned the reason for the invasion force, but finally I nudge Ranger under the table. He needs to start.
“Mrs. Plum, Mr. Plum, we actually have some news to tell you.” Mrs. Plum sits up interestedly, and Mr. Plum looks wary. “In a few days I’m heading back out on an assignment so I won’t be at RangeMan over the next year. Bobby, Tank, and Lester are headed to San Antonio to open a new office, so they will also be unavailable over the next year.”
I can feel Mrs. Plum getting ready to. . . I’m not quite sure, but she’s not happy.
“The reason we brought all the guys tonight is so you could meet the men that Stephanie will be working with over the next year. Hal, Ram, and Manny are taking over leadership of RangeMan Trenton, and Zero is the new medic. He’s been serving as second to Bobby all this time and he has the same privileges at the hospitals as Bobby, so he will be the one to contact you, Mrs. Plum. As for Stephanie, she has accepted a position within the company. For the next year, Stephanie will serve as the head of RangeMan.”
You could hear a pin drop at the table. Zero didn’t have that news yet, but the sharp look Ram sends him encourages him to rein in the happiness at the table.
Mrs. Plum slumps back in her seat. Mr. Plum looks at Hal, Ram, and Manny then nods sharply.
“Which one of you is in charge?” They’re not quite sure how to answer that question.
“Technically, sir, Stephanie is the new Ranger. I serve as her second, the new Tank,” Hal replies. It’s a good answer. Mr. Plum looks completely stunned. He looks at Ranger.
“You mean to tell me you are leaving your company in the hands of my daughter for the next year?”
“Yes.” Ranger replies. Mrs. Plum is still too shocked to say anything.
“And you, Hal, you’re the next in line?”
“Yes, sir.”
Mr. Plum looks at Zero. “And you’re the new Bobby?” No, he is not the new Bobby. I am Bobby. There can only be one.
“Yes.”
“What kind of medical credentials do you have?” Ah, Mrs. Plum has arisen and is looking at Zero suspiciously.
“I am a medic, ma’am, and a licensed physician assistant.”
“Does that mean you have medical training?”
“Yes, ma’am. I am considered a medical professional and I hold an independent medical license. Physician assistants are nominally supervised by a physician, and that’s the reason why we have such a good relationship with St. Francis; we pick our supervising physicians from their ranks. That and we pay our bills quickly,” Zero says, smiling as charmingly as he can.
Mrs. Plum is still looking at him suspiciously. She turns to me. “Do you feel comfortable leaving him in charge?”
Huh? You care about my opinion? “I wouldn’t let him anywhere near Stephanie if I didn’t have complete confidence that he would treat her as well, if not better, than I would,” I reply. If she cares about my opinion, I’ll give her a good one.
“Is this the same training and credentials you have?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Fine. Then I’m convinced that she’s being left in good medical hands. Angelo, when something happens we want to be informed. We don’t have to know everything, but we do want to know where she is and that she’s safe and alive. After that, your job is to make sure she calls us. Agreed?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Zero looks a little surprised, but honestly he’s getting off easy.
“I just don’t know about this job. Stephanie, exactly what are you going to be doing? Does this mean that you aren’t going to be a bounty hunter anymore? Please tell me you aren’t going to be a bounty hunter anymore.”
“Helen, I don’t think that’s any of our business.”
“Wrong! It is our business. For four years these men have ridden to our daughter’s rescue every time she’s gotten in over her head.” I can see Steph cringe, but hell, her mother’s right. “I’m accustomed to Ranger coming and going, but not the others. Now they’re all here telling me that they’re all leaving, they’re leaving her in charge, and they’re leaving some new people, who we are just now meeting, in their place? I think I have an absolute right to know what’s going on!”
“Mom, stop! Ranger has just given you all the information you need. He has an assignment. Bobby, Tank and Lester are opening up a new office. What more do you need to know?”
“Why you? Why leave you in charge?”
Ranger is ready to cut off this line of questioning, which is good because I am too. It took a lot to convince me, and I don’t need the doubts right now. “Mrs. Plum, Stephanie is one of the few people in this world I would leave behind in charge of my business. She has a degree in business and experience as a buyer so she understands the financials. She understands and has worked almost every job in my business, so my men are accustomed to seeing her and know that she knows how to do their job.
And I trust her judgment. A few months ago, Stephanie helped save my business. We were having a rash of robberies and Stephanie figured out who the perpetrators were. Her work led the DA to convictions in every case. Your daughter is a good detective and businesswoman. I trust her to run the company well. And even though Tank, Lester, and Bobby will not physically be in Trenton, they are available to her by phone if she needs help. She has Ram, Manny, and Hal to help her here. I think she can do this job. Otherwise I would not leave her here in charge.”
Mrs. Plum sits back and looks at Stephanie and Ranger. I can tell she’s not convinced. She glances down at her husband, who shakes his head once, and finally she sighs. “Fine, Ranger. If you believe Stephanie can do the job I will not argue with you. I simply ask that we see her once a week for dinner. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”
“Fine, Mom. I hate to ask but, since the guys will be accompanying me, is it possible to have the occasional meal without Grandma?”
Mrs. Plum looks indignant but after a while she relaxes. Mr. Plum is smiling at the thought. “Yes, Stephanie. I’ll see what I can do. I can’t say that I haven’t enjoyed not having to hear about her latest stud-muffin or funeral home viewing. It would be nice to have that not be a topic of conversation at least once a week.” Lucky fuckers! They’re getting off easy.
The rest of dinner passes calmly. When Mrs. Plum starts catching Bomber up on the latest ‘Burg gossip, Mr. Plum motions for all of us to follow him.
“Where are you going?”
“Garage. Cigars.” Hell yeah. Nice. Men time alone. I really like Mr. Plum. We’ll hear all the ‘Burg gossip from Bomber later.
We’re all settled in the garage and I’m making a mental note to tell Lester to send a box of cigars to Mr. Plum with the thank-you note when Mr. Plum addresses us. Well, he’s really addressing Ranger, but it’s directed at all of us.
“I’m not my wife. I may not say much, but I’m definitely not stupid. I’ll buy your explanation of why you’re leaving Pumpkin in charge, but I have my own theory about what you’re leaving out. You can nod yes or no.”
Ranger nods. “My daughter has a broken leg. For the next three months she needs a job. You’re giving her a job.” Mr. Plum waits and Ranger nods. “After that you need a reason to keep her there. Putting her in charge does that.” Another nod. “If she’s in charge she has to meet your requirements, which means she finally gets the training she’s needed for 4 years.” Another nod. “I’ll bet she’s been ducking this training for four years because it’s intense but it’s what she needs to do the job.”
Another nod. Mr. Plum is racking ’em up. The man is not stupid. He’s figured all this out over the course of one meal. “Until she meets your requirements, she can’t bounty hunt.” Nods from every man in the garage. Mr. Plum is surprised, and then he grins. “How long will it take for her to reach requirements?”
“I’m guessing at least 6-8 months. Her leg has to heal first. She’s motivated not to be stuck behind a desk,” Lester replies.
“Sweet Jesus, that’s the best news I’ve gotten in a while. So for the next 6-8 months, there’s no bounty hunting?” Nods. “And you introduced your men as the new heads of RangeMan Trenton but Stephanie as the head of RangeMan, so she’s taking over as the head of all your RangeMan offices?” Ranger has narrowed his eyes at Mr. Plum, but he nods. Yes. We’ve underestimated Mr. Plum for far too long. “How many are there?”
“Five. Miami, Atlanta, New York, Trenton, and Boston.”
“She’ll be buried in paperwork.” Mr. Plum is visibly thrilled. “Only one other thing I need to know: is she staying in one of your apartments?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then Ranger, on behalf of my wife and myself, I owe you a bottle of something wonderful. Edna out my damn house, my daughter chained to a desk and no more alley stories for an entire year!” Ranger’s face goes pale. “Yes, son, I know about that damn alley, and all I have to say is that, when you return, if my daughter is back in that alley I’ll be after you with a shotgun. The Morelli boy called it off, so make a move or leave her alone. Capiche?”
Every man hides a smile. I actually think Mr. Plum is pretty damn serious.
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Let’s enjoy our cigars and the lack of Edna.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
