Along Came A Spider Ch. 03

Chuck Roland was nowhere near so fortunate. His lawyer had tried the tactic of saying he'd be there in the morning, and I replied that Roland would sit in I-2, handcuffed to the table, until the lawyer got there. The lawyer, one of the young men from Gresham & Mason that I'd seen before, arrived half an hour later, then conferred with his client for another half hour. Finally, Paulina and I got our chance to talk to him, and I brought in a file chock-full of papers.

"Okay, Mr. Roland." I said. "Before you invoke your Fifth Amendment rights, you should hear what I have to say." I read him his rights, then began:

"Let me paint a very accurate but very grim picture for you. You have been positively identified by voice and body markings as one of the kidnappers and rapists of Jenna Stiles. In addition, FBI facial-recognition technology is scary in how good it is; you have been identified as being near SBI Agent Jeff Reubens when he was murdered in Coltrane County. In addition, you have been identified as the man attempting to solicit a Kroger executive into smuggling for you. He will be here in the morning to identify you, as well."

I continued: "I daresay, Mr. Roland, that the aggravated kidnapping and rape charges are bad enough, but I'm going to try to get you convicted of the murder of Agent Reubens. And then the Feds will be wanting to talk to you. I would advise you to speak with your lawyer here, decide what you want to do, and see what kind of deal we can work out in exchange for your truthful information on several White Supremacy groups you are known to work with, as well as a local Consultant of Crime with a national syndicate."

Paulina and I got up to go. "We'll give you a few minutes with your lawyer, who might want to talk to us about what we've got on you." I said.

Forrest Gillis said "We don't need more time." He looked over at Roland who said softly and clearly:

"On the advice of Counsel, I am invoking my Fifth Amendment right to silence, and I will answer no questions nor help the Police, SBI, or FBI at any time going forward."

"We reject all plea deals." said Gillis. "We look forward to our day in Court, and our Right to face my client's accuser during his trial." The intimidation in his voice was meant to lend credence to his threat to put Jenna Stiles through living hell.

"I'm not sure Gor-don is the type of guy who intimidates easily." I said. "But you do have your rights at your trial."

"Gor-don?" asked Gillis, looking confused. "We're talking about that bitch Stiles, here. And Gor-don was missing, last I heard."

I looked at the legal beagle, my gray eyes shining with intensity. "Missing? Hmmm... By the way, who do you think gave us the information on your client so that we could effect the arrest?" With a wicked grin, I turned to go.

"Why did you do that?" asked Paulina as we walked down the hallway towards our offices. "We don't have Gor-don, do we?"

"No." I said. "But they don't know that. And I never explicitly said anything, just insinuated it. If they misinterpret, it's on them." Paulina smiled brightly at that one...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I should've bought that Cabin when I had the chance, before the Iron Crowbar got to this Town, he thought to himself.

He was on the top of the ridgeline, near Promontory Point, looking down at the valley in the darkness, seeing the twinkling lights of the Town below. Looking down the length of North Avenue and the road leading west, he saw the train coming out of the western horizon just south of the road and paralleling it. He liked the view, but was dangerously exposed by being here. The Iron Crowbar had that great view from the deck of his home, and did not need to explain his presence there.

So... my lovely Sinon was arrested by the Enemy, he thought to himself. She'd known of the possibility, of the risks, and she knew that if she sat tight and fed them the prepared story, then all would be well. And she would be rescued from the clutches of the Police while they were busy cleaning up the mess he was going to make... which including the extermination of the damned Iron Crowbar.

Yes, all was in readiness, the plans were being implemented. He would not see July 4th in this Town, but he would see it among friends, good White men and women all. And while 'Operation Apple Grove' had been a disastrous setback, it would not stop their inexorable purpose.

He felt the vibration of his silenced phone. Taking it out, he read the text... and blanched, almost dropping the phone. The text had read simply 'Roland arrested'.

Oh my God, he thought to himself. They got Roland! They got him for rape, for being part of the Team that had defiled that bitch Stiles! How on the face of this earth did the Iron Crowbar figure that one out?!?!

No matter, he thought to himself, breathing deeply to bring his emotions under control. We will destroy the Iron Crowbar's reputation, then we will destroy the man. He will not be buried a hero, but as a despised criminal...

And then he noticed the phone number of the person that had sent the text, and a chill went down the length of his back. It was from a burner phone that had been bought in Rome, in Fillmore County a couple of States over, over a year before. The burner phone had been rarely used. But now the phone's owner had sent him that text... the effrontery of the man! he thought with deep fury.

And he now knew that he was "in positive danger of losing my liberty"...

Part 21 - The Traitor

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Channel Two News!" said the beautiful redheaded reporterette from in front of the Federal Building on Courthouse Square, at 7:00am, Friday, June 17th. "Channel Two News has learned that in addition to his troubles with the State, Police Commander Donald Troy is being investigated by the Department of Justice for the unauthorized release of classified data! Elements of the FBI wish to subpoena him to testify in a case involving a local reporter and a former SBI agent being in possession of classified material. Commander Troy has not responded to our repeated inquiries on this matter."

"Also, Channel Two News has learned that Police Detective Julie Newton was arrested last night on a number of charges, mostly financial- and computer-related. Newton's lawyer has asserted that this is retaliation for her giving the SBI information on Commander Troy's crimes, but Chief Sean Moynahan says that the Police have been building a case against Newton for some time, and her actions in going to the SBI were a desperate attempt to save herself. Again, Commander Troy himself could not be reached for comment."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"All right, we have a warrant to search Julie Newton's house." Cindy Ross had said to the SWAT Team and gaggle of Uniformed Officers assembling in the gym. "We are specifically looking for motorcycle-related clothing, protective wear, and of course the motorcycle itself. Okay, let's move out."

The convoy of Police vehicles moved out, burning the blue lights to get through morning traffic. At Julie Newton's house, they opened the door with the keys taken from Newton's purse, then cleared the house. It was empty.

"No motorcycle in the garage." said one officer. "Her car is in the Police Impound yard, of course."

"What's that room behind the garage?" asked Cindy.

"Tool room." said Sergeant Micah Rudistan. He opened the door and Cindy looked into it. There was a slender workbench, some tools hanging up, a box with small plastic drawers that held fuses, screws, wires, and such stuff.

Cindy said "Let's get Sergeant Seymour and Sergeant Stonewall up here. I want to know if there are any hidden traces of bombs, chemicals, other drugs, and so on." Sr. Patrolman Morton went to make the call.

Lt. Teresa Croyle came up to Cindy in the garage as Cindy studied the back wall of the room. "Ma'am, there is nothing in this house that could be related to motorcycles. No clothing or protective wear. The only reading material in the whole house are copies of 'The Economist' magazine. Some knitting material that is likely Yvonne's; she knits as a hobby. Yvonne lives in her own apartment near where I live, by the way. We're still turning up carpets and going into the attic."

"Don't destroy the house, at least not yet." Cindy said. "What we have on her is fairly thin, and we don't need a lawsuit if she beats the rap."

"No motorcycle?" Teresa said.

"Not yet." said Cindy. "By the way, take a look into that tool room, and tell me what you think."

Teresa looked into the room. "Looks like a tool room to me. Only strangeness is that the washer and dryer hookups are in a closet in the kitchen area instead of in here. Hot water heater is also in the house instead of in here."

Cindy said "The door of this back room is at the left as we're looking at the wall, and the house entrance is at the right side, not the back. But the space in the tool room does not go down the full length behind the garage. Now why is that?" She went into the house, and ascertained there could be a bit of space behind the small pantry near the door.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Sergeant Seymour, the bomb-sniffing dog, was very interested in the workbench in the tool room. However, he found no explosives anywhere. Cindy had him sniff along the wall of the tool room, the wall that theoretically should be against the house. Seymour did not alert to anything.

"Okay," Cindy said to Teresa, Sgt. Rudistan, and several Officers, "I think there's a false wall here, and a space behind it. Sergeant Seymour seems to think it's not lined with explosives, so let's see if we can find a latch.

With videocameras rolling, Cindy made a meticulous search of the room. All light switches were tested, and their purposes ascertained. She knocked on the wall; it sounded hollow. Going into the garage, she knocked on the back wall near the door of the house.

"Definitely an empty space back there." she said. Going back into the tool room, she looked hard at the wall. Down at the base, the molding looked funny, and she got the Blue Crowbar out and pried at it. A small section of molding came loose!

"It's about time you found a good use for that crowbar." said Teresa, earning her a withering look. "Looks like there's a latch behind there."

Cindy got down and shined a flashlight into the small opening. "Ah, I see it, yep, it's a latch lock like on doors." She pulled the latch back, then pushed at the panel.

Nothing happened.

"Ma'am, try pulling on it." said Sergeant Rudistan.

"Insert child prank joke here." Cindy said. She pulled at the wall, and it began moving towards her!

The panel was attached to a center pole. The left side came out while the right side went into the space beyond.

"Julie is a slender bitch, ain't she?" said Cindy. "Rudistan, I don't think you're going to make it through here."

"Er, no ma'am." said Rudistan. "But you ladies aren't fat like me." Everyone laughed. Teresa was squeezing through the space, shining her light inside.

"Yep, motorcycle!" Teresa's voice called out from the black maw. "Pink and black. Put the videocamera in here!" The videocamera was poked into the space, it's light illuminating the room.

"Okay, I see what's going on here." Teresa said. Everyone saw a small panel at the right end of the wall suddenly push out on a hinge. Then another wall began coming through; it was the wall of the garage!

Everyone rushed into the garage to see the back wall opening up. And behind it was indeed a motorcycle, as well as a pink and black motorcycle suit and protective gear, and a helmet.

"DNA tests on all the clothes and the helmet!" Cindy ordered. She looked inside, seeing a metal box tucked away in a space that probably went under the kitchen. Putting on latex gloves, she opened it, seeing bricks of a clay-plastic substance. The smell triggered her memories. It also triggered Sergeant Seymour's great interest.

"Plastique." Cindy said. "And my nose tells me it's the same stuff that blasted the Community Center, and Commander Troy's old SUV. Run tests!" Christina Cho was all over it like a cheap suit as Sergeant Seymour got his reward of playing with his favorite tennis ball.

"We've got her." said Teresa.

"Maybe." Cindy said. "Maybe. By the way, we have one more arrest to make. Let's go..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Lieutenant Curly Goodwin of Internal Affairs entered Interrogation-1 along with Captain Cindy Ross at 10:00am, Friday morning. (Suspended) Detective Julie Newton and her lawyer Forest Gillis were seated at the table, ready for verbal combat of the legalistic kind.

Cindy read Julie her rights; Julie merely nodded her acquiescence.

Cindy then said "We found the motorcycle, Julie. We found your suit, and DNA tests will show it was you wearing it. The license plate is a forgery."

Gillis said "It's not the same motorcycle that is on any Police evidence video. Having a motorcycle does not constitute a crime. If you can't show the motorcycle was driven... anywhere... then having a fake tag is not a criminal offense."

"The suit is on our evidence tapes." said Cindy. "Oh yeah, we found plastique. The FBI is checking to see if it matches the stuff that blew up the Community Center... and Commander Troy's cars over a year ago. It's illegal to even have that stuff, as well."

"We'll challenge that." said Gillis. "And as Detective Newton was a Police Officer, that allows her to possess materials that other citizens may not be allowed to have."

"That's not going to fly." said Curly Goodwin. "Even Police, even the FBI, has to go through protocols to possess that stuff, and they certainly cannot just store it at home."

"It was planted, then." said Gillis. "And we will prove who planted it." He looked at Julie, who nodded, then back at the Officers and said "My client wishes to make a statement."

Julie Newton sat up primly and said "First, I reserve the right to invoke my Fifth Amendment right to silence at any time." Cindy and Goodwin just nodded. Newton began her statement:

"I wish everyone to know, and I will testify to this, that everything I have done has been on the orders of my Master, a great man, a good White Man who understands the superiority of the White Man over the Negro. My Master is of the highest mind that you have ever come in contact with. He is the head of a great Organization, and a Consultant to some of the most powerful persons in the World, people you call the 'Elites'. You call him the 'Consultant of Crime', but he is much greater, much more brilliant, and he has been fooling and humiliating you for all this time...

Julie looked Cindy right in the eyes and said "The man you call the 'Consultant of Crime', is in reality Commander James Donald Troy of the Town & County Police Force..."

To be continued.