Angels of Christmas Ch. 01

I said "It's like the Press chanting that one of my white Police Officers arrested a black man because he's black. No, he was arrested because he punched an elderly woman in the face and took her purse, but the Press doesn't care about the truth, only their narrative."

"That's not a bad analogy." said Wellman. "And it must've been having a diminishing effect with the members of the Ethics Board, because Jan Camp started up the 'open marriage' talk. I thought everyone knew of that, but all of a sudden it's become an unforgivable sin, and an albatross around our necks."

"I don't know what to tell you, Dr. Wellman." I said. "Laura and I stood right up to the accusations, but I can't tell you to do the same. You and Sally have to make your own decisions on that..."

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

When I came out of the meeting with Dr. Wellman, Teresa said quietly to me "No joy on the two perps in the parking lot, sir. TCPD Officers stopped a group of eight students in hoodies and jeans and asked to see their IDs. One of the students said he was in Law School, and demanded to know the probable cause for asking for the IDs before any of the students showed theirs. Our guys said they were looking for two suspects that had run from Police, and the Law student said that wasn't enough cause."

"That's a crock." I said. "Who were those Officers and what did they do?"

Teresa said "Patrolman Ron McElwane was one of them, and the other was a new Rookie, whose name is Mullen Grant."

"McElwane." I said. "That figures. So what did they do?"

"Those Silver Sentinel reporters came up." said Teresa. "And right behind them was Pat Stellum of KXTC and his cameraman, who began recording. The law student said to the others 'Come on, let's go.' and they all walked away. Our guys radioed in for instructions, and by the time it got to me and I said to arrest all of them if they didn't show IDs... they were gone."

"Well..." I said in an excellent imitation of that great President, Ronald Reagan, "I did mention that there was an ambush awaiting us. I just didn't realize at that moment that there were two."

Seeing Teresa's look, I said "At the least, the other six students were there for the two car tag recorders to melt into. At worst, those six were the ones waiting to ambush us. And Carmela made sure to have a Law School student there, or he said he was, and started spouting bullshit that confused our Officers, McElwane being particularly easy to confuse, and made them not do the right thing immediately."

I continued: "And I'm sure you have not failed to notice that the Press was well-positioned to be there. Not only the Sentinel students, but Carmela's personal reach-around giver Pat Stellum, and KXTC."

"I did realize that, sir." Teresa said acerbically. "I apologize for the missed opportunity, sir."

"It's not on you." I replied. "But I do want you to check out two things. First, how did McElwane be the one right there at the right time? And more importantly, on Monday morning I want you to find out who the fuck paired any Rookie with a dirtbag like McElwane. Do I really have to personally spell it out that worthless fucks like him should not be training any Rookies at all, ever?..."

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

The reception ended soon afterwards, and very early relative to other parties of its kind. Many of the hostile Faculty had left without saying goodbye to their hostess in an insulting slap in the face to the Wellmans. And with the mood of the party remaining somber throughout the evening, the rest of us just seemed to decide to go almost as one.

We drove to The Cabin, where Molly was surprised to see us come in early. She said "I just put the kids to bed. Carole didn't even fuss about it; she said that the sooner she got to sleep, the sooner you'd be home when she woke up."

"Aw, that's sweet." Laura said. "Yes, it was a... very strange evening. A lot of Faculty didn't show up." At that moment we heard a whimper, and looked over to see two outstanding dogs at the back door, wanting to go out.

"I was about to let them out when you came in." Molly said.

Laura said "Darling, why don't I go with you to take the dogs out?"

"Sure." I said, knowing Laura wanted to talk. We went onto the back deck, and I lit up the fire pot. Laura sat with me on the metal mesh loveseat, pressing her lovely hips against mine.

"It's really bad what Carmela is doing to Sidney." Laura said.

"And to Sally, as well." I said. I recounted my conversation with Dr. Wellman, then said "Is there anything you can think of that we can do to help them?"

Laura said: "No, I don't think so. I'm not as powerful within the CIA as I once was, but I still have influence. In my three decades of service in the CIA, I developed loyalty from many CIA Officers, often by bringing them home alive from situations where others, like Brendan Chapel, would have abandoned them to die."

Laura: "So I've been able to work behind the scenes to see what we could get on Carmela. And like you and Sidney discussed, the only thing we really have is his Socialist beliefs. That will help us influence Trustees like Myrtle L. James and Harold Truelove, but some of the Faculty that supported me will not support Wellman because of that."

Laura: "And the FBI's investigation of Carmela was very real, and they went deep. But they found nothing they could use. And Melina couldn't find anything behind the scenes. There's just no there there."

"So let me circle back to this again." I said. "Why is Carmela going after Sally Wellman? The Wargrave charges not sticking?"

Laura: "I don't know about that, but I can say this: you and I could go out and publicly acknowledge our open marriage, partly because I'm the (air quotes) 'sex professor' on Campus, and that worked in my favor on that; and because you stood right up with Tasha in your arms and refused to deny her. You have no idea how far that went with people."

"I know how far it went with me and my daughter." I said. "And ultimately, with the other kids, as well."

"And with me." Laura said "I love Tasha like my own daughter, and I was proud as hell of you when you did that. But back to my point: we could stand up to the accusations. The Wellmans... can't. And Carmela is making her look like a whore that spread her legs to get Booster donations. He couldn't really say that about me."

I said "I was really surprised when Myrtle L. James and Mr. Truelove did not show up tonight. And it concerns me."

"It should." Laura said. "They like you, and they tolerate me. But the Wellmans are now a scandal in their eyes. I'm afraid Sidney has lost their support, and that'll be it for him with the Ethics Board. I also know that some Faculty have tried to negotiate a settlement whereby Sidney will step down, but Carmela flat out rejected it, and says he wants Sidney to go down in flames. I'm not sure why he's that obsessed about it; if he lets Wellman step down, then Wellman is gone."

I said "Because Wellman helped you when Carmela was gunning for you. And, let's not kid ourselves; once Wellman is gone, Carmela will come after you again. But I digress... Carmela doesn't just want to get rid of Wellman, he wants Wellman to feel pain... the pain of losing his reputation, his legacy of years of service to the University. In that, Carmela is very... Consultant-ish."

Laura turned and peered at me. I just looked back at her in the orange light of the fire pot...

Part 3 - Propaganda Machine At Work

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Channel Two News!" shouted the redheaded MILF reporterette at 7:00am, Monday, December 21st. "Legal efforts to stop the Christmas concert at University Hospital continue!"

After the hard-charging opening salvo... er, intro music, Bettina began: "After Superior Court Judge Harry R. Nance's ruling to stop the Christmas concert from taking place was egregiously overturned by Judge Patrick Folsom, Judge Nance appealed to the Appellate Court seeking injunctive relief. The Appellate Court reinstated the lawsuit by the Citizens for Secular Atheism, but also ruled that Judge Folsom could reassign the case to another judge. They also declined to issue an order that would stop the concert before it happens this Wednesday, December 23d, and the case won't be heard until mid-January at the earliest."

Bettina: "Experts agree with the Citizens For Secular Atheism that the concert should be stopped on grounds of separation of Church and State issues, even if a contract with a private group was signed. Judge Harry R. Nance said he intends to use all legal means available to stop the concert, including calling upon Law Enforcement entities to, quote, 'do their duty and obey a lawful Court order to shut down the illegal and disgusting Christian service on State grounds', close quote."

Bettina: "And it's an ugly Christmas season for University President Sidney P. Wellman, who faces ethics charges filed by several tenured professors, as well as other scandalous allegations involving trading sex for money. Many University Alumni and other Boosters have withheld year-end donations to the University, and will not make any new donations until Dr. Wellman resigns in disgrace or is removed by the University Trustees."

Bettina: "Additionally, most of the Faculty boycotted the Wellmans's Christmas reception Saturday night. Among the very few that attended were Dr. Laura Fredricson, who recently faced her own ethics charges which were never fully resolved; and her husband, white Police Commander Donald Troy, who has faced ethical and even criminal investigations in the past year, and whose Police Force is being investigated by the US DOJ Civil Rights Division for racial discrimination as well as white Police abuse of People of Color..."

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

"She likes me, she really likes me!" I quipped as Sheriff Griswold, myself, Police Chief Moynahan, Deputy Chief Muscone, Operations Commander Croyle, and Deputy Chief (Ret.) Cindy Ross drank coffee in the Chief's Conference Room.

Teresa, Tanya, and I had been in my office, and were not going to attend the klatch, but Cindy and the Sheriff came in, and the Sheriff redirected our suppositions. We obeyed his direct order and dutifully followed him and Cindy (and her unborn child) into the Chief's Conference Room.

"Must be the cheerfulness of the Holiday season warming her soul." Cindy replied. We all chuckled at that.

"Was the reception that bad?" Tanya asked.

"Yeah, I think we can put that one down as a disaster." I said. "Less than half the guests we've normally seen at Wellman receptions, and there was just no mingling of people, no cheerfulness to any of it."

"It was bad enough when we were there." said Teresa. "But when we got home, Todd was really shaken up. He'd been told Mrs. Myrtle L. James, Harold Truelove, and some of the other Trustees would be there, and only when he got there did he find out they'd canceled at the last minute without a heads-up in his direction."

"And that bodes poor-lyyyy for Dr. Wellman when it comes timmmme to decide upon his futurrrrre." drawled Chief Moynahan, astutely picking up on the implications.

Tanya asked "So why didn't they convene the Ethics Board and get it overwith?"

Sheriff Griswold replied: "A lot of it was trying to wait until Val Jared has left the Governor's Mansion and the Legislature is back in session. Some want to use Wellman as a pawn in their games."

I said "And Wellman very likely was going to survive the Ethics Board... until Carmela and Jan Camp started leaking the open marriage stuff. That is what turned Mr. Truelove against Wellman, and Mrs. Myrtle L. James is seeing the writing on the wall and has decided to cut bait and run."

"Lots of metaphors in there, Iron Crowbar." said the Green Crowbar, Cindy Ross.

"I need practice." I said. "Someone is having a baby soon, and I need to sharpen my metaphor game." Cindy chuckled, and Teresa suppressed a laugh while patting Cindy on the shoulder.

"Commanderrrrs," drawled the Chief, "do we neeeeed to be con-cerrrrrned about Judge Nance and his threats?"

Sheriff Griswold interjected "I've talked to State Patrol Colonel Hartmann and the local State Patrol commander, Captain Cortese. So has Val Jared, who told them to not obey any unlawful orders, which means anything out of Judge Nance's potty mouth. Nance won't get help from them."

"Anyone think Carmela might try to get involved in that?" Tanya asked. "My husband said Carmela had a lot to do with last year's attempt to destroy the concert, working behind the scenes." (Author's note: 'Christmas in the County'.)

The room turned silent except for the Sports broadcast on the television monitor. All eyes were on me. I just shrugged my shoulders.

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

"I have some good news." Teresa said as she, Tanya, Captain Claire Michaels and I sat in my office before the 'Angels+1' meeting. "My Aunt Clarissa is coming here for Christmas, and she's bringing my cousins Beatrice and Eugenia. They'll be here tomorrow, and I'll go pick them up at the airport."

"I hope they're not flying commercial." Tanya said. "This is the worst air travel week of the year."

"Does your aunt have a plane she can take up here?" I asked.

"No, but I do." Teresa replied. "Well, the BOW Enterprises plane. Todd had it fly a couple of clients down, so he can take it off his taxes, and they'll fly here on the return trip. As to her own plane, Bessemer Cookies did have a plane, but Aunt Clarissa sold it when her nephew-in-law, State Senator Robert Edwards, illegally used it for flying around donors and other campaign finance violations."

"If Cindy were here," Tanya said wickedly, "she'd say 'typical Republicans'."

"Typical Establishment Republicans." I replied. "And Cindy's not here, so we'll keep things politics-free, here."

"First time for everything!" Tanya said, even more wickedly. A red crowbar was waved in her general direction, making Claire chuckle.

"And speaking of that," Teresa said as she expertly used the remote to turn on the television monitor, "stand by for NEWS!"

"Hello and welcome to Fox University Sunrise!" said Catrina Pierce from the KFXU studios. "I'm Catrina Pierce and with me is Meredith Peller. Good morning, Meredith."

"Good morning, Catrina." said Meredith Peller. "Good morning, everyone. Here's what's in the news. University Trustees Myrtle L. James and Harold S. Truelove, who have been strong supporters of University President Sidney P. Wellman, have apparently withdrawn that support by calling for the University Ethics Board to meet next week rather than wait until next year."

Catrina: "The Trustees issued a joint statement citing new information regarding Dr. Wellman that has come to their attention, as well as an alarming situation of donors withholding financial gifts to the University. They did not disclose the nature of the new information, and they stopped short of demanding Dr. Wellman's resignation."

Meredith: "The new information comes on top of allegations by several tenured professors that Dr. Wellman helped the late Henry R. Wargrave funnel illegally-gotten money into the University's coffers. The professors are led by Dr. Jan Camp, who successfully sued the University after Dr. Wellman attempted to fire her after she exposed the School's favorable treatment of football players."

Catrina: "And in much happier news, the Christmas concert to benefit the University Hospital Cancer Center will go on as scheduled! Several legal hurdles by Christian-hating atheist groups were swept aside by Superior Court Judge Patrick R. Folsom and the Appellate Court, giving the Hospital's Cancer Children a chance to sing for everyone!"

Meredith: "However, Judge Harry R. Nance, whose ruling that the concert is illegal was shoved aside by Judge Folsom, has vowed to stop the concert, including using law enforcement entities to shut it down, and to arrest Teresa Croyle, who rented the grounds of the Hospital under the name of the entity 'The Guardians Group, LLC'."

Catrina: "Considering that Teresa Croyle is the Operations Commander of the Town & County Police, and is highly respected by her Officers, I'm not holding my breath waiting for that to happen. And anyone Nance sends to shut down that concert will have to get through Commander Croyle's boss, Commander Donald Troy, first."

Meredith asked cattily: "Do Commander Troy and Commander Croyle respect the Law, Catrina?"

Catrina replied strongly: "They respect the Law and the Constitution, Meredith, and have shown that many times. But I absolutely question Harry Nance's respect for the Law and the Constitution. And he was voted out of his judicial seat by an 80-20 percent margin, so I'm certainly not the only one with questions about Nance's integrity------"

Unfortunately, they went to break before the catfight really got started...

Part 4 - Union Duplicity

9:30am, Monday, December 21st. Teresa came to my office and I had her sit down.

"First," she said, "I talked to Todd. He said Myrtle James and Harold Truelove did call him and gave him a heads-up that they were going to make that joint statement about Dr. Wellman. They also asked him if he wanted to join their statement, and he declined, saying that he would be at the Ethics Board meeting whenever it happened, but wasn't calling for it to be sooner or later."

Teresa: "Todd did ask them why they wanted the meeting moved up. Myrtle James said she was concerned about the drop-off in donations. Mr. Truelove said he was more concerned about the open marriage accusations than the Wargrave allegations."

Teresa: "Todd showed that he was related to you, Don, by directly bringing up Mr. Truelove's silence on Laura and your marriage, though you both declared out loud you had an open relationship, and why Mr. Truelove was so suddenly concerned about the Wellmans. Mr. Truelove said that he was not happy about that, but at least Laura admitted it openly, and you stood by your daughter. He also said that there was a huge difference in unproven accusations against a Professor of Sexual Psychology and a long string of improprieties by the University President, who is the representative and face of the University. A bit hypocritical of him, I'd say."

I nodded, then said "Well, Mr. Truelove is a very religious Christian and a man of strong morals. Not to the Steven Ikea nutcase level, and Mr. Truelove is a nice man. And I can understand his point: Wellman has been on the edge for a long time, and when I first got to Town I thought he might be part of the problem that turned out to be Westboro. And as far as Mr. Truelove is concerned, Wellman's chickens are coming home to rrrrooost."

Teresa nodded, then asked simply "Will Wellman survive? Can he survive? I'm asking as a Hospital Board member, of course."

"Of course." I said with a slight smile. "And my answer is that Wellman is hanging on by a thread, and his fate may depend on who might replace him as University President if he goes. That's where the real war is going to be, or at least should be. Okay, what else have you got for me?"

Teresa said "I checked into that situation with McElwane and the rookie Grant. First Precinct Captain Hewitt didn't know the details, and he is sending both of them here to Headquarters for us to ask them about it."

I said "And Hewitt doesn't know? I wasn't asking about Saturday night. I was asking why this Rookie is training with McElwane?"

Teresa said "I'll take blame for that sir, and apologize. I may have worded my questions more specifically to Saturday night."

I said "Even so, Hewitt needs to get his head out of his ass and keep abreast of the tactical situation at all times. He should have answers to questions like that." After a pause, I said "Okay, we'll hear their stories. Go ahead and call the Union, and have a Rep ready for when McElwane asks for one. Because he will ask for one..."