Big in Japan Ch. 01

Hull: "And after losing to Alabama in the National Title game to end last season, the Wildcats will try to put the pieces back together without Heisman Trophy Winners Jamaal Washington and Clarence Appletree. And it won't be easy as they travel to Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee to take on another SEC school with powerhouse tradition in the Volunteers of Tennessee. Sports experts are calling the Wildcats a three point underdog...."

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

"Bettina might as well just come out and say she wants agitators to go out and protest Allgood's rally." growled Sheriff Griswold as he, me, Chief Griswold, Commander Cindy Ross, Lt. Commander Teresa Croyle, Captain Tanya Muscone, and ADA Paulina Patterson drank coffee in the Chief's Conference Room. It was a Full House coffee klatch!

"Maybe the NTSB should ask Bettina what happened to your aircraft, Cindy." I said. "She seems to know more than anyone else about it." The Green Crowbar nodded vigorously in agreement.

"That had to be very frightening." Paulina said.

"Not really." said Teresa. "Once we got below 10,000 feet, and the aircraft was responding to our controls, we were okay. I'm just glad it didn't happen at a lot higher altitude, like the pro golfer Payne Stewart's aircraft."

"The pilot was very experienced and did a great job." Cindy said. "And his co-pilot, that being Teresa, did a great job, too."

"That's scary, thinking of possibly losing both of you." Tanya said. "I'm just glad you made it back safe. Do they know what happened yet?"

"The cargo door wasn't properly sealed." said Teresa. "I believe the pilot when he said it was sealed when he checked it. And there's a warning light on the instrument panel that should have come on, but didn't. I gave a sworn statement to that effect."

"What time did you guys get home last night?" I asked casually, a little too casually.

"Just after midnight." Teresa replied. "I thought we'd have to stay overnight and fly commercial, but after we gave our depositions, Eduardo Escobar brought us with him on an FBI plane."

"I got the vibe that he really wanted to get us out of there and safely back up here." Cindy added.

"I'm glad he was able to do that." I said. "But if you guys need rest, take a few hours. Or go home earrrrrly."

'Yes, ladies, please dooooo." drawled the Chief, "By the way, Mis-ter Crow-barrrr, I bee-lieeeeve Mr. Hull was taking cheap shots at your Wildcats, therrrrrre."

"I agree, Chief." I said. "And I suspect his reporting will be much less happy after next Saturday night..."

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

As we left the Chief's Conference Room, I detected out of the corner of my eye a movement at the back door to MCD. As I stepped into the hallway, I heard an audio file being played in MCD. It was the University of Tennessee's fight song 'Rocky Top', played by their band.

As Teresa and I walked into MCD, I saw that Teddy Parker, an Ole Miss graduate and big SEC fan, was playing the offending tune. "SEC rules the Wildcats, sir!" Teddy had the audacity to say loudly.

"We'll see about that." I said.

Teddy Parker continued to walk along the cliff's edge (not really) by saying: "Friendly bet, sir? If Tennessee beats the Wildcats, sir, you have to sing 'Rocky Top' for all of us."

"Now why would you want to punish everyone else's ears?" Teresa said cattily with a gleam in her eyes.

I turned and 'looked' at her, and said in true Han Solo style: "Laugh it up, fuzzball..."

The audio began playing 'Rocky Top' again, and it was more than Joanne Warner could stand. She said "Turn that disgusting thing off!"

"What, not rooting for the SEC team, Joanne?" I asked the blonde beauty and Alabama fan.

"Never Auburn, and never Tennessee!" replied Joanne with alacrity. "Nothing sucks like a Big Orange!"

"I totally agree, especially this week." I said. "Teddy, we'll see who's singing what after Saturday night, and if you're still playing that audio."

"If not, sir," said Teddy Parker, "I'll just save it for when Tennessee beats Alabama in October."

"Sir!" said Joanne, "Detective Parker has lost control of his... mental faculties. Hoover High School in Alabama would give the Crimson Tide better competition than the Tennessee Volunteers will! Put him on Desk Duty, sir, until he figures it out!"

"Naah, desk duty is reserved for Commander Croyle if she ever gets another Purple Order." I replied. "Or crashes an airplane she's flying. I'd really be mad if she did that." Everyone laughed, and then applause broke out for Teresa, led by Jerome Davis. Teresa took it in stride...

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

"Hello and welcome to Fox University Sunrise!" said Catrina Pierce at 8:00am from the KFXU studios. "I'm Catrina Pierce, and with me as always is Meredith Peller. Good morning, Meredith!"

"Good morning, Catrina." said Meredith. "Good morning, everyone. Here's what's in the news. The Labor Day holiday is approaching, which will mark the beginning of the final push for the candidates going into the General Election on November 3rd. And as they scramble to get their messages out, candidates for both local and Statewide offices will be making public speeches at public rallies on Labor Day... except one."

Catrina: "That's right, Meredith. Democrat candidate for Governor Hoyt Stenson is not scheduled to make any public appearances on Labor Day. His opponent, Sharon Marshall, was quick to pounce on that. Roll tape."

Tape rolled, showing Sharon Marshall addressing a large crowd, saying "My opponent refuses to debate me, he refuses to have live press conferences, and now he's not even going to appear in public on Labor Day! Ask yourselves: why is Hoyt Stenson hiding in his basement? Why is Hoyt Stenson scared to debate me on an open, public stage? What is Hoyt Stenson trying to hide?"

Catrina: "Hoyt Stenson did briefly appear before reporters at the State Capitol after a Democrat strategy session, but it did not go well when he was asked about the Independent State Counsel investigation of his son and himself. Roll tape."

Tape rolled, showing reporter Greg Wallace saying "Greg Wallace, for the State Fox Networks. Mr. Stenson, will you end your candidacy over the credible allegations that your son took bribes in exchange for getting access to you, and committed a felony by lying on his firearms purchase forms?"

"That's all lies!" screamed Hoyt Stenson, his face red with fury and looking like he wanted to attack the reporter. "C'mon, man! That's fake news!"

"So why is there an Independent State Counsel investigating the allegations?" yelled Keith Madden of the Town & County Examiner. Stenson didn't get a chance to answer. His campaign people physically guided him away, and two security people confronted Keith Madden. Greg Wallace and Priya Ajmani began yelling at the security people for their clear harassment and intimidation of Madden as the video cut off.

Back to Meredith live: "And two Town & County Police Officers were involved in an emergency landing at DFW Airport..."

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

"Hoyt Stenson is off the rails." said Teresa as my three Angels and I watched the broadcast in my office.

"Yeah." Cindy said quietly and unhappily. "He can't keep making those mistakes, and looking as weak as he just did."

"I'm not saying this in a political way," said Tanya, "but how can Hoyt Stenson and his Campaign believe he can win by hiding in his basement?" For some strange reason, all of my Angels were looking at me.

"They don't really have a choice," I said, "if what Sheriff Griswold believes is true, and Stenson is beginning to show signs of Alzheimers. My other answer is that they think Sharon Marshall is so unpopular that she can't possibly win. They're making the huge mistake of believing that others think and feel the same way they do, and they apparently have no idea just how strongly enthusiastic Conservatives are about Sharon Marshall."

"So Greg Wallace is with the 'State Fox Networks'?" asked Teresa. "What, is that some counter to the SNN Networks?"

"Somewhat." Cindy said. "Priya told me that with her being hired by KFXU as their political reporter, and Keith Madden officially being with the Examiner but working with KFXU a lot, Greg Wallace was getting unhappy with his diminished role. So KFXU worked with Fox Midtown and the other Fox affiliates for Wallace to be a sort of free agent, reporting for any or all of the Fox affiliates in the State. He gets more work, he gets paid, and the Fox stations benefit, as well."

"Blatantly changing the subject," said Tanya, "I want to hear more about this emergency landing. I saw the initial FAA and NTSB reports, but they don't say much yet. What happened?"

"Just what we said before in the Chief's Conference Room." replied Teresa. "A cargo door didn't properly seal shut and was damaged, leading to the plane's decompression."

"And you think it was sabotage?" Tanya asked. "But why?"

"I do." said Cindy. "Teresa and the pilot said in their sworn statements that the cargo door warning light did not come on. We also heard a 'bang' that sounded to my Police ears like an explosion, not just a sound of rending metal. Maybe a natural decompression does sound that way, and I hope to never find out from experience again, but it was strange."

"I agree." said Teresa. "I called my Aunt Clarissa yesterday, told her we were okay, then I suggested that she be very careful herself, just in case it wasn't just an accident. She said she'd be fine... in the way of having taken precautions as opposed to being heedless of any danger. As to the motive... well, this whole Japanese smuggling thing with my cousin Jen Sakai may be bigger than we thought."

"You don't think your cousin tried to kill you, do you?" Tanya asked.

"I sure hope not." Teresa said, halfway in a reverie.

"Okayyyy." I said. "Let's get to work. I need to talk to you, Commander Croyle. I'll talk to you later, Captain Muscone. And I might speak to the Green Crowbar about lunch, but otherwise I'm getting out of her way. It's Budget season."

"Yes. Yes it is." Cindy said. "And the Town Assembly is acting like the Council moved the date up to October 1st, not 31st, so they're pushing us to get our proposals in. And I'm pretty much doing the EMS budget as well as the Police Department's."

As Cindy got up to go and Tanya drove out, I heard Cindy say "Why don't you come into my office and we'll go over the figures for the Detectives?" Tanya drove into Cindy's office as Cindy closed my office door.

Now alone with Teresa, I said "Anything you want to tell me that you didn't want to say in front of Tanya?"

"Uh, no sir." Teresa said, a bit surprised. "It's not like the Feds aren't already all over this, and I can't think of any secrets we're trying to hide from them. Why? You think there's something going on?"

I nodded as I sat back in my comfortable Command Chair, grateful for the lumbar support to my back. "Well, as Cindy got a vibe about, Eduardo Escobar was already at DFW when you landed, and he was right behind the NTSB and FAA guys. Inference: he was very interested in what happened, as he knows you and Cindy well; but more, he was there because the Feds likely were doing something at DFW, and he was making sure you didn't interfere with that operation by accident, to the point he flew you back home."

Teresa said "You're right. Eduardo didn't say a lot, but when I told him why Cindy and I had gone down to Lake Charles, he said that it fit that our presence might've spooked someone, who took a shot to get rid of us (air quotes) 'just to make sure'. Eduardo said Jen Sakai is in Houston, still, and they think she's laying low until she can get out of the country."

"I'm stunned she isn't in Mexico already." I replied. "From there, it'd be a lot easier for her to get to a South American country that has good relations with Red China, and she could get a flight to China with relative ease. And from my own research... mostly asking my wife... as well as information from the Takaki clan, Jen is well trained as a spy."

"Then... why?..." Teresa started as gears began turning in her head.

"Exactly." I said. "My idea is that by sitting in Houston, she is causing the FBI to watch her, and therefore not watching something else that is going on. But Eduardo is no fool, and he's a really good FBI Agent, so he's watching that 'something else' that's going on from Dallas."

Your Iron Crowbar: "And to the point of Jen Sakai possibly trying to kill you, I'm inclined to believe against it. It would be amazingly fast for her to get wind that you were visiting her mother, then arrange for your plane to be sabotaged... a Vision plane, not a BOW plane, I'll add. And she's long known, at least since you visited Louisiana the first time, that you know or might learn family secrets... yet your Aunt Clarissa is still alive, you're still alive all this time, and so forth and so on."

Teresa said "So who sabotaged the plane? Elements of this smuggling ring that the FBI, DEA, and ATF are investigating?"

I replied "Let me answer by asking you this: who specifically was the person the saboteur trying to kill, or at least get out of the way?"

Teresa said "I'm the most logical answer."

"Yes. You." I replied. "And why?"

Teresa said 'Obviously someone was worried that I learned something or know something that the saboteur doesn't want known. But like you said, Jen has been aware of my presence for months now."

"Yes." I said. "So... whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. And what remains, in my mind anyway, is that someone saw or became aware of your arrival in Lake Charles, and was spooked... because you, and only you, represented a threat to that person."

"But... who?..." Teresa started, then leaned back in her chair in a full-blown reverie...

Part 5 - Malt Musings

Information began trickling in. I went into the Intel Branch room, which sounded like an old-style newsroom, what with the tactile clicks of keyboards. Lieutenant Mary Milton was among those busy Officers typing away as she stared at her monitor screen.

"Oh! Sorry, sir, I didn't see you come in." Mary said as she realized I was standing next to her.

"Good, that means you're busy." I said. "What are you guys working on?"

"If you'll give me five minutes, sir," Mary said, "I'll come to your office with a full report..."

Ten minutes later, Mary was in my office. I shut the Levelor blinds over my window, as the bright sunlight was hurting her eyes after being in the dark room for so long.

"We're working on several things, sir." said Mary, glancing at notes she'd quickly taken. "First, I personally have been working on the McCombs-Hatch situation, at the request of Commander Orosco of Internal Affairs. Unfortunately, there's nothing to tell. After everything with McCombs broke out, Hatch has gone virtually dormant. He hasn't talked to anyone on his phone, other than calling in to the Duty Desk for assignments. He's spent no money other than for groceries, gasoline for his car, just the basics."

Mary: "Hatch has had no inflows of money into his account other than his Police pay via direct deposit. If he's still getting paid under the table, he may be hoarding the cash. Also, we're tracking his movements, and since the McCombs admission to you happened, Hatch has gone nowhere but to the grocery store, the gas station nearest his home, and to work, currently at County Jail as a hallway monitor."

Mary: "Officer Justin Hendricks is a different story. He's been assigned to things like street-crossing duty at Sharpton Elementary, but that entails having a Patrol cruiser, and he does go on loops of the Southside before going back to 2nd Precinct Headquarters. He also stops at various convenience stores, where he buys snacks and sometimes beer. But there are no unusual inflows nor outflows into his back account."

I said "We're letting him have that Patrol cruiser under the concept of 'giving him enough rope to hang himself'. He's going to fuck up one day, and I intend to be right there to barbecue his fat ass."

"Yes sir." said Mary. "And in other news, we've wrapped up our investigation into Archie Brody. There is simply nothing there to show nor suggest he did anything but act in good faith when McCombs had him plant that device in Captain Muscone's wheelchair. If there is more, it'll be up to the Feds to find it... or plant it. Not the first time they've tried to frame someone."

"All right, all right." I said, knowing that both myself and Mary's father-in-law had been previous victims of abuse at Federal hands. "Yeah, just drop that, don't spend any more time on it. What else do you have?"

Mary said "Penny Scott, who has the security clearance, has been looking into any Town & County connections to this drug and whiskey ring, since someone possibly connected to it tried to take down Commander Ross's plane... with Commander Croyle and Commander Ross in it. So far, Penny has found nothing on it."

I said "Tell you what, let's hold off on looking into that until we have more data, like the NTSB report, and more from Eduardo Escobar of the FBI. If there is a connection, we'll hit it at the right time."

"With respect, sir," Mary said, "the NTSB report could take months, even years to complete..."

"That's normally true," I replied, "when there's a plane crash, and pieces of the plane are everywhere and all the people are dead. In this case, it was just an emergency landing, the plane is intact, the pilots and witness alive and well. They've already secured video from the Lake Charles Airport, as well..."

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

Teresa invited me and Cindy to lunch at the Cop Bar. As the Sheriff and his various Department Chiefs and Sheriff's Chief of Staff Oswald were in the 'Command Room', we sat at a table in the regular back room.

After ordering, Teresa said "I looked up the NTSB report on the plane crash that killed Weston Windham and his wife Tessa Bessemer Windham. Care to guess what the cause of that crash was?"

"Decompression of the cabin, after a cargo door wasn't secured properly?" Cindy astutely guessed.

"I'd say... explosive decompression." I said.

"As usual, nothing gets past you, sir." Teresa replied. "You're both right. Let me first give you some background. I checked into the Payne Stewart plane crash. It occurred on October 25th, 1999. The plane, which was a good bit like the Vision plane we were in, took off from Orlando, headed for Love Field in Dallas. It climbed to over 36,000 feet when radio contact was lost. And instead of turning west, it continued flying straight, which was northwest."

Teresa: "Fighter jets that were scrambled to intercept the plane and check it out reported that the windows were dark or frosted, and they could not see inside. They also reported seeing no external damage on the plane. The plane finally ran out of fuel and crashed in South Dakota at nearly Mach 1. The plane totally disintegrated, so the NTSB couldn't figure out exactly why the plane suffered decompression. One thing that came out of that crash was that the emergency instructions were changed to masking first, then figure out what went wrong, which we did on our aircraft."

Teresa: "There was another incident, involving a Boeing 737 jet belonging to Helios Airways in Europe in 2005. The plane took off from Cyprus, bound for Athens and then Prague. There had been a test of a cargo door, and the auto pressurization was not reset properly. The plane decompressed, and everyone fell unconscious. One flight attendant, named Andreas, was able to get into the cockpit and tried to save the plane, but he was unable to, and it crashed."