Big in Japan Ch. 05

The room in the Criminal Justice Building in a smaller 'auditorium'-style room: the teacher's bench up front, with semi-circular rows of seats, the ones further back on raised flooring for better viewing. The entrances were in the the back of the classroom, and on each side of the teacher's bench. There was a small partition wall in front of the double-doors at the rear of the classroom, not unlike many movie theaters, cutting off the view of the classroom from the doors to the hallway.

At 1:15pm, the bell rang and the class started. "Okay, everyone," Laura said, "we're going to take up where we left off about the psychology of a desperate criminal. The first thing to know is------ whaa?"

A woman with dark red hair had come into the room from the side entrance to Laura's right. As Laura turned to see who it was, the woman held up her right arm. A powerful Smith & Wesson.357 Magnum revolver was in her hand, and was pointing at Laura's head.

As students started screaming (why do idiots scream and cause chaos so much?), the woman came up to Laura and put the gun to Laura's head, then yelled "Get out! All of you! Get out now! Go! Take your goddamn cellphones and get the fuck out!" Panicked students rushed out of the back of the room, some screaming, some almost running over others.

Once they were alone, Laura said "Jen Sakai, I presume. What is this about?"

Jen Sakai said "I need your help, and your husband's."

"By putting a gun to my head, and holding me hostage?" Laura said.

"We both know I'm not going to shoot you unless you try something stupid." Jen said. "Now those students I just let go are calling the Police now. I need you to call your husband and get him here ahead of them."

"You know who my husband is." Laura said. "What do you think he's going to do when he hears about this?"

"I think the Iron Crowbar will figure it out pretty quick, if he hasn't already." Jen said. "Now pick up that cellphone, and call your husband."

"You sure you wouldn't rather me call your cousin Teresa?" Laura said. "She's your better chance of surviving this. If you surrender to her------"

Jen said "We both know that the Iron Crowbar is the only person who can keep me from being murdered by Robin Isley and Brendan Chapel! Now pick up that goddamn cellphone and call him!"

Laura did not move to pick up the phone. "Jen, they won't let him in here. His own Police Officers will stop him from coming in. The Chief won't let him come in. Let me call Teresa------"

"STOP STALLING!" Jen yelled, fully aware of Laura's tactic. "Call your husband NOW------"

*BRING!* *BRING!* *BRING!* *BRING!*

It was not Laura's cellphone on the bench, but one that was in her purse. Jen grabbed the purse and emptied it. When the burner phone appeared, ringing, Jen grabbed it, opened it up to answer and put the phone to Laura's face.

"Hello, Commander Donald Troy." Laura said...

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

As Teresa and I sped in my Police SUV across Town, blue lights blazing, I heard on the Police radio: "Hostage situation, Criminal Justice Building, Room 102..."

I took my Police radio, hit the Break button, and after the loud noise subsided I said "Break! Break! Break! This is Commander Donald Troy. Do not enter the building! I say again, do not enter the building! Wait for me to get there before doing anything!"

They didn't listen. When we got there, the hallway was full of Campus Police and TCPD Officers, all of them armored. The TCPD SWAT Team had somehow beaten me there, and were ready to go.

"Everybody get back!" I said loudly. "What are you even doing in this building? I thought I said to stay out!'

"Sir,:" said Robert Kalsu, "the Campus Police had already been called and were already here. They called for the SWAT Team, and we got your Break order after we were already here."

"Doors to the side entrances are locked and jammed shut." said Daniel Patrick. "This door is unlocked. We ran this camera around the side of that wall, and this is what we have."

I looked at the tablet with the video, and saw that Jen Sakai was behind Laura's right shoulder, with a powerful revolver to my wife's head. The chair's seatback prevented Laura from being able to quickly turn and subdue Jen.

"Okay, that woman is a very well trained foreign operative." I said. "All of you stay back. I'm going in there and diffuse this."

"Sir, she might shoot you!" Kalsu said, a look of shock on his face. "And we know it's your wife in there, which is all the more reason you can't go in there." I saw Detective Joan Laurer, the Police Boxing Matches Champion, and she looked poised to help stop me. Anger welled up inside me, and I felt the heat on my face as it turned beet red.

"Sir," said Vice Lieutenant Rudistan, trying to get between me and door, "am i going to have to sit on you again?"

"Get out of my way." I said. When Rudistan didn't move, I yelled "I SAID GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY! YOU WILL NOT STOP ME! I AM THE POLICE COMMANDER HERE, LIEUTENANT! AND THAT IS A DIRECT ORDER!"

"Stand down, Commander!" said Chief Moynahan, coming up to us. Sheriff Griswold was a distance behind him, almost running to catch up as the Chief said "You knowwww you can't go in there."

"Goddammit, Chief!" I said loudly, then yelled to everyone "NONE OF YOU KNOW WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON HERE! I DO! NOW STAY BACK AND LET ME HANDLE THIS!"

"Let him through!" growled Sheriff Griswold loudly. Rudistan was clearly reluctant, but he moved out of my way.

I took my gun in its holster off my belt. "Croyle... Croyle? Where's Croyle?" Everyone looked around. Teresa was nowhere to be seen.

"Ah, shit." I said. I handed my gun in its holster to Sheriff Griswold. "Don't let any Federal Agents come in here." I opened the door to the classroom and went inside.

As the door loudly creaked shut, I heard a voice call out "Who's there? Get out of here!"

"It's me, Commander Troy." I said. I extended my hands beyond the wall, the red crowbar in my left hand, then poked my head around. Then I slowly came around the wall. "I'm unarmed. I left my gun outside."

"Just stay back there!" Jen Sakai yelled out as I slowly began walking down the steps toward her and Laura.

"I'm not going to yell across the room." I said, still walking slowly. "And you know I need to be up there, because my body is the only thing between yours and a whole lot of Government guns."

"Keep your hands where I can see them." Jen said. "I know you don't want your wife to get hurt."

"No, I don't." I said agreeably, coming up to the front of the bench. I set my red crowbar on it, keeping my hands where Jen Sakai could see them. "Why don't you let her go. I'll be your hostage."

"Chivalrous of you." Jen said. "But I can't do that, because Brendan Chapel's agents would love to shoot you to get to me."

"Point taken." I said. "So... let's talk about getting you out of here and into friendly hands..."

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

Everyone that could see the tablet was watching, and the other Officers were waiting to see what would happen. And then Federal Agents started pouring into the room: Special Agents Lindsey Black, David Rovers, Peter Page... and Nancy Harding. EAD Owen Lange, ASAC Karina White, Special Agent Julius Jefferson, and DEA SSA Dwight Stevens were behind them.

Lindsey Black handed Chief Moynahan a document. "That's a Federal warrant to apprehend Jen Sakai, wanted for espionage, international smuggling, and treason. We're taking over this case. Get your cops out of here, we'll handle this situation."

No one moved.

"There's nothing we can do, Chief." said EAD Owen Lange. "The warrant's valid, and we have our orders from Washington."

"And what are you going to do with Jen Sakai?" growled Sheriff Griswold.

"We're taking her into Federal custody." said Nancy Harding. "After that, it's none of you local cops's business what we do."

"Let's go, guys." said Lindsey Black, opening the door to the classroom...

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

"You did what you did to me,
now, it's history I see
Things will happen while they can
I will wait here for my man tonight
It's easy when you're big in Japan
------ Alphaville, 'Big In Japan'

The side door to Jen and Laura's left, and my right, opened. Lt. Cmdr. Teresa Croyle came through, her service weapon pointed up at Jen. But what shocked me more is who followed her into the room... it was FBI Special Agent In Charge Jack Muscone. He had his hands up, to show he had no weapon in them.

"Drop it, Jen." Teresa said. "The Feds are about to come in here, guns blazing. Lindsey Black has orders to shoot to kill you, and worry about it later. Drop it, and let me take you in."

"And who is this guy?" Jen asked. "Oh, Jack Muscone. Why are you here? You can't do anything for me."

"I can do two things." said Muscone as he walked around behind me. "I can keep you alive while you're in Federal custody. And I'm going to stand here behind the Iron Crowbar, and have his back. Those rogues might shoot him, but if they shoot me, it's Federal-on-Federal when my people shoot the rogues------"

"FEDERAL AGENTS!" yelled Lindsey Black as she and her cronies ran around the partition wall and took up positions behind desks at the back of the room. "DROP YOUR WEAPONS! YOU TOO, CROYLE!"

"Lower your weapons!" Jack Muscone called out, having turned to face the others, positioning himself right behind my back.

"DROP YOUR WEAPON, SAKAI!" Nancy Harding yelled. "I'M NOT TELLING YOU AGAIN! I WILL SHOOT YOU!"

*CLICK!*

The sound of a powerful handgun being cocked in her ear caused her to glance over. It was Karina White's gun, with Karina White behind it, ready to pull the trigger.

"Drop it, Nancy." Karina said. "That's a Special Agent In Charge you're pointing that gun at, and my boss. And you will not assassinate the Iron Crowbar today."

Harding looked over to see that EAD Owen Lange had his powerful handgun in Lindsey Black's earhole, and Julius Jefferson and Dwight Stevens had Peter Page and David Rovers well covered. Then she turned back to Karina. "You bitch." she spat.

"Takes one to know one." Karina said as she secured Harding's weapon. "This is what you get for betraying my trust."

Meanwhile, Lindsey Black was saying angrily: "We have a warrant, Mister Lange!"

"And Muscone will exercise it." replied Owen Lange. "Not you."

"I protest this." said David Rovers. "We've done nothing wrong, nothing to be held at gunpoint and our weapons taken from us."

"Yeah, go whine to Martin Nash and the OPR." Julius Jefferson said.

"It's not that wimp Nash you need to worry about." said Lindsey Black...

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

Meanwhile, Teresa came towards Jen and Laura. "Let her go, Jen." Teresa said quietly. "Let me take you in."

"Brendan Chapel will have me killed." said Jen. "Not even Dr. Fredricson can stop that."

"Ye of little faith." I said to Jen. "Your cousin there outran an explosion. She's a badass. I'm impressed with her. Brendan Chapel? He may be the DNI, but unless he can outrun a bullet, he ain't a badass. And I'm not impressed with him at all."

"Confidence. You've got that in spades." Jen Sakai said. "I'll take my chances with you." She took her gun away from Laura and flipped it, showing she was not holding the trigger. Teresa came up and pulled Laura away, shielding my wife with her own armored-covered body.

I went around and took the gun from Jen Sakai as I said "I'm keeping my body between yours and the Federal Government Guns. And I'm cuffing your hands in front of you instead of behind you, so you won't be helpless." I suited the deed to my words.

Jen turned to Teresa and said "Would you have shot me, Teresa? Your own flesh and blood? Would you have?"

"I'm glad you didn't make me find out, Jen." Teresa replied.

Part 31 - Cleanup on Aisle (00)-7

As Teresa and Joan Laurer took Jen Sakai and Laura out the side door and to Police Headquarters, Jen under arrest and Laura to be interviewed as a witness, I said to Jack Muscone. "Thanks for having my back, Jack."

"Least I could do for the Iron Crowbar." Jack said. "I knew you were right about all this. And I know you had my back when that pussy Nash tried to get you to throw me under the bus... even though you would have been right to."

"Nooo, I don't play that way." I said. "It's five o'clock somewhere... let's go get a beer."

As we headed up the aisle and into the hallway, I saw Rudistan just outside the door. "Sorry I yelled at you, Rudistan." I said, putting my arm around him as we walked to the building exit door. "But I'm too old and feeble to let you sit on me anymore."

"I was just following orders, sir." said Rudistan.

"Yezzz, he wazzz." said Chief Moynahan. "My office, Commander, as soon as you get back to Headquarterzzz..."

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

I was standing in front of the Chief's desk, at attention. The Chief was sitting behind his desk, and the Sheriff was sitting on the sofa to the side... and looking unhappy.

"Commanderrrr," the Chief said, "I understand, I get it, that you knew things no one else did, and that's why you insisted on going in there. But that's the point... you didn't tell any of us any of it, so we didn't know! And I have told my Police Force to not let you lead with your nose, so they were just doing their jobs."

"Yes sir. I know." I said. "But I didn't have time to explain. I had to get in there before Lindsey Black did. And besides, sir... what I know is classified, and I can't tell you, even if I want to."

"I have a Top Secret clearance, Mister Crowbarrr." said the Chief. "So you could've told me at least some of it-------"

"And I'll tell you that now." said a voice behind me. I whirled to see my wife Laura coming into the office, with two file folders in her hand.

"If you and the Sheriff will sign these NDAs," Laura said, "I'll fill you in on what you need to know about this case. Darling, would you excuse us?"

I may have been wide-eyed at that dismissal, but the Chief just nodded, so I turned and exited the office... and headed towards I-1.

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

Captain Tanya P. Muscone and ADA Paulina Patterson were in I-1 with Jen Sakai, who had waived her right to an attorney. Why Officer Lydia Green was the Uniformed Presence for this, I did not know.

"Look," Jen said, "I have to tell you this now, so stop asking questions about the other stuff."

"We're asking the questions here." said Tanya. "Now where------"

"You heard her, ladies." I said, coming into the room. "You're doing this wrong. Let her have her say, and then I'm sure she'll answer your questions."

"But Don-------" Paulina started, but I just opened the door to the anteroom and waved for them to go out. Tanya got the hint, and prodded Paulina to leave."

"You can wait outside, Officer Green." I said.

"Sir, regulations require I be inside-------"

"That was not a request, Officer." I said strongly. "Wait on the other side of the door." Officer Green left the room for the hallway to the jail side of Headquarters.

I got out my cellphone and texted Teresa to have Lydia Green replaced, and to not let Green be anywhere near Jen Sakai. "Okay, Jen, tell me what you can, while we have time." Jen did so, outlining how now-DNI Brendan Chapel forced her and her smuggling ring to pay 'tribute' to him, amounting to millions of dollars.

"I'm sure you have proof of this." I said. "Where is it?"

Jen looked up at the camera that had recorded everything she said. "Turn off that camera, so I can tell you." I texted Teresa in the Monitor Room to shut off the camera. The green light on the camera went off. Still, Jen covered her right hand with her left so the camera couldn't see it, and I watched closely as she tapped the fingers of her right hand under her left, in Morse Code, her index finger for dots, her bird finger for dashes...

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

4:30pm, Monday, September 21st. Teresa Croyle came into I-1 with a bottle of Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 10-year Heavily Peated Scotch Whisky, two Glen Cairn glasses, and a cigar. She poured two drams. "Cheers." she said, clinking Jen's glass, then sipping hers. Jen sipped hers, as well.

"Wow, that's smoky!" Jen said. "Great stuff."

"Here." Teresa said, holding up a cigarette lighter. She lit Jen's cigar as Jen (huffed and) puffed.

"You're not having a cigar, too?" Jen said.

"Nahhh, it's bad enough I'm drinking on duty." Teresa said. "And by the way, nothing you say to me will be admissible; after all, I'm giving you liquor, getting you drunk."

Jen barked a short laugh, then said "I appreciate you bringing me this. I'll probably never have any Scotch or a good cigar again."

Teresa said "I dunno. From what I'm hearing, if you cooperate with the CIA, you'll go into Witness Protection, and be in a safehouse somewhere. House confinement ain't much, but I can send you the occasional bottle of your favorite Scotch whisky."

"And if I don't turn, if I don't cooperate?" Jen said. "The Feds have been offering me a lot more than a good Scotch to turn back."

"So why haven't you?" Teresa said.

Jen paused to pour two more drams of the Scotch, then said "Slàinte." They clinked glasses and sipped.

"You know, I'm glad I got to meet you, Teresa." Jen said. "It was nice having a family member, a cousin that I could talk to, someone with brains as opposed to those idiots that I have for a brother and his wife, and that corrupt Republican pedophile that Clara won't do the right thing and leave and divorce."

"And your mom?" Teresa asked. Jen shook her head vigorously in disagreement.

"Nooo, not her." Jen said. "Anyway, you're not going to like me when I say this, so I wanted to get that out before I say it. To answer your question, Teresa.... I was leading the Feds on for as long as I could, to stay out of jail as long as I could, and I'm not going to turn now."

"But why not?" Teresa said.

Jen replied: "You saw my family. What did you think of them, politically?"

Teresa said "They were pretty much all on the Liberal side of things, some more than others."

Jen nodded. "Yeah, Colin and Wendy whine about 'Climate Change', but that's as much for their financial gain, and does little for the true Cause."

She then looked up at Teresa and said "Teresa, I am a committed Communist. I am devoted to the cause of bringing Communism to the entire world. Everything I have done has been with the goal of weakening the United States and Japan, so that their opposition to Communism can be eradicated."

Jen: "My brother Colin is weak, and he's a 'useful idiot' for our goals. So was your former husband Easton, who pretended to share our goals but was really in it for money. But I became a spy for Red China because they are a Communist government, and my work was to help them spread Communism to Asia and the world."

If she was shocked, Teresa did not show it. Her face had not even flickered. She said: "No, I don't agree with your philosophy, far from it. But I don't hate you for it. And you're still my blood kin. Until a few months ago, I didn't know I had any blood kin left, at all. So it is what it is."

She poured two more drams, then raised her glass and said "Soooo... to the Workers of the World."

"Slàinte." Jen replied, clinking their glasses, then downing her drink...

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

7:30pm. We gathered at the Cop Bar, and had the whole back room to ourselves since it was Monday. I bought Rudistan, Kalsu, and Patrick a pitcher of beer and the 'bottomless basket of wings', and they were consuming them in the main front room.

The Sheriff, myself, Cindy, Teresa, Todd, Tanya, Jack Muscone, Karina White, and Dwight Stevens went into the 'Command Room' for a more private conversation. Chief Moynahan was spending time with the Detectives and others in the main back room, and astute Detectives were taking advantage of getting 'face time' with their Police Chief.