Black and Blue Ch. 02

Teresa said "Well, it's solves one mystery for me. I have been trying to find out just who screwed up the duty logs and misfiled the reports so that Commander Troy would not see them. I don't think Hatch has the brains, and McCombs and Hendricks couldn't get to the paperwork. But Patrol Office Lydia Green is active with the Union, and she also could access the files. I can't prove it, but I'll bet it was her."

"But she couldn't persuade Captain Hewitt to issue McCombs a citation." I said. "I'm glancing in Sergeant Clark's direction. Of course it could be him and Lydia Green, working together, and upon the Union's instructions."

"Whoever did it," Jack Muscone said, "he or she has made my wife very angry, very angry indeed. She hated losing your undercover man."

"Who, I'm told, is being recruited by the FBI and DEA." I said.

"Who told you that lie?" Jack asked, then bit into his delicious double cheeseburger. Karina didn't even try to hide the expression on her face, of being caught with her proverbial hand and the proverbial cookie jar..

"Ms. Iron Wolf," I said with mock severity. "They think we are an Agency of the Weak-Minded. So... observe and deduce."

Teresa glanced around, and thought about it, then said "Oh, I get it. Why are this region's FBI SAC and ASAC here in our Town & County?"

"I live here now." said Jack Muscone. "And of course the double cheeseburgers are here." I just glanced over at Teresa.

"Jack wants me to think it's about recruiting Ice Cube." Teresa said. "But it's not. He's here because of the Elections. Methinks they believe something underhanded is going to happen."

"Not much gets by you, Iron Wolf." conceded Karina White. She and Teresa fist-bumped.

"To get granular," I said, "they're here to protect us from shenanigans by the rabidly racist Jocelyn Moran and Ava Hinds of the U.S. DOJ Civil Rights Division. If cheating occurs, everyone knows I'll do something about it, and Moran and Hinds will then try to accuse me of some civil rights violation. But with these high-level FBI Agents here, it will be harder for them to try any crap."

"Ooooh, he's gooood." Karina said, with a flirtatious look in my general direction.

"Nothing at all gets past him." said Muscone. "You're right, Don, though we're not really here specifically for Moran and Hinds. We do think there may be a test run to do something fraudulent here. The two Council races are the Left's targets, to see what they can get away with."

"This is the wrong County to be trying that in." Teresa said.

"I dunno." said Muscone. "They don't look at it the way we do. To them, they think they're setting up a no-win scenario for all of you, or more specifically, for Don. If nothing is done, they get away with their fraud. If the law is enforced, they attack you for it. They're still calling Daniel Allgood an 'illegitimate' Mayor after Don refused to let them steal the last election."

"And this time," added Karina White, "they have the US DOJ Civil Rights Division all over you, just looking for something to add to their ridiculous lawsuits."

"So what do you do in a situation like this?" asked Jack Muscone.

"Weak politicians would consider the optics." I said. "But in this Town & County, we will enforce the law."

Part 13 - Those Who Count The Votes...

"And it's seven o'clock here at the KXTC Decision Desk," said Amber Harris at 7:00pm, sitting at the KXTC anchor desk, "and the polls are closing!"

"That's right, Amber!" said Bettina Wurtzburg, sitting beside Amber at the newsdesk. "Let's go to our political reporter Lester Holder, for more. Lester!"

"Thank you, Amber and Bettina!" said Lester Holder. "We are here outside George Floyd Elementary School, where the line to vote extends out of the front door of the school and to the sidewalk. Sheriff's Deputies have just gotten behind the last voters in line, and are not permitting anyone else into the line, disenfranchising them of their right to vote!"

"Is anyone protesting not being allowed in line?" asked Bettina, almost happily.

"Yes, Bettina." said Holder. "And we have just gotten word that attorneys for Edgar Silas have filed a suit in Superior Court to force the polls in this district to remain open! Judge Harry Nance will be ruling within minutes!"

"Thank you Lester!" said Bettina as the camera came back to her. "And... what's that? Okay. This just in, ladies and gentlemen! Channel Two News has learned that Superior Court Judge Patrick R. Folsom ordered the Silas lawsuit to be heard in his Court and not that of Judge Harry R. Nance! Both Judge Nance and the lead attorney for Edgar Silas protested Folsom's action..."

She pretended to listen into her earpiece, then said "And Channel Two News has just learned that Judge Folsom has denied the lawsuit by Edgar Silas's attorney, saying that there have been no reported problems with the voting at Floyd Elementary, and there was no reason to allow that District's polls to remain open. He also cited State and Federal Law, which requires that either all or none of the County's polling places remain open..."

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

A 2x2 matrix of monitors had been installed in the Main Conference Room. Money from the 'R.C. Christian' grant had bought them for the Intel Room, then a newer matrix was bought for them and the old ones installed in the Main Conference Room. A sleight-of-hand move, fer sure, but it was the Deputy Chief's job to explain that one, I thought wickedly to myself.

The Sheriff, Police Chief, Sheriff's Chief of Staff Oswald, Commander Ross, and Lt. Commander Croyle were watching with me in the Main Conference Room. The KXTC feed was on the top left monitor, and KFXU next to it on the top right monitor. Teresa's nose was buried in her Police iPhone.

"According to this," Teresa said as she perused texts, "Deputies let anyone in the parking lot at 7:00pm get into the line. When the first late group of people came up demanding to be let in line, some of them wearing red shirts with the Antifa logo, the Deputies asked for their IDs. Their IDs said they weren't even from this County, and a couple of them tried to say they just moved here. When they got loud, the Deputies threatened to arrest them for attempting to vote under false pretenses."

"That surrrrrrely cannot be the only thing they're going to tryyyy." said Chief Moynahan.

"Setting up lawsuits." I said tiredly. "They'll sue for being required to have an ID and being properly registered to vote, per State Law, and some activist Federal or State Judge will say the State's Voter ID law is illegal. The Left uses the Courts to nullify good sense laws designed to keep elections free and fair."

"Okayyyyyy, I can watch this from home, holding my little girl." said Cindy. "If you'll excuse me, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Have a good night." I said with alacrity, not stopping her from leaving. The Sheriff had peered at her, and was now peering at me...

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

10:30pm, Tuesday, May 5th. "And all of the local races are called, except the Adams-Jacobs and Silas-Williams Council races." said Amber Harris. "In those races, Dr. Williams currently has a 2500 vote lead with 99% of the votes counted, and Malinda Adams has a 53-47% lead with 98% of that District's votes counted. Let's go to our colleague Tim Sioban of KSB News in the City for the interesting developments in the Statewide primaries. Tim!"

"That's right, Amber!" said Tim Sioban. "In a shocking vote in the Republican Gubernatorial primary, current Lieutenant Governor Sharon Marshall, a crony of Val Jared and supporter of his racist policies, has a 67-33% lead over State Attorney General Karl Handel! And newcomer Ruby Russell, daughter of the late U.S. Senator Samuel Russell, is beating former State Secretary of State Brian Cagle 59-41% in the Lieutenant Governor primary."

"Wow, those are huge, blowout numbers!" said Amber, stating the obvious. "The Marshall numbers are very disturbing, Tim. Do you know why they're that one-sided for Marshall and Russell?"

Tim Sioban: "Political experts are telling me that Ruby Russell may have gotten a sympathy vote from Republicans after losing their beloved U.S. Senator Samuel Russell just months ago. She also was running against the corrupt Brian Cagle, who resigned as Secretary of State rather than obey a judge's order to certify Sharon Marshall as the Republican Caucus winner in that very heated and controversial race." (Author's note: 'The Guardians of Justice', Ch. 02-03.) "Additionally, Amber, sources tell KSB News that a large number of Democrats in the City voted in the Republican primary, and voted for Ms. Russell, who they believe will be easier to defeat in the General Election."

Sioban: "And in the primary for Governor, Sharon Marshall is very popular with Grassroots Conservatives that utterly despise the Republican Establishment. These same voters that put Jared back into the Governor's Mansion, causing all of us pain and themselves embarrassment, are now ensuring a Democrat victory in the General Election by saddling Voters with a candidate that supports Jared's racist views..."

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

"And this just in to the Fox 8 Decision Desk," said Catrina Pierce at 11:25pm, "with two races too close to call, the Chairwoman of the Election Board has declared that vote counting will stop at midnight, and resume at 6:00am tomorrow morning. She is telling all employees as well as poll watchers to go home at midnight and come back in the morning..."

To be continued.