Break-In Ch. 04

Part 18 - Drive-By Lynching

"...district attorneys now have so much influence on grand juries that by and large they could get them to indict a ham sandwich."
--- attributed to Judge Sol Wachtler.

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Channel Two News!" shouted the redheaded MILF reporterette at 7:00am, Wednesday, June 9th, from the roof of the building at Riverside and College, with City Hall in her background. "An indictment in the Maple & Hogue double shooting case!"

After the hard-charging intro music, Bettina began: "Tom Maple and Chuck Hogue, partners in the Maple & Hogue business solutions firm, were shot to death in the home of their business associate Stanley Locklear. Let's go to trusted reporter Amber Harris for more on this breaking story. Amber!"

"That's right, Bettina!" shouted the short, athletic blonde from the parking lot of the glass-walled office building that contained the Maple & Hogue offices. "Channel Two News has learned that after obtaining financial and other records of the Maple & Hogue firm, Assistant District Attorney Savannah Fineman obtained a Grand Jury indictment of Stanley Locklear for two counts of murder in the first degree!"

Amber: "A warrant was issued for Locklear's arrest after the indictment, which was executed by Sheriff Department Deputies. They arrested Locklear at an apartment on the north side of Town and booked him on two counts of murder." The mug shot photo of Stanley Locklear filled the screen as Amber gave her report.

Amber: "Locklear owns several guns, and apparently kept them loaded and not locked up nor kept safely. He is a Life Member of the National Rifle Association, the far-right gun lobby group, and has taken several NRA combat courses. And according to the Grand Jury indictment of him, he used one of those guns not in self-defense, but to commit first degree murder."

Amber: "With the FBI as well as the Department of Homeland Security issuing warnings about vigilantism by 'ultra-White-Nationalists' that they consider to be domestic terrorists, cases such as this are being increasingly scrutinized. This could become a nationally important case on the limits of the so called 'Castle Doctrine' and the unnecessary use of guns and lethal force in self defense. Back to you, Bettina!"

"Thank you, Amber!" shouted Bettina as the feed returned to her. "That was trusted reporter Amber Harris with that important story, and Channel Two News will continue to closely follow it..."

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

The Chief's Conference Room was utterly silent as we listened to that propaganda-cast. Your Iron Crowbar was the only one drinking coffee as if nothing was amiss. Chief Moynahan, Deputy Chief Tanya Muscone, Chief Deputy Sheriff Cindy Ross, and Lt. Commander Teresa Croyle were in shock. The Sheriff was having morning coffee with the EMS leadership today, and thus was absent from our klatch. Cindy was sitting where he normally sat.

"How in the hell did Savannah Fineman obtain a warrant for that data, when the Police were denied one?" Teresa Croyle asked with considerable venom in her voice.

For some strange reason, all eyes went to me. I just looked back at all of them, then finally said "What?"

Teresa's reply surprised me. She stood up and said "Excuse me. I've got to find out what's going on." She turned towards the door.

"Wait!" I called out. When she turned back, I said "Sit back down." She did so, and all eyes were still on me. I said "Guys, just let it go. It's under control."

"With all due respect, sir," Teresa said, putting as much formality into her voice that she could muster, "no, it is not under control. The MCD Detectives have been busting their asses on this case. They went to Hogue & Maple yesterday, and it was closed and the doors locked. We could not get Harriet Hogue nor Tia Maple on the phone, just to get a list of employees to interview. But Savannah Fineman has that data, if that bitch Bettina's report can be trusted, yet you say it's 'under control'. What gives?"

"Yezzz." drawled Chief Moynahan. "I'd like to know, tooooo."

I said "Let's go to your office, Chief, and talk privately about it, then." That caused Teresa and Tanya to erupt in anger, and they let me know it. When they protested, I said "It's called 'plausible deniability', guys. You can't testify to what you don't know."

"Tell us any-wayyyy." ordered the Chief. "Right here and nowwww."

If the Sheriff had been there, he could have countermanded the Chief. But he wasn't there. "Okay." I said in resignation. "Fineman did not have a warrant to get the data. Harriet Hogue voluntarily gave it to her."

"Good!" Teresa said. "We can go get a subpoena, then. From the D.A.'s Office, if not from the company itself. Then we can have Purvis look at the data and see what's going on---"

"Again, it's handled." I said. "Let it go."

"Come on, Don!" Tanya practically shouted. "You obviously know a hell of a lot more than you're telling us!"

"And we need to knowwww." added the Chief.

I was near my breaking point. "Guys, did you not hear that propaganda report?" I shouted. "Savannah Fineman is trying to LYNCH an innocent man! She is trying to put Stanley Locklear on Death Row for defending his home! And those God-damned Media bastards are using this to destroy the right of self-defense in this country! This is George Zimmerman and Kyle Rittenhouse rolled into one case!"

"So let us help him!" Teresa fired back. "Let me get a subpoena and have Chris Purvis look at the data---" She stopped as she looked over at Cindy next to me. "Wait a minute... you've seen the data already, haven't you?"

Cindy put her hand on my forearm, then said "Yes. I've seen it. Don, you might as well tell them."

I said "And if Savannah puts them on the stand and asks 'Did you know the Police saw the data before they got a warrant?', they're going to have to tell the truth. And that will get Stanley Locklear executed for murder."

Tanya said "She can do that to you, Don, as it is."

I said "I won't ask any of you to lie on the stand. For myself, my own decision on something like that will I make." Looks of amazement were directed at me for that one.

"Yoooo are 'in for a penny, in for a pounnnnd' now, Commanderrrr." the Chief said. "So spill it all, so we can get our stories straight... and go down togetherrrr."

I exhaled, then said "Okay. First of all, Stanley's lawyer Michael Thomas McGill is going to subpoena the data from both the D.A.'s Office and Maple & Hogue, and that was my legal route to it. If We the Police subpoena the data, Miriam and Savannah will fight it, and I don't trust them to give us the real data nor all of it, anyway."

"Second," I continued, "Savannah tried to not put the data into evidence, though she is required to. Paulina put her job on the line and told Miriam that if Savannah didn't put the data into the servers, then she, Paulina, would go to the Inspector General, Judge Washington, and the SBI-OER with formal complaints. She wasn't alone; Solicitor Ted Mason went in with her to ambush Walters, and he'd love nothing more than to catch Savannah and even Miriam doing something wrong or unethical. So Miriam was forced to have the data put into the servers."

Me: "The fly in the ointment with that, and the reason I was trying to hide this from you all, is because if it comes out that We the Police know what that data is, Miriam will say Paulina gave it to us, and she'll fire Paulina for cause. So right now we can't show Purvis nor any of the Detectives the data. We have to get it legally first, via Stanley's attorney,"

"So Paulina did give you the data?" the Chief asked.

"No sir." I said. "Her part was just to force Miriam and Savannah to put it into the Evidence Servers. And guess who has control of those? I'll give you a hint: he's forgotten more about computer systems than all of us put together have ever known. I'll give you another hint: he's going to be a father again in a few short months." I was referring to Myron Milton, of course.

Cindy said "Don is right that Savannah might try to keep us from seeing the data, by attempting to claim she received it voluntarily and that she doesn't have to give it to the Defense until the discovery phase of the trial. She might also claim it was part of her presentation to the Grand Jury, and thus protected from being revealed."

"That won't fly." said Tanya.

I replied "No, it won't. But Fineman can make those arguments to delay, delay, delay, while the Media lynches Mr. Locklear in the Court of Public Opinion, the same way the National Mainstream Media tried so hard to lynch Kyle Rittenhouse. Thank God the Jury acquitted him (Rittenhouse), but I digress. But... since y'all wouldn't trust me after nine years of showing I know what I'm doing around here, this house of cards may just collapse on our heads... especially Paulina's."

The Chief said "You could have, and should have trusted us, and told us this to begin with."

"That's the very point, Chief." I replied. "It's the same 'plausible deniability' issue. The only way to counter that was to not tell you." My eyes bored into Teresa as I said "It wasn't a matter of trust... at least on my part."

Teresa lowered her eyes for a second then looked at Cindy and said "Well, the cat is out of the bag now. So was there anything the Detectives or Intel can use in that data? Once we get it legally, of course."

Cindy said "Maybe, and it may not be in Stanley's favor. Maple & Hogue were experiencing diminished income and profits over the last few months. They were not holding on to customers. That might have at least partially been because Stanley was not adept at the more modern digital and social media methods of advertising."

Cindy: "But there are some other interesting things that were going on. Tom Maple was giving himself and both of the Hogues smaller bonuses at regular intervals. Some of the amounts correspond to what Marla Locklear was paying Dr. Peter Frost after Stanley broke off counseling sessions with him. But by my calculations, if they'd continued that at the same rates, they would've drained the company dry by Christmas."

I said "So by terminating Stanley, they were saving his salary, and they'd be giving themselves that money in those so-called bonuses. Anyhoo, let's see if Michael McGill can get the data."

"Has Stanley Locklear been arrested?" Tanya asked.

"Yes." Cindy replied. "After the Grand Jury indictment, Judge Folsom issued the warrant for his arrest. Savannah called County Jail to have Sheriff's Deputies make the arrest instead of the TCPD. We had no choice but to comply. He was booked at County Jail, and his bail hearing will be this morning..."

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

Just before 8:00am, Teresa came into my office. She bowed formally, and said "Sumimasen. I should have trusted you, and not pushed it."

"Damn right, you should have trusted me." I said sourly. "Sit your ass down." Teresa did so. A moment later, Tanya drove into my office and parked on the dime on the floor. Cindy was right behind her, and sat down in the near-side chair.

"Let's watch some TV." I said as I expertly used the remote to turn on the monitor.

"Hello and welcome!" said Catrina Pierce as the KXFU morning show came on. "I'm Catrina Pierce, and with me is Priya Ajmani. Good morning, Priya."

"Good morning, Catrina." Priya said. "Good morning, everyone. Here's what's in the news. Stanley Locklear was arrested yesterday after a Grand Jury indicted him for two counts of first degree murder in the incident over the weekend where he shot his business partners Tom Maple and Chuck Hogue."

Catrina: "ADA Savannah Fineman went to the Grand Jury before the Town & County Police had finished their investigation of the shooting incident. In comments exclusively to Fox Eight News, Police Commander Donald Troy said that the Police investigation of the incident had barely started, that Mr. Locklear's actions might well have been in self-defense, and that ADA Fineman's actions were premature and poorly thought out."

Priya: "ADA Fineman told reporters that she had gone to the Grand Jury after obtaining information from Tom Maple and Chuck Hogue's business, where Mr. Locklear also worked. Ms. Fineman also stated that the Police were refusing to assist her in the investigation at all; therefore, she had no choice but to go to the Grand Jury immediately."

Catrina: "Mr. Locklear's attorney, Michael Thomas McGill of The Madison & Ives Law Firm, is filing a subpoena to obtain that data. The Town & County Police are re-filing for a warrant to obtain the data for themselves. Their first warrant request was denied by Magistrate Judge Hannah Doss, but now that the company voluntarily released it, the TCPD says they now have probable cause to obtain the data."

Priya: "And in a statement exclusively to Fox Eight News, Town & County Solicitor Ted Mason said that ADA Savannah Fineman did not put the data into evidence servers until he made a formal complaint to D.A. Miriam Walters. Ms. Walters had not responded to repeated requests by Fox Eight News for comment on the matter..."

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

"Yeah, we should've known." Tanya said. "You were laying the groundwork with KFXU as well as with Locklear's attorney."

"And if all of you keep your big mouths shut," I replied, "maybe we'll be okay yet. But Stanley Locklear is walking on quicksand now, and there's very little we can do for him unless we find the proverbial 'smoking gun' on someone else, pun not intended. Okay, let's handle our own business. How are the Detectives doing?"

"Much better." Teresa said. "I met with the Lieutenants yesterday, and told them they could tell their Detectives that we were going back to the old partnerships. I also told them that Captain Michaels and I were swapping roles for a little while, and that you were out of the loop and working on special projects."

Teresa: "Rudistan said Rudistan things, and said he was unhappy with that... because he knows he can't whip me in the Police Boxing Matches but thought he could take on Captain Michaels. I agreed with him that you, Don, were the only person that could beat me, and then reminded him that Captain Michaels is the only person that has ever beaten you."

Then she leaned forward and looked across Tanya at Cindy, and said "Isn't that right, Chief Deputy Ross?"

A green crowbar was waved in her general direction as Cindy replied "We can always go to the gym and change that, at least between me and you."

Tanya and I were laughing. I said "Please don't; the Chief is mad enough at me already. So you were saying about your meeting with the Lieutenants?"

Teresa said "Yes sir. We put our badges on the table and had a very frank and open exchange of philosophical and practical ideas. I told them that Claire's ideas of more senior Detectives helping younger ones was the idea behind the partner swaps, and was a good idea but had unintended consequences. And that's when Mary Milton's pregnancy hormones must've kicked in and raged, because she pretty much went off like a bottle rocket."

Teresa: "Mary said the Detectives do a good job of sharing knowledge and experiences, and they all learn a tremendous amount from you, Don, and from the Sheriff. And from the Chief, too, though he doesn't show up at crime scenes as much. She said Captain Michaels has rarely taught anyone very much that they don't already know, and that she shows up at crime scenes mostly to be seen by her bosses."

I said "Points taken, but Claire actually is pretty good at crime scenes as well as interviews, and she did very well in Los Angeles on those aspects."

Teresa said "Yes sir, and I'm not just kissing ass when I say I agree with you and that Claire is good. I remember her work from the time she was with us before leaving for LA. So Mary may have been taking cheap shots. But what she said next were the bombshells. She said that Claire has become increasingly authoritarian in her leadership style, that she doesn't listen to any of her Lieutenants, and she just plows forward with bad ideas despite being shown why they're bad."

Teresa: "And Mary said Claire has become increasingly hostile to Jerome Davis, and Mary (air quotes) 'wondered out loud' if racism is behind Claire's motives. Jerome himself stopped Mary, and said he did not think racism was the problem. He has noted Claire's hostility towards him, but thinks it's more about replacing him with her own choice for MCD leader, and he thinks Joanne Warner is who Claire wants in his place."

I said "He's right, especially about Claire wanting Joanne in the MCD leader slot. And it might not be quite as much Joanne personally as Claire wanting (air quotes) 'her own person' in the slot, as opposed to what she inherited when she came in."

Cindy said "She knew what she was getting when she accepted the job. She can't just waltz in and change something like that on a whim."

I said "And she's not going to. But I do have some more changes in mind. I'll let you guys know all about it after I get the Chief and Sheriff drunk, and convince them to go along while they're under the influence." Everyone laughed at that, then I said "Okay, Teresa, how did the Precinct leadership meetings go?"

"Pretty well." Teresa said. "I went with Claire to the meeting, and explained to the Precinct Captains, Lieutenant DeLong, and Senior Sergeant McGhillie that she was essentially cross-training and filling my role, and I was going to play Acting Commander while you were working on a special project. Everyone seemed to accept that."

Teresa: "Having said that, I noticed that she and Captain Hewitt were a little bit... stiff, and formal with each other. I did not need the Power of the Vibe to see that there was definitely some discomfort, there."

"Wasn't Claire dating Hugh when she moved to LA?" Tanya asked, remembering.

"Yes." Teresa said. "Anyhoo, she told them that she considered her role to be one of learning how they do things in their Precincts, and was counting on them to run their shows as they always have. What Don and I know that no one else does, though, is that she'll be making some spot recommendations whenever her mini-tour with them is up."

Part 19 - Frosty Relationships

11:00am, Wednesday, June 9th. My assistant Helena buzzed me and said that Commander Croyle wanted to speak to me. I told her to let Teresa come on in. As the door opened and Teresa came in, I was closing a file folder and minimizing the browser page on my computer monitor, which the Iron Wolf did not fail to observe.

After sitting down at my bidding, she said "Judge Doss issued the warrant for Maple & Hogue's records... all of them, of any type, electronic and paper. She was more than a little pissed off that Harriet Hogue voluntarily gave the D.A.'s Office some data after refusing to give it to the Police. She was damn near to throwing Harriet in jail for contempt."

"Good." I said. "Is Maple & Hogue open today? Can we talk to employees?"

Teresa said "No, it's not open. Chuck Hogue's funeral is at 2:00pm this afternoon, and Tom Maple's is tomorrow at 2:00pm. They won't re-open until next Monday... if they re-open at all."

"How conveeeeeenient." I said, then fell into a reverie. When I looked up, Teresa was sitting in her chair, patiently waiting for me. I said "Your apology this morning is accepted. But trust me next time."

"Yes sir, and I apologize again." Teresa said. "So where do we go from here? Visit the employees at their homes?"

I said "Well, we're not going to be like Pat Stellum of KXTC and interview them at the funerals. Let's have the MCD and Intel people go interview them tomorrow morning at their homes, once we get a list of them."