Break-In Ch. 04

Teresa made a note on her notepad. I was halfway in a reverie again, and she brought me out of it by asking "What's on your mind, sir?"

"Ahhhh, fuck it." I said, then looked at her and said "Marla Locklear. I'm not necessarily saying she set it up so that Stanley would kill Tom and Chuck, and I'm just trying to find the truth... and save Stanley Locklear if he's innocent, which I think he is. With that in mind, I think we need to dig deeper and see if there is anything actionable on her we can use to lean on her and get her to start talking."

Teresa said "What can we charge her with?"

I said "Lying to Police, for openers... if we can show it. She said she had not had sex with Tom Maple before the roleplay the other night, but from what Laura observed on the sex tape, that was a lie. But it's not proof, either. Maybe Tia Maple knows something and will admit it to us, or we can pressure Marla on it."

Me: "And Marla said she unloaded her husband's gun, but could not tell me what she did with the cartridges when I asked. She said she threw them away, but we can show we never found them. And that might be the biggie that leads to her arrest."

Me: "But there's more. Marla said her marriage was 'stale', but didn't mention the marriage counseling, much less that she continued sessions with Dr. Frost after Stanley broke off his involvement. She's also saying Stanley had discussed wife-watching fantasies with her, but Stanley denies it. For all of that, we really could use Dr. Peter Frost's statement. But the problem there is that he has the right to clam up and refuse to talk about them under the 'doctor-patient' or 'psychologist-client' shield. Sooo... who would you send to talk to him?"

Teresa said "Joanne Warner for sure. And I'd have her wear a skirt that shows off her legs... oh, you can't tell her that, but I can."

I whimpered a chuckle. "True. So you think what I think about Dr. Frost?"

"He's a cad, to use some Canadian terminology, there." Teresa replied. "Laura helped me look him up. He had three complaints filed against him that were subsequently withdrawn. Two of the complaints stated that Dr. Frost gave couples advice to open their marriages, and the third complaint was by the husband of a woman he was counseling, and said that he had advised her to have an extramarital affair. They were all (air quotes) 'voluntarily withdrawn', presumably after some kind of settlement between the involved parties."

I said "And here we have Marla's bad idea of doing a roleplay rape scene. Wonder who gave her the very bad advice to do that?" Teresa nodded vigorously in agreement.

I said "All right, then. Make it so, Number One. And have Joan Laurer go with Joanne. Not that he would, but if Peter Frost were to think he can bully Joanne around, physically or otherwise, the 2x Police Boxing Matches Champion will break his ass in two before he could turn around twice."

Teresa said "Joanne isn't one to be fucked with, either. But I'll send Joan with her. She's beautiful, too, and it'll be good cross-training if nothing else."

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

Neither Gal Gadot nor Lynda Carter had anything on Joan Laurer when it came to 'Amazon' magnificent good looks. The 'statuesque' brunette was much taller than her blonde counterpart, Joanne Cummings Warner, but they had similar hourglass bodies and shapely legs. And both women had put up their hair; Joanne in a bun, Joan in a bun and ponytail. And Teresa had not said anything to them, but they were both wearing skirts and high heel pumps.

They were shown into the office of Dr. Peter Frost by his assistant, and both Policewomen noticed the disdainful and jealous looks she gave them. Dr. Peter Frost stood up behind his desk, but did not come out from behind it to greet them.

Peter Frost was relatively tall at 6'0", and slender-'ish'. His full head of black hair was wavy and styled not-quite-perfectly. His face tapered to a narrow chin, and his dark eyes were penetrating, and just a bit sinister.

"Thank you so much for seeing us today, Dr. Frost." Joanne Warner said brightly as Frost indicated for them to sit down in the chairs in front of his desk. He then sat down himself, not offering them water nor anything else.

Behind his desk was a bookcase with little pot lights at ceiling height turned towards the subjects in the chairs. The windows on either side of the desk allowed in light, which also put Frost at advantage, and those sitting in the chairs at disadvantage. But Joan Laurer still noticed that his eyes had wandered over their bodies and their legs, particularly Joanne's.

"I only have a few minutes." Dr. Frost said. "How can I help you?"

Joanne said "We're investigating the shooting incident involving Stanley Locklear. We understand he and his wife came to you for marriage counseling?"

"Er, yes." said Dr. Frost. "And I'm sure you know that our sessions are privileged, and I can't discuss any aspect of them at all."

"We understand that." Joanne said almost happily. "And we're not asking about those sessions themselves. We're just hoping you can answer some clarifying questions that don't violate the doctor-client relationship, such as your evaluation of the Locklears themselves."

"Er, no, I can't do that." said Dr. Frost. "My only time seeing them was during the sessions, so anything about them is in the context of those sessions."

"We understand that." Joan Laurer said, her voice quieter, lower, and more 'business-like' than Joan's 'optimistic' voice. "But Mr. Locklear has given his consent for you to release to us the records of the counseling sessions. And you should be aware that Mr. Locklear is going to subpoena you as well as your records of their sessions with you, and there is precedent that you'll be forced to testify."

She extended a document over the desk to Dr. Frost, which was Stanley Locklear's written permission to release the records. Frost made no move to take it, letting it sit on the desk. He said "Did Mrs. Locklear also give her consent? If not, I won't give you a thing, even with a subpoena."

Joanne kept her voice unperturbed as she said "Doctor, didn't you have sessions with Mr. Locklear alone? Our lawyers have said that with his written consent, you could discuss those."

"No, I cannot." said Dr. Frost. "Well, let me rephrase, so your boss Commander Troy doesn't start any crap accusing me of lying to the Police. I will have to consult with my attorney before answering your questions involving his sessions, and unless and until he advises me that I must talk to you, I refuse to do so under the doctor-patient doctrine." Joanne looked 'disappointed'. Joan stared right into Frost's dark eyes.

"Dr. Frost," Laurer said with some authority in her voice, "have you had sex with Marla Locklear?"

"What?" Dr. Frost exclaimed.

Joan said: "Have you had sex with Marla Locklear? Oral sex? Intercourse? Any kind of sex with her?"

Dr. Frost stood up, and Joan stood up right with him, as if anticipating he'd physically attack her. He said "As I said a moment ago, the only times I ever saw either of them was during counseling sessions. Therefore, I will not answer that insulting question, nor any more questions."

He pressed the buzzer button on his desk, and his assistant appeared as the office door opened. "I'm very busy, so please leave. Now."

"Thank you for your time." Joanne said politely. Joan continued to stare daggers at Frost, whose countenance had turned from anger to sneering arrogance as she turned and followed Joanne out the door.

Once they were in Joan's car and on the road, Joanne said "Don't take this the wrong way, but if I'd asked that confrontational question, Commander Troy would chew me out for it."

"No ma'am, he wouldn't." Joan said. "First of all, Commander Troy told me to ask him that if he started invoking the doctor-client privilege. And second, if I may be so forward to say this, it's not asking the confrontational questions, but when you ask them that's the issue. Lisa Monroe has been working with me on interrogations; she was really good at them with the City Police. You should talk to her."

Joanne said "So what did you think of that very brief encounter with Dr. Frost?"

Joan said "I think Commander Troy was right, yet again. He said it was possible that Marla continued the counseling sessions with Frost after Stanley stopped going because it was Marla's opportunity to have sex with Frost without getting caught."

Joanne said "Damned expensive sex, if you ask me, what with the counseling rates he charges."

Joan said "Unless he's getting that money back to her some way... essentially laundering it for her. That's what Christopher Purvis is looking into..."

Part 20 - Trust and Fidelity

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Channel Two News!" shouted the redhead MILF reporterette at 7:00am, Friday, June 11th, from the rooftop of the building at Riverside and College, with City Hall as her background. "The murder case against Stanley Locklear is upgraded to a capital case!"

After the hard-charging intro music, Bettina began: "After a preliminary hearing and arraignment of Stanley Locklear, who is charged with murdering his business partners Tom Maple and Chuck Hogue, he was bound over for trial. Let's go to trusted reporter Amber Harris for more. Amber!"

"That's right, Bettina!" shouted the short, athletic blonde, who was reporting from the copse of trees behind the Courthouse complex, with that complex in her background. "Assistant District Attorney Savannah Fineman announced that she would try Locklear as a Death Penalty case, due to aggravating circumstances. Roll tape."

Tape rolled, showing Savannah Fineman in her office within City Hall, saying "It's a multiple homicide, as the suspect shot two men. Neither was holding a weapon at the time, and we will contend that the suspect did not need to shoot the victims in order to subdue them."

Fineman: "Furthermore, I will show that the suspect could have and should have retreated and fled the scene and called for help, and therefore did not need to use lethal force."

Amber (on tape): "What about the 'Castle Doctrine' that is the law of this State, which some call a 'stand your ground' law?"

Fineman: "I believe that that law is illegal, unConstitutional, and this case will be a test of that. The suspect should have retreated to safety, rather then go for a gun in what I will show was an unholy zeal to commit vigilante violence."

Back to Amber live: "Judge Patrick R. Folsom ordered Locklear held without bail, but did grant him a speedy trial, to begin in August or September. Locklear is being defended by Michael Thomas McGill of the Madison & Ives Law firm... again, that's Michael Thomas McGill of the Madison & Ives Law Firm... who is an NRA-approved lawyer. Locklear is a Life Member of the NRA, an organization that often advocates the extreme, radical positions of opposition to any reasonable gun control measures. Back to you, Bettina!"

"Thank you, Amber!" Bettina said as the feed returned to her brightly smiling face. "And in other legal news, District Attorney Miriam Walters has asked the Court to expedite her lawsuit against Commander Donald Troy over his making unilateral plea deals without the advice nor consent of the District Attorney's Office."

Bettina: "D.A. Walters is accusing Judge Franklin Washington, to whom the case was assigned, of 'slow-walking' the case. Ms. Walters has also demanded Judge Washington recuse himself, as his brother is a TCPD Officer under Commander Troy..."

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

"Wow. Savannah Fineman's true colors have come out." said Deputy Chief Tanya P. Muscone as she, Sheriff Griswold, me, Chief Moynahan, Lt. Commander Teresa Croyle, and Chief Deputy Sheriff Cindy Ross drank coffee and watched the propaganda-cast in the Chief's Conference Room.

"And Miriam Walters is letting Fineman do it." growled Sheriff Griswold. "She's showing her true colors, also."

Chief Moynahan said "I didn't think Miriam was that far Left."

"Neither did I." I said. "And this is going to become a white-hot political issue that could really hurt Walters in her next election. I'm surprised she's letting Fineman do it, especially when this case has so much reasonable doubt, and We the Police have not concluded our investigation yet."

Cindy sighed, which got all our attention. Seeing that, she said "I'll just say this straight out, then: if you guys weren't at war with Miriam, maybe she wouldn't be letting Savannah go forward with the prosecution---"

"Are you blaming us for this?" I said menacingly.

"No." Cindy said, her ice blue eyes boring into my gray peepers... mostly to avoid the Sheriff's peering glare at her. "What I'm saying is that things are so bad between y'all and her that she won't listen to you, even if you're giving her good advice. If you weren't at war with her, we wouldn't be in this situation."

I replied "Walters is free to support or stop Fineman without us saying a word to her. Her decisions are on her, not me, and she will bear the consequences of her decisions... and Fineman's actions."

"I agree with Crowbar." growled the Sheriff. "If Miriam is doing this out of spite for us, then that's totally on her. But I'll tell you all this: I don't think Miriam is doing this out of spite nor for a vendetta. I think she's calculated that this is a good move for her politically. I'm shocked she's this much an anti-gun-rights person; like Sean said, she's never shown herself to be far Left. But for whatever reason, she's doing it."

For a long moment, nothing was said, then Tanya said: "By the way, Don, why are you looking into the Louella Hopper murder again?"(Author's note: 'Casting Aspersions', especially Ch. 03.)

My eyes cut over to look at her across the table. "How did you know that?" I asked, my voice steady but showing anger.

"Uh, Jack told me." Tanya said. "You accessed the FBI's files on her, and Ashton Cardigan's team is still monitoring her case."

"That was... almost two years ago." Cindy said. "Why are they still monitoring that case?"

"It was never fully solved." Tanya replied. "They're monitoring it ostensibly because of the poisons used to kill her. Anyway, they told Jack, and he asked me about it."

My stare at Tanya let her know her explanation was insufficient. "And you had to bring it up to me in front of everyone here?" I asked darkly. I could feel more than see everyone peering at me, especially Teresa.

Tanya was openly shocked. "My God, Don." she said. "These are our closest associates and friends, even family. If I can't bring it up here and now, then where and when?"

"How about privately, without everyone else in the room." I fired back.

"What's the big deal?" Tanya asked. "What's the big fucking secret?"

Seeing the look on my face, Teresa turned to Tanya and said "Let it go."

"No, I won't let it go." Cindy shot back, staring at me. "Tanya's right. Just what is it that you feel you can keep from us here in this room?"

"Drop it." the Sheriff said.

"With all due respect, Sheriff," Cindy said angrily, "I want to know why this guy won't trust us with this. What is he trying to hide---"

"DROP IT! That's an order!" yelled the Sheriff, shocking them all into silence. His mustaches quivering angrily, the Sheriff growled " And do not speak of this again with the Iron Crowbar unless and until he brings it up to you first!"

"No, Sheriff, I can't accept that." Cindy said fearlessly, rising out of her chair to her feet. "I'm not a gun rights advocate like some of you, but even I can see that what Savannah is doing to Mr. Locklear is wrong. But it's happening because the situation with Miriam has become so toxic that you can't even talk reason with her anymore. And furthermore to this subject, Sheriff, I'm tired of Don not trusting us---"

"Why don't you trust him, then?" yelled Teresa at Cindy, rising out her chair as well. Cindy looked at her in total shock, which quickly turned to furious anger.

"Watch yourself, Lieutenant Commander!" the Green Crowbar snarled. "That's insubordination."

"Right back atcha, Deputy." growled the Sheriff, though a bit less angrily.

"Mis-ter Crowbarrrr. My office." said the Chief. "Sheriff, would you like to join ussss?"

"Don't mind if I do." the Sheriff replied. "Ladies, the gym is that way. Wear helmets, and get Rudistan to referee..."

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

In the Chief's office, I handed the Chief one file folder filled with papers, and the Sheriff the other folder, then sat down in the chair in front of the desk, to the Sheriff's right. As they perused the data, their faces registered increasing shock. Then the Sheriff nodded his head as understanding came to him.

"I see now why you didn't want to talk about it in front of the rest of us." Griswold growled. "It was Teresa you didn't want to hear about this."

With surprise and disbelief in his voice, the Chief asked "You don't trust her, Mister Crowbarrrr?"

"Quite the opposite, Chief." I said. "But she's a relatively recent convert to Catholicism, and it's done a lot of good for her. When she sees that, it's going to shock her right to her core. So I was hoping to spare her the pain for as long as possible."

"Always thinking of your people." said Griswold. "But I think you're going to find that she is stronger than you think."

"And yes... this is baaaaaad." said Chief Moynahan. "Cardinal O'Leery is one of the most pre-eminent Cardinals in all the Catholic Church, and a leading candidate to become the next Pope. I can understannnnd why you are pursuing this, Don... but you better have your ducks in a row on this like no other case you've ever had beforrrrre." I nodded vigorously in agreement.

"How are you going to pursue this, Crowbar?" the Sheriff asked. "I'd imagine a lot of it is past the Statute of Limitations."

I replied "I'm hoping that the solution will become easier once I have the answer. I'm hoping we can find cases of 'continuing mischief' that will permit us to bypass the Statute of Limitations. But right now I am having trouble finding the time to work on it, and I absolutely don't trust the Feds. Soooo... I'm going to have to do something I don't like---"

*CHIME!*

It was a text on my Police iPhone. "Tia Maple is here, with her lawyer." I said. "She says she wants to talk to me... personally."

"Make it sooooo, Number One." the Chief replied...

Part 21 - Widows And Wives

Mrs. Tom Maple was wearing an appropriate and tasteful black dress, sheer black stockings, and black high heel pumps, all of which nicely accented her red hair and shapely body as she sat in Interrogation-B. Next to her was her attorney, Mr. Fowler of Succup & Payne, P.C. Officer Lisa Burrell was the Uniformed Presence.

I entered I-B with Detective Sergeant Julia Rodriguez. Sr. Detective Teddy Parker was in the anteroom, and Lt. Davis and the other MCD Detectives were watching in the sealed-off MCD room. I noticed Tia's eyes wander over me with 'approval' as I approached the table and sat down.

"Hello, Mrs. Maple, Mr. Fowler." I said once we were seated. "As you know, I'm Commander Troy, and this is Detective Rodriguez. You wanted to speak with me?"

"Yes." said Fowler. "Mrs. Maple would like to make a statement to you and answer your questions that will follow. But first, she wants an Immunity agreement that will shield her in the event anything she says contradicts statements she made or may have made in earlier Police interviews."

"I think we can do that." I said, producing a document that I'd anticipated I'd need. "First, though, I'm going to read your client her rights. This is in the event she violates the agreement in the future." I read Tia her rights from the card, and Tia said she understood the rights.