Cancel All Our Vows Ch. 01

This story is part of an ongoing series. The chronological order of my stories is listed in WifeWatchman's biography.

Feedback and constructive criticism is very much appreciated, and I encourage feedback for ideas.

This story contains graphic scenes, language and actions that might be extremely offensive to some people. These scenes, words and actions are used only for the literary purposes of this story. The author does not condone murder, racism, racial language, violence, rape or violence against women, and any depictions of any of these in this story should not be construed as acceptance of the above.

There may or may not be discussion of political issues in my stories. If you are a Snowflake that feels you need to be protected from any mention of politics, then click the Back button now, and never attempt to read any of my stories ever again. You've been warned.

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Part 1 - Prologue

"Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger."
--- Psalm 8:2 (KJV), quoted by Jesus Christ in the Gospel according to St. Matthew 21:16

9:00am, Monday, April 25th. Dr. Laura Fredricson and her research assistant Callie Carrington came into her office in the Psychology Building on the University campus. She would be teaching her undergrad class in an hour, her last class, and she would be reviewing her prep for it as well as giving Callie some instructions for the day.

The office felt barren as she entered it. Only the two sofas remained, and a standard-issue desk like the ones Professor Lionel Carmela, Professor Stephanie Steele, and most others were saddled with; the big oak desk she'd used for years was hers, and she'd had it taken out and put in storage.

Her clinic and lab were also empty. Almost all of the equipment had been bought with research grant money from the taxpayers of the Nation, via CIA grants, and she'd had all of it moved to storage at the Hospital.

Maybe it was the physical emptiness of the room that was contributing to the melancholy Laura was feeling. Or maybe the physical tiredness: they'd arrived home from the ceremonies and events in Teresa Croyle's childhood hometown after midnight local time. After getting home to The Cabin, she and her husband Don had followed their rule of not going to bed angry, and they had hashed out, or tried to hash out, their differences of opinion regarding their eight-year-old daughter Carole: what constituted acceptable and unacceptable behavior by Carole, whether or not the same standards were being equally applied to both their children, and what was to be done going forward.

Little was resolved. Her husband had surprised her by being dug in on positions that did not agree with hers. Laura went to bed angry.

Now, she was trying to put things into their compartments of the mind as she attempted o concentrate on the lesson plan. But coming into the empty office had forced to consider another pressing item.

"Okay," she said to Callie, "I really need to find an office to work out of. I've been using my office in the Hospital, but it's small, uncomfortable, and the computer lines, not to mention the entire Hospital ethernet, are as porous as a cellphone or tablet with TikTok on it. We also need to find classroom space in existing buildings."

Callie asked "Are we going to be able to build on the tracts of land behind the Mountain Nest? And can we rent space from the University in the interim?"

Laura said "Judge Folsom is trying to get us to arbitrate rather than go to a fullbore trial, but I'm about to pull the plug on that and demand the lawsuit go forward. And we'll win when it does."

"Negotiations not working out?" Callie asked. "At all?"

"It could be simple and easy." Laura said. "But (University President) Jerry Moore is playing dirty on the negotiations. At first his lawyers will say something we're amenable with, things will seem to be going forward, and then the bastard moves the goalposts and demands something completely different."

Laura: "And his demands in exchange for the strip of land to build a roadway from the Hospital to the land above, or even just for an easement and a right-of-way, are outrageous. He was demanding I move out of the Mountain Nest and let the University buy me out, but I nixed that on the pure principle of our arguments over it."

Laura: "Then he began harping that the market rate to buy the land under the law creating the State Medical College is not enough, even though we've got realtors and bank actuaries submitting affidavits and 'friend of the Court' briefings that the rates are very fair."

Laura: "Now he's making other demands, like trying to force at least part of the Medical School curriculum to be taught by the University under their rules... including requiring a class on Climate Change. Of course I told him to go straight to Hell on that one, because the whole reason we created a new, separate Medical School was to get away from his obsession with forcing his fraudulent Climate Agenda on us."

Callie said: "When we were on the plane coming home from Teresa's hometown, someone told me that he was trying to force the same thing on the Army and Air Force ROTC cadets, and that General Alexander McFarland personally called and told Dr. Moore to pound sand on that."

"Yes. Yes he did." Laura said.

Callie said "By the way, this property discussion reminds me... are you planning to have a President's Home and Office, like the ones the University President has?"

"The University's President's Home and Office are separate." Laura said. "I was thinking of an official Office up on the mountainside near the classroom buildings, kind of to the side with a view of the Town over the top of the Hospital Building. I hadn't thought much of an official Residence; I'm not planning to move out of the Mountain Nest. But I guess I should think of my successors, neh?"

"And now is the time to do it." Callie astutely replied. "While the money spicket is on and flowing."

"True, very true." Laura said. "Okay, I'm going to go teach my class. What's next on your list?"

Callie said "I'm going to call Edward Steele about ideas for what we can build where. He's a developer, but he's also a trained architect. He agreed to look at the Hospital property with me. Even though the front lawn of the Hospital is large enough to build a whole new Hospital of the same size on, nobody wants to destroy that lawn by putting buildings on it. So we'll see what we can do---"

*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*

"Come in!" Laura called out. The door opened to reveal a young man with a huge bouquet of roses and carnations.

"Delivery for Dr. Laura Fredricson from Beverly's Flower Shop." the man-boy said.

"Oh, thank you." Laura said. "Let me get you a tip from my purse."

"Thanks, ma'am, but it's handled." the young man said. He excused himself and left the office.

"Oh, those are beautiful!" Callie said. "From Don?"

"Yes." Laura said, reading the card, which simply said 'I love you. Don.'. She smelled the roses then said "Whenever we have an argument, he always sends me flowers... even when he is right."

"Awww." Callie said with her beautiful smile. "Young love. I would say the wife is always right, but we are talking about the Iron Crowbar, here. So he was right this time?"

Laura cut her eyes towards Callie, but let it go and said "Well... about one thing: I did not say anything to Jim when he committed the same transgression that Carole did. But Don did not consider my assertion that Jim is better behaved than Carole is. She needs to learn manners. That was horrible manners, what she said to that Green Beret at the Library ceremony. And Don not only lets her get away with it, he stopped me from disciplining her, and he won't let me say anything to her about it."

Callie said "Carole is precocious. But what is that saying? 'Out of the mouth of babes...'? We adults couldn't say that, but a child like Carole could. And it definitely made that old guy feel better."

Laura was neither amused nor convinced, and all she said was "Okay, I'll go teach my class, and you get in touch with Edward Steele..."

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

Meanwhile...

8:30am, Monday, April 25th. I was in my office with Deputy Chief Tanya P. Muscone and Operations Officer Teresa Croyle, having our Angels Meeting after watching the KFXU broadcast.

I said "Okay, Teresa, the first and foremost thing I need you to do is follow up on this traffic stop by McElwane and Grant. Go top-down: start with Captain Hewitt, then Lieutenant Davis, then Sergeant Clark. Be prepared to hear that McElwane is demanding a Union Rep before he answers any questions."

"Wilco, sir." said Teresa. "Should we bring in--- er, are you all right, sir? Jetlag?" She had seen me yawn mightily.

"I'm sorry." I said. "Yeah, jetlag. But also, after we got home, Laura and I hashed it out over the issues that came up over Carole over the weekend." I picked up my personal iPhone and placed an order with Beverly's Flower Shop to send Laura a bouquet of flowers. "Neither of us gave an inch on it, but I'll send her flowers, anyway."

"Awww." chorused my Angels. Then Teresa said "I was asking if we should bring in I.A. over the McElwane stop---"

*BUZZ!* *BUZZ!* *BUZZ!*

It was my landline phone, and it was the Duty Desk buzzing me directly. The Duty Desk Sergeant said that two legal eagles from the Madison & Ives Law Firm, Mike G. Todd and Michael Thomas McGill, were here to see me.

"Escort them to my office." I said. To my Angels I said "Y'all can go. We'll talk later." My Angels scrambled to go back to their offices.

The Duty Desk Officer escorted the lawyers to my office. I stood up and shook hands with both of them. Offers of coffee or water were politely refused. Michael T. McGill sat down in the far-side hot chair, and Mike G. Todd sat in the near-(to the door)-side chair.

Mike Todd said "I came by to let you know how your lawsuit against KXTC is going. Federal Judge K.M. Landis has put the hearing for the Sullivan ruling on the docket."

"Fantastic!" I said enthusiastically. "When will it be?"

Mike said "I'm hoping for July, but it's probably going to be August. That sounds like a long way off, but it'll be here faster than you realize."

"It can't be soon enough for me." I said. "So what's going to happen with it?"

Mike said "Let me temper your enthusiasm by saying that this is a Federal Court hearing to see if your case can and should go forward. KXTC got it into Federal Court because you're trying to strip them of their FCC license as part of the suit. We're good with that, because there is growing national interest in the case, and the appeals to the US Supreme Court may be expedited."

I said "So what's the hearing about?"

Mike said "As you know, the landmark case 'New York Times v. Sullivan', called 'Sullivan' for short, set a really, really high bar for bringing libel suits against the Media. We have to prove that it was KXTC's purpose and intent to defame and materially harm you."

I said "And one of my goals is a review of that ruling, and maybe getting the bar lowered enough that Citizens can more successfully sue the dirtbags of the biased, corrupt, and dishonest Media."

"Yes." Mike said. "And that will be part of Judge K.M. Landis's ruling... if he doesn't recuse himself from it." When I gasped, he said "Judge Landis gave you that Federal Immunity agreement over the Betty Morelli case."

Mike G. Todd: "Leftist groups have been attacking Conservative judges recently, including SCOTUS Justices since the SCOTUS became majority Conservative. So-called ethics problems were never brought up... until the Left lost the SCOTUS. Now they're working as hard as they can to dig up dirt, any dirt, to use against Conservative Justices and Judges."

I said "Leftists can't accept it when the System doesn't work to help them achieve Totalitarian control over the American People, so no surprise they're trying to not only harm the judges, but shake the People's faith in our Judicial Branch when it doesn't march in jackbooted lockstep with their Totalitarian views."

Mike: "There you go. Exactly. So we'll have to see what Judge Landis does. At any rate, the wheels are finally, ever-so-slowly in motion. And if Judge Landis rules for us, KXTC will appeal, but that's okay... the case is on the way up, either way. And then maybe you get your dream of relaxing the high Sullivan bar."

"And destroying KXTC once and for all." I said venomously. "And remember... make damn sure they can't let their insurance pay any damages awarded. I want those bastards bankrupted. I want them utterly, utterly destroyed."

"Gotcha." said Mike as he stood up. "Okay, I'm going to go speak with Commander Croyle about another issue. Michael here wants to discuss something with you."

"Thanks for everything you're doing." I said. As the door closed behind Mike, I said "Okay, shoot."

Michael McGill said "As you know, I'm running for Solicitor, and I'm unopposed in the primary. It looks like I'll be facing off against George-Schwartz-backed radical Alvin Whitner in the General Election."

"And you certainly have my support against that bastard." I replied.

McGill said "I appreciate it. Here's what I wanted to ask you. I'm going to be making a good number of appearances at political events, and Paulina is going to join me for many of them. She may also be part of some of my television campaign ads. I asked her if we could bring Tasha to some of them, and have Tasha in an ad or two, and Paulina balked. She said we need to talk to you about it---"

He stopped talking, seeing the look of shock on my face, then said "... and I can see why. You don't like the idea."

"No, and there's a very good reason for it." I said, then let my eyes bore into his as I said "Are you aware that there has been an attempt to murder Tasha... and five attempts to kidnap or murder my other daughter Carole?"

Michael McGill visibly started, and his face registered his shock. "Five?!" he gasped. "I... I knew about the warehouse explosion, of course, but what are the others?"

I said "Yes, the Ward Harvester explosion on Christmas Eve was one. Also, a hired sniper tried to kill Carole after I personally ran the lab tests in the Pine Valley contamination case. Then ex-Navy-SEAL Trent Ridge tried twice to kidnap Carole... the first time by dressing up as a Police Officer, only to not have known the safeword Carole asked for; and shortly afterwards in an attack on Mayor Allgood's home. And last but not least, someone put out a Mob contract to kill Carole, but the FBI got wind of it, and we were able to interdict it."

(Author's note: 'Teresa's Christmas Finale', Ch. 01-02; 'Environmental Hazards', Ch. 03-04; 'A Death In The Family', Ch. 02, 04; 'Consent of the Governed', Ch. 04-05.)

Me: "Additionally, there has been one attempt on Tasha; a diseased, deranged perp went after her on the school playground after the Breonna Bryant trial." (Author's note: 'Big In Japan's, Ch. 04-05.)

I finished up by saying "So I try not to expose my kids, any of them, to very much in the way of publicity or Press events, and while it's ultimately up to Paulina, I'd really rather not see Tasha in your ads nor at your well-attended public events."

McGill nodded, the shock of what I told him still overwhelming him. "Yeah, I get that. I can see that." Then he came to his senses and said as he got up "I appreciate you letting me know that, and giving me a few minutes to discuss it."

I also rose and shook his proffered hand, and watched as he left the office. I knew what he had wanted: an 'instant family' for his campaign. And while the threat of Alvin Whitner was extreme, the potential threats to my child's life were even more unacceptable. And I could not justify the risk to my daughter. My daughter, I thought to myself. Hmmm...

Part 2 - To Protect and Serve?

9:00am, Monday, April 25th. Lt. Commander Teresa Croyle and Lieutenant Mary Milton came to my office. They accepted my offer of coffee, then seated themselves, Mary in the near-side hot chair, and Teresa in the far-side hot chair. After asking about Mary's kids and getting a perhaps-biased glowing report, we settled down to business.

Mary said "We have the NCPD Officer's dashcam and Officer-cam footage in our servers, and his full Police report will be sent by NCPD Chief Evans after she reviews it and talks with him. Officer Mullen Grant submitted his Police report at 11:30pm last night... not Saturday night, but last night... and Officer Ron McElwane has not filed a Police report as of 8:45 this morning. Additionally, the driver of the stopped vehicle, one Noah Ruggs, was given a warning. Not even a citation, just a warning."

"Wow." I said. "I can't wait to hear the reason for that."

Mary said "Sir, I can tell you just sitting here why: Ruggs is on the University football team, as is the owner of the car, Lawrence Watson."

"Prob-a-bleee." I replied.

I then looked at Teresa, who said "I called Captain Hewitt and Lieutenant Davis of 1st Precinct. Captain Hewitt said he saw your email this morning when he came in, and Lieutenant Davis said he got your email yesterday and sent emails to Grant and McElwane asking about it, but did not receive any replies yet. He said he would follow up with them this morning."

I said "What shift are Grant and McElwane normally on?"

Teresa said "McElwane is normally on 2nd shift, and after the Buchannan shooting incident, Grant was put on 1st shift, mostly assigned to the Duty Desk or other admin things." (Author's note: 'Private Practice', Ch. 02 for the Buchannan incident.)

"So why is he patrolling with McElwane, especially if it's not his normal shift?" I asked. "And I remember once telling him that McElwane is the last guy he wants to be patrolling with." (Author's note: 'Angels of Christmas', Ch. 01.)

Teresa said "Sumimasen, sir. I don't have that information."

"Oh... I didn't expect you to." I replied, having asked the question rhetorically, and not expecting that answer. I continued: "But I do want to know if they were on their normal shift." Teresa made a note on her notepad.

I then said "Okay, I'll give you and Hewitt and Davis some time to make your inquiries. But here are some things you need to watch out for, and some things you need to do if and when those things happen..."

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

After Teresa left the office, I asked Mary if there was anything new on the Huntington-Luna murders or Gold & Partners, the company whose name had come up in connection with the dead couple.

"Nothing new, sir, at least not in the way of evidence of wrongdoing." Mary replied. "But Gold and Company may be aware that we're looking into them. I heard from one of my backchannels that they hired Gaston & Bertram, P.C. in addition to their normal attorneys of Andolini & Tommasino, P.C."

"The Department of Redundancy Department." I said. "Two, count them, two Mob-connected law firms."

"Yes sir." Mary replied with a chuckle. "It does seem strange. Andolini & Tommasino are pretty good, meaning they do good work for their clients. So why would Bob Gold hire Gaston & Bertram?"

"Muscle." I replied. "Andolini & Tommasino are business attorneys. They put together deals and contracts for companies that might be just a wee bit shady, such as contractors like Bob Gold. But Gaston and Bertram are thugs. They like to push people around, intimidate them, and not just inside the Courtroom. I'm sure we'll be hearing from them soon, demanding we leave Gold & Partners alone."