Cancel All Our Vows Ch. 01

"It'll be handled." said Coach Thrasher. "Who around here is gonna put the star player of the local college team in jail, huh? Especially if we're contending for a title."

The guest said "The Iron Crowbar is a filthy Wildcat graduate. He'd love to fuck us up. And if Commander Croyle is the one to catch him... remember Dean Allen? What she did to him after he killed a mother and two children?" (Author's note: 'Teresa's Christmas Story')

"Vaguely." Coach Thrasher said. "She damn near got fired for that, if I recall. If she fucks with our star player, this whole Town will run her out on a rail."

"Listen, just talk to Lawrence." said the guest. "Tell him we can only protect him so far. He needs to cut down on the drinking, anyway. Remember Maurice Clarette? Stetson Bennett? If Lawrence doesn't get it under control, take his goddamned keys away. If he gets caught again..." The guest did not finish the sentence.

"All right, I'll have someone talk to him." said Coach Thrasher...

Part 3 - Never Complain, Never Explain

Sunday, May 1st. The Orange Order gathered at the Junction Station Depot building for our quarterly meeting before the Promotions and Medal Day ceremonies. The rookie members, Mary Milton and Jerome Davis, were spared having to provide the beer for the event, as it was a Sunday night. They did provide the soft drinks and iced tea.

I began noticing that there was a lot of quiet chatter around the room, and some looks in my general direction. The mystery finally resolved itself when retired Captain Efram Elliot, who -was- Internal Affairs for years, came up to me.

"Commander, I just don't understand it." he said, pretending to try to be quiet but letting his voice carry. "Why did you take that traffic stop to Internal Affairs? From what I'm hearing, it was pretty tame stuff. So why bring in the heavy artillery?"

Some readers may remember those old 'E.F. Hutton' commercials, when someone in a crowd would say "My broker is E.F. Hutton, and E.F. Hutton says...", and all conversation would cease and everyone would try to listen. Well, I felt that way, as people near us stopped talking, and blatantly turned to listen.

Chief Moynahan attempted to intervene. He said "It was my decision to do that." Somewhat surprisingly, Elliot persisted.

"With respect, Chief, that's not what I heard." Elliot said. "The scuttlebutt is that it was Commander Troy's decision all the way."

"It -was- my recommendation." I said before the Chief could speak, and taking full responsibility for it. "And yes, it was an unusual move, but the reasons for it were sound. First of all, the incident involved another Police Force, our friend and neighbors of the Nextdoor County Police. Second, it's not a one-off; there appears to be a pattern of letting University athletes off easy. And whether or not it's just a few Officers doing it, or it's systemic to the TCPD, we need to know that, and make sure it's not overdone or abused."

Elliot said "But that other jurisdiction's Officer crossed over into our County. He was out of jurisdiction, and he didn't withdraw immediately when our Officers said they had it under control."

I said "It was hot pursuit, Captain Elliot. You know that's permissible. And the NCPD Officer had evidence of the crime; he had the radar lock showing they were speeding."

Cindy had come up, and she added "My sister is the NCPD Chief, and I can tell you she was royally pissed at the way her Officer was treated. Commander Troy and Chief Moynahan were right to put this in I.A.'s hands... or would you have preferred the SBI come in on it, as she wanted to do?"

Elliot said "No, but it didn't have to go to I.A."

"I don't a-greeeee." drawled Chief Moynahan, and in a 'not jovial' voice that connoted his desire for Elliot to shut his trap. Elliot glared at the Chief, then turned and walked away from us, saying "Commander, Chief Deputy." as he left.

The room resumed the low chatter, and I found myself talking with Lt. Jerome Davis. I said "Is morale bad over us taking that incident to I.A.?"

"Yes sir and no sir." said Jerome. "In this past week, I've found out that McElwane is not very well thought of, and no one was surprised to hear he got Lawrence Watson off the hook yet again." Seeing my look, he said "I don't know when it was, but there has been at least one other instance of McElwane running interference for Watson driving fast and possibly driving drunk, besides the ones you know about, sir." I nodded.

Davis: "On the other hand, going to I.A. over this was so unlike you, Commander, that a lot of Officers just don't understand. And they get rattled and worried when top leadership like you strays from the beaten paths. I wouldn't say morale is bad over it, but that there's a new level of uncertainty."

"I get that." I said. "So have you heard anything from I.A. about their investigation?"

Jerome replied: "Bits and pieces, sir. Lisa Monroe and I are both former MCD, so she's told me a few things off the record. First, she and Senior Sergeant Kemp talked to the NCPD Officer and with Chief Evans. The guy is a rookie and kind of a punk, so I can see why McElwane thought he could intimidate him. But the kid did everything right and by the book. He also documented the radar lock evidence very well, so it's pretty solid the perp was speeding."

Jerome: "Both McElwane and Grant were provided with Union Reps, and Lieutenant Monroe interviewed them on camera in the Interrogation Room, with me present as a witness. McElwane was barely cooperative, would not admit to trying to intimidate the NCPD rookie, and would not say who the passenger was in the car. He insisted he never asked for ID, and that it didn't matter who the passenger was."

Jerome: "So Lisa interviewed Grant separately. He would not give up McElwane. He said only that McElwane told the NCPD kid to go home, but would not say McElwane tried to intimidate him nor that McElwane went for his gun. But when Lisa leaned hard on him, Grant admitted that Lawrence Watson was the passenger, but he could not say either way if Watson was inebriated."

Jerome: "McElwane is grieving being taken off patrols, and the Union said they intend to push really hard on that. I'm not sure what we can do to keep McElwane grounded if we can't... or don't... show full wrongdoing. And if I.A. finds that, full wrongdoing, then we'll have to formally discipline McElwane more strongly than just grounding him, and the Union will fight that to the last ditch."

I said "And worst of all, they'll be damned sure to tell the Press, in terms favorable to them. And Bettina Wurtzburg will do whatever she can to maximize the damage to us." Jerome nodded vigorously in agreement.

I then asked "So have you spoken with your dad lately?"

"No sir." said Jerome, keeping his face unemotional. "Every time I think about calling him, I know that the first thing he's going to say is 'Have you quit the Police yet?', and he'll either try to lecture me, or he'll hang up on me. So I just don't try, anymore."

"That's unfortunate." I said. The rift between them had not healed. (Author's note: 'Consequences', Ch. 03, 04.)

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

As we were headed to our dinner places, the Sheriff took my arm. "Crowbar," he said quietly, "just don't say any more about the I.A. thing with McElwane. Especially not to Efram Elliot. Remember what the Queen of England once said: 'Never complain, never explain.' It was our decision to make, and we made it. And if Elliot doesn't like it, he can shove it up his ass along with your crowbar."

"Yes sir." I said. I had intended to address it when it came my time to announce the promotions and medals we were giving out the next day, but I understood the sagacity of what the Sheriff was saying.

Dinner was very good: steaks and baked potatoes and a vegetable medley. I was sitting with Teresa, Cindy, Tanya, the Chief, and the Sheriff at one round table. I could hear snippets of conversations, and the word I heard most was 'Union'."

Teresa reported: "Hicks, Kirkpatrick, and the Miltons are here and pushing the case to decertify the Union, and Kalsu and Patrick are still pushing it hard among the Rank and File. But the push lost a lot of steam with younger Officers after the McElwane incident. A lot of them don't know the whole story, and believe the Union's bullshit that McElwane and Grant are innocent, and that Don calling in Internal Affairs was an asshole move."

"Are McElwane and Grant themselves saying that about Crowbar?" Sheriff Griswold asked... more like barked.

"I don't know, Sheriff." said Teresa. "McElwane is bitching about it, but for the most part he isn't saying anything. I did hear that Mullen Grant somewhat cooperated with Lisa Monroe of I.A. in that he named Lawrence Watson as the car's passenger. But he would not give up McElwane in any way, and he refused to take a polygraph test---"

I interjected "I have to say I support that move, to not take a polygraph."

"That's not where I'm going with this." Teresa admonished. "What I was going to say is that Grant is also really railing about having to speak to I.A. in the first place. It's very possible that he is the one who said that about bringing in I.A. being an asshole move. And I'd heard before tonight that Kalsu and Patrick are pissed because it really derailed their efforts to decertify the Union."

"Maybe -I- should say something, Crowbar." Griswold growled.

"Not here, and not tonight, Sheriff." I said. "The vast majority of those here are not on McElwane's side, and most are in favor of decertifying the Union. So you'd be preaching to the Choir, and you might sound like you're coming down on the people who are actually the most on our side."

"You're right, Crowbar." grumbled Griswold. "As usual..."

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

After Lieutenant Micah Rudistan did his emcee duties thing, I was called upon to report on the promotions and medals. We had no promotions, just time-in-grade pay increases. There were not very many Certificates of Achievement, but I'd made sure to award them to everyone involved in the arrests of Rhonda Huntington and especially Randy Luna. Yes, they'd happened before February 1st, but we'd held back awarding them at that time due to the legal limbo of the case at that time.

There were also not very many medals, but I announced the ones we had. Lieutenant Joanne Warner was given credit for her leadership role in getting the construction of Interrogation-3 done, and was being awarded an Achievement Medal for it. There were also Achievement Medals and Commendation Medals for rank-and-file Officers, such as the most tickets issued, the most tickets that held up in Court, Perfect Attendance, etc...

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

10:45pm. I parked in front of the Mountain Nest and went inside. The hallway was dark and the greatroom was illuminated by just one lamp. Looking up, I saw Bowser peering through the rails at the top of the stairs. Seeing that it was me, he returned to Carole's room.

Going into the greatroom, I saw Laura on the sofa against the far wall. She was curled up on the sofa, wearing her housecoat over her nightgown, and she was fast asleep. As I looked at her lovely face, I realized that it showed her exhaustion and need for sleep more than someone having pleasant dreams.

Bowser had gone to get Buddy, and now I saw two outstanding dogs by the back door. I opened it and followed them outside, and down the stairs. As they inspected their territories and did their business, I looked out over the University and the Town, seeing the Hospital to my left. The view was nice, but it certainly was not the vista from The Cabin. I looked over my left shoulder and far above, and saw that The Cabin's back wall windows were dark. Molly must've gone to bed early, as well, I surmised.

The dogs came back, and we went back inside. The noise of me closing and securing the back door awakened Laura. She groggily sat up as the dogs raced up to resume their stations in Carole and Jim's rooms.

"When did you get home?" she asked.

"Just a few minutes ago." I replied. "I was just closing and locking the door after taking the dogs out when you woke up. Ready to go to bed?"

"How about a quick nightcap, then we can go." Laura said. I went and poured her a cognac, and myself a Scotch and Soda. I sat down beside her, and she leaned heavily on me as she asked "How was the dinner?"

"Okay, all things considered." I said. "I talked to Jerome Davis. He and his father still aren't talking. I don't know why, but I just get the feeling that they should, before time slips away and it's too late."

"You sound like Carole, predicting the future." Laura said sleepily.

"I wish I could." I said. "Anyhoo, the only other issues were about the I.A. investigation of that Officer that intimidated Molly's Officer, and the continuing Union decertification drive."

"Mmm." Laura said sleepily.

"I get the feeling you are very tired." I said. "Working too hard setting up the State Medical College?"

"Working as hard as I can, and it feels like it's never enough." Laura said. "It'll really start coming together after we get the lawsuits with Dr. Moore resolved. Then we'll know what we can do, and get started. Until then, I have to plan contingencies..."

Her voice drifted off. She awoke with a start, and finished off her drink, as did I. "Okay, let's go to bed." I said. I led her upstairs, arm-in-arm. I helped her slip out of her housecoat and into bed. I went into the bathroom and brushed my teeth. When I came back into the bedroom, Laura was sleeping hard. I did not need a lot of effort to follow that example, and soon was asl---

Part 4 - Primary Ignition

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Channel Two News!" shouted the redheaded MILF reporterette at 7:00am, Monday, May 2nd, from the rooftop of the building at Riverside and College, with City Hall in her background. "Voters go to the polls tomorrow to make their choices in several important races!"

After the hard-charging intro music, Bettina began: "While early voting has been going on for three weeks, it ended on Friday. The early voting has been reported as light, especially in the northern part of the County. Political experts are predicting a similarly light turnout at the polls tomorrow, about ten percent of eligible voters, but there may be a few important exceptions."

Bettina: "In the Democrat primary for School Board Chair, former Charter Commission Member Edna Carter is facing Town & County Assemblywoman Cori Bowman. Ms. Bowman has been strongly endorsed by the NEA, the powerful Teachers Union." Then Bettina smiled broadly as she said "And I can now announce that KXTC Channel Two News is also strongly endorsing Cori Bowman for the School Board Chair! And now let's go to highly respected reporter Carl Lemay for more on the Solicitor and D.A. races. Carl!"

"That's right, Bettina!" said the Reporter of Color in his expensive suit, standing in the copse of trees with the Courthouse in his background. He reported: "The Solicitor position is often overlooked and is not well understood. The position is the equivalent of the District Attorney, but for smaller cases such as traffic tickets and code violations. The Solicitor may also handle criminal misdemeanor charges, and many Blacks are tried by the Solicitor and his or her staff."

Lemay: "White Nationalist Michael Thomas McGill is running unopposed as a Republican for Solicitor. On the Democrat side, former City Attorney Dennis Garland, who was fired by the Town & County Council, is being opposed by attorney and Civil Rights advocate Alvin Whitner. Mr. Whitner is well-funded, and has run a spirited campaign, promising to eliminate cash bail, and carefully reviewing cases of petty theft under $1000 as well as charges of possession of 'personal use amounts' of marijuana and other drugs."

Lemay: "And in the race for District Attorney itself, Savannah Fineman will be the Democrat nominee, as she is unopposed in the primary. On the Republican side, incumbent D.A. Miriam Walters, who cruelly prosecuted Breonna Bryant for peacefully protesting Police brutality against civil rights activist Jacquez Wilson, is being primaried by current Solicitor Ted Mason. Back to you, Bettina." (Author's note: 'The Whole Nine Yards', 'Big In Japan' for more on the Breonna Bryant trial.)

"Thank you Carl!" shouted Bettina as the feed returned to her. "And I am proud to be able to tell you that KXTC Channel Two News is endorsing Ted Mason for D.A., and strongly endorsing Alvin Whitner for Solicitor! And now let's go to Elections reporter Martha Faulkner for more on other races. Martha!"

"That's right, Bettina!" shouted the blonde reporterette, wearing an all-white blouse, jacket, and pants, reporting from the same rooftop as Bettina, but with the Public Health Building (which is next door to Police Headquarters) in her background. "There are three other big races to be decided tomorrow!"

Faulkner: "The Mayor's race is perhaps the most hotly contested election in our County. On the Democrat side, well-known and respected Black activist Stacy Jacobs faces the weak challenge of Kirdy Stevens, a former Republican-turned-Democrat. And White Nationalist incumbent Mayor Daniel Allgood is being primaried by the centrist, reasoned campaign of Assemblyman Ryan Paulson." (Author's note: 'The Four Boxes of Liberty', Ch. 05 for Kirdy Stevens's loss to Katherine Woodburn.)

Faulkner: "A related issue to Paulson's candidacy is the referendum that, if passed, will separate the Public Health Service from the Public Safety Department. Ryan Paulson is strongly opposed to the separation, while Sheriff Antonio Griswold came out in support of the measure."

Faulkner: "And speaking of Sheriff Griswold, he is facing the strong challenge of former Deputy Sheriff Louis Bailey for the Republican nomination for Sheriff. Democrat Edgar Silas is running unopposed and is awaiting the winner. Back to you, Bettina!"

"Thank you Martha!" Bettina said. "And Martha will be joining me at the Channel Two News Decision Desk tomorrow night as we bring you all the results of all the important races! In the meantime, I am proud to announce that KXTC Channel Two News is endorsing Louis Bailey for the Republican nomination for Sheriff, and Stacy Jacobs for the Democrat nomination for Mayor. Channel Two News is withholding an endorsement in the Republican Mayoral primary."

Bettina: "And in an infernal marvel of orchestration, of the 40, count them forty positions on the Town & County Council and Assembly, not a single declared candidate for either Party has primary opposition! Not one, even though several positions have become open due to retirements or running for other offices. And now let's go to Jeff Hull for the Sports report. Jeff!..."

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

"Thank. God." I muttered as I, ADA Patterson, Chief Moynahan, Deputy Chief Muscone, Command Deputy Sheriff Ross, Lieutenant Commander Croyle, and Sheriff Griswold drank coffee and watched the Bettina broadcast in the Chief's Conference Room.

"For what?" asked the Chief.

I said "Not one word about the McElwane incident, the altercation with the NCPD Officer, the I.A. investigation of it, nor the Union issues with it. It should be leaking like a sieve, what with all the different entities involved. And I can't believe Bettina wouldn't be blabbing about it all over creation, and doing everything she can to make the Police look bad."

"And take her shots at you." Teresa added, saying what I had not said out loud. I pointed at her and nodded vigorously in agreement.

"They're aware of it." Cindy Ross said. "At least KFXU is, because Priya Ajmani tried to get me to go on background about it, which I declined to do. What I don't understand is why Bettina didn't run with it. Maybe the Red Crowbar can explain that one to the Green Crowbar."