Case of the Black Badge Ch. 02

The day before, Feb. 29th, I had asked Morton and Rudistan to shadow Brody and Gunn, using unmarked cars and in plain clothes. As they were now Senior Patrolmen, they could be in plainclothes for missions. And Torres and Washington also took spells following the rogue cops at intervals.

"They are definitely following your nephew's wife." Torres reported. "Gunn sat in the parking lot of her law firm for hours, as well. I wonder if they have the room bugged." I texted Jeanine and said her office might be bugged, so be careful what she said. She and her partners had the place swept for devices, but found none... but as soon as they did that, Gunn drove away from the parking lot. Coincidence? You make the call.

So this morning we repeated the 'mobile stakeout', and Cindy and I did some driving around as well. This also gave us a chance to talk about the ongoing case and try to collate everything into a more understandable situation--

*BZZZ! BZZZ! BZZZ!*

It was my cellphone, and it was Jeanine. "They just turned on their blue lights. They're pulling us over." She gave the address, an east-west street just south of the Courthouse Square and just a block from us. I hit the button to record the sounds that came through. At the same time, 'Channel 5' lit up with traffic as Morton and Rudistan both called it in.

"Cameras rolling!" I ordered as we sped to the scene, blue lights flashing. As we pulled up, Cindy was activating the inboard camera, which recorded what we were seeing: Brody had Todd against the side of Todd's car and had just punched him in the stomach. On the other side, Gunn was groping Jeanine, openly mauling her breasts then reaching under her skirt.

Three police cars screeched onto the scene and cops swarmed, removing Brody and Gunn from Todd and Jeanine, and quickly subduing the bad cops, handcuffing them. Officers scrambled to stop citizens who were watching, to get their statements.

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"Okay, let's watch some TV." I said. We had Brody and Gunn in Interrogation-1, with me and Martin Nash sitting on the other side of the table. Morton, Hicks and Rudistan were also inside the room, and I knew the Chief and others were watching through the one-way looking glass. "We've got four police videos, including your own, one open cellphone audio, and several witnesses on the street that used mobile phones and recorded this. In addition, the store where you stopped the Burkes had a camera that caught everything."

Seeing their looks of confusion as I showed them the tape from their own car's videocamera, I felt the need to explain: "Yeah, I know, you guys tried to disable your camera. But I've got 'people', gentlemen, and one of them activated your camera by remote access. Tough break, guys, I know." I said mockingly. Myron Milton and Goth Girl Mary Mahoney had done the honors of activating the camera.

"And all this video shows you pulling the Burkes out of their car at gunpoint as if they were drug felons, then Brody here hits Todd in the stomach and yells 'That was resisting arrest!', then he punches Todd in the face and yells 'That was assaulting a police officer!'... though Todd never threw a punch. Oh, and here we have Patrolman Gunn sexually assaulting Mrs. Burke."

"I was searching her for weapons after she threatened me." said Gunn flatly, looking at me with unappeasable hatred in his eyes.

"Bullshit." I said. "Our cameras and her cellphone were picking up the sound, and she said nothing at any time. And if you really think the jury is going to see that as anything but a sexual assault, Gunn, then you truly are even dumber than you look."

"That little punk did resist arrest." said Brody, taking up Gunn's bit. "You can hear him shouting."

"He was shouting 'leave her alone!' when Gunn began sexually assaulting his wife. But he still didn't throw a punch. You don't have a leg to stand on, Brody. Anything either of you want to say before I smile for the camera and re-read you your considerable rights?" Neither spoke, so I read them their rights from the script on the card.

"I'm not talking. I want a lawyer." said Brody. Gunn said nothing, and would not even speak to acknowledge when I asked him if he understood his rights.

"So be it. By the way... that was my nephew and his wife you assaulted." I said. Brody went pale, Gunn made no flicker of caring.

"So, gentlemen, who hired you?" I asked. "You don't want to take the fall and the ass-whipping for this. Just tell me who had you assault my family and let them take the fall." I was met with only silence. "What? Nothing? O-kayyyy...."

Just then, Paulina Patterson came in through the HQ-side door. Her intentions were good; her timing, not so much.

"It's official: Jeanine Olivet filed attempted rape charges against Gunn, and they both filed police brutality charges." Paulina said. "You can book 'em for that." She was about to sit down when, to our shock, Gunn spoke up.

"Get out of here, nigger!" he ordered. "We don't need this god-damned nigger in the room! Get her out, now!"

"Why you--" Paulina was about to say, but Gunn stood up and spit in her face. Morton and Rudistan were about to interdict him but he sat back down. That didn't save him; the senior patrolmen violently threw both men to the floor and handcuffed their hands behind their backs before returning them to their chairs.

"Paulina, why don't you go clean up?" I suggested. "And flip the light switch off as you go out." Paulina nodded and left. Nash left with her. My words were code for her to turn off the videocameras to Interrogation-1, which she did. Daniel Allgood stood in the anteroom and watched her do it, not saying a word. Neither he nor the Chief, who was also watching, tried to turn the cameras back on, even though they knew what was coming.

"Hicks, Morton," I said, "take Gunn to Punk City Holding. I'm going to ask Sergeant Brody here a couple more questions." I said. That was an area where perps were detained in individual cells, which were very small, where they were protected from the general population of the holding cells. I knew these guys would need life-saving protection while in my jails.

It was now just the three of us in the room. "Rudistan, a spider is building a web up in that corner there. What species is that?"

"Why I don't know, Lieutenant, let me take a moment to look." Rudistan said, playing along perfectly. He turned his back fully to us, looking at the wall--

***WHAM!!!***

Using every technique I'd learned and possessed in using my full weight and power to throw a punch, I slammed my fist into Sergeant Brody's mouth as hard as I possibly could. He fell to the floor, and as he tried to lift up I drove my foot into his face with a vicious martial-arts-style kick. As he fell flat, I slammed my foot down again... right into his groin. He screamed in pain.

I knelt down and took his collars into my fists, pressing my knuckles into his neck to partially cut off the blood flow. "You god-damned son of a bitch! That was just an eye-for-an-eye for what you did to my nephew. Get this straight, shithead: if you ever... and I mean EVER!!... touch my family again, I'll smash your head into a bloody fucking pulp, do you understand?... I SAID DO YOU UNDERSTAND, YOU FUCKING PUNK?!?!

"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya." Brody finally acknowledged. He was near to passing out. I released him and stood up.

"Not sure what species that spider is." said Rudistan as he turned back around. Just then the Chief walked into the room, followed by Martin Nash.

"You're killing me, Crowbar." he said. "Let's clean this mess up."

"Yes sir." I said. "Rudistan, would you and Nash take Brody to Punk City Holding? Make sure he's at the very end of the hallway."

As they were about to escort Brody to his cell, he turned around and half-said, half-gurgled "Why didn't you hit Gunn like that?"

I smiled... a smile no one wants to see. "An eye for an eye, Brody. You just punched a kid. Gunn attempted to commit rape." Brody's face changed to one of horror, understanding.

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"Okay, we've got their clothes here." said Rudistan, bringing two plastic tupperware tubs to Interrogation-1. I'd had Brody and Gunn be fully processed, which meant them stripping down and having to wear orange jump suits. Tanya Perlman and Martin Nash were also in the room. And during the time it took to process the perps, the Chief gave me his official CYA asschewing for assaulting Brody.

"I know it was your family, and I would've done the same thing." Chief Griswold said, "But one day I won't be here to back you up. You need to learn restraint, young man."

"Yes sir." I said. "Chief, I need to say this: the assault on my family wasn't a whim, but an intentional attack on me through them. And what I did was my 'reply', so to speak. Like it or not, sir, if I'm right... then this is a war, the war we've talked about that's been on the horizon for some time."

"I hear you, and I agree." said the Chief. "But start setting a better example for the other officers. Now I know you have something in mind for Gunn, but you're on your own with that. Make sure I'm nowhere around or I'll have to discipline you."

"Yes sir." I said, understanding where he was coming from. The Chief then joined me as I headed back to Interrogation-1 to examine the rogue cops' clothing.

"Okay, Gunn was in uniform, so I'd expect to find it in his wallet." I noted that Gunn's wallet had nothing of interest, but then felt the hard round object, which I extracted. It was a badge, saying 'Order Of The Black Badge'. It was just like the other one we'd found on 'Blondie', except this one said 'Inner Circle' instead of 'Associate'.

"Okay," I said as the others examined the little black shield. "Brody was in plainclothes, so he may not just hide his in his wallet. Hmmm, no, nothing there... hmmm, his belt was large and thick, let's look at it." I took the black leather belt and began feeling the upper edge. I came upon an opening and thankfully looked before putting my hand inside... there was a stiletto knife, so thin that the high-quality steel actually curved with the belt.

"That's another charge we can add, Chief." I said as he whistled as he examined the knife. "It's unlawful for a policeman to carry something like this while on duty." I continued to feel around the belt and found another compartment... and another Black Badge. This one said "Trusted Associate".

"Tanya, bag 'em and tag 'em; they're evidence." I said. "Full chain of custody for both badges as well as the knife, and secure the badges in the Crime Lab's vault for now."

"You don't want to leave the badges alone so the gang doesn't know we're onto them?" Martin Nash asked.

"No need. They know." I said. "I think they found out about Blondie's slip of the tongue, and they butchered him for it. I'm sure they've also noticed that we were watching Brody and Gunn; how else were we able to move so fast and catch them and video them assaulting two good citizens? So go ahead and take the badges into evidence, Tanya."

"So what does this all mean?" asked Martin Nash.

Tanya said "Don and Micah filed sworn affidavits with Paula about the Badge they found on Blondie, along with the pictures they took of it. So we now have some connection between these two bad apples and the murder of Blondie."

"It also means we are holding two members of the Black Badge gang, and it looks like Gunn might be a higher-up in the organization." I said.

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"Chief, it was just a misunderstanding." said Captain Harold Malone. "Yeah, maybe they got too aggressive. But they didn't know the kid was the Iron Crowbar's family. He took a fair shot at Brody in reply, and I don't understand why you can't just let 'em go and suspend them prior to a hearing."

"They're in jail for their own protection, Harold." Chief Griswold said, not revealing the real reason. "And they'll stay there for now, definitely until their arraignment. Crowbar's nephew and niece-in-law filed formal charges, so there's no way I can treat this as an internal event, even if I wanted to."

"I'm just telling ya, Chief," Malone said, getting up though he had not been dismissed from the Chief's office and presence yet, "these are good guys and I want 'em back."

"I've noted that, Captain." said Griswold. "Don't count on getting them back, though. They're in 'heap bigger trouble' than just punching a kid and assaulting his wife. I'd suggest you let this one go."

"We'll see about that." Malone said. No further words were uttered as he exited the Chief's office.

Part 12 - Revenge In The Night

Sitting alone in the far-end cell of the protective-custody holding area, known as 'Punk City Holding', Sergeant Brody was sleeping fitfully on the cot. His mouth still hurt from the blow the Iron Crowbar had delivered to him; it was amazing that he'd lost no teeth from the sucker-punch. He half-dreamed, half-remembered this most awful of days...

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His lawyer had arrived that afternoon, an older, slender man with graying hair on both sides and a bald top. The lawyer had reeked of big money, and had told him to answer no questions. That had not stopped the Iron Crowbar from speaking.

"Brody, this is your only chance to save yourself." the Lieutenant had warned him. "You know what happens to ex-cops in prison... and if Gunn makes a deal first... oh geez, is it going to get ugly for you. Oh... yeah, I forgot to mention... the Black Badge gang... they might fear you talking, and want to take you out. So talking is your only chance."

"Lieutenant, my client has invoked." said the lawyer. "If you say any more, it'll be harassing my client. By the way, Lieutenant, how did my client sustain those injuries to his face?"

"Must've tripped and fallen." said the Iron Crowbar with a straight face, and Brody knew there'd be no repercussions. In fact, Brody was scared that if someone else went for the Lieutenant's family, then he, Brody, would face the retaliation. And then there was what the Iron Crowbar had said about an 'eye for an eye' for Gunn...

The lawyer had told him in a private conference that the Police must've been following him and Gunn in order to get so much video evidence of the stop they'd made. The lawyer had said that Brody needed to keep very quiet, watch his back, and the lawyer's benefactors would make this all go away.

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Brody was awakened by the door to the protective-custody cellblock being opened. He had no sense of time, but felt like it was about 2:00am. He was almost right, within a few minutes. He tried to look out his cell, but all he could see was a partial view of a uniformed police officer escorting a very large man to a holding cell closer to the door. Being placed at the very end of the cellblock, as instructed by the Iron Crowbar, the officers did not pass by Brody.

"Okay," he heard one of the uniformed cops saying quietly, "That cell has a water leak. We'll have to put him in here with Gunn." The big man was known as 'The Rodrigo-san'. He was part-Asian, part-Hispanic, and huge. Despite his large girth, he was nimble and quick and well-versed in the martial arts. Not even the Iron Crowbar or Detective Ross would want to fight this man in personal combat.

They opened the cell and put The Rodrigo-san inside with Gunn. As the cop closed the door, he whispered to the big man: "fresh cherry cop ass". Rodrigo-san got the hint. He was a known associate of Barry Bounel, and like Bounel, The Rodrigo-san was a homosexual.

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For the next twenty minutes, Sergeant Brody endured the screams.

Tommy Gunn was a mean man and a street-fighter, but he was no match for The Rodrigo-san. He was subdued easily, then had to endure the deep humiliation as well as the intense pain of being anally raped by the huge criminal. He was reduced to a screaming, crying pulp. He heard Brody's screams for someone to come help, matching his own, but those pleas went unanswered.

Thirty minutes later, the uniformed officers came and got The Rodrigo-san, who was by now fully satiated and had left Gunn lying on the floor like a rag doll.

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By the way... did I, the Iron Crowbar, mention that I do have and sometimes wear the standard dark blue uniform of the Uniformed Police? An eye for an eye, Patrolman Gunn, an eye for an eye. And Brody all but shitting in his pants with fear...

Part 13 - The Canary That Didn't Sing

March 2d. On the 7:00am broadcast, Bettina said nothing at all about the arrest of the two dirty cops, which surprised me. It said nothing more about the Carroll/Blondie murders, having not said much in the reporting of the crime the day before. No news of any racial issues surrounding the trial, nothing from Councilman Reginald B.F. Lewis, nothing about anything the SBI was doing.

Bettina actually talked about... a Dog Show that was coming to the City this weekend. Now I love dogs, but could not comprehend how that was the big news of the day: a Dog Show ninety miles away.

Have I mentioned that I am not a fan of the Press, my love of dogs notwithstanding?

At 8:00am, as I was seriously crunching some data, Paulina Patterson came into my little Lieutenant's office.

"Brody wants to talk. He's been all but crying like a baby, and he says he wants to talk and cooperate."

"And Gunn?"

"Not saying a word. Literally." Paulina said. "By the way, there was some blood on the floor and his jump suit was bloody in the ass. I don't know what happened to him, but he's almost completely shut down."

"Oh really..." I said, feigning surprise. "So where's Brody?"

"Interrogation-2" Paulina said. "His lawyer also just got here."

"Let's go!" I said. Stopping by to get Cindy and Martin from MCD, we hurried down to the Interrogation rooms.

"Ohhhh, noooooo" I moaned upon entering the anteroom to Interrogation-2. Sitting inside I-2 with the perp and his lawyer... was Captain Harold Malone.

"Cindy, go get the chief, quick!" I said. I waited for a few moments, hoping to listen in on their conversation, but none of them said a word: they were waiting for us. After a spell, I said "Martin, come inside with me." We went inside. "Captain Malone, what brings you in here?" I asked pointedly.

"I came to find out why this bastard betrayed my Vice Department and my Police Force." Malone said. "I'm sure you have no problem with me being here during your interrogation... Lieutenant!" Pulling rank around here wasn't going to work unless one could back it up.

"Yes I do have a problem with it." I said, giving Malone a withering... and challenging... look. "This is my bust and my perp, you can arrange to talk to him later."

"Well, you're going to have to take me down to get me out of here." said Malone, still seated.

"That can be arranged." I said. "In fact, I have just the crowbar to pry your ass out of that chair. Let me step in here and get it." I'd left the blue crowbar in the anteroom, per usual. And I did fully intend to use the crowbar on Malone.

"Won't be necessary." said Chief Griswold, coming into the room as I turned to the door. "Captain, let's go, get out of here."

"Yes sir." Malone said complacently, getting up and walking past me and out of the room. When the door closed, I looked at Brody. "So I hear you wanted to talk to me."

"I changed my mind." said Brody. He looked scared still, but his resolve was hardened. "I'm not going to talk to you at all." The lawyer smiled at me, his eyes showing his utter contempt and what he thought was his victory over me. I simply left the room.

The Chief's door was closed; he had Malone inside with Captain Charles as a witness, and was cursing Malone out. Reports were that Malone didn't argue and pretty much took it, but held his ground calmly. Something was up about that.