Case of the Black Badge Ch. 04

"Why not?" Cindy said. "Whoever did it, he broke the law, right?"

"Cindy, I have a theory." I said. "I don't ask you to accept it or share it, but I believe that there is sometimes a difference between the Law and true Justice. The Reverend Jonas Oldeeds was an evil man, a truly and deeply evil man. What happened to him was Justice, and I may just choose that over the Law."

"Besides..." I said. "I don't have proof yet. Gotta have some proof before I act further on that."

Nothing else was said on the journey home, as Cindy fully contemplated my words... all of them.

Part 28 - The Ides of March

March 15th. The Ides of March. The day upon which Julius Caesar was so famously assassinated. And the day that I, the Iron Crowbar, would be marked for death...

The Friday before, the Chief had called me into his office. "I just got word from the FBI, not Muscone's group but someone else I know, that a hit was put out on you. You need to be exceptionally careful, Don."

"Agent Fred Dixon?" I asked, thinking it was the DEA agent that posed as an FDA agent.

"No." said the Chief. "And Dixon wouldn't confirm anything. That's not like him at all, either, so my hackles are up about it. But there's no doubt that you're in danger."

"I hear you." I said. "But I can't let something like that stop me from my work."

"No, you can't." said the Chief. "And this is by no means the first time we've had something like this happen. Just be careful, take a partner with you on all police business, look over your shoulder and see what's gaining on you. In the meantime, there are some things we can do to help protect you. The Force received a donation of $10,000 to make you some bulletproof clothing. You'll go to Gill & Taylor's Tailor Shop just south of the Square and have three suits made. One medium gray like you like, one black, and one a Police uniform jacket and pants."

These suits would have light woven-fabric armor in their lining, I knew. President Reagan had been wearing such a suit when he was shot in 1981, but was unlucky in that he was waving to people and the bullet struck him just above the armor, in the armpit area of the suit. Moral of the story: I won't be waving to people too much, and definitely not as a candidate for Sheriff...

---

I took lunch on March 15th and went to the tailor shop, where I was carefully measured for the new suits. I didn't know who had made the donation, but I wasn't going to be ungrateful.

As I stepped out of the tailor shop and began walking down the street, I had a sensation... it was like the sensation I'd had at the Fairgrounds when a bullet should've struck me in the head but barely missed... a electrical aura surrounding me, and then my eyes being directed unstoppably to a reflection in a car window next to me. It showed what was happening, and I realized I was seeing someone behind me pulling a gun out from under his jacket and cocking it!

Time slowed down, and everything seemed to be in slow motion. In one smooth motion, I turned as I drew out my Beretta .40 caliber handgun from it's holster, and in one motion clicked off the safety and fired two shots right into the perp's chest. He was slow, way too slow: his gun fired harmlessly well over my head.

The perp was dead where he landed as I called in on my police radio. This kid looked young, maybe eighteen or nineteen, and he looked unkempt and scruffy. I was still not hearing anything as I felt around his belt and in his wallet for a Black Badge; there was none.

The Crime Lab made their investigation, video from the surrounding stores and streets was obtained, I was interviewed by Sgt. Hanson of Internal Affairs right there on the scene. It would be considered a 'good shoot', I knew, but that is not what I was concerned about.

Then Bettina Wurtzburg showed up, somehow got past the Uniformed policemen creating a cordon around the area, shoved a camera in my face and yelled "Lieutenant, you just shot a teenager, how does that make you feel? Lieutenant, how do you feel about that? How can you shoot a teenage boy?"

How do I feel? How can I do it? I thought to myself in my own little world. I'll tell you the secret of what I feel and how I do it, of how every cop on the Thin Blue Line does it: we have someone behind us, in our minds. Maybe it's family, maybe it's our spouse, maybe it's our best friend, but it doesn't matter, we always have someone we love 'behind us' in our minds, something personal worth fighting for, worth dying for if need be. So when you ask me how can I do it? It's simple.

I think of Laura, and Carole. The rest is easy.

Part 29 - St. Patrick's Day

It was a big evening at the Irish Pub, a.k.a. the Cop Bar on March 17th, St. Patrick's Day. I'd made a point to wear a green shirt with an orange t-shirt beneath it. In the Irish flag, the Green was for St. Patrick and the Catholics, the Orange was for the Protestants, so I paid respects to my Protestant heritage.

A lot of people had wanted to buy me a drink after the assassination attempt, and of course I had to begin declining or I would be seeing double if I drank all the free green beer. However, when the lovely redhead Bettina Wurtzburg showed up at my table wearing green, and offered to buy me a drink... that one I accepted.

We went outside on the patio. It was cold outside, but I knew that Bettina wanted to talk to me, and it was very noisy inside. So we took chairs to the patio and sat down in the front part behind the big bushes that blocked any wind.

"Completely off the record, yes?" I said.

"Absolutely." said Bettina. "I actually wanted to tell you something, rather than ask about anything."

"Okay, shoot." I said. Okay, maybe not the best choice of words, there...

"Katherine Woodburn has been killing a lot of my stories, especially those about the Police Department and the I.A. investigation of those two suspended officers. She's even killing my story of the FBI arresting them, as well as the assassination attempt by that agent on Sergeant Brody."

I made sure not to let my face show anything, even though I was shocked that she knew so much on the Brody situation. I also sat stone-faced in spite of wondering why Bettina was choosing to tell me all this.

"I finally stumbled across a source who told me what was going on." Bettina continued. "Katherine has been working hand-in-glove with the County Democrat Party on behalf of Harold Malone. Behind the scenes, of course, but it's a completely coordinated effort. I don't know why, but Katherine is fully behind Malone, not a shred of objectivity in her actions about it, either."

"No surprise there." I said. "You guys in the Press work with the Democrats at every level: local and national."

"You won't believe it, but I do try to be an objective reporter." said Bettina, and while I surmised that she believed that in her own mind, I knew that the Press was deeply biased and anything but objective. "But beyond that, what Katherine is doing is not normal. I've never seen anyone so openly helping one candidate. It borders on violation of FEC laws."

Bettina continued: "Look, the reason I'm telling you all this, is because if you're going to run for Sheriff, and I hope you will, then you'd better announce fast. Katherine and the pols are working hard right now to cement Malone's candidacy, and they're doing opposition research on you and anyone else they think is going to run. They intend to cut you off at the knees right out of the gate, if they can."

"Well, this is off the record, but I am not planning to run." I said.

"Even if you don't... surely the Iron Crowbar has a plan?" Bettina prodded.

"Don't I always, my friend?" I said, smiling, but would say no more... and I was observing Bettina's eyes and a little light that had just turned on inside them.

"Okay, at least let this question be on deep background." Bettina said. "Who tried to kill you two days ago, and why?"

"Deep background: it was someone who was desperate to keep me from finding out something. I suspect it's related to these dirty cops whose stories your editor is killing. Of course, they're being killed because Woodburn doesn't want them to be a potential problem for Malone. You might try looking hard into any connection between those two and Malone, and if you get a thread leading to him, pull it with everything you have. If Woodburn kills it, get it to me and I'll find a way to get it out there."

I didn't tell Bettina that the kid who tried to kill me was nineteen, a drug addict deeply in debt to the Beanstalk Gang, and was apparently hired to kill me either by the Beanstalk Gang, who had had Malone's exclusivity to operate in the County -or- by someone else who knew I was getting close to something... maybe messing with their plans to install Malone as Sheriff. I wasn't sure, though.

"Thanks." said Bettina. "If you do run, I want the first exclusive interview."

"If I run, you will be the first to know and the first to get the interview." I promised. Bettina's look at me was something between humor and daggers; she knew I meant it when I said I wasn't running.

Part 30 - Politics (Not) As Usual

I knew that Bettina was right: I needed to go ahead and get the wheels in motion. The next day I visited the person who I thought would be the ideal candidate for Sheriff. My observations and hunches were right: he was completely agreeable to doing it.

(Dear readers, you may wish to pause and guess who the candidate for Sheriff will be...)

Before I could call Jack Colby to arrange a meeting with the Powers-That-Be, he called me and asked me to stand ready to be at a meeting on March 22d at the University President's home to discuss the issue of Sheriff. I knew that they were going to prod me into running, and I intended to show my cards then as well as introduce some drama into their lives.

---

On March 22d, President Wellman hosted the following persons at a 6:00pm reception: Town Councilpersons John "Jack" Colby, Dagmar Schoen, J.P. Goldman, Ian McGhillie (father of Patrolman McGhillie), Edward R. Steele (father of Selena Steele), University Regents Henry R. Wargrave, Michael Burke, Harold S. Truelove, and Austin R. Murphy. Regent Beatrice S. York was also present, but as representation for the County Republican Party.

Truelove was a businessman and I knew Murphy was a military veteran and friend of Wargrave. Ian McGhillie owned and ran the golf course on the east side of the ridge that I lived on, not too far from the Chief's residence.

Also present were Inspector General Horace S. Wellman, Police Chief Griswold, Fire Chief Eugene Gillem (who planned to retire when Griswold retired), University Campus Police Commissioner and Provost Marshal Dexter Robinson, Dr. Bonnie Karpathian, representing the University Faculty Council, ...

... and of course, Mayor Lawrence "Larry" P. Vaughan, the People's Choice. Mayor Vaughan had a head full of salt and pepper hair, was a consummate politician, very smooth talker, and a good consensus-builder. And if he had any dirtiness or skeletons in the closet, he'd easily evaded my efforts to find them. Oh yes, I'd checked out every single one of these people.

I made a point to call in and say I'd be late, and asked Chief Griswold to go ahead and get everyone assembled. So when I arrived with my candidate at 6:30pm, they'd already gone through their pleasantries and small talk.

When I came into the room, I was forced to go around the circle and shake everyone's hand. Murmurs of congratulation... and relief... for avoiding the assassination attempt to praises for solving the Black Widow case were spoken. Finally, we sat back down.

"I'll get right to it." said Jack Colby in his deep voice, taking over the agenda. "We're here to begin planning your candidacy for Sheriff against Malone. As you can see by the form of my sentence, we are not taking 'no' for an answer."

I smiled as I said "As Coach Corso says on the Saturday morning college football show: 'Not so fast, my friend!'. While I appreciate your desire for me to run, I must say that I am anything but an ideal candidate. I've only been in this Town a little under two years. There are some rumors about me beating up a drug lord with a crowbar, and while that rumor serves me well within the Police Force and amongst the criminal elements, it's not something one can exactly run a political campaign upon." There was general laughter, but it was of a nervous variety.

"In addition," I said, "while I love my wife and am very proud of her accomplishments with the University, the fact that she studies sexual matters can and will be used against me by elements of the County, particularly the very religious elements." I saw Beatrice York frowning; she was one of those religious types, though she'd been persuaded by others to accept my candidacy. "Also," I added, "while my wife would look lovely before the cameras and on stages, I have a face made for radio and a voice made for newspaper."

"Oh I totally disagree with that." said Dagmar Schoen. "And regardless of all that you've said, your record of success within the Police Department shines brightly and will be what stands out in this campaign."

"I appreciate that, ma'am," I said, "but political campaigns can be funny animals, and won't turn on things you might think they would. In addition, I have a Press Corps that is rabidly against me, and precisely because of my success. Last, but not least, I must address the fact that I'd be running against Captain Harold Malone. He's a longtimer here, he's had a strong record of drug interdiction in this County. That will at least equalize my successes."

I continued: "And while I know there are a great many things we could put out there about Malone, for me to do so would invite attacks by the Press and the Democrats of dirty campaigning, using Police knowledge for political purposes, and, once again, hypocrisy, as my own... hypothetical... use of crowbars to pry out criminals would come out."

"I think you overestimate the bad and underestimate the good." said Henry R. Wargrave. Why he was so stridently supporting me, I didn't know, but there he was... and a powerful political ally he would be. "You have a good military reserve record, which Malone can't match. Believe me, any dirt thrown on you will come back onto Malone ten times over. While Malone may have powerful people on his side... so do we, Lieutenant... so do we."

"Yes sir." I said. "But the military reserve record won't matter, especially to certain segments of the County population." Everyone nodded, knowing what I was talking about. "But your comments fit perfectly into my own ideas, Mr. Wargrave. What if you had a candidate for Sheriff who had an impeccable, unimpeachable reputation, who looks good in front of the camera, who I believe would enjoy the campaigning for the office as well as running the Sheriff Department and the Public Service Department, and who has the second-best-looking wife in the County... after my own, of course?"

"Ahhhh..." said Henry Wargrave, the only person to catch on. The rest sat dumbfounded, wondering what I had in mind. I stood up and went to the door and opened it.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to present the next Town & County Sheriff!" I enjoyed the gasps as Lt. Daniel Allgood stepped into the room. "Lieutenant Daniel Allgood!"

"Ah yes, well thought out, Don... well thought out." said Henry Wargrave. The billionaire actually did look impressed.

"If you'll excuse me," I said, "I'll step outside and let you talk with Lt. Allgood here. I've already talked to him, and he is willing to take on this burden, if you're willing to support his candidacy." With that, I left the room. Chief Griswold also excused himself, saying he knew Daniel's measure and would support him.

As we waited outside, I noted the Chief trying to keep a straight face, but his twitching mustaches gave him away.

"Whaddya think, Chief?" I said.

"I never would've thought of Allgood." said the Chief, as much to himself as to me. "I knew you had something in mind, but I had no idea... and Wargrave was right... this was one well-thought-out chess move. Excellent, Crowbar!" That was extremely high praise from a man not easily given to offer it.

And certainly, it was a good move. While Daniel did not have the name recognition I had in the County, he had grown up here (and he and Melina were living in his deceased parents' house while building a new home on the mountainside), he was of impeccable reputation and integrity, and he had a lovely wife who was a business owner in the community with no negatives for enemies to attack.

And it would leave me free to do what was needed to make sure Harold Malone's less-than-upright reputation became public, which I could not risk doing if I were running myself. As the Chief and I re-entered the room to help begin planning a new political career, I silently thought to myself that there was no way I was going to allow Harold Malone to gain ascendancy over my Police Force.

----

On March 29th on the Courthouse steps, with his lovely wife Melina at his side, and also flanked by Jack Colby, Dagmar Schoen, J.P. Goldman(!), and Edward R. Steele, Daniel Allgood announced that he was taking a leave of absence from the Town & County Police Force to throw his hat into the ring for the office of Sheriff. He promised a candidacy and tenure of integrity and equal application of the Law for all Citizens, as well to maintain the already-high standard of professionalism and service of the Public Safety Department.

--

"Oh my God, are you kidding me?" gasped Harold Malone as he watched Allgood's speech on TV in his campaign headquarters. "Allgood?!?! It's not going to be the Iron Crowbar?!?!?"

"This is great!" said one junior campaign staff member. "There's no way you can lose now, Mr. Malone!"

"Are fucking kidding me?" said Malone, staring malevolently at the young staffer. "This wasn't in the script at all! Oh, shit..." The staffer simply could not understand Malone's reaction.

Malone understood all too well. The Iron Crowbar had just outsmarted every one of these so-called geniuses who had assured him, Malone, that everything was in the bag...

--

"I don't understand why you are so upset." said Senator Nathan Allen to his guest as he poured himself a stiff drink. "You want a drink?"

"No, Senator." said the guest, who was growing impatient. "And let me explain why this is very bad for Malone. We were counting on the Iron Crowbar to run against him. We spent over a million dollars on opposition research on him and others, we had a line of attack, counterattack, and defense all ready to go against anything he could throw at us. But no one even thought about this guy Allgood. We can't attack him... for Christ's sake, he was running Internal Affairs at the Police Department! We don't know a damn thing about him, except all the good things that made him I.A. material. He's incorruptible, he has a beautiful family with no baggage like the Iron Crowbar's wife... Jesus... maybe I will take a drink, Senator."

Senator Allen poured his guest a drink and redoubled his own. "Name recognition, my friend. Name recognition. Nobody knows who Allgood is. Coverage at KXTC is all but bottled up, and nobody watches KSTD."

"Don't you understand, Senator?- oh, never mind." the guest said.

--

Daniel's early speeches were well-received by the political and Press punditry, as well as the Citizens to whom he spoke... but KXTC did not even show them on their broadcasts; Katherine Woodburn had disallowed coverage, only allowing Bettina Wurtzburg to mention the candidacy with no 'elaboration'. KSTD ran full coverage, and despite my attempts to get Bettina the first interview with Daniel, that went instead to KSTD.