Cat's In The Cradle Ch. 02

"Pretty much." said Teresa. "But my idea is that the Detectives find out something, or the Intel people work up something such as a perp's location, and all they have to do is make a call to get a team of well-trained officers in armor show up and make the bust, or hold a perimeter while the Detectives investigate. Right now, everyone thinks they have to get a Precinct Captain's permission, or worse yet, my personal permission. I tell people we are not the German Army on D-Day, and we need to be more responsive, faster."

"You don't want to be told?" Cindy asked, surprised.

"I like what Don says." Teresa replied. "He wants to know, but he wants to hear 'this is what's going on, and here's what we're already doing about it'. Same with me."

*Whirrrrrrrrrrr*

Just then, Tanya drove up the ramp to the deck, and stopped on a dime just in front of the table. "Hi guys." she said. "Mind if I join you?"

"Sure, but the next round is on you." Cindy said.

"Naw, this is my party tonight." said Teresa. "I'm already running a tab."

After getting more beer, Cindy said "I want to ask both of you something. Don asked me a question, and in the form of a puzzle to be solved. He asked why his mother dislikes my father so much. I always thought it had to do with Don's father being estranged from my father, and that history. But the way Don asked me... got me to thinking."

Tanya said "I've worked with Phyllis on cases several times, and she's never said anything about any of that to me. She told me a lot of stories about Don in his childhood, and some about his sister, but nothing about your father Dr. Eckhart."

"Did she mention about Don coming home and telling her and his father that he whipped four guys in the gym basement?" Cindy asked.

"No." Tanya asked. "She did say once that Don used his Aikido to stop some bullies that were harassing him, but I thought that was just Don being the Greatest American Hero. His mother never mentioned the crowbar as part of that."

"She might not have known." Teresa said. "Don said he told his parents at dinner, and I doubt he carried the blue crowbar to the dinner table."

"You know," Cindy said, "and don't mention this, please... but after winning the Battle of Providence Springs, Don said that his father had committed suicide after the man we now know was the Consultant of Crime threatened the entire Troy family. But my father had nothing to do with any of that... that I know of."

"You think maybe Phyllis thinks Dr. Eckhart could've stopped the Consultant of Crime from threatening the Troy family?" Teresa asked.

"No." said Tanya, looking introspective. She was having the beginnings of a reverie. "No, that wasn't it. We know all about Westboro, so Don wouldn't have asked you that question the way he did..."

When she came out of it, a new plate of nachos was on the table and the beer pitcher was nearly empty. "We're looking at it the wrong way." she said. "There's something else I remembered... Jonas Oldeeds..."

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

9:30pm. I got home from watching the Council Meeting in progress. The Sheriff had submitted his proposal. J.P. Goldman had moved to refer it to the 'Committee of the Whole' for study, and when Mayor Allgood had said 'Without objection?', Reginald B.F. Lewis, Kelly Carnes, and Malinda Adams had objected.

Lewis had made a Point of Order, citing that with this same subject matter coming up in the Charter vote, it would be a waste of time to consider this issue separately. Mayor Allgood accepted the point of order, but all that did was force a formal vote, which was 7-3 to refer the matter to the Committee of the Whole, which was then set to meet Friday at 2:00pm.

I went up to The Cabin, checked on the tiles in my fortified office, then went and fed Tiger Mom. She and her kittens had been exploring the back deck, and they all scattered when I opened the back door. After putting out the food, I locked up and went to the Mountain Nest.

"Daddy!" came a chorus of young voices, and I hugged three boys and two girls (Carole and Marie), then sat down for a late supper.

As I ate and talked to Laura and Molly, Jim came up to the table. "Daddy," he said, "are you going to come to my soccer game Friday?" he asked, his voice full of excitement and hope.

"What time is it going to be?" I asked.

"Four o'clock." Laura said. "Ross is playing on the same team, as well."

"Cool." I said. "Well, Jim, I have a big meeting at 2:00, but I will try very hard to get out of it in time to come see your game, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy!" Jim said happily, then rushed off to get ready for bed before his mother realized he was procrastinating on that...

Part 11 - Golden 'Vision'

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Channel Two News!" said the redheaded MILF reporterette at 7:00am, Wednesday, September 4th, from the roof of the building at the corner of Riverside and College, with City Hall in the background. "Controversy erupted at last night's Council meeting after the Sheriff submitted his Public Service Department structure proposals!"

Bettina began: "Recently widowed Sheriff Antonio Griswold submitted a new rank structure for his Public Safety Department, the same proposals that are contained in the increasingly unpopular Charter proposal. The Sheriff's proposal, which is fiercely opposed by the Police and Fire Department Unions, was rammed through to Committee by the Council Republicans over the objections of Council Democrats! The proposal did not include the proposal for a new EMS, as that has to be done through the new Charter. Commander Donald Troy did not respond to KXTC's repeated requests for comment."

Bettina: "And opposition to the proposed Charter continues to grow. The NEA, the powerful Teacher's Union, has advised its members to vote against the Charter and they're asking their members to publicly campaign against it. The Fire Department Union also came out strongly opposed to the Charter, as it would reinstate an EMS that is independent of the Fire Department. Charter Commission Chairman Donald Troy has refused to respond to repeated KXTC requests for comment."

Bettina: "In a related story, Ladies Auxiliary Club President-in-Perpetuity Myrtle L. James is arranging a series of question and answer sessions with Charter Commission members, and the Public will be invited to attend. The date for the vote on the new Charter is Tuesday, September 24th..."

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

"That is not what happened at the Council meeting." I said as we drank coffee in the Chief's Conference Room. "The vote was 7-3 to send the proposal to Committee. Bettina made it sound like it was along Party lines to actually pass it."

"And the Police Union is not opposed to it." growled Sheriff Griswold. "The Fire Department Union is, but not to the level Bettina makes it sound."

"Wow." Tanya said flatly. "Bettina went 'fake news' on us. Whoever was expecting that?" The unexpected sarcasm from her made me laugh.

"So." I said. "Is the Charter really getting that much opposition? Or is the Media selectively making it sound that way?"

"Some of both." said Cindy Ross. "KFXU is being a lot more fair and balanced about it, and they'll televise the Ladies Auxiliary meetings if you Commission members agree to them. KXTC is working hand-in-glove with the opponents of the Charter, of course."

Teresa said "Todd said that he thinks the northern County districts are going to be solidly against it because of the school tax revenue distribution situation, say that three times fast. And I'm hearing that the Fire Department is very much against it... not just their Union, but the rank-and-file."

Sheriff Griswold said "I think it'll come down to how the black community likes the Charter. The politicians are trying to gin up issues about the Board of Inquiry being replaced, and the NEA is working like dogs to convince blacks that this new school plan hurts minorities."

"That's a crock." I muttered. I stood up. "If you'll excuse me, Chief, I have some things to catch up on."

"Go ahead, Mr. Crowbarrrr." said the Chief. As I rounded the end of the table, he said "It's not everyone who gets time off to have a lake named after him." I heard Angels giggling and saw the Sheriff's mustaches twitching merrily at that.

"Just another thing to blame on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chief." I said, knowing the Chief would understand the joke behind that. He chuckled and waved me towards the door...

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

I walked into MCD. In the back corner, where Geiger used to sit, Detective Julia Rodriguez was sitting. Opposite her was Teddy Parker, where he'd been sitting all along.

At the next set of desks along the far wall were Theo Washington and Roy McGhillie. "Where's Warner?" I asked.

"Doctor appointment, sir." said Julia Rodriguez. "Her desk is my old one."

"Whatever happened to 'nobody puts Baby in the corner'?" I asked. "How'd you get that spot, Rodriguez?"

"That's the coveted spot, sir." said Theo with his 'movie-star-handsome' grin.

"Yes it is, sir." said Julia. "I have a secret plan to have cubicle walls built here, too." I chuckled at that.

"So I want to hear it straight from the sources, that being you." I said "What's going on? What are y'all working on?"

"Cubicle walls, sir." said Roy McGhillie, flat deadpan. Then he grinned and said "Seriously, sir, there's been a new rash of car thefts the last week and a half. I've been working with Purvis in Vice on it."

"Any idea why the sudden increase?" I asked.

"Yes sir." said McGhillie. "School coming back in session. The football players came in for summer camp, then the Fraternities and Sororities came in for Fall Rush, then the rest of it. A lot of high-end cars showing up and their owners not being careful like they should be. So it's low-hanging fruit for a while for the hot stuff. And then there's a flood of cars as the students come back, Not high-end cars, but a lot of volume."

"Good, and that's a good report." I said. "Theo, what are you working on?"

"Reports of violence at demonstrations." said Theo. "We're getting reports of the NEA's thugs threatening teachers and pro-Charter people, but a lot of it is anonymous tips. Joanne and I have been working up video data to see if we can identify some of these thugs and at least make some arrests and put the fear of God and Crowbars into 'em."

"Sounds like my kind of plan." I said. "And definitely let me know if you make a solid connection between the NEA and the threats and violence. If you do, they'll get more than just the fear of crowbars... they'll get the real thing..."

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

That evening, I was driving in the Black Beauty towards 'The Vision' in Coltrane County. The Black Beauty could handle the weight of the sandstone tiles, so the trunk and backseat were loaded with them. Todd, actually BOW Enterprises, had bought the Ford F-350 from me for the same price I'd paid for it, as he would find good use for it around the BOW Enterprises facility.

Coming into the World Headquarters of The Vision, I pulled up at the front door, and Dr. P. Harvey Eckhart himself got into the shotgun seat. "Hello, young Donald!" he said cheerfully. "Congratulations on that wonderful honor having that Reservoir named after you!"

"Thank you, Uncle Harvey." I said. "It was a huge surprise, for sure." Uncle Harvey directed me around to the basement garage opening. Once inside, the doors closed and the elevator we were on lowered us to the underground garage area.

"So you found what everyone has been looking for for years." said Dr. Eckhart. "Westboro's gold."

"Some of it, sir." I said as two of Eckhart's young, strong male acolytes unloaded the tiles from the Black Beauty. "I actually stumbled onto it. I'm betting there's a good bit more out there somewhere, but I have no idea where."

"Thank you, my young friends." said Dr. Eckhart to his acolytes. They left us alone in the garage. He then asked in a low voice, almost a whisper: "Why do you think he chose Apple Grove?"

I said "You know Jonas Oldeeds was using my father for some of his legal work, and we know that Westboro visited my father and forced him to commit suicide. So I'd say that between them, Apple Grove seemed an ideal, out-of-the-way place to hide this stuff."

'This stuff' was about to be revealed. I took a small blowtorch attached to a small tank of acetylene and lit it, then began heating up one of the sandstone tiles. The 4'x1' tiles turned out to be sandstone through-and-through, but the 4'x4' tile came loose. When I pulled it off, the sheet of gold was revealed.

"Ah, young Donald." said Dr. Eckhart. "A wonderful sight. Four feet by four feet by nearly an inch thick. That is a lot of money hidden in these tiles."

After exposing the gold in the other tiles, Dr. Eckhart ran a chemical test to make sure all of it really was gold, and it was. He then calculated the amount in troy ounces (yes, troy ounces, dontcha know), and at a rate just less than the spot price of gold on the open market, he informed me that he'd be putting forty million dollars in a special account, from which I could make gifts and endowments anonymously.

"By the way, Uncle Harvey," I said, "I'm not telling Cindy about this. Plausible deniability is a good thing, maybe a life-saving thing, if you know what I mean."

"I do indeed, young Donald." Eckhart replied. "It was bad enough, what happened to you over McGinty's Materials. Oh, by the way, did you ever find them?"

"No sir." I said. "But someone may have them." I told him about finding Eidex and Swenson's bodies, and that of Thomas P. Cook. "There's Swamp Frogs still at work around these here parts, Uncle Harvey."

"Ye-es." said Eckhart. "But I am more concerned... about the new threat to my adopted granddaughter." That got my attention...

Part 12 - The Disloyal Opposition

"This is Priya Ajmani, KFXU Fox Eight News!" said the beautiful Indian reporterette at 2:00pm, Thursday, September 5th, from the Ladies Auxiliary clubhouse. "We are bringing you live the first question and answer session about the Town & County Charter, sponsored by the Ladies Auxiliary Club!"

There was applause from the audience, then Priya went on: "We have with us Charter Commission Member and teacher Edna Carter..." There was applause as Edna Carter was shown on TV. "... and in a surprise appearance, we have Charter Commission Chairman Don Troy here!" There was more applause as I was shown, dressed in civilian clothes.

Priya got in a dig, as she said with a beautiful smile: "And I don't know what's going on with that other station, but Commander Troy is definitely available for comment for you and for the Ladies Auxiliary!" There was some loud laughter at that, which dissolved into applause. I just grinned at that.

Some of the questions were simple explanations of what we were doing with various issues, and Edna Carter answered a good deal of those questions. But a few were more like attacks in the form of questions, making me wonder if the persons asking were reporters disguised as human beings. One example was a woman who lived in the Heritage Cloisters subdivision.

"And I don't understand why I have to pay more in property taxes for schools, only to see my district get less money while other districts get more!" she pretty much shouted. "It's just not fair!"

Edna Carter would get her hackles up at questions like that, so I'd previously asked her to let me answer those particular questions. So I tried. "Ma'am," I said, "I'm not sure that any system of taxation on the face of this earth is fair to everyone. I personally despise sales taxes, which are regressive... people who make less pay a greater percentage of their income in tax for buying the exact same thing a person who makes more buys. And progressive tax rates, like U.S. and many State taxes, are not fair. A flat percentage rate tax is about the best we can do."

"Commander, that is not the problem!" the woman angrily said (more like shouted). "The problem is how the revenue is being distributed. My district is paying more actual money in school taxes despite it being a flat-rate tax, and I understand that. But my district should be getting a proportional amount back to our schools. Instead, it's disproportionately less for us and more for... other districts, by percentage or any other method."

I could tell who lived in the upper County by seeing and hearing them burst into applause. And because many of the County's wealthier wives were in the Ladies Auxiliary, a lot of the ladies present were applauding that.

"You keep referring to it as being by district." I said. "But it's not. Every property, regardless of district, is taxed at the same rate. And every student is receiving the same amount at the same rate, delivered through the schools and the system, of course."

"That's not the way it is!" the woman started yelling, but I interrupted her.

"That's how I look at it!" I thundered back. "I look at the entire County as one big school district. Every child, every student in this County, is the same, and should receive the same, as that is the only way to have a fair and equitable basic education for every child."

I thought I'd hit on a good 'explanation', but it was not well received at all by those who did not care to receive it at all. Fortunately, we moved on.

Another woman, who I knew was a friend of Mrs. Myrtle L. James, stood up and asked "If the Charter fails to pass, will you support separating the Town from the County again?"

I said "First of all, I've worked on this Charter for months, as has Mrs. Carter. I've literally woken up from dreaming about working on this Charter. So I've never even thought about it in terms of 'what ifs' if it were to fail." There were some murmurs over that.

I continued: "And even if the Charter passes, the question of Town and County separation is a valid one for the future. My answer is that larger towns or cities have been merging with their counties all over the country. New York City is composed of five counties; they call them the five boroughs. The city of Athens, GA, merged with its county, Clarke County, and it was a complete merger, more than ours: the county line there is the city limits, as well."

I said" "So if our Town & County split, it's my belief they would re-merge, and sooner rather than later. The exception to that would be if the State redrew the county lines, and our County absorbed Coltrane County and/or Nextdoor County. Then you might see the Town become its own entity again. As to my personal preferences, I like it the way it is now, which is one reason I agreed to be on the Charter Commission..."

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

Afterwards, Edna Carter said quietly to me "You know I don't like to bring up the race card, Don. And I know you're the same way. But I really do sense that tax distribution issue is racially motivated."

"I'm sure for some people, it is. But I think a lot of it is the 'my child' syndrome." I replied, making air quotes. "People, especially parents, tend to think in terms of 'my child': How will this affect 'my child'... is this good for 'my child', etc. And as a parent, I understand it; my wife and I had many discussions on the education of our children: public or private school, Town High system or County High system."

"That's true." said Edna. "But when it gets to the larger politics of it, uglier truths start coming out."

I replied "You know, if this County was composed of people of just one ethnicity, White or Black or Hispanic or Asian, 100% the very same ethnicity... we'd still have the exact same problem. Those in the wealthier districts would be making the same arguments they are now, those in the poorer districts the same counter-arguments. Ultimately, it's all about the money. That's what I think, anyway..."