Causing a Commotion Ch. 02

"She's alive, Don." she said. "You got her back." I just nodded and took the sword she was handing me. She jumped out and ran into the building. It would take a few minutes for me to regain my composure before following her inside...

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

As I came to the waiting room, I saw Callie hugging Teresa. Then I heard Teresa say "Don't thank me, thank him." as she indicated me. Callie came up to me and gave me a huge, clingy hug, sobbing as she thanked me for getting Cindy back. I just hugged her back and let her cry for a moment.

Molly and her (and Cindy's) mother Maggie were in the waiting room. Also there was Chief Griswold. And, somewhat to my surprise, Priya Ajmani was there. She'd been crying her eyes out, too, and hugged me about as hard as Callie had.

Chief Moynahan came down the hall with his Air Cav buddies. I thanked each one of them profusely for their help. The Chief asked how Cindy was, and I said we were still awaiting an update.

"I'm going to take these guys to dinner." said the Chief. "Call me with any updates." I said I would.

A few minutes later, the usual FBI suspects came in, those being Jack Muscone, Martin Nash, and the DepDirector. Tanya came in with them, and was giving out a lot of hugs all around, then began getting the story from Teresa of what we had done on the raid.

The SWAT Team had returned to TCPD Headquarters to stand down, clean their weapons and store their gear. Todd Burke and Teddy Franklin had come to the Hospital, and joined Teresa and Tanya's conversation about the raid. At some point in time, Todd got up and disappeared down the hallways. I suspected he was going to be making a communication... and it did not take much Iron Crowbar thinking to figure out who would be receiving Todd's communication...

Part 10 - Aftermath

Lilly Wargrave, widow of Henry R. Wargrave, stretched out her long, slender, shapely legs as she sat down on the luxurious couch in the living room of her luxurious apartment in the City. From the south-facing window, or patio deck outside it, she could see the Federal Building to her southwest, and the Cannon Building, once her home with her husband, to her southeast. The 12th floor was the penthouse, and she was one floor below it.

"So, dear," she said to her visitor, "what happened with Leon Mills?"

"The Police caught him." said the visitor as he looked appreciatively at her shapely legs and feeling stirrings in his loins. "His attempt to start a drug pipeline was totally crushed, even with our benefactors clearing the University's County to give us exclusive access to the area."

"Were those guys arrested at the bus station part of his operation?" Lilly asked.

"Mills's? Probably not." said the visitor. "Our benefactor's? Maybe."

Lilly nodded and took a swig from her drink, as did her visitor. "And my husband's conglomerate, Acme? What are you doing with that?"

"Many of the Board Members at the time of Henry's death have also died." said the visitor. "That's good in that we can gain control more easily, then use the company to help our benefactor's Islamist friends and hurt international Jewish interests."

"I don't care about any of that." said Lilly Wargrave. "I do want to see Burke Enterprises taken down a notch or two. It was shameful how that young bastard, the Iron Crowbar' nephew, usurped it from Michael Burke's rightful heirs, and poor Eleanor Burke left in prison, too."

"It's the Iron Crowbar's wife that I want to see destroyed." said the visitor. "She was the one behind your husband's death, no matter what they say about the Iron Crowbar being part of it. But our friend is hard at work, making sure that the Iron Crowbar and everyone he holds dear pays a huge price for his filthy actions..."

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

9:00pm, Thursday, September 27th. Laura, Dr. Cordell, and Dr. Yates came down the hallway to brief us on Cindy's condition. I came down the hall to meet them.

"I don't want to know the details." I said, looking at Laura. She nodded, then suggested that Dr. Yates and Dr. Cordell go talk to the others that were waiting.

Once we were alone, Laura said "I won't give you the details, except that physically, she should fully recover. What I also can tell you is that the drugs they used on her were very similar, if not exactly the same as what Casey B. Walker used on you." (Author's note: 'Dream Weaver'.) I just nodded.

"That bad news," continued Laura, " is that when we found you, you'd already come out of the hypnosis they'd put you under. But Cindy is still under it. She's not waking up, and we don't know what to do to bring her out of it."

I nodded again, then said "Let's go back to the group." We walked to the waiting room, where Dr. Yates and Dr. Cordell were finishing telling everyone that Cindy was still in a hypnosis-induced coma. The women in the room were huddling and crying... except for Teresa, who looked like she was ready to take up a crowbar and beat down some people with it.

"Everyone," I said when the doctors were done, "go home. There's nothing to do but let her sleep through the night." I knew nothing on earth would make Callie, Molly, and Maggie leave, but I hoped the rest would go.

I asked the doctors if I could speak to them in the hallway. When we assembled, I said "I've called Dr. Eckhart, but it will be at least 24 hours before he can make it back from Southeast Asia. Until then, let's just see if she comes out of it by tomorrow morning."

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

Nothing on earth was making Laura leave the Hospital, either. I suspected that her monitoring was more than just being doctorly.

"I need to go to the City," I said to her, "and talk to Jenny Van Dyke. I should be back way before dawn."

"What about Carole and Jim?" asked Laura, a bit sharply.

"They're staying at Todd and Teresa's, and my mom's staying there, too." I said. "It would be easier raiding Osaka Castle in Japan than getting through to the kids."

Laura nodded. "You need to take someone with you to the City." she said. "Let me get Martin Nash---"

"I'm taking Jerome Davis with me." I said. "I'll be okay, honey. It's Jenny Van Dyke's life I'm trying to save right now..."

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

Detectives Tony Long, E.J. Jefferson, and Sapper Warren met me and Jerome at City Police Headquarters (and Jail).

"She's in the same Interrogation Room where you talked to her last time." said Long. "And her lawyer Masterson is in there, too. He got here within five minutes of you calling us and telling us you were coming over. We must have a mole, somewhere."

"Maybe," I said, "but maybe not. A lot of stuff went down today." I told them briefly about Cindy's kidnapping and our successful retrieval of her. They were all totally shocked. And I shocked them some more:

"Guys," I said, "what would you say if I told you I am about to violate Jenny Van Dyke's many Constitutional rights by physically and forcibly removing her counsel from the room, so that I can talk to her without him in there? It is likely that the charges against her will be dropped on the technicality, and I will be spanked by the Judge when he hears about it. But it's as much to save her life as anything else."

"Under one condition, Commander." said Sapper Warren, a large, physically imposing man. "I get to personally mishandle that son of a bitch. I'm tired of the little shit's whining."

"The Feds might get pissed about it." said Tony Long. "But we've long since determined that there's not much she can help us with."

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

As the rest went into the anteroom to watch, Sapper Warren and I came into the interrogation room. "Oh, it's the handsome man again." said Jenny, her eyes lighting up.

"Don't say anything, Jenny." said Nathan Masterson.

"You." I said, pointing at Masterson. "Get out."

"Whaaa?" Masterson said, completely off guard.

"You heard me." I said. "Get your sorry, Jew-hating ass out of here."

"I'm representing my client!" howled Masterson.

"You little shit." said Warren as he grabbed Masterson by his shirt collars and physically pulled him out of the chair. "The Iron Crowbar told you to get out. Now move, you little cocksucker, or I'll break your fucking neck."

"I'll have your god-damn badge for this, Troy!" Masterson was shouting as Warren was shoving him to the door. "And Jenny will be walking free for this!"

"I'm counting on it." I replied as I sat down opposite Jenny. She just looked at me with a face connoting shock and awe...

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

Outside, Masterson tried to go into the anteroom. Warren held him back. "You stay out here until the Iron Crowbar is done."

"You're violating my client's rights!" shouted Masterson. "Get out of my way!" He tried to get past Warren, but the big black Detective bunched his fist and slammed it into Masterson's midsection. Then Warren teed off and slammed his fist into Masterson's jaw, nearly breaking it.

"You stay there on the god-damned floor until I tell you you can get up, you little shit." Warren said. He was definitely enjoying this...

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

"He's right, you know." Jenny said. "After that, the judge will let me walk."

"Jenny, I don't have much time for small talk." I said. "That lawyer is not your friend. He and his law firm work for Elitists in Washington, D.C. and many other people that are up to no good. One of them is the man who has you working with him. But they've betrayed you."

"All right, what are you talking about?" Jenny began, but I put up a hand.

"Jenny, I don't have time." I said. "You know what I'm talking about. I just violated your rights, so don't worry about little shit like entrapment. I'm trying to keep you alive here. You said that Elizabeth told you that I'm as good as she is, and she was right. And it's my sister that one of these men has been trying to kill, and is still trying to kill. He's now the CIA Director, and illegally using rogue assets to try to kill Elizabeth and hurt our relations with Israel."

Jenny was no longer smiling, but now had a look of anger on her face, mixed with fear. "That bastard... he's trying to kill Elizabeth?"

"Yes." I said. "And more. And he's working with someone else, someone who promised you a big drug pipeline like you had in the days of working with Elizabeth. He does not intend to honor that promise. He intends to kill you once your usefulness to him and the CIA Director are at an end. Did they promise you a pardon if you worked with them?"

Jenny knew that I knew. "Yeah." she said. "They had me contact Leon Mills to start up a drug pipeline... in your home County. Leon was desperate for money, so he bit, hard. They said they were going to get Elizabeth to help me, and wanted me to contact her, but I told them, truthfully, that I didn't know how. They said to not worry about it, just to set up the drug line with Leon. Next thing I know, two women kidnapped Leon and me, then they and a third woman worked us over. They didn't do much to me, but they fucked Leon up pretty bad."

I nodded. "Well, what you need to know is that they were wanting you to contact Elizabeth so that they could kill her. They were using you to try to kill her." I said, emphasizing the last part. I let that sink in, then continued: "If you stay in jail too much longer, they're going to try to have you killed. The City Police Detectives are going to help me keep you alive and safe until your little slimeball of a lawyer gets you freed on the technicalities. Then I hope to have some friends help get you to safety. Whatever you do, don't trust Masterson, and treat your former benefactors like the killers they are."

After a few more words, I got up and left. As I entered the hall, I saw Masterson sitting on the floor, with Sapper Warren watching him. "What are you doing sitting there, Jew-hater?" I snarled at Masterson. "Night Court is open. Go whine to the judge about my egregious violations of your client's rights..."

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

1:00am, Friday, September 28th. I was sitting in the Judge's chambers. Masterson and the City Police Detectives were waiting outside.

"Commander Troy," said the Judge, "I just don't get this. You have a reputation for having irritated many LEOs in the past by insisting on a suspect's right being honored, and them having legal counsel. You still win your cases, too. So... I just don't understand."

"Your Honor," I said, "I can't explain it all, as people's lives are in danger. I'm trying to keep Jenny Van Dyke alive, and that snot lawyer Masterson is part of the problem, not the solution. I had to let her know some things without him hearing any of it, and that's what I did."

"But you know what I'm going to have to do, don't you?" asked the Judge. "No trial is going to overcome the legal issues you've created, here."

"Yes, Your Honor, I understand." I said.

The Judge peered at me, then said "By rights, I should hold you in Contempt of Court for this, and suspend you in all jurisdictions of the State as an Officer of the Court. But I also know... that something is wrong here, something very wrong. So get out of here before I change my mind... but be advised that I'm going to let Ms. Van Dyke go..."

I got out of there as quickly as my back would let the rest of me move...

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

Laura's office in the Hospital was not used all that often. But tonight she was using it, and she had two guests: the DepDirector and Dr. Leonard Cordell (Admiral, USN, Ret.).

She had just disconnected her cellphone. "Don's on his way back home." she said. "He's not going to the Airport."

"Good." said the DepDirector. "We'll have to move very, very fast to stop him if he tries to go to Langley."

"Why stop him?" asked Admiral Cordell. "Hell, I want to kill the bastards myself for this."

"No one wants to kill him more than me." said Laura. "But we can't. And we can't let Don kill him."

"Why not?" Cordell asked angrily. "They can kill us all they want. Admiral Keating, a good man, murdered. Samuel Russell is laughing in his rape victim's face. Larry Wheeler's kids will grow up without a father. The Eldon boy didn't even get a chance to grow up. And then they do this to Ms. Ross, and we can't do anything about it?"

"What would you have us do, Admiral?" asked the DepDirector.

"I'd have you unleash the Iron Crowbar... the full power of him." said the Admiral. "He's ripped through half of these slugs already, and now you want to hold him back from finishing the job?"

"And when they kill him?" Laura asked. "What am I supposed to tell my daughter? That I let them murder her father by not holding him back and letting the proper people handle this in the proper way?"

"All I know is that the people on our side are being murdered and brutalized, while their people seem to get away with it, at every turn." growled the Admiral. "Mitt Willis died only because some kid went nuts when his wife left him. What's next? Who's next?" He emphasized his point by getting up and walking out of the office.

"He doesn't have the whole picture." said the DepDirector. "But one thing's for sure... we can't let the CIA Director stay in place any more than we can let Don go after him."

Laura nodded as she went into a reverie, thinking about the enormous problems that now beset them. Then she suddenly snapped out of it and looked at the DepDirector. "Have you heard anything from Takaki Misaki?" she asked.

"No." said the DepDirector. "Not a word." The tone of his voice and his look at her told her what she needed to know...

Part 11 - Wake-up Call

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Fox Two News!" shouted the redheaded reporterette at 7:00am, Friday, September 28th, from in front of City Hall. "Fox Two News is bringing you continuing coverage of the ordeal of Police Commander Cindy Ross!"

"Commander Ross disappeared late Wednesday night," said Bettina, "after answering what sources say was a tip from a Confidential Informant. She was rescued by the TCPD SWAT Team and other Officers, but Police are not giving any details, nor has anything been properly noted in the Duty Logs, though they should have been updated and made available to the Press."

"University Hospital has confirmed that Commander Ross was admitted as a patient for severe dehydration, but would give no other comment on her condition." Bettina said. "However, sources tell Fox Two News that Commander Ross has not awakened from being in what is called a 'coma-like condition', and that she is being treated for physical injuries as well as dehydration."

"Police are also not commenting on the the murder of Samuel J. Tilden, who was found dead in his home on Memphis Street yesterday morning." Bettina continued. "Mr. Tilden had a long arrest record, but sources tell Fox Two News that he may have had a working relationship with the Town & County Police as an informant on drug operations in the County."

"In State news," Bettina said, "Governor Val Jared continues to face criticism as he reasserts his refusal to answer any questions by the Special Independent Counsel, either orally or in writing. Legal experts are divided on whether the Governor must answer or can ignore a subpoena by Robert Mullen, and are also divided on whether or not the Governor can be forced to appear before the Special Grand Jury if subpoenaed to testify there."

"And in National news," said Bettina, "tensions between Israel and America are rising, as the Israeli Prime Minister and his entourage suddenly left meetings with the President at the White House last night, and flew back home to Israel. Neither side is saying what the talks were about nor why they were suddenly broken off, but the CIA Director issued a statement saying the Israelis were acting in bad faith, and that the President feels he cannot trust them. The White House would neither confirm nor deny the CIA Director's comments..."

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

"My God, that was the most irresponsible piece of journalism I have ever seen." exclaimed Lieutenant Mary Milton as everyone drank coffee in MCD. "Just telling the whole wide world that Tilden was a C.I. What the fuck was Bettina thinking?"

"She was thinking of what she could do to harm the Police the most," said Joanne Warner, "and that was what she came up with."

"Come on, you really think that was deliberate?" Joanne's partner, Theo Washington asked, meaning it humorously.

"You don't think it was deliberate, Mr. Washington?" Captain Tanya Perlman asked, her voice not connoting any humor at all. When Theo didn't immediately reply, Tanya asked acidly: "Well?"

"Uh, I don't know, ma'am." said Theo as he felt all the eyes on him. "It definitely crosses a line, though."

"My issue with it," said Jerome Davis, "is that the Press knows way too much about all of it. How did they know Tilden was a C.I.? How did they know Commander Ross was acting on a tip? Have we got a mole in this place, somewhere?"

"Maybe not." said a voice. Everyone was shocked to see Your Iron Crowbar come into the room. "There have always been Officers that will give the Press tidbits in exchange for green dollar bills, and we've always known that. But I also know that the Officers have not been taking the money nor giving out information since the Press racially attacked my daughter a few weeks ago. So that leaves the perps themselves as the leakers to the Press."

"Are you saying the Press is actually working with the criminals on this, sir?" asked a shocked Mary Milton.

"Dunno if it's active cooperation or the Press not worrying about who they get their information from." I said. "But I would put nothing, nothing at all, past the corrupt Media."