Consent of the Governed Ch. 01

Reginald B.F. Lewis joined Sheila Sorrells in dissenting due to the 'political considerations', Susan Weston dissented in a fit of pique after losing the Tanya Muscone vote, and Kelly Carnes said, as she'd said many times before, that "I'll never vote for a positive Police action while Commander Troy is employed by the TCPD." But Malinda Adams voted to confirm the hire, as she knew without anything being said that if it wasn't Claire Michaels, it would be a man.

"Okay," said the Mayor, meaning it humorously, "shall we confirm the Chief of Staff hire by voice vote?"

"Not by a longshot." snarled Kelly Carnes. "I am sick and tired of the Sheriff and these Police Officers stonewalling us on Commander Ross's infraction and discipline, and I absolutely want everyone's vote on record. If you want to vote for Ross with this cover-up going on, then let it be recorded so it can be used against you."

"Okay, then!" said the Mayor with mock cheerfulness. "Debate?"

Dagmar Schoen said "We are extremely fortunate to have an experienced, highly qualified woman willing to accept the job of Sheriff Department Chief of Staff. Cindy Ross is a decorated Police hero, having earned the Medal of Valor being grievously wounded while saving other Police Officers's lives." (Author's note: 'Trilogy: The Darkest Night'.)

Dagmar: "I don't really care about her infraction nor the discipline for it; I trust the Sheriff to have made the right call on what's best for the Police Force. I also have no respect for the attempt to make anti-Police political points by trying to force an unnecessary Board of Inquest over it, especially now, during Election Season. I do know that Cindy Ross is the best possible choice to become the next Chief of Staff."

Malinda Adams said "I was strongly considering voting for this nomination, but now I will say that I will be voting against it. The reason is not due to Commander Ross's qualifications, but for Councilwoman Schoen's utter disregard for the good processes we have, such as Boards of Inquest... which Commander Troy himself wrote into the New Charter. I also have no respect for Ms. Schoen's casually indifferent dismissal of the lack of transparency and possibly of a cover-up by the Police over this discipline matter. You can thank Ms. Schoen, Mr. Mayor, if you get to vote to break the tie."

"Well, thank you, Ms. Schoen!" Daniel Allgood said snarkily. "Any more debate?" There was none. It was put to the vote, and was a 5-5 tie. "The Council being evenly divided," said the Mayor, "I do indeed vote 'yea' to break the tie, and the measure is approved. You have your new Chief of Staff, Sheriff..."

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

Meanwhile...

"It was awful!" wailed Tamara, who was near tears. "They showed me this video of Dr. Fredricson's assistant and that porno whore saying they saw me at Dr. Fredricson's desk. Then Mayor Allgood's wife came in, showed an FBI badge, and said she'd arrest me and 'disappear' me! And I had my iPhone dialed in to your number to record everything that was said... and it came out in some static and whining noise, as if the Slender Man had caught up to me in that video game."

They were in the office of Dr. Lionel Carmela, Head of the Department of Political Science and a rabid Socialist. Also there were Rob Lawton, Dana Stirewalt, and other students that made up Carmela's unofficial 'Politburo'.

"Wow." said Lawton, a tall, broad-shouldered young man with dark brown hair and a beard that was trimmed because he had a part in a University Theater play. He also wore black plastic eyeglasses, not unlike those of that guy on the 'Mythbusters' television program. "It's lucky they didn't arrest you and 'disappear' you right there on the spot."

"Hmmm, yezzzz." said Carmela as he pulled at his black beard while thinking about it. "That's a good point, Rob.... why didn't they arrest her?"

"Maybe they don't want any more publicity dredged up about Dr. Fredricson's criminal prostitution ring." suggested Dana Stirewalt.

"That's going to happen anyway." said Tamara.

"What did you tell them, Tamara?" asked Carmela.

"They said they wouldn't press charges if I told them what happened." said Tamara. "So I said I took photos with my iPhone of Dr. Fredricson's calendar book, and sent them to Dana's burner phone."

"Oh great." Dana said darkly. "Now they'll come after me."

"Again," said Carmela, "the question is why haven't they come after you already? No, there's something... fishy about all this. Something's not right. I'll also ask why that cunt Fredricson's assistant and porno whore' didn't stop you when they saw you, Tamara."

"I was wondering that, too." Tamara said. "I spent fifteen minutes photographing the calendar, and another ten downloading related files. And I was pretty sure no one else was in the building when I went in and got that information. I had no idea they saw me at all."

"What if they didn't?" Carmela asked. Everyone turned to him with confused looks on their faces. Carmela went on: "What if they made the whole thing up, including that so-called video testimony?"

"That would explain why they haven't made any actual arrests yet." said Rob Lawton.

"But they got what they wanted." Dana Stirewalt said. "And they'll come after me next."

"No, they won't." said Carmela "We're going to nip this one in the bud. I'm going to call Bettina Wurtzburg, and we're going to give them an exclusive interview. Tamara, you'll tell them what the fucking cops did to you, and the Press will smear Donald Troy with it. We can even use it to say he's trying to manufacture false evidence to save his cunt wife."

"But Doctor," said Tamara, "I have no witnesses to what they did. There's no proof. It's just my word against the word of three or four corrupt cops."

"That doesn't matter." replied Lionel Carmela. "It's the seriousness of the charge that counts. We put it out there as if it's true, and it's up to them to try to refute it. And if I'm right, they won't try. If they put out that recording they made of your coerced confession, we'll say that proves they browbeat it out of you. If they don't release it, they can't use it."

Carmela finished up: "The important point is that the truth doesn't matter. People will believe what they want to believe, and a lot of people out there want to believe that Donald Troy and the Police are corrupt. And that paves the way for calls to defund the Police, and also to 'cancel' that cunt Fredricson, with demonstrations and even physical attacks. And 'canceling' Laura Fredricson and destroying her career is our ultimate goal in this..."

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

Susan Weston asked the Sergeant-At-Arms to escort her to her vehicle, and Kelly Carnes went with them, correctly fearful for Susan's safety after what Susan had called Tanya.

Meanwhile, Lt. Commander Teresa Croyle came around the corner as I was exiting the Chamber room, and she and I left to walk back to Police Headquarters. Teresa had been listening in on the Executive Session in the office of The Intendent, the lovely Adele Peabody.

"Did that go like you expected?" Teresa asked.

"Yes, except for the Mayor allowing them to split it into three separate votes." I replied. "I didn't understand why he did that."

"I think he said it out loud." Teresa said. "He wanted them on record, and by golly he got that!"

"And that's my point." I said. "He gave the Enemy fodder to attack us even more. He handed Carnes and Sorrells a campaign issue for that pedophile Finneran on a silver platter, as one example. He didn't have to do that. It was totally an unforced error on his part."

"What about what Susan Weston said about Tanya?" Teresa asked as we reached Police Headquarters.

"Let's not say another word about that." I replied. "You heard the Sheriff's reply... wait until there are no witnesses. I'll say nor more about it... to maintain plausible deniability."

"Nor will I." said the Iron Wolf darkly...

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

Much later that night, Dr. Lionel Carmela lay in his bed in his expensive apartment, pulling the silk sheets over his corpulent body to fight the chill the night air was bringing to the Town. As he thought about what had been done to Tamara, chilling thoughts began to creep into his mind.

He'd expected the Iron Crowbar to attempt to get warrants, which Carmela would know about because Judge Nance and other paid people would bring it to his, Carmela's, attention. And when the Police would bring his associates into Police Headquarters and interrogate them, he'd make his complaints to his allies in the Mainstream Press, and they'd gin up Police abuse charges.

But the Iron Crowbar did not do that. He went totally out of bounds. Whatever Tamara had 'confessed' to was not admissible, if what he thought had happened was true...

Despite the bedding and the heat being on in his apartment, Dr. Carmela felt a chill reach into his very soul. The Iron Crowbar was not playing the Game, where he was constrained by the Rules that the Press and he, Carmela, were not beholden to. Carmela also knew that that cunt Fredricson's sister, the Mayor's wife, really could 'disappear' Tamara and others, even him, Carmela.

They're not playing by the Rules this time, Carmela thought to himself. So we have to take action to nip whatever dirty tricks the Iron Crowbar is up to. And the first step happens in the morning... oh yes, it will be glorioussss....

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

I felt very tense as I got back to the Mountain Nest at 10:45pm. And when I saw Bowser and Buddy lying on the steps leading upstairs, obviously waiting for me, I realized that something was wrong.

As I went into the greatroom, I saw Laura sitting on the sofa against the far wall, reading something on her iPad. She glanced up at me through her eyebrows, and I did not need the Power of the Vibe to know that she was 'not happy'.

"Uh oh." I said. "What's going on?"

"Your daughter is grounded for the rest of the month." Laura said. "And we're not going to argue about it."

We'll see about that, I thought to myself. But I more wisely went back to that staple of giving myself a moment to think about it: "I'll take the dogs out." I said. "Hey dogs, do you need to go out?"

To my utter shock, there was no movement by the dogs. Instead I heard whimpering from the stairwell. I looked over at Laura with a 'WTF?' look; it was as if the moon had left orbit, so rare was this. Laura looked surprised also.

I went to the stairwell. Bowser got up and started walking up the stairs, looking back at me to see if I was following. And yes, I was. Buddy dropped into the column as the rearguard.

We got to the door of Carole's room, which was closed, and Bowser looked at me and then at the door. I cracked the door and looked in. Carole was lying on her back in her pajamas, not under the covers, her little arms crossed, staring at the ceiling with a look that was either pouting or determination. Bowser came with me as I went on inside, while Buddy stayed in the hallway.

There was a chair by the bedside table upon which Carole would lay out her clothes for the next day. I moved the clothes and brought the chair to the side of the bed. Bowser did not get into his basket, but sat down on his haunches on the floor next to me.

"What's going on, Fussbudget?" I asked.

"Mommy doesn't believe me." Carole said, still staring at the ceiling. "And now she says I can't visit Marie or have her visit me for the rest of the month." She was now getting near tears.

"Did you pitch a fit?" I asked.

"No, Daddy." Carole said. "Mommy told me to stop talking about you and her being in danger, and I said 'But you are in danger!', and she said I was back-talking her and Marie can't come over for the rest of the month... not even for the Wildcats game against the Bull-dogs!"

Yeah, that would be worth pitching a fit over, I thought to myself.

"Carole, do you know how we're in danger?" I asked.

"Someone is trying to make people hate you." Carole said, looking over at me for the first time. "And they want to make other people mad, and make them attack you and Mommy. And I don't know how you can stop it, but you have to!"

"Well," I said, "you let me worry about how to stop it. But even if your mom doesn't want you to tell her about sensing danger, I want you to tell me, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy." Carole said.

"Okay, you get under the covers and go to sleep." I said. Carole first gave me a hug, then got under the covers. I tucked her in and kissed her on the forehead, then put the chair back in its place and her clothes back on it. Bowser did not get into his basket, but went into the hallway with me. The deduction was simple: now he needed to go out.

Going back downstairs, I sat down next to Laura. "We are not going to argue about this." she said. It was not even a good try.

"No, we're not." I replied. "So... this Carmela crap is really getting to you, isn't it?"

Laura's neck almost snapped, so hard did she whirl her head to look at me. "What, you've become a psychologist now?"

"No, I'm just married to one." I said whimsically. Then I looked hard at my wife and said "But as a Detective, and a good one, I can tell. I'm also working my butt off, even going outside the bounds of the law to stop the bastard... and I don't need the stress of what's going on here at home."

"And I don't need the stress of Carole always coming out with these baseless (air quotes) 'visions' about us being in danger." Laura replied. "And she's being punished for not following my instructions, and giving me backtalk."

I said "She's saying something because she's worried about us. She's trying to help. And even if you don't believe her, I do." Laura's eyes became jet, which did not stop me from continuing: "But you really do believe her, and I think you know like I do that it's about what Carmela is doing, trying to 'cancel' you."

Laura's eyes changed to resignation that I was right. "She still can't backtalk me like that. She has to be punished for that, if nothing else."

And then I played my trump card: "And I thought we agreed that I would handle Carole's punishments." (Author's note: 'Vox Populi Vox Dei', Ch. 03.)

Laura's eyes rolled at that, though she knew I was right. And I knew that this was a most very good time to say "Hey dogs, do you need to go out?" They did, as they were sitting by the back door.

When I got back inside, Laura had gone up to bed. I went upstairs and let Buddy and Bowser into the rooms of their respective charges, Jim and Carole, then went to the master bedroom door. To my immense relief, the door was not locked...

Part 8 - The Enemy Gambit

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Channel Two News!" said the redheaded MILF reporterette at 7:00am, Wednesday, October 14th, from the anchor desk in KXTC's studios. "Dr. Lionel Carmela accuses Commander Donald Troy and the TCPD of Police brutality against Dr. Carmela's students..."

To be continued.