Consequences Ch. 01

The roars grew deafening as Joan grabbed Kalsu's wrist and pulled his arm behind him. 
But he rolled with it, and reached up to grab her and throw her off. And that... was his mistake. She dropped the red crowbar, grabbed his other wrist, and rolled him on along, then put her knee into his back. He was immobilized, but refused to yield.

*WHAP!* *WHAP!* *WHAP!*

That was the sound of Referee Rudistan slapping the mat three times, ending the match. Joan grabbed the red crowbar and moved hastily to a neutral corner. Rudistan came over and raised Joan's hand, signifying her as the winner.

"How 'bout that." I said to Cindy and Teresa. "The red crowbar wins again."

"It's gotta be the shoes." Teresa said with a perfectly straight face...

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

As the winners were announced, with Morton winning the Boxing Division and Laurer the Freestyle Division, the Chief had me present the trophies as he announced them. Joan handed me my red crowbar, and I handed her the coveted Champion's Trophy, the first time in eleven years that someone not named 'Ross', 'Troy', or 'Croyle' had won it.

Afterwards, Kalsu and Laurer reported to the Infirmary Room, where my favorite doctor examined them and found them to be relatively unharmed. "I am stunned that neither one has a concussion after any of these exercises in barbarism." my wife told me as she reported on my Officers's good health.

"And you're happy as heck that I was not allowed to participate." I replied.

"I make no apology for being happy that my husband has not come to any harm." Laura replied back. I made a note to send her some roses...

Part 5 - Pre-Trial (E)motions

3:30pm, Saturday, June 13th. Everyone was at The Cabin, and Paulina and I were in my office, doing final trial prep. Paulina told me about the meeting with the Judge the day before.

"I really wonder," she said, "if Munson is going to gin up some crap, despite the Judge's warning. I mean, it's Law School stuff that one gets character witnesses lined up for affidavits long before the trial, but apparently she didn't do any of that."

I said "I do know the Union lawyer and other Union people have been talking to a lot of Officers. I thought they were trying to gauge interest in a Police strike... and found none there... but maybe they were seeing who they might call as character witnesses."

Paulina said "I've had over a dozen Officers contact me, saying they'll testify that McCombs is a dirtbag, but the Judge won't let me put them on the stand. So it's only the people at the scene."

"You calling up the guy McCombs accosted?" I asked.

"He's on the witness list." said Paulina.

"So who is helping you with the case?" I asked. "Hannah Doss?"

Paulina grimaced as she said "No. I asked her if she could help, but Savannah ran to Miriam and asked for Hannah to help her, Savannah, with processing the prosecutions from the 'Police free zone' arrests, and of course Miriam was more than happy to tell Hannah to help Savannah and not me. So I'm completely solo on this one. The good news is that it's my only assigned case."

"That's not good news." I said, knowing what was really going on.

"You're right." said Paulina. "Don... I've tried giving Miriam the benefit of the doubt. I've never believed her motives were racial. But now, Miriam has more than hinted that my job depends on winning this case and convicting McCombs. And I may be down to two choices... file a racial discrimination complaint against her, knowing Franklin will back me up on it... or find a new job."

I said "There's plenty of legal work you can do around these here parts. And T-Square's business alone could keep you occupied for years. And there's teaching at the University. Laura could help get you a position..." And then I saw the look on Paulina's face, and it sent a chill down my spine.

"Don..." Paulina said, her voice almost breaking, "what I love doing, is being a Prosecutor. And if I can't do that here... I might have to find something somewhere else."

"And move away?" I asked, floored at the thought.

Paulina nodded sadly. "I don't want to, but I might not have a choice. And that would mean Tasha wouldn't see you and her brothers and sisters nearly as often."

To say I was in pain inside my heart was an understatement. I was already not a part of my daughter Greta's life, but I never really had been. But Tasha was part of the family now...

"Hopefully things won't come to that." I said. "Let's worry about winning this case first." Paulina nodded and we got back to work on it. But I knew one thing, for sure...

The stakes had just gone up a lot more...

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

That night after supper, I said "Tasha, would you like to help me take the dogs out tonight?"

"Yes, Daddy!" Tasha said excitedly. The two dogs magically appeared out of nowhere, and were at the back door.

Carole was less happy. "What about me?" she asked.

"You help me most nights." I said. "Let's give Tasha a turn, shall we?"

"O-kayyy." said Carole.

Tasha and I went onto the deck and sat down in the metal mesh loveseat as the dogs went around to do their business. "Look, Daddy. There's a train." she said. Indeed, the headlight of a train could be seen coming out of the western horizon towards Town.

"Yes, there is." I said.

"And Tiger Mom is peeking at us." Tasha said. I had to squint to see Tiger Mom peering around the side of the house and through the deck rail. I realized that Tasha had 'sensed' Tiger Mom's presence in a way similar to how Carole senses things.

"Yes." I said. "You like Tiger Mom and her kittens, don't you?"

"Yes, Daddy, I love them." said Tasha. "And they love me because they let me pet them."

"That's true." I said. "So are you happy staying with us on the weekends?"

"Yes, Daddy." Tasha said. "I wish I could stay with you all the time. Why does everyone live in a different place during the week? Why can't we all stay here all the time?"

"Well," I said, "Laura works at the University, so our other house is closer. And your mom is closer to her job, too."

Tasha said "Mom said she might have to find another job soon."

"She told you that?" I asked.

"No, Daddy." said Tasha. "She told Aunt Laura and Aunt Molly. I don't think she knew I could hear her."

"Probably not, so it's probably good not to talk about it to anyone at all, okay?" I said.

"Okay, Daddy." said Tasha. "And I hope we don't have to move to some other place. Tiger Mom would miss me."

"And so would Carole and your brothers." I said. "And I'd miss you more than anything. So maybe you won't have to move away."

The dogs came back around the corner, and I told Tasha to let them inside and go in with them. She hugged me and then went inside with the dogs, leaving me to contemplate. At least Tasha seemed aware of things, I thought to myself. But I wasn't kidding when I said I would miss her more than anything if she and her mom had to move away...

Part 6 - Trial And Error

"You okay?" Lt. Commander Teresa Croyle asked me as we gathered in the Chief's Conference Room for the coffee klatch. It was 6:50am, Monday, June 15th.

"Yeah." I said. "I just didn't get a lot of sleep. A lot of stuff on my mind. Are you okay?"

Teresa said "Not much gets by you, sir. It was a rough weekend in the Burke household. Todd didn't get the contract he hoped for from the Defense Department for his hybrid drone/choppers. Oh... I probably shouldn't be talking about them now..."

"You can't tease us and not tell us about it." Cindy Ross said, having come in with Tanya Muscone and heard us. Teresa saw me turn on my bug-killer, so she relented.

"Okay." the Iron Wolf said. "BOW Enterprises developed a small helicopter... some would call it a 'toy' helicopter... that's made of stealth technology composite materials. It's also virtually soundproof if one is in front of it. It can be remotely flown, and it also can carry two people, but they have to be fairly small... you'd be very uncomfortable in it, sir."

I nodded. "Bigger than the Whirlybat, but smaller than a regular chopper, even a Cobra."

Teresa: "Yes sir. Todd's prototype fires up to eight small rockets that are alcohol-fueled, and the chopper can be mounted with a small Gatling Gun. The selling points was that it can be assembled and disassembled within minutes from fairly small parts, it can go on reconnaissance missions with its stealth capabilities, and it can go on long range patrols as a drone if fuel packs are put into the pilot and gunner seats. And the stealth technology works really well. I've flown the thing myself over half the County's farm fields, and County Airport has not yet said one word about it."

"I have got to get me one of those!" said Tanya Muscone with her wickedly cherubic grin. I nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Why was it rejected?" asked Cindy.

Teresa replied: "It was considered a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none device, and the Military already has drones that do a lot of jobs and full choppers that do a lot of jobs. The stealth worked well, to a point, but an AWACS plane that was well above and behind it spotted it... of course they were looking for it, but still..." We all nodded sympathetically.

I said "Did anyone else have a competing device, one that the politicians greatly favored, and so it was chosen over Todd's device?"

Teresa said "You're two-for-two this morning, sir. Not much gets past you. Yes, MegaTech Industries had a similar device. The stealth technology on it is shitty, it's bigger than Todd's device but could only fit one person. In fairness, though, it was much faster than Todd's entry, and was able to be installed with more devices and electronics."

"And the Big Boy company won the contract," I said, then added most sarcastically, "which I'm sure was through a completely fair and impartial process..."

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

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Channel Two News!" shouted the redheaded MILF reporterette at 7:00am, Monday, June 15th, from the rooftop of the building at Riverside and College, with City Hall in the background. "A huge trial is set to begin today!"

Bettina began: "In what experts are calling a referendum of the American Justice System in the eyes of blacks, the trial of TCPD Sergeant McCombs begins today. Judge Rodney K. Watts is the presiding judge, and will be making pre-trial rulings before jury selection begins."

Bettina: "This trial is also important for the future career of Police Commander Donald Troy, as the Union has grieved Commander Troy's actions in the incident and have demanded his firing. For more on this, let's go to trusted reporter Lester Holder. Lester!"

"That's right, Bettina!" said Lester 'Penis' Holder as he appeared on camera near the Courthouse complex, surrounded by a large number of people in red Antifa shirts and black shirts that said 'Black Lives Matter' and 'Black Voices Raised'. They were holding up signs to obscure exactly how many persons were there.

Penis Holder: "Many People of Color are wondering why Commander Troy is not the one on trial here, as sources tell Channel Two News that there will be an eyewitness that will testify under oath that Commander Troy's actions are what caused Sergeant McCombs's gun to accidentally fire. This is a real black eye for the American System of Justice in the eyes of People of Color, who believe that Commander Troy is more racist and more dangerous to blacks on the street than any Patrol Officers."

Bettina: "Lester, how do blacks feel about this trial, and the Court system?"

Penis Holder: "Bettina, blacks here are telling me that if a white cop is not convicted when the Judge and Prosecutor are black, it will show that the American System of Justice is corrupt and cannot be trusted by People of Color. But they also realize that the Prosecutor in this trial, ADA Paulina Patterson, gave birth to an illegitimate halfbreed child sired by her illicit lover Donald Troy, so they don't believe that the victim in this case will get justice of any kind."

Bettina: "Yes, Lester, it's obvious that Paulina Patterson's relationship with Donald Troy is far more than professional. Will this affect her ability to prosecute this case?"

Penis Holder: "Bettina, Patterson is a 'hanky-headed house negro' that has never put the abuse of blacks at the hands of the American Justice System above her zeal to prosecute and imprison them------"

The feed cut off Holder and went back to Bettina, who said "And now let's go to Amber Harris for a fast-developing local story. Amber!"

"That's right, Bettina!" said the athletic blonde as she came on screen. She was in a parking lot on Riverside Drive with the back of City Hall in her background. "Channel Two News has learned that City Attorney Dennis Garland is taking a leave of absence from his duties due to an undisclosed illness. Illegitimate Mayor Daniel Allgood, who stole the Mayoral election from its rightful winner Eldrick X. Weaver, issued a statement announcing the leave of absence, and also wished City Attorney Garland a speedy recovery."

Bettina: "Amber, any idea of who might be a temporary replacement for Mr. Garland until he gets back?"

Amber: "Not yet, Bettina. Illegitimate Mayor Allgood did not take questions after issuing his statement, but Channel Two News has learned that former ADA Jenna Stiles might be in consideration for that position."

"Thank you, Amber!" Bettina said, then continued: "In a related story, the US Department of Justice Civil Rights Division issued a statement over the weekend, saying that they will be closely monitoring the trial, and that a conviction of Sergeant McCombs on Federal civil rights charges will be sufficient cause to force the TCPD into a Consent Decree. Responding to Channel Two News's request for comment, Compliance Officer Ava Hinds said that Commander Troy's continued employment by the TCPD will be one of the issues addressed under the Consent Decree..."

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

"Paulina ought to run to Daniel and apply for that City Attorney position." said Captain Tanya Muscone as we drank coffee in the Chief's Conference Room.

"It's only a temporary opening." I replied. "Garland will be back... when he gets out of rehab."

"Say whaaaaa?" sang a chorus of Angels.

"Mis-ter Crowbarrrrr." drawled Chief Moynahan. "You are not supposed to disseminate medical information like that."

"So I guessed right?" I said with a grin.

"And you just saved yourself by saying that." growled Sheriff Griswold.

"Well, the cat's out of the bag now." said Lt. Commander Teresa Croyle. "Don't tease us like that." The Iron Wolf did not like being teased.

"Fair enough." said the Sheriff. "Keep this in this room: Garland always was a drinker, though he kept it under control. But after Crowbar gave that interview to KFXU, Garland lost it. He was found unconscious in his home the other day after freebasing some illegal drug, but tests showed he had not used drugs before that first disastrous attempt. So the Mayor quietly had him go to rehab for alcohol abuse, which will also get him some psychological counseling. And if he makes it through that, he'll have his job back." (Author's note: 'Woman in Love', Ch. 02 for the Crowbar interview incident.)

"That's nice of the Mayor to do that." said Tanya. "Is Garland really the only City Attorney?"

"Yes and no." I said. "The, quote 'City Attorney' unquote, is the official attorney of the Town & County, but he has attorneys working for him. Most of them are right out of school, and take the job on a salaried basis to get experience, so there's turnover every couple of years or so. It's not like the D.A.'s Office, where the D.A. has ADAs... there's no 'Assistant City Attorney' or 'Deputy City Attorney' by title. It's Garland's shop, and he runs it. And therefore, it's not only possible but likely that someone will be brought in to run the shop, even temporarily, as opposed to someone already there stepping up to the plate and doing Garland's job for him."

"Paulina may still want to apply for that job." said Commander Cindy Ross. "Especially if McCombs is acquitted. And that's just a guess to get the Iron Crowbar to tell us the real story." Everyone laughed.

"Well played, Green Crowbar, well played." I replied. "And you may have guessed more correctly than you realize. First, did you observe the way KXTC was reporting it? They didn't mention McCombs having to be acquitted... they kept stressing if he wasn't convicted. In other words, they're building it in that blacks should be angry and get violent if there's a hung jury."

"Oh wow, you're right." Tanya said quietly. "And there's no doubt they've been trying to set the table to gin up riots based upon the trial's outcome."

"Yes." I agreed. "And Holder is out there supposedly reporting, but he's actually staging people for his broadcasts. And it won't be too much of a next step to stage them to begin rioting."

"You're saying the Press is ginning up these riots?" asked the Chief skeptically.

"In so many words, yes sir, Chief." I replied. "Also, Paulina had me doing trial prep this weekend at home, and we talked about things. I don't think I've ever seen her this worried about a trial outcome."

"Why?" asked Teresa. "This thing's a slam dunk. We've got video. We've got audio. The gun fired. Hendricks is the only Officer not saying the same thing as everyone else and what the video shows."

"It's the attempted murrrr-der charge." drawled the Chief. "If the Jury doesn't believe McCombs's intent was to shoot and kill that man, then they'll acquit. And as you all knowwwww, very often when the big charge isn't met, the lesser ones fall, toooooo."

"Why didn't Walters offer a plea deal, then?" Teresa asked, a wee bit of anger creeping into her voice.

"They did." I replied. "In fact, the Union lawyer wasn't even going to listen to it, but Miriam threatened him with an ethics complaint if he didn't present it to his client. So they made the plea offer of aggravated assault, as well as dropping the assault charge on me, and not pressing the civil rights complaint. When they were done, the Union lawyer said, and I quote: 'I can sum up our reply in two words: fuck. you.' He then said they intended to go to full trial and go scorched earth on that."

"Well," growled Griswold, "at least Walters put her best ADA on it."

"That's what I didn't under-standddd." said the Chief. "If Miriam wanted to help Fineman win the Solicitor post, then a trial like this is the one to let Savannah show her stufffff."

The Sheriff said "Savannah's already in very warm water after not dropping those gun charges against those four losers that are now taking dirt naps. If she prosecutes this case, the Black Community will have nothing to do with her."

"So Garland was riiiight..." said Chief Moynahan. "He went nuts when he realized he'd have to fight for the TCPD against a black victim. He could seeeee where the optics were on all that."

"So Walters kept Fineman away from that, and had Paulina take the case." said Cindy. "If she loses, they might not hate her since she's black, too, thus saving the D.A.'s optics. And I'll add that Walters tends to give Paulina the cases that Don really wants to win. She knew this was big for him, so she gave him the Prosecutor he wanted."

"She does do that... give me Paulina if I make a big enough deal of it." I replied, then lowered my voice to a very serious tone as I continued: "But make no mistake about it: Walters is throwing Paulina to the dogs on this one. She's basically putting Paulina's job on the line with this case. Not necessarily to fire her, but if Paulina doesn't win, then Walters will use it to justify making Paulina little more than an intern for Savannah in the D.A.'s Office. And if Paulina makes a racial complaint, Miriam will just say Paulina's a 'disgruntled employee'."