Cool For The Summer Ch. 01

Edward Steele said "I'd also suggest that the Council won't ratify any Budget that defunds the Police, so I agree that it's presumptuous to assume you'll get that through. But to respond to your answer to my question... if we wanted to take that away as a political weapon, we'd have set the date up to October 15th, not October 31st."

"Then why are you even bothering doing it?" asked a Democrat white woman, who was a friend of Malinda Adams.

"It actually gives the Assembly some political cover, and takes the pressure off of you, even though the date is sooner." said Edward Steele. "With the Budget done and passed, you can go about your re-election business, as can everyone else, without having to worry about------"

"In other words," said Reginald B.F. Lewis, "you want to take the threat and the weapon of defunding the Police out of our hands."

"So you're admitting that you do intend to use that as a political weapon?" J.P. Goldman fired back.

"You damn right we do!" yelled the first Assemblywoman that had spoken.

"I'd say it's more like a political 'issue' than a 'weapon'." said Sheila Sorrells. "I just don't see the reason to move the due date up by less than one week, which essentially will take that final weekend before the election and the budget deadline away from the Assembly."

"So what's the real reason you're doing this?" said the black male Assemblyman.

"I'd tell the rest of you," growled Sheriff Griswold, "but Kelly Carnes is in the room, and she'll just go running to Bettina Wurtzburg with it. As long as Carnes is in the room, I'm not saying a word, especially as it hasn't formally happened yet."

"Shove it up your ass, old man." snarled Carnes. "Maybe you need to get the shit beat out of you------" She stopped when she saw Your Iron Crowbar rise from his chair to confront her.

"Are you threatening the County Sheriff?" I asked menacingly, brandishing my red crowbar.

"What if I am?" snarled Carnes. "What are you going to do about it?"

I didn't answer, but gasps filled the room as I hurled myself at Carnes, threw her violently to the floor and twisted her arm behind her back, then affixed handcuffs to her.

"Kelly Carnes, you are under arrest." I said. "For making terroristic threats against a County Law Enforcement Officer. Commander Croyle, take this criminal terrorist to jail and put her through full booking."

"Officer," said J.P. Goldman loudly, "I'd like to make a sworn statement corroborating that Carnes threatened the Sheriff." Others, all of them Republicans, chimed in.

"As I was saying," said Sheriff Griswold, addressing the absolutely stunned Assembly after Teresa had roughly escorted Kelly Carnes out, "there is another reason for moving up the deadline..."

Part 7 - Teflon and Trackers

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Channel Two News!" shouted the redheaded MILF reporterette at 7:00am, Wednesday, August 12th, from the roof of the building at Riverside and College, with City Hall in the background. "Police Commander Donald Troy physically abuses a woman at last night's Council meeting!"

Bettina began: "Councilwoman Kelly Carnes, long a nemesis of illegitimate Mayor Daniel Allgood and Commander Troy, was arrested after allegedly threatening Sheriff Antonio Griswold with bodily harm at a joint meeting of the Town & County Council and Assembly. Commander Troy made the arrest by unnecessarily and physically slamming Ms. Carnes to the ground, twisting her arm behind her, and handcuffing her behind her back."

Bettina: "Several officials at the meeting, all of them Republicans, joined the criminal complaint against Mrs. Carnes, as did illegitimate Mayor Daniel Allgood, who many say stole the last Mayoral election from its rightful winner, Eldrick X. Weaver. As usual, Commander Troy did not respond to repeated requests by KXTC for comment. The TCPD issued an official statement saying that charges were being filed against Mrs. Carnes, and the legal process would run its course. District Attorney Miriam Walters has not returned KXTC's repeated calls for comment."

Bettina pretended to listen to her earpiece, then said "And this just in: Mrs. Carnes's opponent in the race for her Council seat, Bill Redmond, issued this statement saying, and I quote: 'I call upon my opponent to apologize for the hateful comments she made about Sheriff Griswold. However, there was no excuse for the physical violence used by Commander Troy against Mrs. Carnes, who is a woman and represented no physical threat to anyone. I demand that Commander Donald Troy be fired, and if he is not, then I will work to have him terminated for cause when I am elected to the Council.', close quote."

Bettina: "And the joint meeting of the Council and Assembly was due to a Council motion to move up the deadline for the Assembly to pass the County budget, up to October 31st from the Election Day deadline stated in the new Charter. Black Assembly and Council Members accused the Council Republicans of racism in taking that action..."

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

"Wow." Lt. Commander Teresa Croyle said as she, Sheriff Griswold, ADA Paulina Patterson, and Captain Tanya Muscone watched and drank coffee with me in my office. "Bill Redmond must really not want to be elected."

"He's a single-issue candidate." I replied. "And we now know what that single issue is: me."

"If Cindy were here," Teresa said, "she'd say it's always about you." A red crowbar was waved in her general direction.

"Have you talked to Miriam about this, Paulina?" Tanya asked Paulina.

"Not yet, but it's early in the morning." said Paulina. "And Miriam doesn't call me of her own volition, so I might not hear anything until you all do... and through the Press."

"Think the charges will stick?" Teresa asked.

"In my expert legal opinion? No." said Paulina. "I'd press them, but a host of others will pressure Miriam to drop them. And while a lot of people heard it, and it was a threat, it's borderline on just how much of a threat it was."

Paulina: "And Carnes will probably sue you, Don, for excessive use of force in the takedown, again at the urging of many people that hate you. I don't think she can win, and you're likely indemnified anyway, but the optics are such that Miriam might strike a deal with Carnes to drop the charges in exchange for dropping the lawsuit."

"That bitch is teflon." muttered Sheriff Griswold. "We just can't make anything stick to her."

"She's special, Sheriff." I said darkly. That got a room full of people glancing at me; things like that coming out of my potty mouth usually bode ill for someone...

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

The KFXU broadcast was markedly different from the KXTC report. Unlike Bettina, Catrina and Meredith, especially Catrina, pointed out what Kelly Carnes had said, and also reported that my takedown of Carnes was not excessive, but a reasonable arrest of a criminal making violent threats.

After the broadcast, Teresa reported that three of the six BOW Enterprises technicians on Tanya's Tank team had been seen several times at the Hospital on Tanya's rehab day, usually Wednesdays. She was going to go interview them at BOW Enterprises this morning...

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

At 10:00am, Paulina came into my office. "I just got off the phone with Miriam." she said. "Total shocker, but she called me, not the other way around."

"She's dropping the charges?" I asked.

"Another shocker: no." Paulina replied. "But Gwen Munson has already filed a lawsuit against you in Harry Nance's Court. Miriam said she's going to play hard, but ultimately she might go for a nolo contendere plea for a lesser, misdemeanor charge in exchange for dropping the lawsuit against you, and a public apology to the Sheriff."

"She'll never go for that." I said. "Or more accurately, Gwen Munson won't let her accept that. So... changing the subject, how are the cases against the 'Jacquez 200' going?"

Paulina said "The Breonna Bryant trial will be next month, and it's the first biggie test of the Felony Murder charge. Everyone else is waiting to see how that goes. If I get a conviction, I've privately heard from a bunch of lawyers that they'll plea to lesser but still felony charges, and I'll likely take those plea deals. If I lose, they'll fight harder, but I'm still going to try the cases I really do think we can win."

"Good." I said. "I'll have the Police Force ready for any rioting------"

*BRING!* *BRING!* *BRING!* *BRING!*

It was my Police iPhone. "Troy" I answered. "Go ahead, Commander... yes... oh really?... okay, yeah, bring him in to I-A... see you in a few."

After disconnecting, i said "That was Teresa. She's bringing in someone, and she says I need to hear his story..."

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

After the Angels Meeting, Teresa went up to BOW Enterprises with our official Police Photographer Connie, who also videotaped interviews for us at times. At BOW Enterprises, they set up a camera in a conference room, then Todd had the six technicians that worked on Tanya's wheelchair made available. Teresa was wearing her Police uniform of light blue shirt with soft shoulderboards denoting her rank, and dark blue pants with thick light blue piping down the sides.

One of the technicians was named Archie Brody. He was young, with a full head of very black hair, which was a bit of a mess on his head. Otherwise, he reminded Teresa of Seth Warner, Detective Joanne Warner's husband and the current Hospital Administrator.

After explaining that she needed to ask some questions, Teresa said "We once had a Sergeant Brody on the TCPD. Are you related to him?" (Author's note: 'Case of the Black Badge' for Brody.)

"No ma'am." Archie Brody said. "I remember hearing about him some years ago, because of the same last name. But we're not related, to the best of my knowledge, anyway."

Teresa nodded. "So you've lived in the Town & County for a while."

"All my life, ma'am." said Archie Brody. "I went to State Tech, then got this job when Mr. Burke started up BOW Enterprises."

"So you're assigned to Police Captain Tanya Muscone's wheelchair?"

"Yes ma'am." said Archie Brody. "I helped design and build the Tank, and I help maintain her regular wheelchair."

Teresa said "Do you go to University Hospital and do maintenance on it while she's in rehab?"

"I've only done that a couple of times." said Archie. "The last time was in April, when I installed the tracker."

"Er, what tracker is that?" Teresa asked, trying to keep a straight face.

"I was asked to put a tracker in the wheelchair," said Archie, "so that you Police Officers could track it if something happened to Captain Perlman... I mean Captain Muscone."

"And who told you to do that?" Teresa asked.

Archie looked puzzled for the first time as he said "Uh, I'm surprised you don't know. It was Commander Troy himself that asked for it..."

To be continued.