Cool For The Summer Ch. 02

Melina said: "The niggers will haul the County into Court over that, like they hauled Midtown into Court."

"But Midtown won." I said. "Tasheeka Harris does not control that city yet!"

"I'm more worried about the City." said Daniel Allgood. "They do have those drop boxes, and automatic mailouts of ballots. And I'll bet you a dollar to a box of doughnuts that they'll dump 150,000 ballots at the last minute... with whatever percentage they need to make sure Hoyt Stenson and Corey Coons win their elections."

"Coons won't need it." I replied. "He is going to absolutely destroy Ruby Russell in the voting. And don't be surprised if Hoyt Stenson becomes damaged goods."

Melina said "They know as well as we do that Hoyt Stenson is in the beginning stages of Alzheimers. And that's their plan... get him elected, he becomes too ill to govern, and voila!... Corey Coons is suddenly the Governor of the State."

I replied humorously: "And here I was, thinking they'd arrange for Stenson to be blown up in a building or something."

"It didn't work the first time, so I doubt they'll try it again." Daniel replied, knowing exactly what I was referring to. (Author's note: 'Fire In The Hole', Ch. 01-02.)

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

When I got back to my office, Cindy saw me come in, and saw the look on my face. She came to the door of my office and said "Is everything okay?"

"No." I said darkly. "I need a few minutes. Would you close the door?"

Cindy closed the door and went back to her office. She was just sitting down when her personal iPhone rang. It was from Dr. Laura Fredricson. "Hi Laura, what can I do for you today?"

"Hold the line just one second." Laura said. A second later another voice came on the line, a man's voice.

"Tim!" Cindy said after Tim Jenkins had said hello. "How are you? And why are you on Laura's phone?"

"I'm in her office on Campus, as well." said Tim. "And we're doing this to get around any FBI surveillance on me. Listen, I need to talk fast. That arrest and perp walk of Archie Brody this morning is all Jack Muscone's doing. He apparently thinks Don is wrong about Brody not knowing anything about that wheelchair bug, and he, Muscone, is going to get it out of Brody by any means necessary, if you get my drift. And the Feds are very well aware that the Iron Crowbar is pissed, on the warpath, and could make a lot of noise and a lot of trouble about this."

"Oh shit." Cindy said. "Yeah, I'm getting a huge vibe off of Don, and now I know why. Do you know where they took Brody?"

"No." said Tim, "but a few of us are working on it. Cindy, you do remember that I'm going to come up and visit you tomorrow, don't you?"

"Uhhh..." Cindy said, then caught on. "Oh yeah, I remember. I'm looking forward to seeing you. I do have an appointment with Laura tomorrow morning at her office, then we can go to lunch afterwards."

"Sounds good." said Tim. "I'll pick you up at her office. Gotta go."

After they disconnected, Cindy sprang out of her chair, bringing her green crowbar with her. She 'walked with a purpose' down the hall, and without knocking went right into Captain Tanya Muscone's office.

"Whaa?... er, ma'am?" Tanya gasped.

"Where is your husband? Where is Jack Muscone?" Cindy asked harshly.

"At work, I guess." Tanya said.

"Guess better." Cindy said. "Call him on the phone. Get him over here now."

"Why don't you call him?"

"Because I'm not his wife!" Cindy yelled, her face beet red. "I need for you to call him and get him over here now, before a total disaster between him and Don breaks out."

Tanya's face lost all perkiness and hardened even further. "I won't call him. And I don't like being used as their go-between."

"That was not a request, Captain." Cindy said quietly but levelly. "Call your husband, get him over here."

"You can go after my job if you want to," said Tanya stubbornly, "but I won't do it."

"I'm trying to save your job, dammit!" Cindy yelled, her restraint breaking. "And a whole lot more!" Seeing Tanya just stare sullenly at her, she said "Aw, fuck it." She turned and left the office.

Having heard the commotion, Teresa Croyle went after Cindy. Iron Wolf followed Green Crowbar into Cindy's office. "You okay?" Teresa asked.

"Shut the door and sit down." Cindy said...

Part 14 - Confrontation

At 3:00pm, Helena buzzed me. "You have two visitors, sir. EAD Lange... and SAC Muscone.

"Send them right in." I said.

EAD Owen Lange opened the door, and practically pushed Jack Muscone inside. I notice that there were several Federal Marshals in the hallway.

"Sit down, Jack. You two talk." said Owen Lange. "I'll go see the Chief. And please don't kill my Federal Agent, Mr. Crowbar."

"That will depend on what he says." I said levelly as Jack sat down and the door closed, leaving us alone. I could see in Jack's beady black eyes that he was mentally digging in for a fight. I'm sure that he read in my gray peepers that I was about to give him one.

"You told me you would hold off making any arrests---" I started.

"And I wasn't going to make any." replied Muscone. "But Miriam Walters was going to let McCombs walk away, so we arrested him. And he gave us Archie Brody very quickly."

"So you went after him," I said, "even after I explicitly asked you not to, and you said you wouldn't."

"I had to." replied Muscone. "You weren't going to, and he has a security clearance and works at BOW Enterprises, which has become a company vital to the national security interests of the United States and two of our allies. We have to know Brody's role in this, and who else is in on it with him."

"We already know that." I said. "He gave us McCombs. It was clear that McCombs duped Brody into planting that device---"

"How do you know that for sure? How do you KNOW he's innocent?" Muscone fired back. "How do you know he and McCombs didn't cook that up to give Brody cover? Huh?"

I was staring at Muscone. "Where are all those '400 years ago' comments from you now? For years I've shown you time and again that I know what the fuck I'm doing---"

"What if you're wrong this time?!" Muscone yelled, his anger erupting like a volcano. "He DID plant the bug! And don't forget... this is my wife's wheelchair that was bugged!'

"And my Police Officer's wheelchair that was bugged." I replied. "But I'm not going to destroy an innocent man's life because of that. I certainly would never have humiliated him by putting him through that public perp walk---"

"Stop it." snarled Muscone. "You know damn well why we do that."

"Oh yeah, I know." I replied. "Your fellow Federal Agents tried to do that to me. They tried to shoot my dog and my daughter, too."

"I had nothing to do with that, and you know it." said Muscone. "And we didn't shoot anyone. We arrested a man who bugged an FBI Agent's wife's wheelchair, a man who might be a national security threat----"

"Stop it." I said. "That's pure bullshit, and excuse-making. Where is he, Jack?"

"Where's who?" Jack replied. I felt the blood rush into my cheeks.

"Don't treat me like I'm stupid, Muscone." I said menacingly, becoming angry. "Where is Archie Brody now? Exactly where?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"So I can send a lawyer to represent him while you and your fellow Federal Agents are... interrogating him."

"He'll get his lawyer in due time." said Muscone.

"Where is he, Jack?" I asked one last time.

"I'm not going to tell you." Muscone replied.

I got out of my chair, reaching under my desk to grab the red crowbar, and brought it with me. I walked over to my office door and opened it.

"Get out." I said.

"I don't want any crap out of you---" Muscone began, having stood up as I'd come around my desk. I cut him off.

"You remember how I physically kicked your ass out of that airplane?" I asked. (Author's note: 'Power of Love', Ch. 03.) "I'm about to do it again, and physically kick you out of this office."

"Is that a threat?" Muscone asked levelly, squaring up to me.

"GET YOUR FAT FEDERAL ASS OUT OF MY FUCKING OFFICE!" I yelled into his face. "NOWWWWW!!"

Jack strode to the door and walked out. He turned as if to say something. I slammed the in has face:

*WHAM!*

To be continued