Cool For The Summer Ch. 03

The Sheriff turned to face us. "Commander, ladies... we have got to find a solution to that problem, particularly regarding Captain Muscone..."

Part 21 - Epilogue

5:00am, Friday, August 21st. I came into the home of Archie Brody, one of the smaller homes in one of the wealthy subdivisions north of Town. It was a two-story house, and the foyer inside the front door faced the stairs going to the upper floor. The ceiling of the foyer was the same height as the top floors.

A hole had been cut in the ceiling to expose a crossbeam in the attic. To that beam had been tied a thick rope. Hanging from that rope, a noose tied securely around his neck, was Archie Brody. He had handcuffed his own hands behind his back, then jumped from the stairway landing, hanging himself. He was dead.

CSIs were working over the house as I came in. Paramedics Ellen Brooks and Kevin were at the scene, as was Martha the M.E. Lieutenant Jerome Davis and Detective Julia Rodriguez were present, as was Rudy 'Bulldog' Louis. District Attorney Miriam Walters and ADA Savannah Fineman arrived just ahead of us, having been called by me. Teresa had ridden with me in my Police SUV.

"Who called it in?" I asked. "And how did the caller find him?"

"Sir," said Jerome Davis, "his ankle monitor is one of those newfangled ones that can sense his heart rate through his ankle. When his heart stopped, the device sent out a signal to the 9-1-1 dispatchers, but they mistook it as a possible escape attempt, thinking he'd taken the device off. They called for a Patrol car."

Davis: "Senior Patrolman Johnson and his assigned Officer Trainee took the call and arrived first. They could see through the glass panes inlaid next to the front door, and saw Brody hanging, so they entered the home under 'exigent circumstances'. Johnson leaned over the rail of the stairs to see if he could find a pulse, but there was none, and he was obviously dead. They called in for the paramedics, but it was way too late for their services."

"This is not the house the Feds raided the other day." I said as I looked around.

"Sir," said Julia Rodriguez, "this is his parents's home, which he inherited after they died two years ago. He'd been living in his other home, and renting this house out, but it has been vacant for the last two months. And when the Feds totally destroyed his home to the level they destroyed yours that time, he decided to live here while under house arrest."

"Good information, quickly obtained." I said. "Good work, Detectives. And yes, you can see the engineer in him, the way he made this makeshift gallows, and made sure the rope wouldn't slip. He could not have done this in his other home." Detectives and CSIs began looking at the things I pointed out.

After a moment I walked up to Miriam and Savannah, and began delivering cannon fire. "Well, Ms. Fineman," I said, pointing to the hanging body above us, "this is why we should fight the Feds for custody of innocent men."

"Are you really blaming her for this?" Miriam queried, taking up for her ADA like a good leader should.

"Why, no." I said simply. "I'm not blaming her for anything. I am blaming the FBI. But as I said to you before, by not challenging the Feds, she would 'reap the whirlwind'. Archie Brody's suicide... is that whirlwind."

I then said: "I'm just saying, Savannah, to remember this the next time they try to take one of our suspects out of our jurisdiction by running roughshod over our rights." Miriam stopped Savannah from saying anything, and Savannah wisely listened to her boss.

Martha the M.E. came up. "Commander, can we take him down now, so I can get him to the morgue for an autopsy?"

"Not yet." I said. "Commander Croyle, call Captain Muscone and tell her to get her and her husband's asses over here now. Right now..."

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

"Now what the hell is this all about?" growled FBI Special Agent in Charge Jack Muscone as he barreled into the house 20 minutes later. "Why did I have to come up... heeeeerrrrrr..." He was immobilized by the sight of Archie Brody hanging above him, his beady black eyes wide with shock.

"Crap." Tanya Muscone said when she saw it, exercising the prodigious power of understatement.

"Happy now, Muscone?" I said bitterly. "He's no threat to anyone NOW, is he? Thanks to you!"

"You're not pinning this on me---" started Muscone. I was having none of it.

"Look at it, Muscone!" I yelled as loudly as I could, my voice ragged. "LOOK AT IT!" I pointed up at the body as I yelled in Muscone's face: "He's DEAD! And his blood is on YOUR filthy Federal hands!"

"Bullshit!" spat Muscone.

"You went and arrested him after you promised you wouldn't!" I yelled, going into a full rant. "You had your BAU team psychologically torture him, trying to coerce a false confession out of him! Little water, no food, denying him REM sleep! You tortured that man!"

"And THEN," I continued yelling, feeling the heat on my face and the back of my neck, "you revoked his security clearance, but that wasn't enough, was it? No-o-o, you forced his employer to fire him, not a layoff, but a full firing... and then froze his bank account, so he couldn't even buy food!"

"He was a security threat!" Muscone yelled.

"BULL SHIT!!" I yelled again. "So after I found him and got him a lawyer, you go and cut off his bank account? What, you were going to STARVE him into submission, literally STARVE him until he made a false confession, or died? Well, he's sure not a security threat NOW, is he? No! He's DEAD! And his blood is on YOUR hands! All just to make a point, just to fuck with ME!"

"Commander!" Tanya yelled. "That's neither fair nor true----"

"SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH, CAPTAIN!" Teresa yelled, getting right in Tanya's face. "That is a direct order! One more word out of you, and I'll haul your ass up on full charges of insubordination!"

"HEY!" shouted Muscone, turning to confront Teresa, "you can't talk to my wife that way!" He made a move as if to attack Teresa, only to find the rounded end of a red crowbar jabbed under his jaw. My eyes were as wide as saucers... with the furious anger of a lion about to attack its prey.

"Yes she can talk to her subordinate that way." I said quietly but threateningly. "And if you so much as touch Commander Croyle, so help me God I will physically beat you to death, right here in front of awlllllll these people."

"I don't have to listen to this horse shit." snarled Malone. He brushed past me, shoving the crowbar aside. I was about to smash the side of his head with a left-handed haymaker (I'm ambidextrous, remember? Muscone didn't.), but Teresa intercepted me and stopped me from doing the incorrect but badly needed thing.

Tanya drove out behind her husband, glaring at Teresa and getting a full 'Teresa Cunt' look in retaliatory response. It was dead quiet in the house; everyone was stunned at what they'd just heard and seen.

"You can secure the body now." I said quietly. "I think we're done here..."

Finis. ... pour le moment.