Exigent Circumstances Ch. 01

Exigent Circumstances, Ch. 01

This story is part of an ongoing series. The chronological order of my stories is listed in WifeWatchman's biography.

Feedback and constructive criticism is very much appreciated, and I encourage feedback for ideas.

This story contains graphic scenes, language and actions that might be extremely offensive to some people. These scenes, words and actions are used only for the literary purposes of this story. The author does not condone murder, racism, racial language, violence, rape or violence against women, and any depictions of any of these in this story should not be construed as acceptance of the above.

There may or may not be discussion of political issues in my stories. If you are a Snowflake that feels you need to be protected from any mention of politics, then click the Back button now, and never attempt to read any of my stories ever again. You've been warned.

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Part 1 - Prologue

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Channel Two News!" shouted the redheaded MILF reporterette at 7:00am, Friday, July1st, from the anchor desk at the KXTC studios. "Governor Sharon Marshall moves against the State Medical Board!"

After the hard-charging intro music, Bettina began: "The State Medical Board refused to reinstate EMS Chief Leonard Cordell's medical license in spite of a judge's order, and far-right-wing Governor Sharon Marshall is retaliating. Let's go to our highly respected political reporter Carl Lemay for more. Carl!"

"That's right, Bettina!" shouted the lean Reporter of Color from the roof of the building at Riverside and College, with the State Office Building across Courthouse Square as his backdrop. "After Midtown Superior Court Judge Clarence Scales ruled comprehensively in Dr. Leonard Cordell's favor on June 22d, and ordered the State Medical Board to reinstate Dr. Cordell's medical license, the Board filed an appeal. The three-judge Appellate Court voted 2-1 to not hear the appeal and let the ruling stand, and they also voted 2-1 against issuing a stay of Judge Scales's order."

Lemay: "However, the Board met Wednesday, June 29th, and voted to refuse to re-issue Dr. Cordell his license until all their appeals to the State Supreme Court and also through the Federal Courts were exhausted. The vote was not unanimous, and the dissenting members of the Board threatened to file their own lawsuit against the Board members that voted to willfully disobey Judge Scales's order."

Lemay: "But that may not be enough. Judge Scales issued a second order, compelling the Board to reinstate Dr. Cordell's license by close-of-business July 5th, or else the entire Board would be held in Contempt of Court, and could be jailed until they do reinstate his license."

Lemay: "And Governor Sharon Marshall is taking it one step further: she has stated that if the Board does not comply with the Judge's order by the end of July 5th, she will unilaterally suspend and subsequently remove the members of the Board acting in willful non-compliance, and appoint new Board members that will follow the Judge's court orders."

Lemay: "Political experts are questioning Governor Marshall's authority to suspend or remove any State Medical Board members, and others say that she will have to remove the entire Board, as opposed to only removing the ones that voted to keep Dr. Cordell's license suspension in place."

Lemay: "And Jeff Woolsey, CEO of BigBenefitInsurance, is filing a lawsuit in the Federal Court of Judge Ruth B. Taney to prevent Dr. Cordell's license from being restored, and he's promising to do more. Roll tape."

Tape rolled, showing Pat 'Capone' Stellum interviewing Jeff Woolsey. Woolsey's $5000 suit made Stellum and his frumpy trenchcoat look even more slovenly in comparison. Woolsey was practically shouting: "Leonard Cordell should never be allowed to practice medicine anywhere in the Nation. He should have been prosecuted for his recklessly operating on that kid in spite of our company ordering a reasonable delay."

Woolsey: "I will do whatever it takes to prevent Cordell from ever practicing medicine again, anywhere in this country. Not only am I filing a lawsuit in Federal Court to do just that, my company will pay for the legal defense of the courageous State Medical Board members who are making a good and legitimate stand to refuse to reinstate Cordell's license, and I will also pay for the lawsuits coming against Governor Marshall if she takes any actions at all against those courageous Board members."

Back to Carl Lemay live: "Both Woolsey and State Medical Board leader Xavier Raimondo have promised lawsuits against Governor Marshall and further legal action against Dr. Cordell. KXTC Channel Two News reached out to Dr. Cordell, but he did not respond to repeated requests by KXTC for comment. Back to you, Bettina."

"Thank you, Carl!" Bettina shouted as the live feed returned to her. "That was highly respected political reporter Carl Lemay with that important story. And in other news, Democrat candidates for several Offices within the Town & County are calling for a boycott of the Town & County Independence Day Triathlon as well as the annual Picnic and Fireworks Show at the Fairgrounds. Democrat nominee for Mayor Stacy Jacobs said this. Roll tape."

Tape rolled, showing the overweight black woman Stacy Jacobs snarkily saying "July 4th is a day that celebrates White slaveowners, and the Fireworks Show is a far-right-wing Republican event. I urge all People of Color and all Democrats to boycott the White Nationalist events, and those that do are invited to Monday's peaceful 'Black Voices Raised' rally at MLK Jr. Park..."

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

"Greaaaaat." lamented Lt. Commander Teresa Croyle as she, Sheriff Griswold, Your Iron Crowbar, ADA Paulina Patterson, Chief Moynahan, Deputy Chief Tanya P. Muscone, and Command Deputy Sheriff Cindy Ross drank coffee and watched the Bettina bleating in the Chief's Conference Room. "Now we're going to have to have higher security in case that (air quotes) 'rally' at MLK Park becomes a full-on demonstration. Or worse."

"Why do you believe that?" asked Cindy.

"She used the word 'peaceful'." Teresa replied. "Whenever those so-called 'civil rights leaders' use that word, they mean just the opposite."

Tanya said "Like when Minneapolis was literally burning, and that CNN reporter stood in front of a burning building and said the riots were (air quotes) 'peaceful'."

Cindy said "I guess my question really is: are they really going to get violent, or aggressively march or demonstrate? Have we developed any intel that they might do so?"

"No." I replied. "And Edgar Silas got a permit for the political rally at MLK Park. I strongly suspect KXTC had Stacy Jacobs use that term to get us, the Police, all up-in-arms about it. And pun fully intended on that: KXTC wants nothing more than to have a lot of Police in riot gear, be they TCPD or the State Patrol, watching the rally, so they can say we're treating all Blacks like criminals."

"So you don't belieeeeve there's a threat of violence, Mis-ter Crowbarrrrr?" drawled the Chief.

"Quite the contrary, sir." I replied. "Whether they do plan mischief or not, we have to take the threat seriously and prepare. But I'm not giving Bitch Bettina any footage of armed and armored riot Police massing against truly peaceful protesters. We'll protect the most likely targets... the Triathlon and the Wheelchair Races, and have a strong contingent at the Fairgrounds for the fireworks show... and in doing that, any actions against them will be seen as the violent attacks they truly are. In any case, Bettina will not see what she wants to see."

Teresa said "The problem is, and always has been, that if we don't appear to be prepared, they may take that as license to march, and then cause trouble. If we do show up in force, they won't do anything, but Bettina gets her field day attacking us."

Cindy said "So you're taking charge of that, Don? What about this here Iron Wolf? You just gonna let her sit around and twiddle her thumbs?"

"If only I could get her to do that." I said with a grin. "Especially around Christmas." That earned me a 'look' from Teresa.

Tanya ended the suspense: "The Iron Wolf is taking a well-deserved vacation. Today and Tuesday, and she's off-duty over this weekend, as well."

"Shut the front door." Cindy said, almost witheringly. "Whassup wit dat?"

I said "When we were at the Airport, waiting for Teresa and her plane to miraculously reappear, her Aunt Clarissa and my daughter Carole did some talking. Clarissa invited Carole to go to Lake Charles in the summer, and it is now summer." (Author's note: 'Teresa's Christmas Miracle', Ch. 02.) "Carole was allowed to invite Marie to go down with her, and they are besides themselves with excitement."

Teresa said "Aunt Clarissa also invited Don's mother Phyllis to visit along with us, so as soon as she gets into Town we are going to load up in the BOW Enterprises plane and fly down there. We'll fly back Tuesday morning, Lord willin' and the Creek don't rise."

"So that's why you're in civvies." Paulina said.

"You're going to miss all of the fun of July 4th in an Election year." Tanya said. "I had just about every Republican and even a couple of Democrats wanting to be the Official Starter for the Wheelchair Race."

"Which Republicans didn't ask?" growled Sheriff Griswold.

"Mayor Allgood." Tanya replied. "I actually called him, to give him first shot at the title. But he said he'd have to decline. Didn't give any specific reason why."

Paulina said "Michael (McGill) asked, but also said he'd defer to Miriam Walters if she wanted to do it. I get the idea that he thinks she needs the publicity and photo-op of that more than he does."

"What are y'all going to be doing during the day?" Teresa asked. "Following the race? Hanging out at the Finish Line, shaking hands and taking selfies?"

Paulina said "I'm not sure -we- are going to be doing anything, at least not together. KXTC's reporters are like vultures; they follow us around, and they ask about Tasha every time they are within shouting distance. So I can't have Tasha with me during any stump appearances, and it can get pretty bad for Michael whenever I'm with him at an event."

"That's not right." said Teresa. "They shouldn't be able nor allowed to stalk you like that. Do you need Police protection?"

"That's part of the problem." Paulina said. "The other networks aren't harassing Michael, and KFXU is relatively friendly to him. And we've got to have the Press cover us if we're going to have a successful campaign. But just think of how Bettina would make that look, showing Police keeping her reporters away from us, or Michael. Alvin Whitner would have a field day making ads with that material."

"That's a good point." growled Sheriff Griswold.

Paulina "And I thought about getting a Restraining Order against KXTC to keep them away from Tasha, but they'll make hay of that, and... once again... it'll hurt the coverage of Michael and his campaign."

"Well, just remember this." I said. "There is nothing you can do... nothing... that will keep KXTC from attacking you nor from giving you negative coverage. They are working hand-in-glove with Whitner and with Savannah Fineman to defeat Michael and Miriam at the Ballot Box in November. So feel free to get that Restraining Order against KXTC vis-a-vis Tasha. In fact... I could do that myself."

Cindy said "The better solution is for Tasha to be seen with Don in public. It'd be hard for them to say much about Michael trying to adopt her when she's with her father."

Sheriff Griswold said "That's true, but the Restraining Order would really reinforce that, and keep KXTC away from Tasha if she's with her mother Paulina."

To change the subject, Tanya said "Changing the subject, what are we supposed to think about the utter lawlessness of the State Medical Board in refusing to comply with the Court Order to reinstate Dr. Cordell's medical license?"

"That is some seriously insane hatred on Jeff Woolsey's part." Teresa replied. "I don't think any of us realized how big it was that day Dr. Cordell defied the Corporate Elites and operated on a child to save that child's life." (Author's note: 'Beethoven Virus'.)

"We already knew that Woool-sey was insane." said Chief Moynahan. "I still remember Mis-ter Crowbarrrrr whipping that bastard in my offissss." (Author's note: 'Vengeance Is Mine', Ch. 01.)

Sheriff Griswold growled: "It does point out something that's going on around the country. Court orders, including those from the Supreme Court, such as their rulings on gun rights being ignored by New York City, are increasingly being ignored or contested by refusal to comply. And then you have corrupt D.A.s, many funded by George Schwartz, refusing to prosecute criminals. So this action by the State Medical Board scares me on a different level. What say you, Crowbar?"

I replied: "We-el, they said they were refusing while their appeals were going through the system. I'm not going to look the gift horse in the mouth on this. Governor Marshall will remove the treasonous Board members, if not all of them, and Dr. Cordell will get his license back, and soon."

Teresa said "It's sure not helping Woolsey, nor BigBenefitInsurance. University Hospital has not suffered from no longer taking BBI insurance; even BigPharmaCorp was forced by their Union to offer other insurance options. Yet Woolsey still makes an ass of himself over it."

Trying to change the subject again, Tanya said "So Carole and Marie are excited about going to Louisiana?"

"My goodness! are they ever." I replied. "The boys are a little ticked off that the girls get to go and they don't, but I reminded Jim and Ross that they will be at Baseball Day Camp for the next three weeks, and Ian will be taking golf lessons, so they can stop worrying about what Carole is doing."

"What does Laura think about it? About Carole going to Lake Charles?" Cindy asked, and I sensed she had ulterior motives for asking that; she knew something.


"She had... reservations about it." I said. "Not about Carole's safety... hell, with the Iron Wolf there, the girls could not be more safe... but about Carole showing proper manners. I told her that Clarissa would give the girls a good education on proper Southern manners and decorum, and would also expose Carole to a different culture and new experiences. And besides... it's getting to be 'crunch time' for Laura regarding the State Medical College."

"That must be tough on all of you." Tanya said. "With Laura so busy, you're almost like a single parent, Don."

"I sure have improved my cooking skills, what with all the practice I've been getting." I quipped. "But that's okay. What Laura is doing is important, and will affect a lot of lives for a lot of years to come..."

Part 2 - Creole and Crime

3:00pm, Friday, July 1st. Teresa taxied the BOW Enterprises plane to its berth in the section of Lake Charles Airport where private planes rented parking space. An attendant was waiting with a motorized cart to take their luggage; all luggage had to go through processing and then be picked up at Baggage Claim. They got a ride in another cart driven by Airport personnel, with Carole and Marie half-sitting on Teresa and Phyllis's laps, and half-standing on the cart floor.

"It's not nearly as hot and humid as I was afraid it would be." Teresa said to Phyllis Troy as they looked around. "And that breeze feels good, too; not too hot at all for this time of year."

"Ye-ezzz." Phyllis replied. "Let's hope it holds through Monday."

After they got their luggage, they headed through the Terminal's main exit. Teresa and Phyllis looked around, but it was Carole who pointed unerringly to two people in the distance and said "There they are! There's Aunt Clarissa!" She was right, of course. Indeed, it was Teresa's aunt, Clarissa Belvedere Esterson.

"That's Craig with her." said Teresa, referring to the lanky man with dark, very curly (frazzled) hair, and a brush mustache, wearing a dark suit and tie. "He's part of the Security Team. But I wonder why he's here and not Charles?" Charles was the butler of the Belvedere home. He also was the Chief of Security for Clarissa's team.

"There must be more people at Aunt Clarissa's house." Carole said. No one had time to ask her to elaborate, as Clarissa and her bodyguard were coming up to them.

"Hello, everyone." Clarissa said. "Why don't we get the luggage into the van and get on the road. We don't want dinner to be too much delayed, yes?"

"Sure, Aunt Clarissa." Teresa said. Craig took Phyllis's bag while Carole and Marie struggled with theirs, causing Phyllis to help Marie. Carole figured hers out, and pulled it behind her with both hands.

Their vehicle was a long, extended-capacity van, bright white in color. It was well over a decade old, and had been a Bessemer Cookies company van before being retired to be used for Clarissa's family's use. Craig put all the luggage in the back as Clarissa poured herself into the shotgun seat. Teresa took the left side of the seat behind them, and Phyllis sat next to her. Carole and Marie were in the seat behind them.

As they left the airport and entered the afternoon traffic, Clarissa said "I must apologize to you all. When I invited you down for the Holiday weekend, I did not expect any of my family to be here, except Beatrice and Eugenia, of course. However, my niece Clara and her husband Robert Edwards decided to come in, and as he is a State Senator, he's offering to give us a tour of the State Capitol in Baton Rouge tomorrow."

Clarissa: "And last night I got a phone call from my son Colin, and he and Wendy are coming to stay over the weekend. They haven't been home in months, but they chose this weekend of all weekends to show up at the doorstep."

Teresa said "That's okay, Aunt Clarissa. The tour of Baton Rouge sounds good. And it'll be a big family reunion for July 4th, yes?" She looked over to see Phyllis's face; she looked disquieted. Teresa glanced back at Carole, and was puzzled to see that the Future Iron Crowbar had a puzzled look on her little face.

"So how was your flight down?" Clarissa asked, as if just remembering to ask.

"It was good." Teresa said. "And no Purple Haze this time around." Phyllis nodded very vigorously in agreement...

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

Meanwhile...

At 1:30pm, my lovely assistant Helena French buzzed me on my landline phone. "Chief Evans on Line 1 for you." she said.

"Thanks, I'll take it." I replied. For Molly to phone me on the landline when she usually called on either my Police or personal iPhone was a red-flag warning that something was up. I pressed the button and said "Commander Troy."

"Hi, Commander, this is Chief Evans." Molly said with formality. "I wanted to give you a heads-up on something."

"Hit me with it." I replied.

Molly said "I just found out two hours ago that the FBI found two more bodies in the Mystery Lake area, but east of where the other bodies were." (Author's note: 'Mystery At Mystery Lake', Ch. 01.)

I said 'From the way you said that, I deduce that you were not told by the FBI themselves, n'est pas?"

"You are correct. I was not." Molly said. "And when I called Clark Webster to ask about it, he got dodgy with his answers, but finally admitted that they found two bodies on Wednesday. I asked if the bodies were delivered to our Medical Examiner, which of course is your Medical Examiner, Martha. Webster said no, that the bodies were taken to the Federal Building in The City. They have a morgue and autopsy facilities down in the basement, and the bodies were taken there."