Hampered in His Plans Ch. 06

With most of the bad blood gone, the day went well. At 1:00pm, the Council members, Sheriff, high-ranking Police and Fire Department officers, and other personages all took their places on stage, all shaking hands with each other and chatting. The Fire Department had the center bleachers in the front rows. A large crowd, well over 1000 people, had also gathered to watch as Roy Easley was brought to the front of the stage.

Fire Chief Emeritus Gillem read the proclamation. Cindy was holding the box, and I took the red-ribboned medal from it and draped it onto Easley, fastening it at the back of his neck. I then retreated, as did Cindy, leaving Easley alone to receive the tremendous ovation, well-deserved, as the newest Medal of Valor recipient...

Part 33 - Epilogue

At 2:30pm or so, the majority of Police Officers began trickling back into Headquarters. I had been talking to Commander Della Harlow about offices. She wasn't getting mine, she thought Brownlee's space was too much, and with Gor-don disappeared, we and the Chief were going to angle for Della to have the office next to Jenna's old office, now empty. The 'other' office was larger than Jenna's. Even Tanya Perlman thought that would be appropriate.

"AAAHHH!"

The scream had come from my office, and the voice was my assistant Helena's. She looked white a sheet as we came running up. She pointed at the wall to the right of my desk. I looked, and felt a deep shock:

Pete Feeley's badge and it's frame were gone!

The Laika crowbar was gone, also. And in place of the badge and it's frame, was a note pinned to the wall. Putting on latex gloves, I removed it. It read:

"crossed path,
incommoded,
seriously inconvenienced,
hampered,
positive danger."

Underneath was scrawled the word "Troilus".

Among those that had come to see what the Disturbance in the Force (literally) was about, was Lt. Tanya Perlman. Her eyes got wide when she saw what was missing.

"Tanya." I said. "You need to be very careful. You need to take extra precautions, especially over little Pete's security. Ross! Get the word out to all Detectives and all the Police Force! Everyone is to be on watch!"

"Yes sir." Cindy said.

"I'll take precautions." said Tanya. "But what does this mean?"

"Vauxhall. City & Counties Bank. The organ donor ring." I said. "We've hit him hard. We have bloodied his nose. We have hampered him in his plans, and he is like a wounded, man-eating tiger in a storm drain." I looked at the note again, foreboding in my very deepest soul...

Finis.