Home for the Holidays Ch. 02

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, 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.

Part 7 - Where The Heart Is

Author's note: this is a 'bridge' story to fill the gap to the next series of mysteries. Thanks for your patience.

The FBI's tape-copying machine was fast and efficient. It could process three videotapes at one time. After copying the tapes, it was able to simultaneously record to as many as three CDs per videotape. The young FBI Agent volunteered to do it, as he had no place else to be at the moment. Cindy said she'd buy him lunch for doing it.

At 11:30am (Monday, November 19th), she got a text. "We are being challenged." Cindy said to Callie. "Teresa says to come to the disc golf course and take the spanking she and Todd are going to deliver us."

"That will be the day." said Callie with a grin that did not hide her competitive nature. "Let's go."

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

Each player had only one disc golf disc each. The name of the mold was the 'Paul McBeth Luna', after the four-time World Disc Golf Champion, and the disc was a putter. Teresa and Todd quickly found out that Cindy could rip it a long way with her excellent throwing form; that Cindy was a born athlete was obvious.

Todd had athleticism and arm speed, as well. The competition overall was pretty even, and they ended up tied after 18 holes.

"Let's go pick up some things at the grocery store," said Teresa, "and make lunch at home. I've got something to tell you all." Cindy looked over at Todd, who just raised his eyebrows in a way that resembled his uncle; he knew something.

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

"I have been offered the job of Police Chief here." said Teresa as they sat at the dinner table of their rented house.

"Shut the front door!" Cindy exclaimed. Then a thought struck her. "So that's why Todd here is talking to the Chamber of Commerce about business opportunities?" Todd just grinned his handsome grin.

"Yeah, that hit me as I was leaving the Police Station." said Teresa. "You knew already, didn't you, Todd?"

"Does Don know?" asked Cindy before Todd could answer.

"I don't know if he knows." said Todd. "The Police Chief here called Chief Moynahan, and asked him for permission to interview you for the job. Father Romano had already talked to the Chief and to me about arranging for you to come here and confront your past as part of your becoming a Catholic Christian, so the Chief called me and told me that you might be talking with the Police here. But I don't know if he told Uncle Don."

"I thought priests were supposed to keep things confidential." said Callie.

"Oh, Father Romano has not said one word about what he and Teresa have talked about." Todd said quickly. "He just recommended Teresa come here, and talked to me and the Chief to reinforce it. No secrets betrayed."

"He told me he would talk to you," said Teresa, "about supporting me during this time and this trip. I'm guessing that's why you had Cindy and Callie come here, too?" She was asking 'publicly' to get Todd to confess it 'publicly'."

"Yeah, that was some of it." Todd said. "But there's other reasons. I want to get Callie's opinion on business opportunities here; she's a lot better businesswoman than some would give her credit for."

"Aww, that's sweet." said Callie, showing her gorgeous smile.

"Also," said Todd, "I know that Uncle Harvey, Cindy's father, is on the lookout for places to have his Empowerment and Enlightenment Camps. And there are some fairly desolate tracts of land around here that might be ideal for that type of purpose."

"True enough." said Cindy.

"You guys are acting like I'm going to accept this job offer." Teresa said. "I only delayed giving my answer because their Chief asked me to. But it's going to be the same answer today, tomorrow, whenever... I'm staying with the Town & County Police Force until I die... or Don retires."

"I can understand your feelings on it." said Cindy. "But this is not just any job offer. It's for Police Chief. Working with Don is great, but you're still working for someone else. With this job, you'd be holding the reins."

"Want me to recommend you for the job?" Teresa replied.

"My path is a different one." said Cindy. That caused both Teresa and Todd to peer at her. "What?" Cindy asked, seeing their looks. "I'm not saying I'm leaving the TCPD, either."

"You've got something on your mind, girl." Teresa said.

"Just wedding plans." said Cindy. "If I can get this girl to set a date." That was a 'hint', and Callie just grinned at it.

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

Cindy went to collect the CDs of the videotapes. She thanked the young FBI Agent who'd helped her, and offered to buy him a late lunch. They went over to the diner where Cindy and her friends had eaten breakfast.

"So," said Cindy as she sipped her coffee while he ravenously ate his pancakes and omelette, "tell me who Tim Jenkins is." The Agent's name was Tim Jenkins. He was white with light brown hair, medium build but in very good shape, face more chiseled than Martin Nash's, but otherwise very similar to Nash in that he was a professional FBI Special Agent and carried that 'air' about him very well.

"Not much to tell... yet." said Jenkins. "I graduated from (Wildcat School), went through Quantico two years ago. Got sent out here. I'm hoping to be assigned to Las Vegas soon. I want to follow an Organized Crime track."

"Wildcat School, eh?" Cindy said. "My Police partner is a graduate of that School. He was loving it when Jamaal Washington scored that winning touchdown against my Bulldogs. Washington's cousin is a Detective on my Police Force, as well. I'm not too happy with them right now."

"Town & County Police?" asked Jenkins, looking surprised.

"Yeah." said Cindy. "You've heard of us?"

"Have I ever." said Jenkins. Then it hit him: "Your partner is the Iron Crowbar?" he asked incredulously. When Cindy nodded, Jenkins said "Wowwww... I've heard a lot about him. What he did to break up Superior Bloodlines, and all that. 'Course, I heard the bad, too. He beat the shit out of an FBI Agent."

"Dana Fox?" Cindy asked. When Jenkins nodded, she said "Fox was a dirty agent who had that coming to him. Fox had people torture a University professor, who happened to be the father of one of my Police Officers. Fox was lucky the Iron Crowbar got to him before I did."

"I didn't hear that part of it." said Jenkins.

"So, are you liking the FBI?" Cindy asked, to change the subject. "It was always my childhood dream to be an FBI Agent. Then I grew up and got lucky; I got a job with the TCPD."

"I really love the fieldwork of it." said Jenkins. "Solving crimes, putting organized crime bosses in jail. But it's becoming politicized, very politicized, in the upper brass, in Washington. A lot of us are worried about what the Bureau is becoming. They're already filling senior level jobs with people that have little-to-no field experience, but are very loyal politically to their bosses. Kind of like 'Political Officers' in all the Soviet military and government offices back in the day."

"That's why I'm a political atheist." said Cindy. "Well, I try to be."

"I hear you." Jenkins said. "We're taught and trained to be professionals and rise above the politics. But this crop of leadership that's been coming in... they're making it clear that our careers will depend upon our political loyalty to certain things: diversity, climate change, and political correctness. We're losing good Agents because of it. They're either leaving or are being forced out."

Cindy nodded. Just then, two uniformed Police Officers came into the diner. They sat at the end of the counter, and Cindy noticed them peering over at her several times, though trying not to be noticed doing so. She made a point to look right at them. They acted like dogs that knew they were being stared at; they got uncomfortable.

"Those cops are looking at us." she said to Special Agent Jenkins.

"Well, we do stick out like sore thumbs around here." said Jenkins. "Both strangers to this town, me in a suit and tie looking like an FBI Agent or something."

Cindy laughed. After they finished, Cindy went to the counter to pay. As she left, she overheard the Police Officers at the end of the counter talking. One of them said "I dunno who these visitors are. One guy says he's the CEO of some technology company. Looks way too young to be a CEO of anything."

"Hell, some of those startups are being run by frickin' kids." said the other Officer. "But nobody ever brings jobs here, and I don't think anyone here wants 'em to."

Part 8 - Parental Super-'Vision'

I was sitting in my office, making good progress on paperwork, when my assistant Helena buzzed me. She said someone from the Department of Family and Children's Services wanted to interview me.

"Show her to the Main Conference Room, and offer her some water or coffee." I said. "I'll be there in just a moment."

A few moments later I went into the Main Conference Room. An attractive black woman in her late 20s or early 30s was there. She introduced herself to me as 'Janelle'. I knew I'd seen her before somewhere...

"What can I do for you?" I asked, sitting down.

"Commander Cindy Ross has applied to be a foster parent." said Janelle. "She named you as a reference. I'd like to ask you some questions about her, and your opinion on whether she'd be a good foster parent."

"Okay." I said. "I can sum it up pretty quickly: she will be a good foster parent."

Janelle's questions were pretty tough. She asked a lot about Cindy's position on the Police Force, about the dangers of it. Then she asked about the stresses of being a Police Officer, and how that might affect her ability to be a foster parent.

I answered truthfully, but stressed that Cindy's position was high enough up the chain that she was not a 'front line' Patrol Officer, that she was in charge of supplies and properties and support and logistics, and that while being a Police Officer has its moments of stress (actually sheer terror, but I wasn't going to say that), for the most part it was a job of routine duties.

Janelle asked about Cindy's family support structure, asking about her sister and mother. I replied that Cindy's family structure was very strong, partly because it included... me.

"She's my first cousin." I said. "Her father and my father are brothers... oh, that's where I've seen you: you used to be with 'The Vision', is that not right?"

"I was fortunate enough to be helped by the great Dr. Eckhart." said Janelle. "He saved me from a life of despair, if not outright death. Now I'm clean, and doing what I can to help other children. So you're... Dr. Eckhart's nephew?"

"It is my good fortune to be." I said. "And yes, he's a great man, doing great things..."

Part 9 - Disappearing Act

Cindy drove Jenkins back to his car at the library. They exchanged professional cards, then Jenkins left for home. As Cindy texted Jack Muscone with positive comments about Jenkins, an elderly woman came out of the library, then up to her.

"Are you Teresa Croyle's friend?" the woman asked.

"Uh, why yes, I am." Cindy said. The woman introduced herself as Mildred, the former longtime schoolteacher. Cindy recognized the name: "Oh, you're the lady that talked to my cousin a few years ago." she said.

"Yes, and his friend the FBI Agent, too." said Mildred. "Such a nice young man, your cousin. The Iron Crowbar... he's become a legend, hasn't he?"

Cindy couldn't help but smile. "I did not realize his reputation extended to here."

"Oh yes, it has." said the older woman. "Please, sit down with me for a moment. There's something I want to ask you."

Cindy sat down with Mildred, who asked: "Is is true that they are offering Ms. Croyle the Police Chief job?"

Cindy was wary, but felt no bad vibes coming from the older lady, just a small town's curiosity about things. She said "I'm not sure. I came here to help her husband. He's looking at potential business opportunities."

"Oh my," said Mildred, "there are no opportunities here. This town has long been... cursed."

"Really?" asked Cindy, partially to keep the woman talking.

"Oh yes, nothing truly good has happened here for years." said Mildred. "Your friend Teresa, and what befell her family, for example."

"Are you telling stories again, Mildred?" said a man's voice. It was the old man that had directed Cindy to come to the library. "Mind if I have a seat with you ladies?"

"Please do." said Mildred. As he sat down on Cindy's other side, Mildred said "I was just telling this very accomplished young woman about her friend Teresa Croyle. They're offering Ms. Croyle the Police Chief job, you know."

"Yes, I know." said the man.

"Thanks for telling me about those tapes." said Cindy. "There was some really good stuff on them. Gave me some ideas for a Christmas gift for Teresa."

"Yes, that's good." said the man. "Has Teresa gotten over her past here? I can hardly believe she would want to come back here, after all that happened."

"She's converted to Roman Catholicism." said Cindy. "She's come to terms with a lot of it. She's done very well, and I'm very proud of her."

"And well you should be, young lady." said Mildred. "But she had to leave this place to do it. No good would have come of her if she'd stayed... or if she comes back for good."

"Now, Mildred, you don't know that." said the man.

"Just look what happened to her father, and her sister." said Mildred. "And her mother."

"Her mother died in childbirth when she had Teresa, didn't she?" Cindy asked, sensing a need to take advantage of this opening and ask about it.

"Yes, she did." said Mildred. "Massive hemorrhage in her... 'nether regions'. Teresa was lucky to have survived to term. There were complications with the pregnancy of her older sister, as well."

"What was her mother like?" Cindy asked. "Teresa never knew her mother."

"Good thing, too." said the man.

"How do you know?" Mildred chided. "You were in Viet Nam with Teresa's father."

"I still know the stories." said the man.

"What stories?" asked Cindy.

"Well, there's just no getting around it." said the man. "Teresa's father was head-over-heels in love with his wife. All he ever thought about while in Viet Nam was her. Got him through the war alive, so I guess that was something."

"That's good, isn't it?" asked Cindy.

The man said "He didn't know what was going on back here while he was over there. Teresa's mother... was no saint. She was running around with other men the whole time he was at war. That's why she ended up dying in childbirth, too."

"How?" Cindy asked.

Mildred spoke up. "Well, it's one of those dirty dark secrets that people in my day just didn't talk about. Teresa's mother became pregnant while her husband was overseas. At least twice. Back in those days, they didn't have easy access to abortions in good medical clinics like they do now. They didn't have Planned Parenthood, places like that."

"Abortions were even illegal in most places in the country back then." said the man.

"Yes, they were." said Mildred. "Anyway, Teresa's mother aborted both of those children, and... there was damage done."

"Oh, wow." said Cindy, who had her own recent memories to consider in all of that.

"So Teresa's father came home, and her mother settled down and stopped running around with randy young men." said Mildred. "But her reputation was destroyed. She was not considered to be a woman of good virtue."

"Did Teresa's father know?" Cindy asked.

"If he did, he never said a word." said the old man. "He loved her fiercely; he doted on her until the day she died. Her death crushed him, totally destroyed his mind. And you already know the story of Teresa's sister's death." Cindy nodded.


"Well, I must be going." said the old man. "You ladies have a nice day." He got up and went into the library.

"I need to be going, also." said Mildred. "It's none of my business, but if you convince your friend to remain where she is and not come here, you'll be doing her a favor."

"I'd be willing to bet she's not going to leave where she is." said Cindy. "But never say never."

Mildred said her goodbyes and walked to her car. Cindy wanted to talk to the old man some more; he seemed to know a lot more than he was letting out. She went into the library, but didn't see him. She went to the desk.

"That old gentleman that came in here a moment ago." Cindy said. "Is he still here?"

"What old gentleman?" asked the librarian. "You and that young man and Mildred are the only people that have been in here all day."

"The... old man... " Cindy gasped, confused. "I was just talking to him outside, and he came inside... just a minute ago..." She could sense as well as see that the librarian was looking at her as if Cindy had lost her mind.

"No ma'am," the librarian said, "no one else came in. At all."

Part 10 - Truths From The Past

"There you are." said Teresa as she came up to Cindy. It was 3:00pm, and the platinum blonde was sitting on a bench in a grassy space that overlooked the cemetery and the Police and Fire Department buildings. "Whassup?"

"Oh, I did some research at the library," said Cindy, "and talked to a few of the older people who knew your parents back in the day, stuff like that. What about you?"

"Callie and Todd are racking up miles on the rental vehicle, which I'm sure he'll write off on his taxes." said Teresa. "So I went around town and took half a million pictures. I went to the newspaper office to get obituaries of my parents's deaths, but they burned up in the fire some time ago. So I went back to the house. I called Don. He said that things are so quiet that he's going to make us go on vacation more often."

"Heh." Cindy chuckled. "Why do I get the feeling that that may not be the case?"

"Because you've got your father's vibes." Teresa said. "After hanging up with Don, I called Lieutenant Irwin, and found out that the Police Commander's inspection did not go well... for the Precinct Captains and Lieutenants... and they have until Wednesday morning to make significant improvements. My own asschewing will take place when I get back, especially if they fail again."

"It'll be all right." said Cindy. "Don does that to keep the troops on their toes, and not thinking too hard about holiday festivities ahead of time. And speaking of vibes... there's this old man who claims to have been in the war with your father. He's the guy who told you and me that your father was in the military, and a war hero."

"Yeah, I remember him." said Teresa.

"Well, he told me some more family stuff, along with that old teacher of yours, Mildred." Cindy said. "Then he went into the library. I went in just a minute later, and he was gone... and the librarian said that no one had come in at all!"

"You know," Teresa said "Don said that that same guy spoke to him at the Courthouse when I was probating my father's will. Don said the guy stepped into a restroom that had no other exists and no windows, and completely vanished. Don called that a 'strangeness'."

"If the guy was wearing a black suit and tie and had no facial features, I'd get worried." said Cindy. "But every word this guy said, Mildred didn't contradict. Indeed, she scolded him for telling tales out of school, so to speak."