Home Sweet Home Ch. 09

"I can't use that. Now he's a super smart guy, in a room full of people already eating his shit up," Diana said, finally opening the file.

"That's not all. He moved some of those funds, to real estate. He made three million a few years ago in one deal. You know Mason Park?" she asked.

"You mean the mayor's vanity project named after himself where one of my daughter's classmates was raped?" she asks. "I interviewed that girl myself. What about it."

"Guess who owned the land," Odette said.

"Stop asking me if I know something or telling me to guess. It's pretentious," Diana said, and Odette raised her hands to acknowledge the request.

"David Fitzgerald owned the land it was built on, and then some. The mayor announced the project..."

"...and used eminent domain to buy it off him at an inflated price?" Diana asked, making Odette smile. "I know some shit too. Still not illegal."

"What if...sorry. I put in a FOIA request for anything, and everything related to that project. Reggie put in a request for county and state funds and got cocked blocked. Vanity project denied."

"Apparently not, because it got built," Diana said.

"Until Senator Rick Rearden got involved. About the time this entered into discussion, his guest logbook for his office in D.C. had a visit. David Fitzgerald. I did some digging, and it turns out nine years ago our esteemed Senator's chief of staff was caught in McCombie jerking off in a car a little too close to a playground. Charges were dropped, but I found the patrol officer who kept the initial report for a rainy day, because she was one of the many female officers who quit."

"He helped the Senator by protecting a pedophile. Just when I thought I reached the bottom of his shit pool," Diana said, seeing a copy of the original arrest and booking report. Mason Park was it. This might be enough to tear the man down.

"This could do it," Diana said.

"I'd like to be the one who presents it," Odette said.

"I'm sorry, what?" Diana asked.

"I got more in there. Plenty more. This man fucked over a lot of women. The more I dug, the more he got under my skin. Besides, you can't exactly go in there and do it. I didn't cash your check because I don't want a trail between you and me. I'll kick this fucker in the nuts for free."

"You're insane," Diana said with a laugh.

"You haven't seen anything. See you tomorrow," Odette said after taking her folder back.

* * * * *

Ethan Drake wanted the vote to be today, but the leaking of the investigation on the candidate put a damper on what would otherwise be a boring event. The council requested more time, offering a chance for anyone else to come forward. It wasn't standard practice, but it was no longer a standard proceeding. The floor was open to anyone in the community to express concerns or ask questions. David Fitzgerald sat ready to face them. He had survived the worst so far.

"The floor is now open," Ethan said, and waited. Anyone had five minutes. Odette O'hara left her seat in the back row and slowly walked to the microphone posted in the center.

"Good morning council. I'm not a member of the community, but I am speaking on behalf of a concerned citizen who would prefer anonymity. My name is Odette O'hara, and I'm a private investigator whose services were acquired..."

"...Chairman, this is highly irregular," David Fitzgerald said from his seat. "Now we have an investigator with an unknown benefactor."

"I have to agree, Ms.O'hara," Ethan said. "While I understand perfectly the need some have to maintain their privacy, everything entering will be taken as hearsay, and that's not how I run my council."

"I completely agree," Diana said, standing up, not in her uniform, and walked to the front. "So let's make the speaker not anonymous. I hired her."

"Ethan," David said, looking over his shoulder.

"Diana, you hired a private investigator?" Ethan asked.

"I did, she's standing right there," Diana said, pointing at Odette who gave a silly wave to the council.

"Jesus Christ," Ethan said, accidently over the mic, and then called a short recess. "Diana, my office, now."

Diana followed Ethan to the back of the city hall to his office. Ethan took nearly a full minute after they arrived to even speak he was so angry. He wanted to say something constructive, but Diana wasn't making that easy.

"Your career is over, I hope you know that," Ethan said.

"I know," Diana said, already at peace with the decision. "Check the inbox on your desk. You'll find my retirement paperwork."

"If they let you get a retirement," he said.

"I know everyone in the union Ethan. He'll try to swing back, but the union won't help him do it," Diana explained.

"You leaked the investigation, didn't you?"

"We on the record?"

"You're talking to Ethan."

"I did," Diana said, trusting Ethan kept that between the two of them. "If taking him out means I don't get to be Chief, so be it. I've crossed lines I've never crossed in my entire career to stop that man. I don't even deserve it anymore."

"Can she kill his appointment?" Ethan asked.

"She'll run him over, put it in reverse, and back up over the corpse."

"She has five minutes," Ethan said, then walked back with Diana to the council chambers.

"Deputy Chief Diana Jackson retired and is currently on terminal leave, early this morning. She is not here in a professional capacity, and is now merely a citizen of the community. I will allow her private investigator Ms. O'Hara to speak. You have five minutes."

"Thank you Chairman," Odette said, and started.

It took the full five minutes for Odette to go over everything with Mason Park. It was highly suspicious. Tying it in with the money and powerful friends in congress was the finale. She held up the original document for the Senator's chief of staff arrest, with a notarized sworn statement from the officer, willing to put her neck on the line.

"Before my time ends, I'd like to remind everyone of the display we saw last week from former Detective Jo Zielinski. You will in a short time discover her experience was not an isolated incident. Thank you," Odette concluded, and left the microphone. There was a harsh silence in the room after she was done, and the council kept looking at each other. Odette even promised to provide every member of the council with their own copy of her findings.

When the microphone was open, four women walked into the room one after the other. The walked to the front seats, and sat next to each other, shoulder to shoulder. The first woman took the microphone.

"My name is Heather Miller. I am a former police officer for the McCombie Police Department. I resigned in 2017 because of the constant sexual advances of Deputy Chief Fitzgerald. When I rebuffed these advances, there was an unofficial order to delay a response in the event I called for a backup unit. I nearly sustained life threatening injuries when I desperately required support at a call. It was known at round the station, as a coffee call because the officers responding would delay by getting coffee."

"My name is Lindsey Reese. From 2004 to 2006, David Fitzgerald was my sergeant and supervisor. During this time he constantly made derogatory statements about me. Often in a sexual manner. When I was assigned onto a highly sought-after task force, he asked me what hurt more, my pussy or my jaw, seeing how that's the only way a woman could advance. The rest of the men in the department got the memo to echo his remarks."

"My name is Sergeant Violet DeSilva. I was a McCombie officer from 2010 to 2015. David Fitzgerald asked me into his office and ordered me to drop my pants. When I refused, I was ordered on doubles, graveyard shifts, and every other menial task he could muster. Promotions seemed further and further away, until I was thankfully offered a career saving transfer to Ferry Grove, where I have served since."

"My name is Ashley Wilson. In 2010, I admittedly was in a romantic relationship with David Fitzgerald, knowing full well he was married. We mostly engaged in sexual activity in his office, or his car. When the thrill wore off, and I knew the relationship wasn't viable long term, I attempted to break it off. David did not respond to this well. He leaked nude photographs of me onto the internet, and videos of us. He filmed them from his perspective, meaning his reputation was spared insult."

Diana took the microphone last.

"My name is Diana Jackson. I am the former Deputy Chief of Police for Ferry Grove. In 2014, I was assigned to investigate a claim of sexual misconduct filed against David Fitzgerald. Through the course of the investigation, I interviewed all the woman who just spoke. I promise you, these four are a drop in the bucket of a lifetime of harassment and abuse of authority. When I interviewed David personally on the matter, he made a sexual advance at me as well. Stating the event, he at first said didn't happen, was as consensual as the two of us would be later that evening.

"If my word means anything to this council, do not approve this man. He fosters a police climate thick in innuendo and toxicity. A police force with low morale is ineffective. The average woman lasts three years before resigning in McCombie, the shortest time of service of any demographic in any department in this county. The turnover rate of female officers speaks for itself.

"I've had the privilege to serve this community for sixteen long years. Starting as a fresh Chicago PD transfer, working my way up through patrol, the traffic desk, Staff Sergeant admin, and finally where I am now. I'll be the first to admit I had ambitions to be the Chief of Police, but my primary job as the Deputy Chief was and still is the morale and wellbeing of the officers in my charge. David Fitzgerald is not in the best interest of their morale and wellbeing. I am willing to end my career, right now, just to ensure I know I did everything I could to prevent this.

"Council, I beg of you, do not vote for this man."

The silent that filled the room when Diana finished speaking was absolute. Breathing couldn't be heard because the audience held its breath. David scowled at Diana, but said nothing in his defense. Not merely because he had none, but because he knew the entire room was against him. He knew Diana would do something, but he always assumed it was to get his job. He believed Diana's motivation was only career. He wasn't prepared to be hit by a career suicide bomber.

* * * * *

David Fitzgerald retired the next day. He asked his name to be withdrawn from consideration for the position and let his career go out with a whimper. Diana was ready for retaliation, but aside from costing her job, what was the worst he could do?

Diana went into the department one last time to clear out her desk the next day. Her personal effects, her pictures of Whitney and Crystal. The minifridge was hers, but she decided she would donate it to her successor. It was also heavy and there was nowhere in her house for it. She closed the door behind her, and handed the keys to Staff Sergeant Gerald Hopper.

"Wish it didn't end that way," Gerald said. They had worked together for sixteen years. He was once her Sergeant, but she passed him by. Never once did he hold it against her.

"Worth it," Diana said, tucking her box under arm.

"Any idea who's replacing you?" Gerald asked. Gerald was third in line, but he wasn't far behind Diana in retiring. He had even told her he didn't want her job if she did become Chief.

"I'll be sure to part with a few recommendations," Diana said.

The danced around a handshake, but knew it wasn't sufficient. She placed the box on the ground to hug him. Sixteen years of a personal and professional friendship warranted it.

Diana dropped the box into her car, and stopped to look at her parking spot. You know you've made it at work when you have your own parking spot. Before she left, she had one more thing to do.

Mayor Reggie Mason was expecting her to arrive eventually. He wasn't expecting a full blown gloat fest, considering she destroyed her own career, but he was expecting her regardless. Diana entered his office and leaned over the back the chair in front of his desk. They both quietly waited for the other to begin.

"You burned him to the ground," Reggie said first.

"I did," Diana said with a smile. Like she didn't regret losing her job. "I believe I said, when he's ash, I'm Chief."

"I believe you just retired. You and me both. I won't survive another election after your girl dumped the park. Next year I'm not going to run," Reggie said.

"Smart man. I'm not running either, so don't worry about that," Diana said. Politics were not her thing. She had to play politics as a Deputy, and that more than exceeded his tolerance for it.

"Sergeant Joshua Matthews," Diana said, and Reggie nodded, already knowing what she meant. "He'll pick his Deputy."

"He qualified?"

"Almost twenty years, good leader, disciplined, fair," Diana said, just to name a few of his positive attributes. "He's skipping some rungs, but he's ready."

"I'll put his name in first thing tomorrow when Ethan asks," Reggie said. "What are you going to do now?" Reggie asked.

"I'll let you know when I figure it out."

* * * * *

The day after Diana Jackson retired, her daughter turned sixteen. She had already granted her permission to spend time with her father on the weekend, but for now it was something small and intimate. A few friends from school, Riley, and her mother. Her favorite gift were the passes to Anime Central. The only condition she had was that she would be chaperoned by her older sister. Whitney and her friends sat by a fire in the backyard at the end of the night, while Diana sat in the living room with Riley.

"You finished the book?" Diana asked.

"First draft," Riley replied.

"How long until its released?" Diana asked.

"Another six months to a year," Riley said.

"Takes that long?"

"That's the best case scenario," Riley explained.

They sat on opposite sides of the couch, feet stretched out toward the center. Diana's feet were on Riley's lap, and he was kneading the arch of her heel. The gaps of the toes were next. The ankle would follow.

Two days into her retirement, Diana was absolutely lost. She woke up that morning and panicked for a brief second when she saw the sunlight penetrating her blinds. That meant she was late for work. She hadn't woken up after the sun on a week day in years. The moment of panic past, and she rolled over and away from the light.

Riley could sense Diana's aimlessness. Her entire life had been held together by a specific purpose, and now she didn't have a compass to guide her. The only reason she woke up today, was Whitney's birthday.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Riley asked.

"No idea," Diana said. "I always knew my schedule. Now, I have no idea."

"You give that car some thought?"

"Don't know where to start," Diana said.

"Find the start line and step over it. I'll learn with you," Riley said.

Diana thought about fixing the car finally. Sixteen years it had collected dust. It was time to start a new ambition.

* * * * *

Tilly learned from a representative from the DA that DK took a plea deal. Diana had made a few calls, but the DA always pursued the path of least resistance. DK plead guilty to and was charged with Aggravated Battery, domestic violence, and contempt of court for being in violation of his parole. That was to avoid a trial where he's charged with attempted murder. His sentencing wouldn't be for another few days, but the DA told Tilly he was likely looking at three years in prison without the possibility of parole.

DK would be out of her life for three years. She wondered what she could do with her life with three years without that man destroying everything she had worked for. Was that part of her life finally over? It felt like a dream to no longer be under his thumb. She had learned over time that when she thought she got away, was when she needed to be the most cautious.

Jason followed Tilly so she could drop off her car for the needed repairs, then drove together to the restaurant. He was a human being in the car, a dick at work, then a human being on the drive home. She appreciated the fact he didn't let up in the kitchen even though he was a participant in the madness just mere days ago.

"How you feeling?" Jason asked on the drive home.

"Like it's too good to be true," Tilly said. "He has some bad people as friends."

"You have a rooftop Korean," he replied, and she slowly worked herself into reluctant laugh.

"How well did you know my dad?" Tilly asked. They hadn't spoken about her parents once since she started working there. Her father was the owner and head chef, so he must have interacted with him.

"He interviewed me himself," Jason said. "I learned a lot from him. He talked about you a lot."

"I doubt it," Tilly said, shaking her head.

"He did," Jason said, Tilly looking at him. "I know he was a hard ass, but he loved you. He always hoped you'd find your way back on your own."

"He tried helping, but I didn't want the kind of help he was offering. I wasn't ready," she said, and started crying. She put her face into her palms, and her body convulsed with emotion.

"What's wrong?"

"I never got to say I was sorry. To say goodbye. I didn't even know they were dead until I came back," she cried into her hands.

"I was in the kitchen when your dad collapsed," Jason said, and kept her face buried. "I started to call the ambulance, but he told me to call Tilly first. He was frantic to call you. Right at the end, he just wanted to talk to you."

Tilly would never know why her father wanted to call her. Or if Jason was just making it up. Regardless, it was mildly comforting to know she was still in his thoughts.

Jason pulled into the driveway and stopped alongside Riley's car. Tilly hovered in his vehicle for a minute without movement or sound.

"You okay?" Jason asked.

Tilly leaned up into his mouth and kissed him. Jason was stunned but didn't flinch back in surprise. She slowly separated, and then leaned into her seat. She touched her lips with her fingertip, shocked at herself.

"I'm sorry," Tilly said between her fingers.

"For what?"

"You're my boss, and I'm making things weird," she said, now blushing in embarrassment. "Just forget I did that."

"Did what?" Jason asked playfully.

Tilly left the car quickly to prevent more shame upon herself. She opened the door with a key, and shut it behind her. She didn't even wave back in gratitude for the ride. Jason simply chuckled before driving home.

* * * * *

The sound of grinding metal greeted Diana as she opened the sliding door to her storage unit. The door screeched as if it hadn't been opened in over a decade, which it rightly hadn't been. She hadn't missed a single payment, but she also hadn't come to look at it once. To see the hard reminder of a promise unfulfilled. Only one item sat in the unit; a red 1976 Cadillac Eldorado.

The car needed some serious work. Marcus bought it cheap decades ago, after finding it in a scrap yard where it was picked apart by scavengers. It was missing the entire backseat, three tires, various parts of the engine, head lights, the steering wheel, and more things she couldn't see.

"You weren't kidding," Riley said once he got his eyes on the thing car. The façade of it was still a classic beauty. They knew they needed to tow it, so Riley had already called the service who would bring it to his detached garage. It would also be the first time he entered the garage since moving in.

"This thing sat on blocks in his driveway for ten years before it sat in here for another sixteen," Diana said, running the hand across the hood, picking up a thick layer of dust. "Ghetto lawn ornament."