Jupiter Rising Ch. 01

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

"Good Lord!" gasped Police Chief Sean Moynahan as we drank coffee in the Chief's Conference Room. "They just won't stop! Rodman and Braselton pled guilty to trying to frame the Governor, and you were correct to bust them, Commander!"

"Worse than that, Chief." I replied. "The Democrats's whole case is based entirely on that lie! The Media keeps chanting the lie, and the Democrats are attacking the Governor, and me as well, claiming the accusers were credible even after they recanted and took plea deals."

Teresa said: "And they keep insisting that Don acted upon the Governor's request or orders, when both he and Norm Chow testified under oath that Don acted on his own and informed the Governor later, and they can't prove otherwise. But they were going to try to charge Don with perjury for telling the truth!"

"Which brings up a point." said the Chief. "Can they compel you to testify again, Mr. Crowbarrrr?"

"I don't know." I said. "That's why Mike G. Todd is on retainer for me."

"I'll tell you what they just won't stop." Cindy said, staring at the television monitor, her voice eerie and seemingly far away. "They won't stop talking about violating adoption laws to find Betty Morelli's baby and force it to undergo a DNA test. They just won't stop..."

"And that is all overwith, tooooo." said Chief Moynahan. "So why are they pushing it?"

"For two reasons." I replied. "One, they think it will solidify their case against the Governor for his pardoning me. And two, so that their Media allies can claim a 'win'. They, the Media, can't stand losing; they'll do whatever it takes to win, to be able to say they were right all along."

"So they're not going to stop?" Cindy queried.

"The Media won't. Not as long as Amber Harris can speak into a microphone." I replied. "But the Legislature is on a timetable, and can't afford the time to work through the Courts. And Jared is a lame duck; this is his last year, and he won't be Governor when the Legislature convenes next year."

"Where is the Sheriff?" asked Captain Tanya Perlman.

"It's 'Fire Department Day' for him." said Chief Moynahan. "And to that point, all the Chiefs have a meet-ing with him this morning. So if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way."

That was our cue. After respectfully standing up when the Chief did, we followed him out the door and to our respective offices...

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

The women of 'Point Taken' filed into their studio to the raucous applause of their carefully chosen all-female audience, and took their seats.

"And we are liiiiive!" said hostess Connie Chen. "And let's welcome our newest member of 'Point Taken', Dana McMahon!"

Dana McMahon was in her mid-40s, and was a very attractive blonde, though not to the level of the glamorously gorgeous Zara Zeigler. Dana had worked in Journalism as well as Communications Departments of several politicians. She was very centrist, which was 'right wing' compared to the other ladies on the panel.

"We have a lot to talk about today." said Connie Chen. "The Impeachment trial of the Governor is underway." The audience booed at the mention of the Governor. Chen went on: "There are a number of key issues that have come up, and we're going to have some guests help us through it. First of all, we have State civil rights attorney Jenna Stiles." The audience applauded politely.

Connie Chen: "And we also have the Executive Publisher of the Town & County Examiner and hostess of the nationally renowned podcast 'Unresolved' with us. Please welcome Alison McFarland." The applause for Alison was good, since a lot of the audience knew of her from her podcasts.

"Okay, ladies." said Rosie Berkmar. "The headlines today are that Police Commander Donald Troy could be subpoenaed to testify again, and that some Legislators want to obtain adoption records of the late Betty Morelli's baby, which we understand was a girl, and do a DNA test to see if Donald Troy is the father. Jenna, Alison, can and will Commander Troy be subpoenaed?"

Jenna Stiles said "Let me break it down further. The question is whether or not Commander Troy would be covered by the Immunity Agreement he was given when he testified under oath on this same matter before the Legislature previously. His attorney contends that he would be covered, but State A.G. Handel says he wouldn't be. And it's likely that will have to be sorted out before you'll see Commander Troy testify again."

Alison McFarland said "More as a practical matter, I don't understand why they want to subpoena him again at all. Immunity Agreement or not, I don't think he'll change the testimony he gave earlier, which was that he acted on his own, and not at the Governor's request. His testimony is out there, and he'll just say 'I refer you to the testimony I gave earlier."

"That's true," said Connie Chen, "but they could ask him different questions. And we all want to know more about his alleged sexual liaison with Betty Morelli, and if she had his child. What are the legalities of that, Jenna?"

Jenna: "The issue that is being debated is whether or not the pardon Governor Jared gave Commander Troy..." The audience booed, then Jenna continued: "The question is if that pardon gives Commander Troy an immunity such that he can be compelled to testify about it, or if he still has the right to take the Fifth---"

"Yet again." interrupted Rosie Berkmar. The audience chuckled.

"The Fifth Amendment is a cornerstone of the Constitution and our law," said Alison McFarland, "and should be respected by everyone. Imagine if it were any of you that Federal Agents were trying to beat a confession out of." The audience got very quiet at that.

Jenna continued: "That's right, but the legal questions about it are pretty fascinating to a civil rights lawyer like myself. As to the adoption papers, State Law is pretty clear about the privacy of them. Sometimes Law Enforcement can get a warrant or subpoena for the records, but there has to be strong probable cause and a stringent process to get those records. Because Commander Troy was pardoned, he can't be charged with a crime regarding the case, and it is really not clear if the Legislature can otherwise muster that high standard to get the records."

Rosie Berkmar said "But it would prove Don Troy is the father of Betty Morelli's baby, and therefore they did have sex during that time. And that would show that the Governor pardoned Troy as a quid pro quo for Troy's retaliation against those two women for their credible claims of sexual harassment by the Governor."

Zara Zeigler finally spoke: "For the sake of accuracy, those women recanted and also took plea deals after it was shown the Governor's autograph they submitted was a forgery. I'm not saying there was no quid pro quo, there... indeed, it looks as if there was... but the Media needs to start getting the story right."

Alison McFarland said "That's right. It's not helping the State House Managers's case to try the Governor for what is a provable lie, and the People of the State know that. If they want to prove Abuse of Power, they need to show that abuse with a case based on true facts. I will add that the charge of 'Obstructing the State Legislature' doesn't exist at all, and I never understood why they even made that charge."

"Because Jared tried to stop his aides from testifying before the Legislature, even when they said they wanted to!" said Rosie Berkmar, getting a little bit 'exercised'. "And when he improperly spent that money ahead of time, he suppressed the investigation of it!"

"But he had the right to." said Jenna Stiles. "The Legislature makes the laws, they don't enforce them. They should've created another Independent State Counsel to investigate it, if there were indeed crimes. My point here is that they didn't handle it correctly, so they can't come back and say he obstructed them."

"I'm not sure I agree with that." said Zara Zeigler. "But you're right, it may be one for the Courts. But all that notwithstanding, if Governor Jared is found guilty, he'll be removed from Office." The audience burst out in strong applause at those words.

"True enough," said Alison McFarland, "but let's get real here. This is not so much a legal process as a political process. The current optics aren't good for the Democrats, and if they don't shore up their cases, the People of this State are not going to say justice was served. They'll say the Governor was railroaded."

"I don't care if he's railroaded!" said Rosie Berkmar. "I just want him out!" The audience applauded strongly.

"Before we go to break," said Connie Chen, "I want to ask both you ladies this: will Jared be convicted?"

Jenna Stiles: "It's going to be close. A number of Republicans are already coming out saying they'll vote to convict, and of course all the Democrats will."

Alison McFarland: "This will not be popular with your audience today, but I don't think he'll be convicted. Especially based on the weak cases we've seen so far." The audience didn't boo TOO much...

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

"And welcome to Conservative Excellence in Radio. I am your host, Reed Hudson, and we have a packed program today. And there is just so much material here, I'm going to do something I rarely do, and have a guest on the program. We have with us today Lisa Fillmore, reporter for the Town & County Examiner. Hello, Lisa, and welcome."

"Hello, Reed." said Lisa Fillmore. "I'm glad to be here."

"So let's get right into this sham Impeachment trial." said Hudson. "As you know, we don't play the racist hate speech of State Rep. Tasheeka Harris on this program, but here's what the other Legislators are saying." He played a montage of Legislators from both sides of the aisle.

"So Lisa, what's your take on this?" asked Reed Hudson.

Lisa Fillmore: "The first thing that always comes to my mind is 'Just what crime has the Governor committed?'. Governor Jared has done nothing illegal, and nothing unethical. All he's done is keep the campaign promises he made. All he's done is enforce the laws of our State and Nation. And for that, they've relentlessly gone after him."

"That's very true." said Reed Hudson. "Break down their allegations of Abuse of Power for us, Lisa."

Lisa replied: "First, dishonest reporters like Bettina Wurtzburg, Tim Sioban, and Donna Roselle on 'Point Taken' constantly repeat the lie that the claims of the two women that accused Governor Jared of sexual harassment were, quote 'credible' unquote. Their allegations were not credible. They not only recanted their allegations, they were criminally charged for making them, and had to accept plea deals to avoid prison time."

Reed Hudson: "That's exactly right. As Hitler's Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels said, 'If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.'. And that's what KXTC and KSB have been doing since Governor Jared was re-elected: they've told that lie about him again and again and again, desperately hoping to make people believe it."

Lisa Fillmore: "And someone forged a document to try to bolster the women's claims, and the document was found to be a falsehood. And history repeated itself when the FBI forged a document in an attempt to frame Commander Donald Troy, and used that false document to get an illegal warrant to invade his home and destroy it, and to almost murder his daughter."

Lisa continued: "And that's important, because the Media and the State Democrats have continued the lie by saying that Commander Donald Troy investigated those women on the Governor's orders, or at his request. Commander Troy testified under oath that he acted independently, and his enemies have never, ever, shown one shred of proof to the contrary. Yet they continue to tell the lie."

Reed Hudson: "That is the dishonest, corrupt Media for you. I can understand the politicians doing it. Both Parties lie about the other side to gain an advantage for themselves. But the corruption of the Media, which should be impartial and especially should be honest, is a danger to the very fabric of the Nation. But you brought up Commander Troy, so let's smoothly segue into that situation. Can he be compelled to testify again, and if he does, would the previous Immunity Agreement be in force?"

Lisa Fillmore: "I'm not a lawyer and I don't play one on TV, so I have no idea. And from what I'm gathering, neither does anyone else. I do know from sources close to this issue that Commander Troy will not testify without that Immunity Agreement still in place, so if they do subpoena him, it'll go to Court. And that could take months to get to the State Supreme Court. So they're going to have to decide if they want to even bother with it if they want to convict Jared."

Reed Hudson: "And what about the other issue? Let me spell out the background first. The State House Democrats are alleging that Governor Jared pardoned Donald Troy for allegedly having sex with a woman in his custody, Betty Morelli, and that it was a quid pro quo for Commander Troy bringing the Crowbar down on those two women that made their false allegations against the Governor. Now I don't know if Commander Troy had sex with Betty Morelli or not, I truly don't know. But the Democrats still want to prove the charge by accessing sealed adoption papers to find Betty Morelli's baby, and getting a DNA test. What about this, Lisa?"

Lisa: "First of all, I don't think it's relevant to the Impeachment charges. It's not abuse of power for the Governor to exercise his legitimate power to pardon, no matter what his reasons are. It's right there in the State Constitution, and that is that. And perish forbid a Democrat Governor ever pardon a crony of his or hers!"

Reed: "True. And there are two legal questions about it. State adoption records are sealed by State Law, and it's high standard of 'probable cause' for Law Enforcement to get that data, much less State Legislators. Can they get around that? And also, the pardon that Donald Troy accepted gives him immunity from prosecution for any crime he committed vis-a-vis Betty Morelli. The Democrats want to compel Troy to testify about that, and say he would be obligated to admit if he had sex with Morelli. Others say he still has the Right against self-incrimination. What do you say?"

Lisa: "He's never admitted nor discussed that in the past, and he did plead the Fifth on it when the Feds were questioning him. My belief is that he retains his Fifth Amendment rights, because of the potential Federal charges, for which he has not been pardoned. And I'll add that if the Legislators push it, this one won't stop at the State Supreme Court, because of those Federal implications..."

Part 5 - Crimes Committed

4:30pm, Wednesday, February 5th. Marie Steele and Carole Troy had been doing their homework in the corner of the classroom in the Physics & Astronomy Building on the University Campus. Professor Stephanie Steele was at the main table in the room with her six graduate students, having a group discussion about string theory and the possibility of multiverses.

Marie had not looked up from her second grade math problems. Carole, having finished her second grade math problems as well as her reading assignment, was listening to Dr. Steele and the students, and observing all of them. She did not understand too much about what 'Einstein's theory of relativity' was, nor that Albert Einstein's fields of study were Physics and Philosophy (the same as John Galt, Francisco D'Anconia, and Ragnar Danneskjöld, but I digress), but their talk sounded fascinating to her.

"Okay, we're over time, it's four thirty. We'll pick this up Friday." Stephanie Steele said a moment later. All the students collected their assortment of books and notebooks and trickled out of the room, some still discussing theories of the origins of the universe where things moved faster than the speed of light.

"Are you girls ready to go?" Stephanie asked.

"Yes ma'am." Carole said politely as she and Marie put their homework into their book bags. "Dr. Steele, what is the Speed of Light?"

"That's something I don't get asked about by six-year-olds very often." Stephanie said. "You know how you can see things with your eyes? Light is a form of energy that your eyes can detect. Heat, like from a fire or hot water, is also energy, that nerves in your body can detect. And that energy moves very very fast, and that's called the Speed of Light."

"Oh." said Carole. "So will the Light Police or The Flash give you a ticket if you exceed the Speed of Light?"

Stephanie Steele laughed heartily at that. "Some say the Speed of Light can't be broken. My research is based on the possibility that it can be. But please don't make any arrests while we're studying it."

"Okay." Carole said agreeably. "I'll stick to de-tec-ting crimes, like Daddy does."

"Sounds good." said Stephanie. "Okay, lets go to my office and get my purse, and I'll take you home."

They walked down the hall to Dr. Steele's office. When they got there, the door was cracked open.

"Wait." said Carole, getting a vibe. "Who opened the door? I saw you shut the door when we went to your classroom."

"You're right, Carole." said Stephanie. "Let me go in ahead of you, and see if anyone is in there." She pushed the door halfway open, and peered inside.

"AAAUUUGGH!" she screamed.

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

4:33pm. I was sitting at my desk, wrapping up paperwork for the day when my Police iPhone rang. "Troy." I said as I answered it.

"Daddy!" came the voice of my eldest child through the phone. "This is Carole. There's a dead body in Dr. Steele's office! Come quick!"

"I'll be right there." I said. Hanging up, I went to MCD. Detectives Julia Rodriguez and Teddy Parker were at their desks.

"You two, you're with me." I said. "I just got a call that a dead body was found at the Physics Building on Campus..."

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

4:38pm. When we arrived at Dr. Stephanie Steele's office, we found TCPD and State Crime Lab personnel already there, processing the crime scene. Several Campus Police Officers were present, as were TCPD Officers Johnson and Burrell... and Auxiliary Officer Carole Troy, sitting in a chair in front of Dr. Steele's desk. Also present were SBI Agents Terence Johnson and James Tarleton, who had offices in the nearby State Crime Lab building.

"Hello, Commander." Johnson said, coming up quickly to shake my hand. "Glad you got here so quickly. We just arrived."

I shook hands with him and Tarleton as I asked "So what's going on?" I was looking at the body of a middle-aged man on the floor. He was wearing a relatively cheap blue sportscoat with brown threads running through it, dark brown pants, and brown socks and shoes. He was lying prone and face-down, a pool of blood coming out from underneath him.

"Dr. Robert Stoddard, Head of the Departments of Physics and Astronomy." said Johnson. "Shot twice in the chest with a .38 snub-nosed revolver."

"Daddy!" Carole called out.

"We have a suspect in custody---" said Johnson, but he was interrupted again.

"Daddy! I have to tell you something." Carole persisted, looking anxious. I was getting a strong vibe from her.

"Hold on one second." I said to Johnson. I went over to Carole and said "It better be good."

"Daddy, it's all wrong!" Carole said. "They're making a mistake!"

"What mistake is that?" I asked as I pulled the other chair up to sit down next to my daughter.

"The purse on the desk they found the gun in was blue." Carole said. "But Dr. Steele had a black purse today."

"Sir, if I may," said Agent Johnson. I looked up, and he said "We found a blue purse, medium blue, on the desk. Dr. Stephanie Steele's wallet with her drivers license was in it, as well as her makeup items. And a snub-nose .38 revolver."