Music Box Dancer Ch. 02

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Thursday, June 21st, 10:00am. The first day of Summer found Judge Patrick R. Folsom behind the Bench in one of the smaller, modern Courtrooms in the complex. With both sides agreeing to settle, he'd set a hearing for this time.

City Attorney Dennis Garland and Agnes T. Spires were sitting with Teresa at the defendant's table, while Gwen Munson sat with Dean Allen at the prosecutor's table. No one really noticed Mike G. Todd sitting behind the defense lawyers in the first row of seats.

The issue now was the offer made by the City Attorney. "Your Honor," said Munson, "we accept the City's offer, having only the amount to decide upon. But we want to separate their settlement from Captain Croyle's. We believe she should pay far more, and we wish to strike the clause that allows her insurance to pay the damages."

Judge Folsom said "The City is offering two million and you want six million from them. But you want 12 million from Captain Croyle?"

"That is correct, Your Honor." said Munson. Dean Allen looked smugly towards Teresa, who sat at the far end of the defense table. She did not look at Allen, and her face was calm.

"I'm likely going to cut that number in half if you wish to disallow insurance paying for it." said Folsom.

"Your Honor," said Munson, "we believe that the brutal actions of this Police Officer warrants a strong penalty, not only as damages, but as a deterrent for other Police Officers to take notice of."

Folsom turned to the defense table. "Defense, any comment?"

"We believe a reduced amount is warranted, Your Honor." said Agnes T. Spires, "but otherwise accept the agreement."

Needless to say, Folsom was surprised that Spires was not fighting harder to have Teresa's indemnity insurance pay the damages. And he was more surprised when Dennis Garland rose and said "Your Honor, may attorney Mike Todd be allowed to speak? He has a 'friend of the Court brief'."

"Objection." said Gwen Munson. "He is not a part of the defense team."

"I'll hear what he has to say." said Folsom. "Mr. Todd?"

"Thank you, Your Honor." said Todd, unable to hide a grin on his face. "May it please the Court that I remind everyone that Phil Kearns, whose family Dean Allen killed while driving drunk, won a civil lawsuit against Dean Allen for 24 million dollars." He pointed to the back of the room, where Phil Kearns sat on the last row of seats. Gwen Munson gasped, and Dean Allen's face displayed pure hatred.

"The money paid by Ms. Croyle and the Town & County should therefore be distributed directly to Mr. Kearns." said Mike G. Todd. "Not one penny should go into Dean Allen's direct possession."

"Ye-es, that is true." said Folsom, his eyes gleaming a bit. "Yes, I agree. All monies should go straight to Mr. Kearns." That got Dean Allen whispering furiously to his attorney. Munson then got up and said "Your Honor, may I approach the bench?"

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

"It doesn't matter." said Folsom as they sat in his Chambers. "You can go to trial or settle today. But Dean Allen will never actually see that money. I will direct that it goes to Phil Kearns. In fairness, Allen' won't have to pay taxes on the settlement, but he won't get any money."

"I'd rather die than give that piece of crap a dime." snarled Dean Allen, to his attorney but loud enough for the others to hear. Allen had had no insurance to pay for the ruling against him; he was on the hook for millions. Only the money left to him in a trust by his late father, State Senator Nathan Allen, could not be touched. "Can we just drop the lawsuits?"

"You can." said Folsom. "But I am not going to play games with you. You'll sign an agreement that you will never again be able to sue Captain Croyle nor the County."

Gwen Munson tried hard to dissuade Allen from doing that, as she wanted to get paid from the winnings... and then Garland had said that because the money would go straight to Kearns, Allen would not have winnings to pay from. And Dean Allen was adamant: he did not want Phil Kearns to get one dime from him.

Dean Allen signed the agreement. It was over for Teresa. She had won.

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

Sunset, Thursday, June 21st, the latest sunset of the year. As I sat on the deck of The CabinI saw a train come out of the western horizon and round the bend southwards as I heard the back door open. An instant later, I had a lap full of Bowser. Teresa came into view and sat down next to me on the metal mesh love seat, and Buddy jumped into her lap. Dogs were petted as we sat silently and watched our Town in the valley beneath us.

Teresa presented me with a brown paper sack. Inside it was a bottle of Highland Park 18-year-old single malt Scotch. My favorite. "I just wanted to thank you, yet again, for everything. How you anticipated every single thing that Mullen and Dean Allen were going to do, I don't know... but you did. My lawyers thought you were a bit crazy, too. Crazy like a fox, of course."

"Well." I said. "There were elements of risk, and you were willing to take the risks. But, as you can see, it worked out for you."

"So how did you predict what they'd do?" Teresa asked.

"I'd heard that the Reverend Steven Ikea had picked up Dean Allen at the prison." I said, perhaps saying the religious title very sarcastically, "and that he and Jack Lewis were helping Allen out. Why the generosity? They wanted him to do something... sue you for beating his ass down... and without a crowbar, I might add."

"Told you I don't need one." Teresa replied. Buddy just looked up at her as I chuckled.

"So I figured that was part of their plan." I said. "And Mike Todd was like a kid at Christmas when I told him to suggest to the Judge to make sure any money you paid went to Kearns, not Allen. The only things I did not anticipate were that Gwen Munson would be Allen's attorney... I thought it'd be H.J. Lynch... and that they'd try to disallow your insurance paying off the judgment."

"So," I said as I petted Bowser, "it was then easy to see that that was part of the Independent State Counsel's plan to go after you to get to me. Mullen really thought you'd cave. And apparently he and Mitt Willis thought I'd cave and admit wrongdoing to save you."

"I'd have needed a crowbar then." said Teresa. "To beat the shit out of you if you had caved. I'm Clan Troy because your integrity and honor mean more to me than anything else."

"I appreciate that." I said, very sincerely. "And I knew you'd never respect me again if I did perjure myself. But... we had Truth on our side. Anyway, when Cindy had noticed Mullen's people were catheterized, it was easy to see they were going to really work you over. I'm glad Mr. Louis was there; no telling what Mullen might have done if it were only you and Ms. Spires."

"They'd have found out what a Police Boxing Matches beatdown feels like." Teresa said.

"No." I said. "In spite of that sign saying no weapons allowed... his attorneys were armed, and he had more armed men in the back room. And I arranged for Louis to be armed, and have our own armed people down the hallway..."

"Anyhoo..." I said after a moment's pause, "they tried everything they could, and Willis laid down his trump card on me, and it still didn't work."

"What will they do next?" asked Teresa. "These Swamp Frogs won't quit. They won't stop until Jared is gone... and you're gone, too. And Todd thinks something's going on with BigAgraFoods, especially after the Guardians of Justice started exposing them. Todd is worried they'd rather see you dead than Jared."

"Could well be." I said. "Could well be." Bowser looked up at me as I said that. I petted him some more to reassure him.

Part 9 - Final Jeopardy

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Fox Two News!" shouted the lovely redheaded reporterette at 7:00am, Friday, June 22d, from in front of City Hall. "It's all over for Captain Teresa Croyle!"

"Dean Allen dropped his lawsuits against Captain Croyle and the Town & County yesterday, and the agreement entails that he cannot sue Captain Croyle again at a later time. So Captain Croyle has dodged a bullet with that outcome." Bettina said, perhaps not using the best choice of words, there.

"Also," continued Bettina, "Republican legislators and officials are bringing tremendous pressure upon Attorney General Karl Handel to end the Independent State Counsel, after Captain Croyle exposed Robert Mullen's overbearing tactics to the Public. While A.G. Handel has said he will not end the Independent State Counsel probe of Governor Jared and Commander Donald Troy, he and Robert Mullen have agreed that Captain Croyle will not be re-subpoenaed, unless new evidence comes out requiring her clarification."

"And in political news," Bettina said, "Public Policy Polling has released their latest figures, all with a margin of error of 3 percent.. Chief Griswold leads Della Harlow in the race for Sheriff 57-43 percent, while Sheriff Allgood leads Town Assemblyman Weaver 45-43 percent. The D.A.'s race is very tight, with Paulina Patterson at 38%, Miriam Walters at 32%, and Jenna Stiles at 25%. Incumbent D.A. Gil Krasney is at 3% with 2% undecided."

"And don't miss the D.A. Debate at the Civic Center tonight, televised by KXTC Fox Two News!" Bettina reminded us...

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

"Only 57 to 43 percent?" Joanne Warner wailed with disbelief. "You gotta be kidding me?"

"They are." I said. "Well, more like they're massaging the numbers."

"How, sir?" asked Theo Washington.

"Okay, let's say Candidate A and B are tied exactly at 50-50, with a 3 percent margin of error." I explained. "What the dishonest Media will do is move those numbers to favor their candidate. So they say A has a 53-47 percent lead... a six point margin in what is really a dead-heat tied race."

"Also," I said, "they'll oversample Democrats by anywhere from 10 to 33 percent, which will skew the numbers even more. And on top of that, even if they do a halfway accurate poll, many Republicans, especially Grassroots Conservatives, will either not answer, say they're undecided, or outright lie to the pollster."

"So based on all that," I said, "Be assured that Chief Griswold has at least 66% of the vote. Sheriff Allgood is probably leading by more than 2 points, probably five or six... oh, and it's a point of my theory that they didn't say 'within the margin of error' for the Mayor's race, as they could have and should have if those numbers were real."

"And, of course, you also know Chief Griswold's Campaign's internal polling numbers." said Cindy Ross.

"Shhh!" I said. "Stop giving away my secrets!" There was laughter at that, which broke into cheers: Teresa Croyle had entered the room. The coffee klatch became a celebration.

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

7:30pm, Friday, June 22d. Tanya and Jack brought his daughters Tiffany and Jennifer and Tanya's son Pete to The Cabin, joining Molly, Ross, Ian, Laura, Carole, Jim, Molly's mom Maggie and my mom Phyllis. Bowser was skittish of the older girls, but settled in and decided to like them after Carole made 'personal introductions'.

Carole tried a new trick. She came up to me with a plate that was empty except for stringbeans. "Daddy, can I get seconds?"

"You're not going to throw those stringbeans away while getting seconds, are you?" I asked. Four-year-old eyes cut to me.

"Yes sir. I was." she admitted.

"Don't throw them away." I said. "You can get seconds if you eat the stringbeans, too."

"O-kayyyy..." Carole said. She headed to the kitchen. It's possible her mother went also, to make sure a disaster did not occur.

"Well, at least she told the truth." I said to the group at the 'big kids' table. "I'm about ready to give up. She eats other vegetables and takes her vitamins every night, so she's not losing any nutrition."

"Oh, son, it's a game now." my mom said. "She knows that gets your attention. That's the only reason she's doing it..." Grandmothers just know these things...

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

The visits were not idle. After dinner, Jack and I spent our time in my personal office, monitoring an FBI operation being run by Special Agent In Charge Ashton Cardigan. They were assisting BigAgraCorp CEO Lloyd Feingold in extracting data files, and we were also connected via my secure FBI hookup.

"Now this is an 'I Love Me' wall to behold." Jack said appreciatively of the wall that adjoined the far garage. Two swords, teacups and a tea caddy, framed documents such as military commissions, diplomas, and my appointment as a personal advisor to the Emperor of Japan were among the displayed items. Jack was looking around more sharply, though.

"Where are your servers?" Jack asked.

"In the attic." I said. That wasn't really a lie; I did have two servers in an air-conditioned room in the attic. But the important stuff, which I did not care for anyone else to know about, was in the hidden wine cellar. Jack Muscone was sharp-eyed, but did not pierce my veils of secrecy as to that cellar's entrance.

"So this is not the World Headquarters of the Guardians of Justice?" Jack asked. I grinned.

"No, 'fraid not." I said. "And I think the entire U.S. Government knows that by now."

"They do. I'm just kidding you." said Jack. "So how is Cardigan doing, getting the info?"

"They've made some progress, but not a lot." I said. "I can see what they've brought in, and it's being copied to me as we speak. But it's gappy...

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

"And welcome to the D.A. Debate!" said Bettina Wurtzburg, who was hostessing the debate. People in the audience of the auditorium at the Civic Center applauded. One person NOT in the room was Teresa Croyle... she'd been shot in this room during the Eckhart 'Envision Your Life' seminar. (Author's note: 'Teresa's Christmas Ordeal', Ch. 02.)

"I'm your host, Bettina Wurtzburg!" said the redheaded MILF reporterette. "Our panelists today are Dr. Romanov from the University's Institute for Politics, Dr. Adam S. Keller from the City University Rodham Foundation for Political and Social Change, and KXTC's Amber Harris." The audience applauded politely.

"Our candidates that accepted our invitation tonight," said Bettina, "are Assistant District Attorney Paulina Patterson, Solicitor Miriam Walters, and State Attorney Jenna Stiles. District Attorney Gil Krasney declined our invitation---" She was interrupted by a smattering of boos at the mention of Krasney's name, causing the candidates present to smile. "And since you ladies are all accomplished and with titles, we'll just use the title 'Ms.' for each and all, is that okay?" The candidates nodded. "The first question is for Ms. Patterson, from Dr. Romanov."

"Ms. Patterson," said Romanov, "you've worked closely with Commander Troy, and some say too closely. What will you do to stop Commander Troy's physical, abusive tactics towards peaceful protesters, which have including murdering a peaceful protester?"

"Commander Troy has not murdered a peaceful protester." said Paulina. "Your question is borderline slander, and maybe I should prosecute you for it." Some in the audience clapped, and Paulina continued: "I will also say that Commander Troy is not the problem. Gil Krasney is the problem. The decisions he's made, especially since I took a leave of absence to run for D.A., have been a travesty of Justice."

Dr. Keller was next. "Ms. Stiles, I'll ask a similar question to you: what will you do to put a halt to Commander Troy's pattern of abuse of power, assaults against peaceful protesters, and a reckless disregard for the rights of our Citizens, especially women?"

Jenna rolled her eyes, then said "I won't have to worry about that. Commander Troy has not abused his Police power, he's enforced the law. He has shown no disregard for the rights of our Citizens, and unlike Val Jared, Commander Troy's treatment of women, both personally and professionally, has been an example many other men need to emulate... especially Gil Krasney, whose record of cutting deals with rapists is a stain that he will never wash from his filthy hands."

Dr. Keller pressed: "What about the abuse of power in flying a military helicopter into MLK Park and firing blindly into the Park, putting Citizens' lives at risk? What about his repeatedly using a crowbar to physically intimidate suspects and citizens alike? What about---"

"I'd say," Jenna said, interrupting Keller, "that you're attempting to re-litigate what has already long been resolved. Commander Troy's actions in the helicopter saved two Officers' lives. It is Gil Krasney who needs to show more caring for our Citizens, by actually prosecuting cases instead of cutting sweetheart deals."

Amber Harris then asked Miriam Walters a question. "Ms. Walters, you were running unopposed for Solicitor, you had that locked up. Why did you enter the D.A. race at the last minute, against this formidable competition?"

"I believe Savannah Fineman will do an excellent job as Solicitor." said Miriam Walters. "I also believed it was time to run for D.A., in order to defeat Gil Krasney, whose record---"

"Ms. Walters," interrupted Adam S. Keller, "Why pick on Mr. Krasney, who is not even here to defend himself---"

"Why isn't he here?" shot back Walters, whose beady black eyes were flashing fire with indignation at having been interrupted. "Why isn't he here to defend his incredibly poor record as District Attorney? Why doesn't he have the courage to be here, to face us, and you, and the Citizens of this County?" The audience cheered loudly...

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

Cardigan called Lloyd Feingold. "How's it going?"

"I've set up a connection to you," said Feingold, "but the only things I can transmit are the peripheral stuff. The core, classified material is behind a firewall. I'll have to access it with my computer in my office and copy it to the external hard drives."

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

"Ms. Stiles," said Dr. Romanov, "what will you do as District Attorney to prevent Commander Donald Troy from obtaining specious warrants based upon insufficient probable case, with the purpose of harassing citizens?"

"First of all," Jenna said, "I agree with the earlier comments that Gil Krasney is a coward for not being here tonight, and I am running specifically to defeat Gil Krasney; therefore, it is more than appropriate to bring up and criticize his terrible record as D.A. Second, your question is an affront to our Courts and our Judges. They do not issue warrants lightly, and both the Police and ADAs meet the meticulous requirements to obtain warrants when they get them."

"Ms. Walters," said Dr. Adam S. Keller, "the same question: what will yo do to stop Commander Troy's abusive practices of obtaining warrants without probable---"

"Just a minute!" thundered Paulina. "Is Commander Troy running for D.A. here? No, he's not. Yet every question you've asked as been about him, and the vast majority of them have included outright slanderous lies! Why don't you ask about Gil Krasney's record? And why don't you ask us about our positions without mentioning Commander Troy?" The audience broke out into another round of applause.

"Hear hear." said Jenna Stiles. Miriam Walters was nodding vigorously in agreement. However, Amber Harris looked chastened and angry. Dr. Romanov also was scowling. Keller maintained his calm appearance, but then showed how brutally vicious he could get:

"Okay, Ms. Patterson, if that's the way you want it." Keller said. "Ms. Patterson... this County has a long record of Police abuse of People of Color. A certain helicopter incident is just one example, but there are years of examples of blacks being targeted, arrested, and imprisoned at a rate far higher than other ethnicities, and their prison sentences are also longer. As a black woman, what are you going to do for Social Justice for People of Color? Or will you continue to be a tool of the White Man, and help them persecute People of Color in our corrupt judicial system?"