No Way Out Ch. 04

"My terms are simple." I said. "My lawyer will be talking to yours about the financial restitution, and it won't come cheap. But what was most inexcusable was that bastard Halsey pointing a gun at my dog and then at my daughter. What I want, in exchange for keeping this card, is Halsey's head on a silver platter, like the head of the Baptist John..."

Part 17 - Pardon Me

After the meeting with the FBI Agents, and having been texted by my attorney Mike G. Todd that an attorney for the FBI had contacted him, the Sheriff directed me to drive to County Airport. When we got there, I saw that the TCPD's Bell helicopter was ready to go, with Sgt. Andrew Prince at the controls.

"Let's go, Crowbar." growled the Sheriff. "We have a meeting with the Governor. And this is not a request on my part." I now understood why the Sheriff had told me earlier to wear civilian clothes.

"Yes sir." I said, getting into the chopper with him.

We flew along the course of the River to Midtown, and landed on the helipad on the roof of the parking deck of the State Capitol Office Building. We went inside, then along the underground tunnel that connected to the State Capitol itself. We went down the marbled corridors of the seat of State political power, which was very busy with Legislators, aides, lobbyists, and reporters.

I was hoping to remain unnoticed. Yeah, right: I'm 6'4", broad shouldered, redheaded, and I'm the only one in the building toting a red crowbar. Reporters began noticing my presence, and came after us. Fortunately, we got to the door of the Governor's Office suite at the State Capitol, and were ushered inside in the nick of time. Reporters gathered outside the door and began talking amongst themselves.

We were shown into the Governor's Office. "Ah, hello gentlemen." Val Jared said as he rose to greet us. We shook hands with him, and then he said "Let's go in to the private office." We followed him into the smaller room, where he had us sit down.

"Have you briefed the Commander, Grizz?" asked the Governor.

"Not yet." said Griswold.

"What this is about, Commander," said Jared, "is that I am going to pardon you for any crimes you committed or may have committed in transporting Betty Morelli to the City in that timeframe, and you will accept the pardon and be free of this crap forever more."

It did not take Carole's abilities to know what was really going on here. I looked to my left, at Sheriff Griswold. He said "Yeah, I may have made a suggestion or two to the Governor. But he's right; you have to accept the pardon."

"You guys know I'd prefer to fight it all the way." I said. "And Governor, they're hell-bent on impeaching you. You can survive it right now, easily. But if you pardon me, and I accept, they may convict you, and that would be a disaster."

Jared said "My wife and I can retire and ride off into the sunset, and live the rest of our lives in quiet harmony. And Sharon Marshall would become Governor; it would give her a headstart in her campaign for Governor. It would be worse for us if Karl Handel won the nomination than if Corey Coons or another Democrat won in November."

"Sir," I said, "if you are impeached and convicted, the Press will be so full of themselves that they will be even worse, more corrupt, than they already are now. And they'll go after Sharon Marshall even harder than they've gone after you. They will be energized by having gotten rid of you. They will be relentless, utterly relentless."

"We know all that." growled Griswold. "But clearing you is more important. We can't have the uncertainty over our heads. The Enemy is beginning to take advantage of that uncertainty."

"And there's something else." said the Governor. "It's not just about you, Don. It's about Britt Maxwell."

I peered at the Governor, then said "Then have her open an investigation of me. That'll shut 'em up, for a while anyway."

Governor Jared said "I'm sure you've heard the coordinated assault by the Legislators and the Media against her. But they're not trying to force her to investigate you. They intend to impeach her, partly as a dry run before they come after me, but also because she is honest, and she is the one bedrock against the corruption within the SBI and all of State Government."

"I get that." I said. "Have her open an investigation of me, and their whole schemes are stillborn."

Governor Jared shook his head, and said "Yes, but what you may not realize is that by the time you hear something in the Media, the train has already left the station. They've already put the bills in place, and greased the wheels. They're going to move to impeach her today! Even if she opens a case now, they're going to say it's too late, and they're going to run her out on a rail."

"He's right, you know." said Sheriff Griswold.

"And that is Iron Crowbar thinking." I said. "And with all due respect Governor, I can see who figured this one out. Here, Sheriff, hold this while I sign these papers."

I handed Griswold the red crowbar. His mustaches twitched merrily as he tapped it in his hand. As he examined it, the Governor and I signed the already-prepared instruments of surrender--- er, pardon...

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

Teresa Croyle burst into Cindy Ross's office and said "Turn on the TV!" Cindy did so, and they watched.

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Channel Two News, with a fast-breaking story! Let's go to our colleague Tim Sioban of KSB News at the State Capitol! Tim!"

"Thank you, Bettina." said Tim Sioban at the State Capitol. "We have been given the five minute warning that Governor Val Jared will be making a statement to the Press. And we have just learned that Governor Jared has pardoned Commander Donald Troy for any crimes he committed or may have committed in the Betty Morelli custody case, and Commander Troy has accepted the pardon! Oh... here comes the Governor now."

Jared stepped up to the bank of microphones on the podium and began speaking: "Ladies and gentlemen, today I have exercised my prerogative as Governor to fully pardon Commander Donald Troy for any crimes he committed or may have committed while transporting Betty Morelli to a Grand Jury appearance on the dates of that event nearly three years ago. I did this in the interests of stopping the witch hunt against him and others, and Commander Troy has accepted the pardon."

"Why did you pardon that son of a bitch?" yelled Lester Holder. Other reporters murmured in agreement.

"Mind your language, Holder." snarled Jared. "I pardoned Commander Troy because he is an outstanding Police Officer who has more decorations for heroism than all of you put together have Pulitzers. Additionally, in order to try to prove these allegations, Agents at the Federal and State levels forged a document to get illegal warrants, and they destroyed his home and tried to shoot his six-year-old daughter dead. They have also harassed, browbeaten, and attempted to intimidate his colleagues and family. This pardon ends the witch hunts."

He might not have mentioned exactly which witch hunts he was thinking of, but those witch hunts were very effectively ended, to wit: Priya Ajmani saw State Rep. Tasheeka Harris in the hallway and came up to her. "Representative Harris, does this end the impeachment proceedings against SBI Inspector Maxwell?"

If Priya had been white, Tasheeka Harris would've walked a way with a sneer of utter contempt on her face. But since Priya was Indian, Harris stopped and said "Yes, there's no point in continuing that, don't you think?" Priya shrugged, and Harris said "But I can guarantee you this: Governor Jared's impeachment is right on schedule, and he just gave us the ammunition to finish him off..."

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

As they watched, Teresa looked over at Cindy, and saw tears rolling down her ruggedly pretty face. "You okay?" Teresa asked.

"He did it." Cindy said as she stared into space, her voice barely over a whisper. "He immolated himself by accepting the pardon. He stopped the whole thing cold."

Teresa knew what she meant. She turned to the TV, where Amber Harris (no relation to Tasheeka that anyone knew of) was onscreen, her face ugly in its total fury and hatred.

Amber: "For Donald Troy to accept that pardon is just like taking the Fifth! He might as well have shouted his guilt from Promontory Point! Donald Troy is nothing but a thug, a racist, a misogynist, and his equally corrupt crony Val Jared has covered Troy's corrupt ass with the toilet paper of that pardon!..."

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

We landed at County Airport. Sergeant Andrew Prince made a point to shake my hand and say "Congratulations, sir." I hoped everyone felt the same way.

We drove back to Police Headquarters, Sheriff Griswold still carrying my red crowbar. We did not speak of the pardon; there was no need. I knew Sheriff Griswold had put all that together, and I knew his stated reasons why, as well as his unstated real reasons why.

After parking and going inside, the Sheriff handed me my crowbar and went on ahead while I asked the Duty Desk Officer what had been going on while I was in Midtown. He said that Captain Damien Thompson was swamped with calls, but there had been no other activity nor demonstrations to worry about.

When I went into the hallway, there was a good crowd of Uniformed Officers and plainclothes Detectives in no particular order or formation. They all looked at me... and then began to clap.

At first it was slow, as if I were late to football practice. Then it began slowly building up, in rhythm but faster and then faster until it became a round of applause. I realized that Lieutenant Rudistan was coming up behind me; it was him that had organized and led this.

"Congratulations, Commander." Rudistan said jovially, coming up to me. "You beat them."

"Thank you, Lieutenant." I said quietly, shaking his hand. "Thank you all." I said more loudly. "Now let's go to back to work."

I appreciated the display of support from my Police Force. I didn't know if it was for real or a display, as I knew that they had every right to not feel the respect they might have had for me before. But they had also realized that the Enemy had done all this to try to destroy their respect and support, and they were having none of it.

And we would see in the near future just how much their support had eroded, and if the Enemy had succeeded in their plans...

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

"Well, it's ovahhhhh." drawled the Chief as the Sheriff, Command Group, and my Angels sat in the Chief's Conference Room. "State Attorney Alberts announced he's dropping the investigation, and State A.G. Handel is looking for every camera he can find to denounce and attack Governor Jared for pardoning yoooooo."

"Yes, it's over, as far as the legal cases are concerned." I replied. "But it won't be over in the Press for as long as they can drag it out."

Surprisingly, it was not Cindy Ross who disagreed. She sat silently, a strange kind of quiet that was not normal for her, as Lt. Tanya Perlman said "They'll move on. That's why they're called the 'Drive-By' Media. And they're going to be concentrating on the Governor's impeachment."

Cindy then did speak up, saying "Amber Harris isn't going to let it go. I'm already hearing that she's looking for ways to keep it up. She's going to bring up Betty Morelli's death, ask questions about who killed her. And then Amber wants to tie it in to Betty Morelli's baby."

"Yes, Betty's baby." I said agreeably. "That's Amber's lodestone, if not her outright obsession."

"What's the big deal?" asked Tanya Perlman. "It's probably her husband's, and even if it's not, it proves nothing."

"Captain," said Teresa Croyle, "do not ever bring up nor mention Betty Morelli's baby again."

"What's the big deal----" started Tanya.

"That is an order, Captain!" Teresa said strongly, looking darkly at Tanya.

Tanya looked over at me, and I let my eyes bore into her as I said "You heard the Commander of Operations, Captain. We'll all say no more about it." Tanya looked shocked at me, wondering why the tension, and the ban on speaking of it.

And then it hit her...

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

Some moments later, Teresa Croyle and I went into my office. Before I let her sit down, I said "I have not had a proper chance to thank you for saving Carole, and Bowser. It seems to be becoming a habit, which I hope won't continue." I gave her a warm hug.

"Thank you, sir." said Teresa, hugging me back. "But it was my honor to do that. And sir... if you want to thank me, you can do so by giving me Martin Nash to handle. As a lifetime favor, neh?" A lifetime favor was an ancient Japanese custom, where a samurai would ask his liege lord for a favor, never to be spoken of again, and never to ask for another one.

"He's yours." I said. "And not as a lifetime favor. Just returning the favor..."

Part 17 - Retribution

"Don't get mad, get even."
---John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States.

4:30pm, Friday, January 24th. FBI Special Agent Martin Nash came into Town & County Police Headquarters, and to MCD, where he once worked. (Author's note: 'Point Hollow', Ch. 01 is when he left; see any story before that.)

"Hello, everyone." he said quietly. He was met by malignant stares.

"What are you doing here?" snarled Theo Washington.

"Meeting with the Chief and Commander Troy." said Nash. "Some of it is to apologize to Commander Troy."

"Yeah, you better apologize to him." Detective Julia Rodriguez said, her voice as hatred-filled as her stare at Nash.

Detective Teddy Parker got up from his desk and walked up to Nash. "You are no longer welcome here, Nash. Get out."

"What the heck?" Nash asked, stunned.

"Never mind our fellow Police Officer, the dog. One of your fellow Federal Agents points a gun at a six-year-old child." said Theo Washington, rising out of his chair to support Parker. "He also destroyed children's toys, and you not only let it happen, you helped him."

"The search warrant for The Cabin was his mission." Nash replied. "And he was wrong to point a loaded gun at a child with the safety off, but one of your Officers was pointing a gun at him. He's a Federal Agent, she's not."

"So you're good with him pointing a gun at a child. You didn't try to stop him." said Parker, getting right in Nash's face. "You're despicable! I'd rather have Julie Newton back than you. Get out of here."

"You heard the man." said a voice in the doorway. They whirled to see Lt. Cmdr. Teresa Croyle there. "Get out of here, Nash. There is no meeting with the Chief."

"Yeah, move." said Parker. He pushed Nash with both hands toward the door.

"Hey!" Nash warned. "I'm a Federal Agent!"

*WHAM!*

Nash found himself face down on the floor, and his hands cuffed behind his back. "Did you hear me? I'm a Federal Agent! Do you realize what you are doing?"

He was turned over, and as the business end of a powerful handgun was jammed into his mouth, he saw the face of Deputy Chief Cindy Ross above him, her face a display of the ugliest hatred and anger he'd ever seen on a human countenance.

"Yeah?" Cindy snarled. "And how is that big bad Federal badge going to stop me from blowing your fucking head off, eh?" Nash's anger turned quickly to astonishment... and fear.

Cindy stood up and said loudly "Commander Croyle!"

"Ma'am?" said Teresa, coming up to them.

"Get this piece of dog shit out of my Police Headquarters." Cindy ordered. "And if you ever come back into this building, Nash... I'll kill you myself."

"Let's go." Teresa said, none-too-gently pulling Nash up off the floor and marching him out of MCD and down the hall.

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

If Martin Nash thought it was over, he was sadly mistaken. Teresa guided him to her Police SUV and opened the shotgun-side door. "Get in." she growled.

"Are you keeping me handcuffed?" Nash asked angrily.

"Get your fucking ass in the car," Teresa growled, "before someone comes out here and shoots you just on account of your goddamn bad manners." Nash got into the vehicle. Teresa had put on latex gloves, and she took Nash's firearm, unloaded it, put the bullets in an evidence bag, and returned the empty magazine to the gun. Then she slammed the door and went around and got in the driver's seat.

As they were pulling out on to the road, Nash said "Where are you taking me?"

"You don't learn, do you, Nash?" Teresa said. "Keep your fucking mouth shut...

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

Teresa drove her car into the far-side parking lot of University Hospital and to the very end of the lot. "Move." she said as she opened the door for Nash to get out, then she took his arm and forced him along to the back side of the Hospital's southeast wing. The door at the end was opened by Police Corporal Hicks, an Orange Order 'Blood Order' member.

They walked down the hall to the wall panel that had been slid to the side, revealing the elevator to the secret cavern below. Teresa forced Nash aboard, then got on and pressed the button, taking them down as Hicks stood guard above.

When they got out of the elevator, Teresa took Nash's cuffs off. "You know what the Police Boxing Matches are, Nash." she warned. "And you know I can and will whip your ass if you try any shit. Let's go."

They went down the corridor, Nash looking around in shock and awe, until they got to the emergency O.R. on the right side. "Recognize this place?" Teresa asked.

"Should I?" asked Nash.

"You tell me." said Teresa, as she walked around the O.R. bench to the table at the head end. "This is where I found and rescued Commander Troy the second time he was kidnapped and tortured. They brought him here to find McGinty's Materials, which he did not have. And one of his torturers... was your uncle, the former Deputy Director of the FBI!"

Teresa could see that Nash knew by the look in his eyes. He said "Then you must know who else was torturing him down here----"

"I don't care." Teresa interrupted. "And two things are much more important to you, right now. First, that, that I am more loyal to Donald Troy than anyone else on the face of this earth. And second, that I am not an Agency of the Weak Minded."

Teresa continued: "It is obvious that you participated in that raid, and sold out any integrity you had to the Devil to be on it, in order to find McGinty's Materials. You were, and are, desperate to find them. Your uncle tortured Commander Troy to try to find them, and you willingly went along with the Swamp Frogs and even took their side when your fellow Federal Agent pointed a gun at Commander Troy's daughter with every intent to kill her."

"No, that was Halsey, he was deranged----" tried Nash. It was a poor try.

"Yeah, and what did you do to stop it?" Teresa all but shouted. "You were about to draw your weapon on me when I covered Carole."

"He's a Federal Agent. You're not." said Nash. "I did the right thing, even if you don't agree with it."

"You're not in a place right now to try to claim to be right... which you weren't." said Teresa. "But I digress... you were after McGinty's Materials, and you did not find them, did you?"

"Where are they?" Nash said. "Give them to me, and I'll forget this little incident---"

Teresa reached under the table and pulled out... a deck of cards. "Thou fool." she said. "Let's play a little game. How about... three card monty. And you guess which card leads to McGinty's Materials." She dealt three cards in rapid succession, all face up.

"Joker!... Joker!... JOKER!" she yelled as the cards were revealed.

Nash reeled in shock. The Joker design on the cards was exactly the same as the Joker found in the empty storage space in the City! (Author's note: 'Iscariot', Ch. 05.)