Pale Morning Light Ch. 02

"That's pretty good." said Director Lewis. "I'm convinced. Inspector Maxwell?"

"Yes sir, I think this is pretty strong material to show these two officers weren't involved." said Britt Maxwell. "At the very least, even if they did do it, this would be more than 'reasonable doubt' in any trial."

"Okay, Commander." said Director Lewis. "My report, which will be verified by Inspector General Maxwell and delivered to the State Attorney General and the Governor, will state to the Press that your guys were not involved." He got up. "I guess I'll be seeing you in Midtown, Commander."

"Yes." I said. "Thank you for investigating this for us, Director." I said. I hated having to work with Lewis and he didn't like exonerating my Police Force, but it was a political trade-off... he gets the kudos for getting to come into our County and investigate, and I got my people cleared. It was the kind of trade-off I thought Chief Griswold would be reasonably happy with me about.

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

At 2:00pm Molly and I went to Todd's house, where he and Jeanine were keeping my and Molly's son Ross.

"Todd has done all the feeding and diaper-changing himself." Jeanine said with mock exasperation. "Won't let me hold him. He adores Ross as much as his other cousins."

"That's good." said Molly. "Thanks for keeping him."

"How did the investigation go?" asked Todd, still holding Ross.

"Good." I said. "The SBI has already announced to the Press that the TCPD and every officer in it is exonerated in the Woodburn beating."

"That's good." said Jeanine. "So Todd, how did I look as a blonde?"

"Hot and sexy, just like you look now." Todd replied. Smart kid, I thought, then thought of the night before: when Molly wore a blonde wig that looked like Cindy's hair, the sisters looked too much alike behind a car door window for even the FBI's facial recognition system to distinguish between them. Jeanine buried her face in her blonde wig while riding 'shotgun' in the car, making sure her face was not too close to the window.

Cindy and Joanne had changed cars in a 'dead zone' in the County, and Cindy and Joanne had proceeded to the north side of town in an old Toyota Camry. They defeated the security systems with the knowledge given them by a former security systems specialist (that being me, Your Iron Crowbar), then one of them stood guard while the other exacted violent, physical revenge for the death of K-9 Sergeant Laika.

I made sure that Tanya and I were in a very public place at the time, the Wellman party, and Teresa Croyle also made sure to be seen with Vice officers at a drug raid on a bar in the Tenderloin District at the same time. They were early and missed the drug deal, but the timing could not have been better for exonerating them from the Woodburn crime...

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

On Wednesday, February 18th, a small contingent of police officers buried Sergeant Laika with full honors, with KXTC and KSTD cameras recording it all. The senior officer present was Detective Joanne Cummings, and I was very pleased to hear later that she led the ceremonials with crisp orders and strong efficiency, showing good leadership potential.

That same morning at the State Asylum, now a more basic men's prison, 'Big John' Skutnik was brought into the interrogation room. He was a large, muscular man with a bald head and a big mustache. After he was handcuffed to the table, a tall man with reddish hair, wearing a trenchcoat and full-brim hat, entered the room. He placed a box full of cartons of cigarettes on the table.

"You know I don't smoke." Big John said, looking up at the man bearing the gifts.

"They're not for you." the man said quietly, so quietly that only 'Big John' could hear him, and just barely at that. "They're for your buddies that are going to help you with what I want you to do."

"And what's in it for me?" Big John asked, his own voice dropping, as the man in the trenchcoat sat down on the other side of the table, remaining wary of the dangerous criminal despite Big John being manacled to the table.

"A conjugal visit with your boyfriend out there." the other man said from under his hat, the silver metal of the Parachutist Badge affixed to the hat glinting in the light. Big John looked past and saw a younger muscular man with several prison guards. Big John's eyes lit up.

"Okay, what do you want us to do?" he asked.

"You love dogs, don't you?"

"Yeah, dogs are cool." said Big John. He loved dogs.

"And if some piece of shit abused and killed dogs, he wouldn't be your friend, now would he?" the man asked.

"You mean like that piece of shit that just got a new trial on some bullshit?" Big John asked, his voice low. "Yeah, it wouldn't be good for him if I knew where he was."

"No, it wouldn't. I'll tell you where he is: he's here, at The Asylum, in Punk City awaiting a new trial. He thinks homosexuals are punk faggots, too." the man in the trenchcoat said. Big John smirked at that, but said he'd take care of everything. Once done, the other man left, continuing his drive down to Midtown to resume the political SBI battles...

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

Bryan Thatcher was in the isolation section of the Asylum, kept away from the other inmates as he awaited his new trial. He was in 'Punk City', protected from the rest of the prison population, and given amenities that pre-trial detainees were allowed but convicted criminals were not. He was outside, shooting baskets alone for the half hour allotted to him.

On the other side of the double fence were several criminals, most of them Hispanic, members of one of the most insidious gangs in the Nation. As a shot from Thatcher clanged off the side of the goal and bounced towards the chained gate in the fences, he trotted over to retrieve it. At that moment, the gangsters burst through the seemingly chained fence doors, which were actually unlocked.

Within seconds, Thatcher was surrounded. Guards were only just realizing something was wrong as one criminal produced a 'shiv' and sliced Thatcher open from his belly to his chest, similar to Thatcher's actions in killing the dog Laika. As Thatcher's insides spilled into his clutching hands, other knives stabbed into his body, in the chest and neck regions as well as one in the groin. Just as the alarms began going off, the criminals hurried back onto the other side of the fence and dispersed into a larger crowd that was gathering to see what was going on.

It was way too late by the time the guards arrived on the scene. Leaving the world no poorer, Bryan Thatcher was dead. Just as in the case of Katherine Woodburn's beatdown, no one would ever be formally charged for this administering of vigilante Justice...

Part 11 - Politics

"Okay, we meet with them again in an hour." said Governor Val Jared as the group ate breakfast on Thursday, February 19th. "Both sides want at least a framework by Friday afternoon. What do we have so far?"

We were in the Governor's 'public' office, a large room with a (very clean) desk at the end, and a large conference table filling the room in front of the desk. Inside the room were several State Senators and State Representatives, the Governor's Chief Of Staff, the State Attorney General (who was ostensibly over the SBI), SBI Deputy Director Tom Conlan, and myself, Your Iron Crowbar.

Everyone in the room was on the same side of the SBI political battle. In an hour, SBI Director Jack Lewis, the head of the Police Chief's Association, State Senators Katherine Woodburn and Dick Langdon and other legislators would come in. They were all opposed to us.

"As Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee," said Rep. Wilson Hammonds, "I can tell you that our budget constraints could become difficult. Money is allocated for the two branches of State law enforcement: the SBI, which controls criminal investigations; and the State Highway Patrol, which oversees transportation issues that cross county lines. The other side is threatening to block funding for the State Highway Patrol if they don't get their way, which could severely impact our revenue generation from commercial transportation licenses and confiscation of illegal shipments of various products."

"We can't give in to them, though." said Sen. Sean Stockton, the minority leader on the Senate Justice Committee, which had oversight of the SBI. "The SBI was originally created to give support to local law enforcement jurisdictions, not to override them and especially not to come in and bully the local LEOs."

"True." said the State A.G. "But not every county in this State has an Iron Crowbar. And that is where the SBI began encroaching: on these smaller counties that don't have the means to properly investigate sophisticated crimes. Also, as drug distribution became more rampant, the Narcotics Task Force began throwing their weight around more and more, to the point where they intimidate local law enforcement if they don't bow to the NTF's wishes immediately. In fact, with the exception of the City, Commander Troy is the only local police leader to really stand up to the NTF."

"Firing a machine gun over their heads tends to do that." said State Representative Williams from my district. He was a 'country boy' type, and often shot out a remark without thinking. This particular comment got him some looks from the others; it was not the best thing to bring up at the moment. For myself, I let it pass; the memory of doing that warmed my heart.

"Things are changing, though." said Deputy Director Tom Conlan. "More and more locals are standing up to the authoritarian control of Jack Lewis and the Narcotics Task Force. And that's one reason we're here now: to further curtail those abuses and put things in a proper place that allow for cooperation between State and local agencies." Everyone understood the shot Conlan had just taken at Lewis; they'd become more outspoken in their criticism of each other in recent weeks and months.

"I for one want to diminish the power of the Narcotics Task Force." said Rep. Johnny Perdue, the Representative who was the Libertarian standard-bearer in the State. "If we'd stop this wasteful so-called 'War on Drugs' and legalize drugs as they should be, we wouldn't have this problem now, and we wouldn't even need a Narcotics Task Force." The room became uncomfortable; no one else shared Rep. Perdue's relatively radical position, and everyone wished we didn't need Rep. Perdue's help on this... the other side loved to use his pro-drug statements to hurt all of the rest of us.

"Well, that's not going to happen." said the Governor, his voice meant to convey a heavy hammer. "We've got to deal with the reality of the current situation, and work out a deal we can actually make happen. So... let's hear your final ideas before the other guys come in..."

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

Katherine Woodburn was wheeled to just outside the hallway in front of the conference chamber room in a wheelchair. She did not want to be exposed to the Media, but knew she had to make a public appearance so that the Media wouldn't report that she was intimidated into not showing up. Now that she was on the other side of Press Relations, she found herself becoming more irritated at those whose profession she once shared.

She had sunglasses and heavy makeup on to cover up the bruises, and she mustered up her strength to walk straight into the chamber, even though the 30 foot walk was painful. Once inside, another wheelchair took her inside the office.

"We're delighted that you've recovered and could make it, Senator Woodburn." said Governor Jared to Katherine as everyone took their places. All of my compatriots were now on my side of the table, to the Governor's left; Director Jack Lewis and his allies were on the other side. Once Katherine was out of her wheelchair and into a regular chair, the Media was allowed in to record the first few moments of the conference, which was nothing more than the Governor saying that he appreciated their coming. The rest of us were watching the Governor, pretending the cameras weren't there, even when one of them got within a foot of my left ear. They couldn't find my crowbar, though; it was secreted under the table and out of sight.

The Media was kicked out and the real meeting began, and Katherine Woodburn did not waste time taking her anger out on me.

"Yes, Governor, I made it... despite the efforts of this guy and his thug police. Clearly we need a strong SBI after what this bastard," she said, pointing at me, "and his police force did to me, and to Bryan Thatcher."

"Young lady, watch your language." said a senior Senator on my side of the table, a man with decades of political experience. "I would recommend that you make no accusations without the proof to back them up."

"Katherine," said Jack Lewis reassuringly, "I've already exonerated the Commander and his Police Force from involvement in what happened to you. And what happened to Thatcher was 'prison justice', and no evidence exists to prove any involvement by the TCPD." Lewis still didn't know what interfered with the cameras and microphones that would've shown my presence there with 'Big John' Skutnik, and no prison guard could recollect any features of the visitor that morning. He didn't care either; Jack Lewis loved dogs, and Bryan Thatcher was a despicable piece of shit that got what he so richly deserved.

"Yeah, right." said Katherine, staring daggers at me. I did not give her the courtesy of a response; I was staring my own daggers at Senator Richard Langdon. He felt my stare, and acted like an uncomfortable dog when stared at by his master.

"Okay, folks, let's get on with this." said the Governor. "Now we've made some progress. We've got the basic framework for a bill. The Narcotics Task Force is preserved, and the rights of local Sheriffs and Police are respected. We'll be able to investigate crimes at the State level, while letting local law enforcement do their jobs as their communities expect..."

No one was believing a bit of this double-speak, I thought as I listened. And as I watched the proceedings, I decided to give my powers of observation a workout. I was surprised at what I saw: the ones on both sides that were truly passionate about their positions seemed ill-at-ease and frustrated; but the experienced, long-time politicians on both sides were comfortable with the double-speak, the contradictory statements that came out of their mouths, seemingly not at all concerned about the actual positions. The outcome did not seem to matter to them: they seemed to play the political game for its own sake, not to improve anyone's lives or accomplish anything. Politicians, I thought. No wonder they're one of the most disrespected class of people on the face of this earth.

Finally, after two hours of debate with neither side willing to give an inch, and indeed the other side all but openly expecting my side to lay down and capitulate, the Governor looked down the table at me.

"Commander," he said, "we've not heard from you yet. What is your input?"

In response, I brought up a sheaf of papers. "This is the framework bill that your staffs have been working on." I said as I passed out the papers. "I've tweaked a few things here and there, but it's a compromise that none of you will like, but will be the most fair to the most people and also actually allow us to get our jobs done."

As the politicians read the document, I heard various comments such as "No way!", "Oh, my people will never go for this.", "We can't agree to that!". The experienced politicians began haggling about it, again playing the game rather than really being interested in the possible solutions.

Finally, Senator Sean Stockton spoke up. "Yes, there are some things neither side will like," he said, "but this is the best compromise framework that I've seen. If we work together, I think we can make something out of this that will be acceptable."

"Even Director Lewis might find something of value in it." I said.

"I already do." said Lewis as he looked at his copy, "There are some okay ideas in here."

"Wow, Commander Troy is being nice with Director Lewis." said Representative Justin Madoff from the City, a deeply corrupt and virulently left-wing politician. "Guess you know who you'd better kiss up to when the rubber hits the road, eh, Troy?" Katherine beamed at the blatant show of disrespect by the snotty politician; I just rolled my eyes as if at a child saying something very stupid out of total ignorance.

"I agree with Director Lewis." said Senator 'Coffin' Cerone. "It's a step forward."

"With respect, Senator Cerone... no, it's not." said Katherine Woodburn in a loud and clear voice, which she heightened as she continued: "All I'm going to say is that I am not accepting anything from the other side. At all. It's our position, or no position. We have the whip hand, gentlemen; they have nothing at all. The SBI should be the controlling law enforcement agency in this State; every county agency should be subordinate and subservient to the State and the SBI. If that is not the case, then there is no point in having an SBI at all, which none of you want."

"I do." said Johnny Perdue, the Libertarian. "And I see no reason why law enforcement should not be left to the lowest possible levels first, and only brought to the State level when cross-county enforcement is absolutely needed."

"Good luck getting a dime of State money for that." said Woodburn. To the shock of several, nearly everyone on her side agreed. They were digging in.

"I totally agree, Senator Woodburn." said Sen. Langdon in his shrill voice. "Either accept our position, or we pull all money for the State Highway Patrol as well as the SBI. If you want to leave law enforcement in the hands of local Sheriffs and Police Commanders, then by all means we can arrange that." Langdon was looking at me as he said that, and used 'Commanders' instead of 'Chiefs' as he should have. I stared back at him.

"Let's go, people." said Langdon. He and Katherine Woodburn quickly got up, forcing the others on their side to follow. They all walked out of the room. After a few minutes of discussion of their helplessness, the others also left the room, with only myself and Governor Jared remaining.

"Well Don," said the Governor, "it was a good try. A really good try; I like what you've put together here. We've just got to get both sides to accept it and work from it. I think they will, too... they just need to do their horse-trading first."

"With respect, Governor," I replied, "no they won't. Woodburn and Langdon are dug in now. They really do mean to have their way and leave the other side with nothing. The way it's going at the national level in Congress, I'm surprised these guys at the State level haven't capitulated already." The Governor frowned at that; it was way too direct and honest for a politician to hear.

"I hope you're wrong, Commander." he said. "It's our job to find a way, and we will." He got up, and therefore I did as a matter of polite respect. "Let's go get something to eat, shall we? I want to discuss your points in this bill more thoroughly."

Part 12 - Troy Family Values

"That was a disaster." said Senator Richard Langdon. "An absolute disaster." He passed out drinks to the others in his office: Senator Jimmy 'Coffin' Cerone, SBI Director Jack Lewis, and Representative Justin Madoff, who was from the City and one of the most deeply corrupt politicians in the State House. Katherine Woodburn had not been invited to the conclave.

"Why is that, Richard?" asked 'Coffin' Cerone.

"We should not have needed Katherine Woodburn to state the obvious." said Langdon. "We shouldn't even be talking to those pussies on the other side. They've never stood up to us before; why are they suddenly growing spines now?"