Price No Object Ch. 05

Mitt Willis had to go to the Booking Station to reclaim his wallet, belt, and wristwatch. He and his lawyer were buzzed through the door, and they went into the lobby. Waiting for them was a seven-year-old Auxiliary Detective blocking the doors leading outside. Carole's little arms were crossed in front of her as she looked up at Matthew Willis through her eyebrows.

"What is this?" Willis said amusedly.

"You did do it!" Carole said accusingly. "You had that man's wife killed!

Matthew Willis peered at Carole, then said "Good luck proving that, kid."

"You're a bad man." Carole said, her little arms still crossed as she fearlessly faced the Swamp Frog. "A really bad, evil man."

"Why you..." snarled the lawyer. He took a step towards Carole, but Willis stopped him as they both noticed Julia going for her gun. And behind them, Teresa Croyle was also going for her gun.

Matthew leaned forward, his hands on his thighs supporting him, and said "Tell me something, kid. You ever dance with the Devil in the pale moonlight?" That line was straight outta the Keaton/Nicholson 'Batman' movie.

"You won't get away with it." Carole promised. "I'll take you down myself, but you're going down."

"Hmmph." Matthew Willis said with an amused grin on his face. "See you around, kid." He and the lawyer stepped past Carole, who didn't move. Only when they were outside did tension subside in the room.

I had come up and was now in the lobby. Carole came over to me and put her forehead on my leg.

"I'm sorry, Daddy." she said forlornly. "I tried to make him talk, but he didn't."

"That's okay, Fussbudget." I said as I patted her back. "You did good. You did the best you could. But sometimes, our very best isn't enough."

"But he's gonna get away with it, Daddy." Carole said, her voice near breaking.

"Noooo." I said. "No, he won't. Justice will come for him. It just won't be today."

Carole nodded. Her blue-gray eyes were now on the doors to the outside, and I could see that those eyes were dead to all but Justice. It was an awesome yet terrible sight to behold...

Part 17 - Cleanup on Aisle 5

2:00pm, Friday, January 8th. The Chief and I were in the Main Conference Room with D.A. Miriam Walters and ADA Savannah Fineman.

"We're arraigning Richard Davalos... again." Savanah said snottily. "And we're doing it today, not Monday. I've already put it in the system. And just like last time, I'm going to drop the charges against him."

"Are you frickin' kidding me?" I exploded. "You can't do that!"

"Yes I can. And I'm going to." Savannah said. "Just to show you that you're wrong, and to shove your own red crowbar up your ass."

"Domestic battery, felony domestic battery, is the charge I'm hitting the bastard with." I said. "You really would drop that?"

Savannah said "Misdemeanor charge. He's from out of State, outstanding in his community. His wife doesn't want to press charges, either."

"Look at these photos." I put out the photos of Mrs. Davalos that had been taken at the Hospital earlier that morning.

"So what?" Savannah started. "She wants to drop the------

"LOOK AT THEM!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "HE BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF HER!"

"Easy, Commander." Miriam Walters said. "Look, it's bad, but------"

"Let me make this clear to you, Fineman!" I said. "If you let that bastard walk, your face is going to look like that when I'm done with you!"

"Is that a threat?" Savannah whined.

"No, it's a fucking prediction!" I said. Seeing Savannah look at Miriam and the Chief, I said "And yeah, I just said that in front of your boss and mine. And I'll beat your face in in front of them, too!"

"You can't just threaten me like that------" Savannah started.

Seeing the look in my gray eyes, Miriam said "Savannah, stop. Just shut up. I'm putting Paulina on the case."

"Miriam!" Savannah said. "You can't let this bastard win by threatening me!"

"Read the room, Savannah." Miriam said. "Look at those pictures. You get Davalos off, and Troy will give those photos to the Press, and he'll tell the world you let a wife-beater go free. I can't let you do that to your own career. Now go back to City Hall."

"Yezzz." said Chief Moynahan. "Please do leeeeeve." Savannah looked uncomprehendingly at Miriam, angrily at the Chief, then left without looking at me.

"I don't know what we're going to do, Chief." Miriam said, speaking as if I weren't there. "Your Detectives are going to have to work with ADA Fineman, and I just can't have Commander Troy throwing tantrums and threatening her whenever he doesn't get his way."

"For o-pen-erzzz," Chief Moynahan drawled, "your ADA can stop acting like Gil Krazzz-ney and actually prosecute these felon-eeeees. Commander Troy's wayyyy... is the way of Justice. Ms. Fineman should try bringing some of that Justice to the criminals, instead of letting them goooo..."

"And I won't threaten her again." I said. "I'll just take the action step without warning next time. But the bottom line, Miriam, is that Savannah is on notice. If she thinks she's going to shove my own crowbar up my ass, figuratively or literally, she's going to find the price she pays will be more than ugly."

"You good with that, Chief?" Miriam said, trying to force the Chief to choose sides. And he did.

"He's only keeping me from doing something to her first." the Chief said. "Miriam, you really need to take a look around at what your ADA is really do-innnng."

Walters just shook her head and left the room...

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

"Oh nooooo." Nathan Masterson groaned as he and his client Richard Davalos came to the Defense table in Judge Rodney K. Watts's courtroom.

"What?" Davalos said.

"It's not Savannah Fineman." Masterson said bleakly. "It's Paulina Patterson."

"So what?" Davalos said. "If she knows what's good for her------"

He was interrupted by Judge Watts coming into the Courtroom, and the Bailiff calling out the case.

"The charges are assault and battery, and felony domestic battery." said the Judge. "How do you plead?"

"Not guilty." said Davalos.

"Prosecutor, bail recommendation?" said Judge Watts.

"Your Honor," Paulina said, "the Defendant is an extreme flight risk. He is not from this area nor even this State, but from Acropolis City. He has considerable wealth, making flight well out of the State and even out of the country financially feasible. We ask that there be no bail, and that he be remanded into Town & County custody until his trial."

"Defense?" said the Judge.

"Your Honor," said Nathan Masterson, "my client is an upstanding member of his community with no prior criminal offenses. And Commander Troy has already tried to deny him legal counsel, as well as make threats against him. Furthermore, he is obviously distraught over the loss of his daughter, and we ask he be released on his own recognizance------"

"Stop right there, Masterson." Judge Watts said. "That ain't gonna happen, and you're beginning to insult my intelligence with your antics. Prosecutor, how high a bail do you think I need to set?"

"Your Honor," said Paulina, "the only way to make sure the Defendant stays here is to force him to by keeping him in custody until the resolution of his case. He literally can afford to skip out on a multi-million dollar bail."

Then her eyes grew crafty and her voice turned catty as she said: "Also, this will ensure that the Defendant is here in this County when his daughter is buried alongside her husband in our cemetery."

Davalos turned and gave Paulina a very ugly look as Judge Watts laughed out loud.

"Yes, Mr. Davalos, that is the ruling I've made on that lawsuit." said Judge Watts. "And I agree that the risk of flight is too severe to allow this Defendant bail in any amount. Bail is denied, and a speedy trial will be scheduled..."

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

Davalos was a 'keepaway' and on suicide watch at County Jail. I went to his isolation cell and was let inside.

"Lawyer." Davalos grunted.

"We're way past that stage." I said. "I heard what Matthew Willis said to you, and I understand the underlying message. You won't talk because it means your son's life will be forfeit. And I get that."

I continued: "But what I want you to understand is what the Swamp Frogs do to people who know too much but become useless to them. Like you, right now. And they still might go after your son. But we can get him into Witness Protection, and your soon-to-be-ex-wife, too."

"You're a fool." Davalos said. "Don't you get it? The threat to my son comes from the very people who run the Witness Protection program!"

That was true, I realized to myself. And I realized that I was going to lose, this time. It would take someone better than me to bring Matthew Willis to Justice.

And someone who would be better than me now had Matthew Willis inexorably in her sights...

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

As I was about to take Carole home and help prepare for the gathering we were having at The Cabin later in the evening, the Chief came to my office.

"Welll, Mis-ter Crowbarrr," he said, "it would seeeem that young Miss Crowbar here has found a weak-nesss in our Headquarterrrrs." He was referring to how Carole got to the lobby via the anteroom and Interrogation Rooms with no resistance.

"Yes sir." I said. "I've already talked to Tanya about it, and we're going to have the door from the anteroom into Headquarters be protected the same way the Vice and MCD doors are."

Carole's face had fallen, and she asked "Am I in trouble, Chief Cav?" How she knew his nickname, I was not sure; she had not heard me use it in front of her. But the Chief liked it.

"Heh heh heh heh." he chuckled. "Not at all, Carole, not at all. In fact, today you helped the Town & County Police Force become even bet-terrrrr. And you also did a really good job helping us with those bad men today."

"But we didn't get 'em, Chief." Carole said miserably.

"Nooooo, but we will. We never give up." said the Chief. "And as your dad will tell you, some days you get the bear, and some days the bear gets you. We did our best, but this time they did a little bit better. Soooo, don't feel bad. Learn from it, and we'll drive on."

"With the Airborne mission!" Carole said, much more enthusiastically. And yes, she had heard that one from me. The Chief laughed merrily and fist-bumped the Junior Crowbar...

Part 18 - Issues and Answers (The Solution)

7:30pm, Friday, January 8th. The MCD Detectives and Intel personnel and their leadership had been invited to a dinner at The Cabin. The Vice Detectives had been invited, too, but they were doing stakeouts of potential drug operations.

The occasion was not very festive. Our case had not gone well, and a lot of tensions between a lot of people had been exposed in the last week. And Carole was bummed out about Matthew Willis getting away with sponsoring murder.

Some of the tensions that had shown up were between Detective Roark Coleman and his fellow Detectives. He had good Detective skills, but his 'people skills' were wanting, to say the least. I saw him looking at the wall where my children's portraits were, and I went up to him.

"Sir, who is that on the end?" Roark asked, pointing at Greta's baby photo.

"That's Greta." I said. "She lives with her mother in New York City, and I don't get to see her."

"Sorry to hear that, sir." Roark said. "How old is she?"

"Three and a half." I said. "But her mother took her to NYC years ago, so I'm completely missing her growing up."

"At least she was a baby." Roark said absentmindedly.

"What do you mean?" I asked, trying not to feel offended.

Roark said "My parents got divorced when I was nine. My mother wanted to move back to where she grew up, three States over from where we lived at the time, and take me with her. So my dad had to fight for custody. It grew more and more acrimonious, and I remember every bit of it."

Roark: "My dad got royally screwed over, and by his own attorneys. They took his money, but didn't do a damn thing in Court to fight, and when he complained, they just told him that if he wasn't satisfied he should seek new representation. He went through four attorneys before he found one that would even try to put up any resistance."

I nodded. "I've heard stories like this before." Then knowing that it was important, I said "Tell me yours."

Roark nodded. "I've heard you say that Divorce Court is the most one-sided, rigged game in the American Court System, and I can bear witness, sir. My dad went heavily in debt fighting for custody, and he still lost. Completely. Hell, the Judge could've just awarded my mother custody months earlier and ended the charade. But he and the lawyers strung it out, month after month, hearing after hearing, financially sucking my father dry, only to get the same pre-rigged result, at least in my opinion."

Roark: "My mother was allowed to take me out of State, and my father was given two weekends a year visitation, and he had to go where she and I were. And she'd conveniently take me on (air quotes) 'vacation' somewhere right at those times, and the Court did nothing about it when my Dad filed suit."

Roark: "So I didn't see my dad again until I was 18 and went to college. And all those years, my mother was telling me that my dad didn't want to have anything to do with me, that he hated me. I found out the truth when my dad came to visit me at School. I didn't even recognize him, and when he first told me he was my dad, I said I didn't want to talk to him."

Roark: "Fortunately, I did listen to him, and he told me the truth. Fighting for custody of me had broken him financially, and emotionally as well. He'd been homeless for stretches of time, turned to drugs, got clean when he was thrown in jail and barely survived the 'Night of Hell' withdrawal. And then he got a job in a car factory in LaGrange, Georgia and settled down, seemed to be happy at last."

"You still see him? Talk to him?" I asked.

"Oh, he passed away, sir." Roark said.

I winced at my faux pas. "Sorry about that." I said.

"It's okay, sir." Roark said. "His health never recovered from those bad years. I think that's why he sought me out, to see me and what I'd become before he passed on. He was at my Police Academy graduation, said he was proud of me. Six months later, I got the call from the local Police Department there. Emphysema and sleep apnea, I was told."

"I'm sorry." I said. "I'd just joined the TCPD when my father passed..."

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

Some few moments later, we all went through the line to get portions of the catered barbeque (noun) dinner, while the kids consumed the hamburgers and hotdogs we'd also prepared.

After dinner, a heavily pregnant Cindy Ross tapped spoon to glass and we all brought our chairs into the greatroom and sat in a big circle to hear my long-awaited explanation of the case.

"I'll tell it chronologically." I said. "On Monday, we responded to a 9-1-1 call of shots fired at the Matheson home. We discovered the bodies of the Mathesons, and the CSIs and Detectives did a good job of finding clues that had me convinced that something was out of the ordinary. And then Detective Troy found the biggest piece of evidence."

Everyone clapped for Carole, who was sitting between me and the Sheriff. She fist-bumped me and the Sheriff, then I continued:

"It was obvious from the relative body temperatures that Dwayne and Julia had died hours apart, and I realized this was a murder-suicide, but not in the traditional sense. I also realized that Dwayne committing suicide was in itself a clue, as if he knew the reason for Julie's death, and reacted to it by taking his own life."

Me: "Mrs. Jones gave us some helpful information, but Theo was correct to be skeptical of it. The people in the van she saw were disguised, and I did wonder if there were more people involved. So far, we have no proof of that. But one thing that was borne out was that Mrs. Matheson died hours before her husband did."

Me: "And then we found out that 'Morrison Plumbing & Electric' is a Government front. So we have BigCommo, we have MP&E, and I'm seeing something dark and ugly taking shape. And when Carole found that scrap of paper with the job offer on it, I knew we had the first part of the motive for the crime, especially since the biggest 'strangeness' at the home was that every document, every bill, every scrap of paper had been taken from the home... but nothing else, except the contents of Julie's purse."

Me: "At the time I did not know if Dwayne or Julie was the one being recruited with that offer, so I waited for data to come in. And thanks to the excellent work of the Intel Team and the Detectives, that data began flowing in like a mighty river."

Me: "As soon as I heard the name 'BigCommo', I generally knew where to begin. Only a 'Big Boy' company would have the resources to make an offer of that magnitude. And then BigCommo kept popping up."

Me: "Joanne Warner did a very good job relentlessly pursuing Alicia Tate. That turned out to be a key to what we were dealing with. And then Jeff Cawthorne turned himself in, and we learned a lot from him."

Me: "All the stuff about the relationships and goings-on was just a sidebar, though we did have to consider other motives for Julie's murder. But what we got from Jeff Cawthorne was the work environment of BigCommo, that Julie had quit and Dwayne had stayed on for much longer, that he was working brutally long hours and days, that Dwayne had been concerned for Julie's safety on the day she ended up being killed, and more."

Me: "I did have to do something I absolutely hate having to do. I had to ask about the gun ownership of Cawthorne and Sullivan. Fortunately, their statements as well as other data showed that their guns were not likely involved. And when we found out from the autopsy that the bullet that killed Julie was likely.22 WMR, a caliber that we've often seen before and associated with professional killers and Government-related perps, I had that piece of data to add to the pile."

Me: "Then Richard Davalos entered the picture, and that's putting it mildly. But despite his histrionics, I was able to get a few more pieces of data through his contradictions of himself. He wanted his son-in-law out of his daughter's life, yet he wanted his son-in-law to go back to BigCommo in order to work and support his daughter. And Davalos... like BigCommo, like the Morrison truck... had Swamp Frog mud smeared all over him."

Me: "And then we had Donna Childers's cousin at City U., and Alicia Tate's husband with the State DOL. Aronis Software cutting off Jeff Cawthorne. Davalos having a connection with Cawthorne. More Government, more Swamp Frog connections."

Me: "So the Chief was about to give me a crowbar beatdown and force me to tell you what I was suspecting, but the Alicia Tate-Jeff Cawthorne video was brought to our attention. It diverted my thinking long enough to re-check myself, but then I was all the more firmly convinced I was right."

I drank some water, and then said: "None of you except Teresa could possibly know this, but Peter Toole assassinating Mitt Willis is seared into my memory. Every second of that attack is burned into me, the bullets flying within inches of my head as I lunged to tackle Toole as he fired over me, seeing the crimson spots appear on Mitt Willis's chest, and just the pandemonium of the entire scene. Teresa tried to tackle Mitt Willis, and she may have some memories, also." Teresa nodded vigorously in agreement.

Me: "So I remember the subsequent investigation, and the Peter Toole story that came out: he'd been worked to the bone, his wife had left him, then Willis unceremoniously fired him, discarded him like a piece of used toilet paper. And that is why I was able to see what was happening now when I would not expect any of you to see it, at least not nearly as quickly."