Return To Point Hollow Ch. 04

"So this will present opportunities for Uniformed Officers to be assigned to MCD and Vice?" asked Reginald B.F. Lewis craftily.

"It'll give the Uniformed Officers opportunities to get on the Detective track earlier." said Tanya. "And it'll give us chances to evaluate them for better opportunities overall."

"And when this is implemented," continued Lewis, "the Detectives can be dispersed to the Precincts?"

"They already are." said Tanya craftily.

"What?!" Lewis almost shouted as others gasped.

"Oh, their desks are still at Headquarters." Tanya said. "But with Intel Officers looking up data for them, the Detectives will be out in the field, all over the County... from Point Hollow to the Observatory to McGill Lake to Junction Station, investigating the crimes that perps are dumb enough to commit in our County." There were some chuckles at that, and even Reginald Lewis took it in stride with a grin... but Susan Weston looked hatefully at Tanya.

Malinda Adams spoke up: "Isn't this just a desk job for women to be trapped in, while men get the MCD opportunities?"

"I don't think Detectives Julia Rodriguez and Joanne Warner would agree, ma'am." said Tanya adroitly. "And men will be in the Intel branch. Senior Detective Christopher Purvis is our financial crimes guru, and he'll be part of Intelligence as a leader."

"So a man is in charge, once again." said Malinda Adams.

"I would not recommend you call Lt. Mary Milton a man in her presence, Ms. Adams." Tanya adroitly replied. "Nor me, for that matter." Reginald B.F. Lewis began laughing at that.

"You're as tricky as the Iron Crowbar, young lady." said Lewis. "I think I misjudged you in the past. I apologize for that."

"Accepted." said Tanya. "And it's always a compliment to be compared to the Iron Crowbar so favorably." she said with a look in my direction. There were more chuckles, though Kelly Carnes now had the look of deep hatred on her features...

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

"It's a done deal." said the Sheriff as we walked back to Police Headquarters. "Tanya did a magnificent job in there."

"Yes sir." said Cindy. "The vibe was very positive... except for Susan Weston."

I said "Susan Weston wouldn't take any positive action towards Tanya even if Tanya did something to earn the Medal of Valor." Everyone nodded in agreement, though none of us realized just how prescient my prediction would be...

Part 21 - Epilogue

On Tuesday, October 8th, the Council voted 8-2 to pass the new Police Intelligence Branch. The dissenting votes were Kelly Carnes and Susan Weston.

Later that day, Appellate Judge Leahy heard the arguments by the NEA's lawyers and the Police Captain's Union Rep and Mike G. Todd. In less than two hours he sent the case back down to Superior Court Judge Patrick R. Folsom, with an order to proceed within a week's time. Leahy was deeply Leftist, very activist, and a friend of the powerful Teacher's Union.

On Wednesday, the World Outreach Church was raided by a joint operation of the City Police and the SBI. Narcotics and guns were found, as well as more evidence of money laundering. A Federal Appeals Court judge overturned the warrant to remand Arthur Young into the FBI's custody, and his testimony was devastating. The SBI and City Police got the praise; the FBI was left out in the cold.

The others that the FBI took into their custody were never heard from again. While the FBI put out word that they'd been put in Witness Protection, Melina did some checking months later, and could find no evidence of that. She would tell me that she believed the survivors of the Guru Stevens attack were murdered so that they could not suddenly remember who murdered Guru Stevens and those with him, and I agreed with her on that.

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

The remains of Nellie Blye Westbrook were turned over to the Town & County's custody. I contacted University President Sidney P. Wellman to make funeral arrangements. There is a small cemetery on Campus, behind the University Chapel, next to the trail that leads towards the Mountain Nest from the old parts of the Campus. In the 1800s, students who died at School were buried there rather than be sent home. There had not been a burial there since the Railroad was laid through Town in the 1840s... until now.

A surprisingly large number of University students attended a funeral mass held in the University Chapel by Father Romano. Then the Army ROTC Rangers acted as pallbearers and escorted Nellie's coffin to the University Cemetery, where she was buried and a tombstone with her name placed there. Nellie Blye Westbrook was, at long last, resting in peace.

Point Hollow remained a haunted place, and the weather station on the bluff above recorded electrical discharges in the Hollow several times every year. But reports of a woman's screams became fewer and fewer; indeed; it was as if they'd stopped altogether...

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

On Saturday, October 12th, Laura and I took Carole, Tasha, and Marie to Daniel and Melina Allgood's home on the mountainside. I brought in a box with a hole on top and put it on the floor as Daniel got his iPhone out to film the event.

"This is an early birthday present for you, Patricia." I said to my niece-by-marriage, who would be four years old in December. "Go ahead, open it."

Patricia took off the lid and squealed in surprise. A beautiful all-white puppy was looking up at her, and as soon as she and Patricia laid eyes on each other, it was love at first sight. Carole helped turn over the box, and the puppy clambered out and padded over to Patricia and began licking and sniffing her. Patricia began laughing, and soon peals of laughter could be heard as she tumbled over, with the puppy sniffing at her and continuing to play.

"She's one of Bowser's daughters." Carole told Patricia. Indeed, she'd been the first born puppy of Bowser and Sadie Mae's newest litter. Sadie Mae was owned by Dr. Childers, who lived next door to the Mountain Nest.

"And she's had her shots." I said. "But she hasn't been spayed. That'll be for you to decide."

"What are you going to name her, Patricia?" Melina asked her daughter.

"Dorothy." said Patricia happily as she petted Dorothy. When asked why, she said "I don't know. She just looks like a 'Dorothy' to me." And Dorothy, Daughter of Bowser, she became. She would be part of the Allgood family for the next fifteen years...

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

As everyone else played with Dorothy until the pup got tired and took a nap, Melina and I talked on the back deck, which had a very nice view of the Town below us and to our southwest.

"What did you do to get Robin Isley to back down?" I asked. AD Owen Lange had told us what he'd told Jack Muscone: that the threatened OPR on Muscone had been dropped. Rumor was that Dr. Robin Isley was going to transfer to be the EAD of the FBI's Science and Technology Branch, but that was not yet a done deal.

I continued: "I thought for sure she was going to rip through Muscone's Region like a tornado... or a demon released at Point Hollow."

"Hmmpf!" Melina snorted. "She can't touch me, and she knows it. But I was a bit worried about what she was going to do to Jack, and to Owen Lange. Jack loves Tanya Perlman, and he practically worships you; and Owen Lange has really come to respect you and your abilities. They need you... and you need them too, Don."

"So how did you save them?" I asked.

"Lange was probably safe, anyway," said Melina, "but just to make sure, I had a few of the 'right people' have a one-way conversation with her. And it did not hurt that Charles Westbrook died. It was really embarrassing for several BAU units that failed to track him down for years, only to have a local Police Force stop him completely and bring him into custody... dead, but still very much in custody. And they didn't even get a chance to talk to him. And let me add my own congratulations to you for saving that girl and stopping Westbrook. No telling how much damage he could've done."

"It would have been ver-ree bad." said a voice behind us. We peered over our shoulders to see Carole standing there.

"Carole," I said, "are you being impolite and listening to conversations that do not concern you?"

"No, Daddy." said Carole. "It concerns me since I saw that pain-ting. But the demon went away, and Nellie crossed the Stream into Heaven. And she's very happy."

Melina was giving us a 'WTF?' look. I was just taking it in stride. "Okay, Fussbudget." I said. "But don't be impolite like that again. You are not a spy."

"No, Daddy." Carole said. "Jim is going to be the spy, like Mommy. I'm going to be the Iron Crow-bar, like you are." Needless to say, Melina was giving us more looks.

"What are your cousins Dan and Patricia going to be when they grow up?" I asked Carole, with a sideways look at Melina, who was listening with rapt fascination.

"Dan is going to be a pollll-i-tish-un like my brother Ian." said Carole. "I don't know what Patricia is going to be. I can't see that..."

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

Amber Harris took her tray from the line and went into the dining hall. Seeing Betty Morelli, she went over and sat down opposite her.

"Haven't seen you in a while." Betty said. "Pregnant women get their own cells."

"I can barely turn around in it." Amber said. "You were pregnant in prison, weren't you?"

Betty's eyes flickered slightly, realizing Amber knew a lot about her. "Yeah. I pretty much was locked up in the prison infirmary. That prison was tougher than this one."

"What happened to your baby?" Amber asked.

"My parents claimed her." Betty said. "I got to hold her for thirty minutes, then they took her."

"You know..." started Amber, who then finished: "you know your parents have died."

"Yes." said Betty.

"Do you know what happened to your baby?" Amber asked.

Betty's eyes became evasive. "I guess DFACS got her, and she's in the system somewhere." Then she got up and took her tray. "And I don't want to talk about it anymore." She walked away, leaving Amber to contemplate this new information she'd elicited from Betty for the first time...

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

FBI Supervisory Agent Martin Nash came up to his office in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The State Capitol of Pennsylvania, built upon the Susquehanna River, seemed almost like a prison compared to the City or even the Town & County.

Upon entering his office, it took a second for him to realize someone was in the room. He almost gasped in surprise. "Dr. Isley?"

"Hello, Martin." said EAD Robin Isley, who was sitting in the chair in front of his desk. "How's Harrisburg?"

"It's okay." said Nash. "Pennsylvania is a nice State. And it's a fresh start for me."

"Have a seat behind your desk." Robin Isley said. Nash did so. Isley said "Listen, how would you like to get back to the City? And as Special Agent In Charge?"

"What, is Jack Muscone leaving?" Nash said, straight-laced as ever.

"Maybe not of his own accord." said EAD Isley. Then she said "It's contingent upon a couple of things. I may stay where I am, or be transferred to Science and Technology. And Muscone has better protection than I realized."

"Oh." said Nash. "Look, I'm fine where I am, Dr. Isley---"

"How would you like to find McGinty's Materials?" asked Robin Isley. "If you do, you get to learn their contents. You'll have tremendous protection."

"Uh, that's why I'm in Pennsylvania now." Nash said. "I played with fire, and got burned."

"Martin, let's quit playing games." said Isley. "Do you believe Donald Troy has McGinty's Materials?"

Nash exhaled, having to commit to a decision. He finally said "Yes. I believe he has them. Where? I have no idea."

Robin Isley nodded. "I'm not asking you to do anything wrong, illegal, or unethical. But I want to transfer you to my team. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, will be to find McGinty's Materials and take possession of them... and in doing so, strip the Iron Crowbar of the power he has in possessing them..."

Finis.