Reunion Fever Ch. 05

"I get it." Leanne said. "But there's not much for me in that so-called deal."

"Oh, did I forget to mention something?" I said. "I will also not look very hard into your role of protecting those two couples that helped Lisa Baker attack Craig Reynolds."

"You're full of crap." Leanne said, though her face showed a more appropriate response of shock and worry.

"Oh, I don't think so." I said. "Someone helped Lisa, gave her the TASER she claimed was stolen from you, passed the note to Lori Lovlin to give to Craig, then went to the second floor and jammed the cameras so she could come out and attack him. Yet Stegall said there was nothing of them on the videotapes at all. And you did everything you could to keep me from talking to your sketch artist."

I nudged my head over at Muscone, who was waiting patiently by his SUV, and said "I'll bet if I asked Special Agent In Charge Muscone there to get your cellphone records, I'd find that you did contact the sketch artist... and you told him to shut down his cellphone and run like hell away before the Sheriff and I went to his house to find him."

Me: "Mr. Muscone is really here because he is going to look into those four individuals as part of a Federal investigation into industrial espionage... by BigAgraFoods and other 'Big Boy' companies against BOW Enterprises and the Reynolds's company. Yep, the same BigAgraFoods that put your husband on a contract/retainer basis, so that they could cut him loose if you didn't play ball by their rules."

Me: "Oh, I know you wouldn't actually do anything to hurt Craig Reynolds, I'm sure you are as shocked as anyone that they helped Lisa attack him. But your role was to keep me, your friendly neighborhood Iron Crowbar, from identifying them and from finding out their associations with the Swamp Frogs. And you did your part, though the Swamp Frogs are wayyyy behind my vision on all of this."

"So." I finished up. "Do we have a deal? You leave those kids, especially Tommy Baker, alone? You watch over my mother for me? And I'll keep you and your husband out of harm's way, as well?"

Leanne looked tortured, but she said "All right. But get this: I've got three years left until I can retire with my pension, and on the day that hits, my husband and I are out of here. And we're not coming anywhere near your Town & County, either. After that? Your mother and Tyrone are on their own."

"Deal, then." I said. Leanne shook my proffered hand with a bare minimum of politeness, and I turned and headed to Muscone's SUV, which fortunately was bulletproof. As he backed the car out of the driveway, I saw Leanne standing there, immobile. And as we drove away, I knew I was leaving behind a longtime friendship destroyed... torn apart by the Swamp Frogs, and by a misplaced, unappeasable hatred and thirst for vengeance...

Part 19 - Cleanup on Aisle 5

10:30am, Sunday, October 3rd. Muscone and I went into AGPD Headquarters, and were bombarded with information in a manner not unlike Captain Jean-Luc Picard walking down the hallway of the U.S.S. Enterprise.

D.A. Tittle said "Lisa Baker signed the confession. All I have to do is get the Judge to sign off on it. I didn't want to do it until we investigated the TASER and other stuff more; there's something fishy about her story with all that. But you said to, so I did."

I said "Yes, you did the right thing. I'll fill you in on the other stuff after I take care of a couple of things first. Right now, can I get you to have Watson bring Steve Greene into the new Interrogation Room? And put Roddy Baker in the old Interrogation Room?"

Jack Muscone was led to the 'technical room', as the AGPD called it, and he began looking at the hotel footage from the night before. He did not ask me to help, which meant he did not need my help to find Lisa's four accomplices... and that told me volumes.

Sheriff Hall invited me in to his office. He poured me a badly needed cup of coffee, and one for himself. We sat down and he said "Stegall is from Springer. He was part of the Springer P.D. before coming to the AGPD. He has family in Springer, so he's accepted as one of them. I'm not sure if you know what that really means."

"Actually, I do." I said, knowing that Springer was 'strange', and very xenophobic. (Author's note: 'Cat's In The Cradle', Ch. 01)

"Figures." said Sheriff Hall. "Not much gets past you. Anyway, Stegall will report for duty with the Springer Police, beginning tomorrow morning. And he'll stay out Tyrone's way... if he knows what's good for him." I nodded.

"As to Captain Wisocky," the Sheriff said, "she's been a good cop here for a long, long time. Yeah, we know she was after Roddy Baker, and I'll just tell you now that Roddy is truly a piece of shit, so I never worried about that, as long as we didn't get sued."

Sheriff Hall: "Anyway, she's going to retire as soon as she hits her retirement pension date, which is in about three years. I'm not going to run for Sheriff again, so I'll return to the Police Chief job. I only ran to keep the Sheriff's job out of the hands of BigAgraFoods's chosen scoundrel. We got Tyrone Biggs into the Deputy slot, and he is extremely popular with everyone in this county, white, black, Hispanic, and Apple Grove blue. He'll run for Sheriff, and he'll win."

"Sounds like a plan." I said. "Oh, here." I extended my hand, which held my Deputy Sheriff badge.

"Please keep that." Sheriff Hall said. "There may be a time I will beg you to come up and help us again... or a time you'll need it if you come up on your own. We've always watched over your mom... though she does not really need watching over... but she might call you in to help her on something. And if she does, you're already deputized."

"Okay, you've twisted my arm." I said, returning my badge to the jacket pocket...

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

"Oh yeah, I've got something." said Jack Muscone as I passed by the door to the 'technical room'. "These guys look familiar?" He showed me three printed photo from the videos, that clearly showed some or all of the two couples that had been with Lisa Baker.

"Yep, that's them." I said. "We'll talk more about them in a minute. I need to clean up some things."

A moment later, D.A. Tittle and I entered the main Interrogation Room, where Steve Greene and his attorney Jeffrey Sekou were waiting for us. Leanne Wisocky had returned to Headquarters, and was watching through the one-way glass.

"Okay, Steve." I said. "Recess is over, and class resumes now. Right now, I can charge you with conspiracy to commit attempted murder, aiding and abetting Lisa Baker in her attempt to commit attempted murder, harboring and hiding wanted fugitives, obstruction of justice in lieu of lying to Police, et cetera, et cetera, ad nauseam."

"Pul-eeze!" moaned Sekou. "My client did nothing with any criminal intent. How was he supposed to know either Baker had APBs on them, or what Lisa Baker did when she drove his car without his knowledge or consent?"

"It's a matter of perspective, Steve." I said, ignoring the legal beagle... and forgive the insult to real beagles. "Like a former President having an election stolen from him... he asks a State Secretary of State to find votes for him. Some say it was innocent and legitimate, but dirty politicians try to charge him with a crime, saying he was asking that guy to break the law."

Me: "And D.A. Tittle will get convictions against you, Steve, if he goes the route of a trial. But today is your lucky day. He's going to drop all charges against you, if you do just one thing: tell the truth."

"About what?" Sekou said.

I ignored him and just looked at Steve, who finally said "About what?"

I said "Tell us what really happened when you took Roddy home from Molinari's. You didn't wait in the truck, did you?"

Steve's leaned back in his chair with an 'Oh shit, he knows!' look on his face, then his chin dropped to his chest. "All right." He and D.A. Tittle signed the paperwork, saying that as long as Steve truthfully testified, there'd be no charges for anything over this Homecoming weekend.

Steve Greene: "You're right. I didn't stay in the car, I went in with Roddy. He confronted Lisa about their oldest girl, Annie, not being his child but being fathered by Craig Reynolds. He accused her of lying to him to force him to marry her. Lisa tried to bullshit her way out of it, but Roddy was worked up, he was really furious."

Steve: "She was keeping the table in front of the sofa between them, but he feinted, like he was good at on the football field, and jumped the table. She threw a lamp at him, which missed, but that gave me time to stop Roddy. My arm caught his as he threw the punch, but he still got her pretty hard in the eye."

Steve: "She fell across the table onto the floor, and she was half out of it. I pulled her up off the floor to her feet, and we stumbled out of there. I was afraid Roddy was going to come after us, but he didn't, and I got Lisa into the truck and out of there. And the rest of it, I've already told you, and it's the truth."

"To be clear," I said, "you witnessed Roddy physically assault Lisa and hit her in the face, yes?"

"Yes." Steve said...

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

As we went to the other Interrogation Room, Leanne Wisocky said "But Lisa recanted, so it's 'he-said-he-said'."

"O ye of little faith." I chided her. "Lisa will un-recant, or recant her recantation, when I'm done. Now let me finish this, and then you can make your arrest."

I went into the other Interrogation Room, where Roddy Baker was seated with his attorney Robert Reichard. I sat down opposite them, and put a piece of paper in front of Roddy.

"If you sign this," I said to Roddy, "you will be giving up your parental and custodial rights. Your daughter Annie is not biologically yours, but she's legally yours and your responsibility, and Tommy and Agnes are fully yours. Lisa has already signed, meaning it's all up to you whether or not your kids get torn apart and put in DFACS hell, or if I take care of them and find good homes for them."

"Why should he do that?" Reichard said, though his effort was relatively feeble.

I replied: "I'm going to give them a chance to make it in life, a chance you didn't really have, Roddy. And maybe that wasn't your fault. But it's where we are now. I think you love your kids, and you want them to have that chance. And you can't give them that chance, because you're about to go to prison for life."

Roddy looked up at me disbelievingly. Reichard looked more surly. "Ohh, nooo." Roddy whispered. "Steve turned, didn't he?"

I said "He chose to save his own ass instead of yours. So, will you let me help your kids?"

Roddy Baker was always known as a 'tough guy', hard nosed and hard headed. But I observed a tear rolling down his cheek as he took up the pen and signed the paper. Whatever else his sins were, and they were many, he loved his children and he did the right thing for them.

"Thank you." I said as I took the document and got up.

As I went for the exit door, Captain Leanne Wisocky came in, followed by Detective Ben Watson. She threw the handcuffs on the table, making a loud clatter, then said "Roddy Baker, you are under arrest for felony domestic battery. You have the right to remain silent..."

Detective Watson cuffed Roddy's hands behind him, then Leanne personally led him to the booking areas. I heard her whispering to him as they went by me in the hallway: "Third strike, Roddy. You are outta here."

"Gloating does not become you, Captain." I said quietly in admonition. She looked back at me with something of a look of gloating...

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

Meanwhile, at Apple Grove Hospital, Phyllis Troy and Dr. Laura Fredricson escorted Annie and Agnes Baker, Todd Burke, and his attorney into the hospital room of Craig Reynolds. Craig was awake.

"Hi kids." he said. "You're Annie, and you're Agnes?" The girls nodded, and Craig said "Annie, I'm told you're really my daughter. Would you like to come live with us?"

Annie worriedly hugged Agnes to her and said "Please don't take my sister away from me! Please let both of us come live with you!"

"Of course!" said Jenny Reynolds sweetly. "We would never take your sister away from you. You're both coming to live with us." Both little girls looked very relieved at that.

Todd Burke said "My attorney here is handling the paperwork. Your emergency application to foster is typed out, as is your legal claim as Annie's biological father." Craig and Jenny signed on the dotted lines. "Congratulations," Todd said, "in a few hours you will officially be a family."

"What about our brother?" Annie asked.

"He's going to be fine." Laura said. "Another family here is taking him in. You won't see him every day, but we'll make sure he gets to visit you and you get to visit him."

When the whole story was first told to them, Jenny Reynolds had said, and Craig had agreed, that while they could and would take both girls, they couldn't take Tommy. He was already in trouble with his grades, and was very aggressive on the playground when playing sports. He was considered 'at-risk', and even Laura thought a home with four sisters might be too much. They all had agreed on Your Iron Crowbar's alternate solution.

Annie and Agnes would be formally adopted by the Reynolds, who would move to our Town & County in a few weeks, after Craig fully healed up. Annie would excel in school as well as sports. Young Agnes, who would be in the same grade as my daughter Tasha, would make decent but not great grades, but she inherited her father's athleticism as well as a no-quit, winning attitude.

She and Tasha would become very good friends, and challenge each other and make each other better basketball players. They would become teammates on the Town High School girls basketball team, where great things would happen. But that is for another story...

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

12:30pm, Sunday, October 3rd. I was sitting on the back porch of the Owens home. Todd Burke and his attorney were with me. The veterinarian Dr Queen was also there. We were all sitting and sipping iced tea as we watched Timmy Owens and Tommy Baker play with those most redoubtable of dogs, Mr. Crowbar and Gypsy Girl, in the backyard.

"After all your uncle, Dr. Eckhart, did for us," Mr. Owens said, "of course we'll take Tommy in to live with us."

"Noooo, don't do it out of any sense of obligation." I said. "Do it because you want to... which I suspect is the case. Amirite?"

"Yes you are." said Mrs. Owens, who'd been one grade ahead of me in school. "Tommy is a really good kid, no matter what those mean people say about him. And if he's in this household, his grades will improve."

"Okay, let's ask him." I said. We called Tommy over, and I had him sit down by me. I said to him "Tommy, your parents did some bad things, and they're going to prison."

"I know." Tommy said, his eyes downcast. "Can you help my sisters, Mister Crowbar? That bad Policewoman wants to split them apart, but Agnes needs to be with Annie."

I was very pleased and impressed that Tommy was putting his sisters's welfare ahead of his own. I said "What about you, Tommy?"

"I don't matter." Tommy said, almost forlornly. "Everyone says I'm no good. Just help my sisters."

"You're okay." Timmy Owens said. "We wouldn't have Gypsy Girl if it weren't for you."

"See, Tommy?" I said in agreement. "You do matter, verrry much. And I don't care what other people say, I think you are good, and you can do great things with your life."

"Like what?" Tommy asked.

"Well," I said, "Mr. and Mrs. Owens here will adopt you, but you have to study hard and make good grades. And you have to play fair in sports, and not get into fights on the playground, Can you do that?"

"Yeah. I'll try." Tommy said.

"Good." I said. "And I've talked to Dr. Queen, here. He's going to give you a job, and pay you money to work with him at his vet clinic. Now you're going to have to do what he says, and some of the jobs won't be easy, like cleaning out the kennels. But he's going to start teaching you about doctoring animals. And when you get old enough and big enough, he'll let you help him work with the big farm animals."

I handed him a card, my Police card with my phone number on it, and said "And if you like it, and you make those good grades, when you're ready to go to college, give me a call. I'll help you get into the University's Vet School, which is one of the best in the Nation. They take care of the mascot, Chief IV, and they take care of my dogs at home, too."

"Wow!" said Tommy, hope in his voice for what I suspected was the first time in a long time. "But... how did you know I wanted to be a vet like Dr. Queen?"

"Because, Tommy," I said, "I am a Detective, and a very good one. And you are going to be a very good veterinarian."

And he would be. With his name changed to Tommy Owens, he was able to overcome the stigma of being the no-good son of a no-good prison convict. But there was one drawback to my best-laid plans: Tommy also would become a great athlete on the football field and the baseball diamond. He would become a running back for Fillmore County High School, and would lead his team to two State titles. He would then attend the University... on a full-ride football scholarship, where he would lead the Bulldogs to entirely too many victories in football and baseball over my Wildcats. But that is for future stories.

And it was more than being a good Detective, I thought to myself. The Power of the Vibe seemed stronger for me here in Apple Grove. Maybe it was being around my mother. Maybe it was something in the water...

As the lawyer worked with the Owens to complete the paperwork for an emergency application to foster as well as start the formal adoption process, I looked down to see Gypsy Girl sitting on her haunches, right in front of me. I let her sniff my fist, then I petted her. I began giving her skritchins under her jaw and upper chest, which she seemed to like very much.

"Wow, Mister Crowbar." Tommy said. "You're the first grownup she's ever allowed to pet her."

But I didn't really hear him. I was twenty-five years away, a teen boy petting my beloved dog Patches the same way...

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

3:00pm, Sunday, October 3rd. In the Judge's Chambers, I handed him the complete paperwork package. Also in the room were Todd Burke, his attorney, my mother Phyllis, my wife Laura, Sheriff Hall, D.A. Tittle, Amanda Baldwin of Fillmore County DFACS, and FBI Special Agent In Charge Jack Muscone.

"I love it when I get everything so well done, and wrapped with a bow." said the Judge. Indeed, Todd paid his lawyers well, and in return got excellent legal work from them in a timely manner.

The Judge began going through the materials. After a few minutes, he said "I completely agree that with Craig Reynolds being the biological father of Annie Baker, he has a rightful claim to take her in. And I agree that Agnes Baker should not be separated from her sister. So yes, the Reynolds's application to foster them pending their adoption is granted."

The Judge said "Now what about Tommy Baker? He's officially an 'at-risk' child. And will the Owens pass the background check?"

I said "Your Honor, Mr. Owens is a pharmacist. As you know, pharmacists are subjected to rigorous background checks before receiving their Pharmacy licenses, and Mr. Owens is a respected member of the community. Furthermore, Your Honor, I believe that by being in the good home the Owens have provided their son Timmy, and will provide Tommy, the problems people are saying Tommy has will be severely mitigated, if they don't go away completely."