S&P: Your Papa's a Pig

"There's only so much you can do, Marie. Talk to me or to someone official, cover yourself and let me and Officer Adams and the Gibsons deal with the rest."

Marie sighed. "Okay. I'll tell you and you can tell whoever you like. But get me the hell out of here before you start arresting people. And make DAMN sure someone keeps an eye on Patrick at all times."

"Marie... I've never told anyone this, but I'm a mom too. You have my word, mother to mother. I hope my kids are as smart and nice as Patrick is. You keep that secret or all bets are off."

Marie pondered for a long time. "Shit. A narc who's a real human being. Okay, you have a deal, all of it."

Linda leaned very close to Marie. "You can talk to me or to an official detective. Your choice. But anything you say can and will be used in a court of law – the court that's trying Carol. And if you stop talking, you start walking."

"You may be human, Lieutenant – but you're still a bitch."

"Thank you, Marie."

* * * * *

The following night, Linda sat in conference with Sue, Carol and Stephanie. Mike wasn't home – he was at the hospital with Pat, despite fervent pleas from his daughters to switch out with him.

Just as well, Linda thought. The doctor had warned Mike that his unborn son was in grave danger from Mom's stress, and constant monitoring would be necessary to see if an emergency cesarean was necessary. The strain had already damaged Pat's internal organs so badly that the doctor had said this pregnancy would be her only one. The girls had been spared that news. Linda hadn't.

"I was able to get the names of several people with a bunch of money and a bunch of connections," Linda told the group. "Some of them would have good reason to want me dead. But so far, none of them have seemed clever enough to try to get at me through Carol."

"I've been looking up Zach Thurston," Sue chimed in. "I even interviewed his parents and told them about my part in his death. They took it a lot better than I thought they would. He was a loner, no known girlfriends, hung out with the wrong crowd, very impulsive. His parents tried to get counseling for him, but he wouldn't talk to anybody. The toxicology report said he was so strung out on crack that he was probably totally paranoid." Sue let out a sigh. "He neverbelonged."

"So, Officer Adams." This from Linda. "Nobody is known to have such strong feelings for Thurston that he or she would try to avenge his death?"

"Nobody will admit to it," Sue replied.

"Keep looking... please," Linda replied.

Now Carol spoke up. "Aunt Linda... I know I'm not a cop, yet. But I've seen a lot of hate in the last few years. It's no secret who my parents are and who you are. And now they know Cousin Sue. Should I be more worried about you?"

Linda replied, "Carol, Sue and I have spent a lot of sleepless nights thinking about that. I know your dad has too –"

And with that, the doorbell rang. Stephanie went to get it. She paused for a long time looking through the doorway.

"Stephanie, who is it?" Linda asked.

"It's that kid who came by when Carol found the site," Stephanie reported in a tone suited for Antarctica. "He's in civilian clothes."

Linda and Sue looked at each other, and then got up and moved to far corners of the room, getting their automatic pistols ready for action. Linda called out: "Let him in, Stephanie, and bring him in here. If he tries anything, hit the floor as fast as you can."Shit,Linda thought,we really are paranoid – but what in the HELL is he doing here?

Stephanie cracked the door and said hello to Josh Crane. He was dressed in a coat and tie, and looked like he was interviewing for a job. "May I help you?"

"Are Lieutenant and Sergeant Gibson here?"

"My mom's in the hospital, having her baby... or at least I hope she is. My dad's watching over her."

"They told me Lieutenant Shannon and Officer Adams would be here too," Crane said.

"They are." Stephanie looked back for confirmation, swung the door open wide, and stood behind it. Crane came in. Stephanie pointed the way to the family room. Linda and Sue came from their corners and stood in front of Carol.

"Lieutenant... Officer Adams... I'm not very good at making a presentation, but I've been working on Miss Gibson's case and I have several things to offer you."

"Officer Crane," Linda said, "this is highly irregular. You have your own duties and I recommend you stick with them."

"Yes, ma'am, I know. But I want to throw in with you. I told you about the student who got hazed until he hung himself. What I didn't tell you was that the student was my brother."

"I am sorry about your loss, Officer Crane, but we are dealing with one vendetta here. The last thing we need on this investigation is a cop with an ax to grind."

"Lieutenant, I'd like your permission to hear me out. I know you left me off the strike force team because I wasn't a quick thinker. I wanted to thank you for that."

"Thank me, Officer Crane? It wasn't an easy decision. Many commanders would have put you on their teams. And you know damn well that you are never supposed to doubt your ability."

"I have plenty of ability, Lieutenant. One, I can hack any computer system in the country except the Pentagon's, and the Pentagon knows it. Two, I am extremely detail-oriented and know just who else can hack this family's computer system. Three, I know sign language better than most certified interpreters, and I can use it in an undercover operation. And finally," he hesitated as he said this, "I have an inside contact at the school."

Everybody looked puzzled for a minute – and then a light began to dawn for Carol. "Is it Samantha or Elaine?"

"Samantha. She was my next-door neighbor when we were growing up. You know she lost her hearing due to a head injury. What you don't know is how she got it. I was 12 years old and she was six. She adored me. I liked to show off for her. I started popping wheelies on my bike. She wanted to do the same thing. She lost control of the bike and went straight into a busy street."

From behind, Stephanie said: "So, does she hate your guts now?"

Crane waited for a long moment, and then turned to Stephanie. "I honestly don't know. I visited her in the hospital and in rehab every chance I got. I learned sign language to talk to her. She has always been nice to me. Maybe she still has that crush – maybe I was the only person who was really nice to her. But you may be right, Miss Gibson."

Sue stood, walked over to Crane and talked quietly. "Six people have staked their careers on this – the four of us, and Mr. and Mrs. Gibson. There's no telling what will happen if we can't find the person who started this. Are yousure you want to take the risks we're taking?"

Crane was quiet for a long time. "Officer Adams, I did have a crush on you. I'm sorry I did. But I never stopped admiring you – or Lieutenant Shannon, or any of the Gibsons. Please don't take that away from me. You're the best people I know, and I've worked hard to come to that judgment."

Carol said: "But whatcan you do, Officer?"

"Miss Gibson, I'm absolutely sure Samantha is involved in this. Think about it. Who'salwaysexempt from those security checks? The thing is, Ms. Renfro often takes Samantha's backpack in early, to get the lesson plans from the office. She could just as easily do it, and I don't know her."

Sue looked at Linda. "Makes sense so far."

Crane continued: "The other thing is, I found out about the lockers' combination system. It stays the same from year to year, although you can override it. The person who had Carol Gibson's locker one year ago was Zach Thurston. If I could find that out, so could Samantha or Elaine or some friend of his."

"So noted, Officer Crane," Linda replied. "Thank you for that information. But it doesn't prove anything at all as far as the District Attorney is concerned."

"I know, Lieutenant. But I also know how to change the access codes for the lockers. If the perpetrator has other drugs on campus, we can lock him or her out of the locker. Then the perp would give himself or herself away trying to hack into the system."

"Why would the perp have more drugs?" Sue asked. "The theory is that this person is simply after Carol andnot pushing. For all we know, the perp used what he or she needed and flushed the rest down the toilet."

"If the perpetrator is one person, Officer, I believe you're right. But we know other people are involved – the hacker, for one. I traced him to Montreal, Canada, by checking out adult Websites with the features he puts in. I haven't traced the money yet, but I asked the owners of the sites and they all said he charges a fortune. The perpcould still be selling, to raise money to keep the Webmaster happy or to pay off accomplices."

Stephanie started to say something, but at that moment Mike Gibson opened the door and walked in. Everyone jumped to their feet. Mike could barely walk, he was so worn out. His daughters escorted him to his favorite easy chair. A long moment passed before Stephanie asked the obvious question.

"Mom's all right, and so is the baby – so far."

Linda got up and gently hugged Mike. "Mike, it'll be okay. He may feel like an only child, but you'll be a big family nonetheless."

Mike hugged back gently, and turned to the visitor. "I saw your car on the street, Officer Crane – parked illegally, I might say. Do you have anything to tell me before you go move it?"

"Yes sir, Lieutenant. Your..." he hesitated over saying the word, and then went for it, "family can tell you most of it. But I was just getting to how I believe I can talk to Samantha Black. I'm sure she's mixed up in this, but I don't know whether she's running all of it to get at me or if she's somebody's pawn."

"Pretty elaborate scheme, isn't it?" Mike asked. "She didn't know Carol at all, from what I hear. She just recently returned to mainstream schooling after more than a decade, right?"

"Right, sir. I'm sure she didn't know Zach Thurston. The only person she could have a grudge against is me, and I honestly don't know if she does. I'm willing to believe that she doesn't. If she does... I'll get out of all your lives forever."

"So," Linda said, "what are you going to do? Just walk right up to her and ask her if she hates you so bad she'd destroy six other people, maybe more, to get you?"

"Basically, yes."

Carol had been thinking. She unconsciously raised her hand and everyone looked at her, giving her permission to speak.

"It might work," she said. "If you can talk to her away from Elaine. I've gotten to know them both. Elaine just dominates Samantha. I don't know if it's sexual or if Elaine's just overprotective, or if Elaine has something on her own.

"But I've talked to Samantha a lot. I can tell when Elaine is signing something different than what I say to her – Elaine hesitates and then exaggerates the signs. And I know Samantha can read my lips. She knows Elaine is lying to her."

"How about it, Officer Crane?" This question came from Sue Adams. "Could you tell when a woman is lying to you? We went through the same training and I knowI learned something about suspects' behavior, but that was during interrogation. You're going to talk to her friend to friend. For all you know, she may still have a crush on you like you did on me. It's 10 times easier to lie to a friend when you're telling that friend what he or she wants to hear."

Sue looked at Linda. "Sorry, Lieutenant, but you and I have both done it. Little stuff mostly, but I think you could lie about something big and I know I could."

Josh Crane took a long time answering. It may have been that this was the first time he had fully grasped the nature of Linda and Sue's relationship. It may have been that he hadn't thought about a possible sexual nature of Samantha's relationship with Elaine. It might have been that he was slow at thinking on his feet. It might have been something else.

"I've still got to try it... Officer. If Samantha cooperates, we could set up a sting operation. If it works..." he didn't finish the sentence.

"And if it doesn't work, Officer Crane, I hope you know the consequences." That came from Linda. She stood up. Crane stood up and unthinkingly saluted the two Lieutenants. Mike then spoke.

"You'll have to clear this with your sergeant, Officer Crane. And you'll have to make contact with Samantha on your own time. And you'll have to tell your sergeant all the results of any contact. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"And go to the Chief of Detectives and give him all the results you have so far on your contacts." Crane nodded. Mike continued, "Stephanie, see him to the door. Good luck, Officer Crane."

There was a long silence while Stephanie escorted Crane to the door, saw him out, and waited until he got in his car and drove off. Then Stephanie turned around, eyes blazing. The first three words she said were extremely blasphemous. Then she got to the point.

"Don't any of you SEE this? He's behind it, all of it! The ______ is SO pissed about being left off the strike force that he's trying to take down Aunt Linda and Cousin Sue and all of us in the bargain! He's got the knowledge, he's got the connections, he's using Samantha to do his dirty work for him, and you just sit there and listen to his CRAP!"

Mike's face had darkened slowly during this tirade. Without a word he went to his desk, pulled out a cell phone, and dialed a pre-programmed number. With an effort, he said: "Romeo One to Bravo Two, do you read me?"

Stephanie stopped, puzzled. Her hand went to her mouth. Mike continued.

"Good. Did you get all of that on tape?" The answer was affirmative. "Well done. No, don't try to judge any of it. Just continue your tail on Officer Crane. Do you think the judge will also authorize a phone tap on Samantha Black?"

He listened some more. "Excellent, you're ahead of me. The TDD operators can record everything said to and from them. Have they been ordered to do so? Good." He looked around at three questioning faces and one knowing one, and continued.

"How about E-mail traffic? You heard about the guy in Montreal, has he corresponded with him? Okay, got it. Tell your detectives to keep a 24-hour tail on Josh Crane and institute a secondary tail on Samantha Black. If they meet up, I want to know every word they say. You know the drill a lot better than I do, so I hope you know how to handle them."

Long pause, and then Mike finished the conversation with a heartfelt thank-you. He looked straight at Stephanie. Linda looked at Sue. The recipients returned the looks. Carol looked at the carpet, with the other two young women wishing they could do the same. Finally Mike spoke.

"Stephanie, I've thought about that from the very beginning. So has Aunt Linda. That's why this house has been bugged since the day after Officer Crane came here the first time. We've recorded everything said in this house, and I do mean everything." Carol looked up and flushed scarlet. Sue went sick white.

"Yes," Mike continued, "I have connections too. I'm calling in a lot of favors from computer experts, wiretappers, surveillance experts and judges I've known over the years. Everything that boy said has checked out already. I'm betting it will continue to check out. I think he's telling the truth. I don't knowwhy – he could have perfectly honest motives and not have the sense God gave a weasel, or he could be just who you say he is. We can't assume anything at this point."

Linda spoke up. "Your dad and I have been working on this. Stephanie, if you love Carol and Sue and me, you'll let us do it our way. Stay out of it. And I'd recommend you talk to Father Cunningham about what you just said."

"Yes, Aunt Linda," said Stephanie, her eyes filling with tears. Sue's were too. "Aunt Linda, if I've said anything to hurt you –"

"I'll deal with it another time. You too, Sue. You've always said what I wanted to hear. Now you'll have to think about being completely honest with me. That goes for you too, Stephanie and Carol. I've waited a long time to have a true family and I won't let you ruin it."

Carol said, "What happens if this guy is a bad cop?"

"He's out of our lives forever," Mike said grimly.

* * * * *

"I hope this works out," said Deputy Chief Sam Cronin of the police department of a small town in Texas. Cronin and Chief of Detectives Eddie Melville of the Jackson County Sheriff's Office were seated in an unmarked car, in a supermarket parking lot on a Sunday afternoon. "If we get what you want, I'll be a Lieutenant in the Narcotics Task Force next month."

"And if it doesn't work out, you'll be a Captain," replied Cronin's old Marine buddy. "Everything in place?"

Cronin pulled up images on his laptop computer, several angles of the same automobile. Josh Crane sat in the driver's seat, hands on the wheel, looking occasionally at the huge front entrance to the supermarket. Ten minutes earlier, Crane had arrived on the tail of Samantha Black, who lived nearby and had walked. Elaine Renfro had driven in and gone into the store with Samantha.

Crane had had trouble finding a parking space. And no wonder; besides the car Melville drove, four other unmarked patrol vehicles were squeezing Crane's automobile, each with concealed cameras on their dashboards. Two more cars were equipped with unidirectional microphones, aimed at the driver's and front passenger windows. If Crane started to drive off, other cars were waiting near the exits to the parking lots to shadow him.

Cronin and Melville were gambling that it wouldn't be necessary. The undercover drivers had all parked and left their vehicles, and there was such a swarm of weekend shoppers that Crane would feel safer here than on the open road, not to mention that he would have both hands free for signing.

The surveillance cars had been carefully placed so Crane had an unobstructed view of the store entrance. Sure enough, Crane saw a supermarket sacker exit the store, pushing a well-loaded cart and heading for Elaine's car. Samantha, carrying her purse, and Elaine were tagging along.

Crane got out of his vehicle and stood by as the supermarket man loaded most of the goods into Elaine's car. Elaine asked Samantha, "Do you want me to give you a ride home?" in sign language. Samantha shook her head, signed back, "I need the exercise," gathered up the few remaining items from the cart, and started walking toward the nearest exit – where Crane had situated himself.

Elaine got into her car and began to drive off. As soon as he was sure Elaine was busy with her seat belt, Crane hopped up and down and waved to Samantha. She stopped in her tracks.

"Samantha!" Josh signed, spelling out the name. "I haven't seen you since you went back to school. Is everything going okay?"

Samantha hesitated, with both hands occupied by her purse and the bag. Then she turned to the supermarket man and whistled. The supermarket man was maneuvering the cart to take it back into the store, but he obligingly went over to Samantha and helped her put the items in the cart. The two walked over to Crane's car. Samantha took her purse and bag from the cart and climbed into Crane's passenger seat. The supermarket man disappeared around a van.

Six seconds later, the supermarket man – another former Marine, an interpreter from the Signal Corps, and now Detective Lieutenant Dan Palmer of the Washington, D.C. police force - slid into the back seat of Melville and Cronin's vehicle. Cronin passed him the laptop. Watching the images carefully, Palmer simultaneously keyed in the words and spoke into the computer's microphone, recording onto a CD.

"I'm glad I saw you," Samantha signed. "I'mreally worried about Carol and Stephanie."