S&P: Your Papa's a Pig

"Why?" the patrol officer signed back.

"You know about Carol. There's a rumor that she's coming back to school tomorrow. And Stephanie – the guy she punched out used to be Callie Collins' boyfriend. Callie ispissed. She told her sister she'd get Stephanie somehow."

"Who's Callie's sister?"

"You mean you don't know? It's Elaine!"

Nobody had been expecting that. Josh Crane signed back the name, letter by letter, with a question mark all over his face. Samantha signed an explanation.

"They are half sisters. Their mom divorced Elaine's dad and took up with this biker dude – he's Callie's father. He's a real" – everybody recognized the universal sign for "flying asshole." "He drinks, does coke, meth, I don't know what else. I think Callie does it with him."

On his note pad, Eddie Melville wrote down the name Callie Collins, followed by "Possible suspect." He double-underlined the word "possible."

"Do you know Callie very well?" Josh asked.

"I've been over to her house a few times. Once, her dad was showing her how to field-strip an Army assault rifle. I left."

In the other car, Cronin mouthed the word "Shit."

"How do Callie and Elaine get along?"

"Elaine's really protective of Callie. I think Elaine is my interpreter so she can keep an eye on Callie. Elaine's a nice girl, but she's easy to intimidate. One time, I set off a metal detector at school. Elaine freaked – she thought I was dying of pain. I'm used to pain, Josh. You should know that."

A long silence. Then Crane signed back. "Samantha... you never said you blamed me for the accident. Do you really? Please tell me the truth."

Four pairs of eyes, including all three auto detectives, were fixed on Samantha's face and hands, looking for a clue that she was improvising a lie.

"Yes, Josh. I did blame you for the accident. I still do. But I forgave you a long time ago. Now, question. Have you forgiven yourself?"

During the pause, Melville wrote down the word "Truth?" on his note pad. He put a check mark beside it. Cronin took a pencil and added another check mark. Palmer was still watching the screen, but heard the pencil scratches. He gave a thumbs-up and put his fingers back on the home keys.

"Yes, it's true," Josh said. "I've been trying to make up for it all this time. I was crushed when I wasn't good enough to make the Narcotics Task Force."

Samantha shifted in her seat, placed her grocery bag on her lap, and stared Josh Crane straight in the eye. "Were you feeling bad enough to frame Carol Gibson for running drugs?"

Without being asked, Melville had opened his car door and slipped out, gun in hand. Cronin was calling for backup. Melville crept to within three feet of Crane's driver's side window. One false move by Crane, and Melville could spring up and blow his head off. Two other officers were performing similar moves.

Crane had suppressed the instinctive horrified "NO!", guessing Samantha wouldn't believe it. But the horror was still on his face. Samantha was staring at him.

"Samantha, I swear unto God that I had nothing to do with drug running or porno Web sites or anything else to hurt the Gibsons. I did have it in for high school criminals because of my brother and my sister. I did want to bust them. But I was too hotheaded and slow-thinking." A tear ran down his face.

"I knew you'd be mainstreamed this year, and I wanted to protect you from being taunted because you're deaf. But deep down, I know you don't need me to protect you. Then I got worried Elaine might be doing something to protect you instead. Something bad.

"Callie was a complete surprise. But it all makes sense – because Callie was the girl whom Lieutenant Shannon stepped in front of. She came in and gave a statement later on. She was furious! I wondered if she and Zach had something on the side." A second tear went down Crane's face. "I put it in my report, but didn't highlight it. I forgot it until just now."

Again, Cronin scribbled the word "TRUE?" on his notepad. He thought it out for a long time. Then Palmer gave a thumbs-up. Cronin decided to agree.

Samantha waited another second, and then signed: "I believe you. And it's a good thing I do. I bought these a few minutes ago..."

And in one motion, Samantha pulled out a pair of very sharp scissors. Her mouth moved and words came out – somewhat haltingly, but clearly. "And if you had lied, I would have jammed these right in your neck."

Three men and three guns sprang up in one concerted motion. Two of them covered Crane and one covered Samantha. Samantha let go of the scissors and sat frozen. Crane raised his hands above the steering wheel. Cronin and another officer yanked open the car's front doors and stood well back.

Melville turned to tell Palmer to get over to the car and start signing to Samantha. No need – as silently as he had arrived, Palmer exited the back seat, passing the laptop and the headset back to Cronin. Palmer was over at Crane's car by the time Cronin removed Crane's sidearm, which Palmer took and stuck into his belt. Crane was staring at Samantha in total disbelief. Samantha was mightily scared.

"You cantalk?"Crane said aloud. "What about the brain damage from the accident?"

"It wasn't as bad as they thought. The other brain cells took over the function. When I learned to read lips, I remembered how I had spoken. I practiced with an oscilloscope – I could read the printouts of words and sentences, and I practiced until they looked the same when I said them. I probably don't sound the same, but I can say just about anything. I just didn'twant to speak."

"If you don't want to speak," Palmer spoke and signed, "you don't have to. But I hope you realize we can arrest you for aggravated assault on a police officer."

"I don't want to press charges!" Crane spoke and signed. "It would have been right for her to kill me if I had been dirty."

"Jee-zus," Palmer replied. "You've got ashitty self-image. Any wonder why we suspected you of all this crap?"

"Whoare you?" Samantha asked Palmer.

"Most of them are undercover people from the Sheriff's Office," Palmer replied. "I'm an outside cop on a working vacation. So is this 'bag boy.'" We knew if Crane was dirty, he'd know enough to evade the people he knew from work. I'm sorry we scared you, but we didn't know what to expect."

"Neither did he," Samantha replied. By this time, the Chief of Detectives had joined the conversation, carrying the laptop. He had fixed the microphone so everybody could talk into it.

"Miss Black, I'm the Chief of Detectives. I'm also a friend of Lieutenant Mike Gibson, Carol's dad. These men are also Lieutenant Gibson's friends. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Samantha nodded. Melville continued.

"Miss Black, Officer Crane – we believe you are honest people. But that's not enough to save Carol Gibson. Miss Black, from what you've told us, it's very likely that Callie Collins and Elaine Renfro are behind all this, but we have no way to prove it unless you can help."

"I don't want Elaine to go to prison," Samantha signed back. "I told Josh that she's easily controlled. I think Callie and maybe her dad are making Elaine do anything that's wrong. I don't know how."

"That will be up to the courts to decide, Miss Black. For the record, I think you are right. It would make things a lot easier if Carol Gibson and everybody around her – this guy included – were cleared of all allegations. You can be honest and not know your head from your ass, and it looks like Crane is that kind of person. You want to prove it or not, that's your choice. But they tell me you know and like Carol Gibson, and so does Miss Renfro. Now is the perfect time to do something decent."

"What do I have to do?" Samantha asked.

"Anything you normally do. Don't let on what's happened here. If you're asked to transport something suspicious, do so but make a note of it. Officer Sue Adams is still on duty. We'll put her in the school office and you can go to her. Then you need to stay out of harm's way. Understood?" Upon receiving an acknowledgment, Melville turned to Josh Crane.

"Crane, you are officially on indefinite suspension. With pay. You are to absent yourself from this county until we call you back in. If things go as planned, I expect to reinstate you and give you a commendation for exceptional service. If you butt in and screw things up,nothing will save your ass. Is that as clear as it needs to be?"

"Yes, sir."

"Turn in your badge here and now. You can keep your car once we get the shotgun out of the trunk."

Crane handed over the keys, and the two detectives confiscated the weapon, along with Samantha's purse, shopping bag and scissors. Cronin came back.

"Go home, pack for a week's vacation and head out. Keep a record of your expenses. Keep them within reason – I shudder to think of the bill we've run up on this investigation already. But if you're clean, I'll cover for you. Miss Black, you planned to walk home?"

"Yes, sir."

"When you get to your TDD phone, call Miss Renfro and tell her you're okay. I'm sure she really does care for you. Then pray if you believe in praying."

"Yes, sir. You can keep the scissors if you think I'm dangerous."

"Thank you, Miss Renfro. We'll give them back later. Lieutenant Palmer, will you drive her part of the way and answer any other questions she may have?" Palmer nodded acknowledgment and pointed to his car, taking the grocery bag (sans scissors) and Samantha's purse.

Crane handed over his Sheriff's Department badge and walked to his car. When Melville indicated it was okay to leave, Crane got in and started up. So did Palmer.

"Good work, men. Go back to the station and file your reports. Eddie, I'm missing a Braves game because of this. I don't propose to drink on duty, but there's a sports bar I know about a mile from here. I propose you, I, and Lieutenant Palmer get some of Atlanta's trademark soft drinks while we watch the late innings."

"I'm an Astros fan, but I'll take you up on that offer. Isn't Clemens starting today? You can root for him and I won't let it out."

"Good man, Lieutenant Cronin."

* * * * *

Nothing unusual happened on Monday, the last day of Stephanie's suspension. Tuesday, Stephanie was to miss the first period of class – her study hall – and check in at the office before going to her next class. Carol was too nervous to drive, so Stephanie dropped her off and then went to a fast-food joint for breakfast. Mike had already gone to the office to clear up some old paperwork.

The phone call came for Mike at his desk. He didn't recognize the female voice through a lot of coughing. He couldn't tell if the coughing was fake or real. But he knew the name Cathy Silverman – the friend of Carol's who had passed on the fake E-mail to her – and he politely put her on hold for a minute while he got Chief Melville and Lieutenant Shannon on conference.

"Do you know where Stephanie is?" came a scratchy voice.

"She's on her way to school. Why?"

"Because I'm at home, sick, and I just got an E-mail from her, addressed to a bunch of Carol's friends. It says something about, 'If you don't want to be on the six o'clock news tonight, stay home from school. There's going to be a fireworks show like you won't believe.'"

Mike's face went gray. He asked, "Can you forward that E-mail to the police computer? I'll give you the address." Then he thanked her and got off the line.

Cathy obliged. Within two minutes, Mike, Linda and Eddie Melville were looking at Melville's printer as the sheet rolled out. The wordColumbinewas on all minds.

Melville sprang into action on his phone. First he called several detectives, dispatching most of them to the school and reserving two to check out Cathy's house in case she was faking illness. "Get a warrant for her arrest if you find ANYTHING suspicious." Cathy hadn't been high on the list of suspects – she and Carol had been friends since elementary school – but she could still be a pawn of somebody else.

Meanwhile, Linda was on her cell phone, checking with Sue Adams in the administration office. Stephanie hadn't shown up yet, but Carol was in her first class. Mike, meantime, was gathering his SWAT team in case of armed confrontation.

Then, abruptly, Melville headed for the door. To Mike and Linda, he said: "If you damned fools are going to get involved now, you might as well have a bigger damned fool with you to take the heat if something goes wrong."

* * * * *

It is not easy to write about menstruation.

That said, I hope viewers understand that worry had played havoc with Carol Gibson's cycle. She had missed two periods and had stopped wearing absorbents. She was sitting in her class when she realized she was starting. She had pads in her purse, but no way to apply them unless she went to the bathroom.Now.

Carol desperately waved her hand, and her teacher stopped talking. After a quick whispered conference, the teacher – who had cyclical problems herself and was sympathetic – excused Carol. A murmur arose as she left the room.

Carol power-walked to the girls' room, pulling out a packet and tearing it open. Her shoes made no noise on the floor, and it wasn't until she rounded a corner that she saw anyone.

Carol dropped her purse and everything in it to the floor. She asked the stranger, "What the HELL are you doing in my sister's locker?"

Seconds earlier, Sue Adams had seen the same person on camera at the central office. She had taken off too early to see Carol headed for the same hallway. Sue drew her automatic as she ran. She entered the corridor where Carol and the stranger were standing – and froze.

Callie Collins had already swung around and grabbed something from Samantha Black's backpack. The backpack hadn't been checked into the office, and now Sue knew why. Both young women were staring at a chopped-down assault rifle.

Before Sue could aim and fire, Callie had chambered a bullet and had Sue in her sights. Sue couldn't tell whether or not the weapon was set on fully automatic. If it was, one burst would probably kill both her and Carol.

"Take it easy, young lady," Sue said as calmly as she could. "Don't do anything on impulse." She heard footsteps coming from other corridors, including the boots of the SWAT team and the footsteps of Linda Shannon. She decided to call out. "Officers! Take your positions but don't startle her." Sue looked back at Callie.

"Was this just supposed to be a frame-up of Stephanie, Callie?"

"Yes," replied Callie in a tight voice.

"I knew it. You could have killed us right away and you didn't. You're full of hate, but you wouldn't pull a trigger unless you were scared."

By this time, a bunch of officers had joined the gathering. So had Callie's big sister and her charge. Elaine had taken off without realizing Samantha was following her. Samantha had cut a corner and was now where Elaine couldn't see her, but where she was closer to Callie than anyone except Carol and Sue. The next closest person was Linda Shannon, who had her weapon trained directly on Callie's heart.

"Zach could and did, and look what happened to him."

Carol started walking forward. She stopped about six feet from Callie. "Callie, do you want the same thing to happen to you? Suicide by cop? If so,why?"

"I had a crush on Zach. And he knew about my dad and everything my dad did to me. He was the only one who wanted to help. Now he's gone to Hell. I might as well go there with him."

Carol replied: "How do you know he's in Hell?"

That question took Callie totally by surprise. As she started to sputter an answer, Carol cut in again.

"Callie, I'm a Catholic. I know I probably believe a lot differently than you do. But if Zach was trying to make things right for you, God is going to take that into account. I'm sorry Zach killed himself, and I know there's a place in Hell for suicides, but God weighs everything before making a final judgment. If Zach isn't down there burning and you are, how do you think he'll feel?"

Good,thought Linda.Keep her talking. Get her mind off this single purpose. Give her a reason to turn herself in. But Callie still held the rifle tightly. Linda spoke.

"Callie, I've had a lot of run-ins with your dad. You said he did things to you. If you die, we'll never find out what. Don't let him get away with this."

Callie was sobbing now. "Rape, beatings, making me use drugs with him. He raped Elaine whenever he wasn't interested in me. These are his guns." She picked up the bag with her free hand. Everybody's heart sank.

"Callie," Sue said, "did he set up those Websites for you? Did you do them yourself?"

Then Elaine spoke up. "No. I did. And I used Samantha's stuff to carry in the drugs and guns. I was so pissed at people for hurting Samantha that I wanted to shove their metal detectors up their asses." She started forward toward Callie. All of a sudden a steely hand shot out and grabbed her arm. "Don't... get... yourself... killed," came from the side of Mike's mouth.

Linda said: "Why did you go after Carol? I know she reported the drugs to me. But that just meant she was scared of what was going on. I know you don't believe that crap about filling people's needs. You could have gone after me or Officer Adams if you really meant it."

Callie replied: "You're right, I don't. I wanted to steal Daddy's money and drugs and waste them."

Linda: "You'll do better bringing out the truth. The people you had help you, for one thing. We don't want to arrest the wrong people."

Unbeknownst to everyone except Carol, Samantha Black had crept very close to Callie, who had the open locker door blocking her line of sight from Samantha's direction. Then Samantha had backed up. Now she was frantically signing and mouthing words to Carol.

"Fuck it!" Callie shouted. "Pick them up on your own. I'm going down!" She brought the rifle to firing position.

"Aikido! Take her, Aunt Linda!"

And with that statement, Carol Gibson charged straight up the barrel of Callie Collins' assault rifle. The weapon didn't fire. With a martial-arts move learned from the Lieutenant, Carol went for the bag of weapons in Callie's left hand, knocking them loose.

Anyone except Linda Shannon would have shot down Callie Collins at that moment. But Linda trusted what Carol had said. She launched herself across the space before Sue could move, and hit Callie from the side. The assault rifle went flying. Everybody who could hit the deck did. The weapon bounced on the floor, miraculously unfired.

A blur of activity followed. Within two seconds, Linda had Callie face down on the floor and was putting her into restraints. At the same moment, Mike Gibson pulled Elaine Renfro around and cuffed her.

Sue Adams ran to Carol, pulled her aside, and began to tongue-lash her about running at a weapon. Carol managed to maneuver Sue around and point to Samantha. Then she repeated the words Samantha had signed and mouthed to her:

"Bullet... jammed... in... chamber."

A detective retrieved the weapon and examined it. The rifle was indeed jammed. The other guns in the bag were fully operational. Apparently Callie had tried to get the rifle ready for operation too quickly. The Chief of Detectives took the bag and turned to one of his detectives.

"Take this to district court and get a warrant for Charley Collins' arrest, as well as a search warrant for his home, his car, everything." Melville then went over to a stricken-looking Elaine Renfro. "You're under arrest too, Ma'am, on probable cause." Finally, he went over to Linda, who had by now handcuffed Callie and pulled her to her feet. "Read these women their rights and take them in."

Linda handed over Callie Collins to another detective. She, Carol, Samantha and Sue gathered for a big group hug.