Sausage and The Law Ch. 04

This story is part of an ongoing series. The chronological order of my stories is listed in WifeWatchman's biography.

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This story contains graphic scenes, language and actions that might be extremely offensive to some people. These scenes, words and actions are used only for the literary purposes of this story. The author does not condone murder, racism, racial language, violence, rape or violence against women, and any depictions of any of these in this story should not be construed as acceptance of the above.

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Part 20 - Are Y'all Ready For This? (continued)

Everyone watched as Paulina came out... escorted by Michael Thomas McGill.

"Man looks good in a suit." Teresa said as she and I watched in my office. "Maybe he should be the one running."

"That's it!" I 'shouted', like Lucy in the Peanuts cartoons. Teresa caught on...

Meanwhile, with the other Republican candidates in a semicircle behind her, Paulina stepped up to the bank of microphones and said "Thank you for coming today. I want to make a very important announcement. As you know, George Schwartz has recruited and is financing a radical Leftist to run for the Solicitor position: Alvin Whitner."

Paulina: "If Alvin Whitner were to be elected Solicitor, he would let dangerous criminals go free with no bail, he would not prosecute the crimes he is tasked to prosecute, especially if the criminal is a Minority. Our Town & County's crime rate would skyrocket, like in many of the cities where George-Schwartz-funded D.A.s, Solicitors, and other politicians have been elected. We would become a hellhole like Wilmington, Delaware!"

Paulina: "We cannot let that happen. And that is why I'm here today, to introduce your next Town & County Solicitor... Michael Thomas McGill!"

The other candidates and staffers applauded as Michael McGill came up to the lectern and introduced himself to the Town & County, and began the process of asking them to vote for him...

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

2:00pm, Friday, March 4th. Teresa and I were invited to come to the Law Offices of the Madison & Ives Law Firm (MILF) for a reception. We put Duty Dress jackets and neckties on over our blue shirts, then went to the building, whose back side abutted the back side of the J.P. Goldman Bank, which was diagonally across from the southeast corner of Courthouse Square.

"Congratulations and good luck." I told Michael McGill as we shook hands. "I didn't realize you were interested in running for office."

McGill replied: "I've had running for office in the back of my mind for a while. But I thought it would be for State Rep or State Senate, or even U.S. Congressman from this District. But as Paulina said in her introductory remarks, we absolutely have to stop Alvin Whitner. And Paulina wants to stay in the D.A.'s Office and prosecute cases."

A few minutes later I was talking to my attorney, Mike G. Todd, who was a partner in the Madison & Ives Law Firm. I sensed a strange vibe from him, so I said "Did Michael's decision to run surprise you?"

"Oh yes." said Mike Todd. "Bernadette Gillem was utterly shocked. We thought he might run for D.A. in a few years, or for a Legislative seat. But Solicitor? That seems... beneath him."

"Believe me, it's for a good cause." I said.

Mike surprisingly ignored my words, and simply said "We just brought in Virginia Madison, so we won't be crushed by the additional workload. But if he wins, we'll have to bring someone else on." He paused, then said "You can tell me this is none of my business, Don... but how do you feel about Michael's relationship with Paulina Patterson?"

I semi-shrugged and said "I'm fine with it. And I'll be happy for them if it goes further. Annnnd... it's not really my business nor concern."

"Even if it affects Tasha?" Mike asked.

I allowed my eyes to shift over and peer at him. "Anything to do with Tasha -is- my business and concern. Why? You know something I need to know?"

Mike said "I know that nothing gets past you, Don. Just keep your eye on things..."

Part 21 - Debatable

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Channel Two News!" shouted the redheaded MILF reporterette at 7:00am, Monday, March 14th, from the roof of the building at the corner of Riverside and College, with the Civic Center at the northwest corner of Courthouse Square in her distant background. "Debate season begins this week!"

After the hard-charging intro music, Bettina began: "With the May 3rd primary election date fast approaching, candidates for several offices will be squaring off in debates. This week Democrats Cori Bowman and Edna Carter, who are vying for their Party's nomination for School Board Chairman, will debate Wednesday night in the auditorium of George Floyd Elementary School. That debate will be moderated by KXTC's Carl Lemay and 'Point Taken's Donna Roselle."

Bettina: "And now let's go to trusted reporter Amber Harris for more on controversies surrounding other debates. Amber!"

"That's right, Bettina!" shouted the athletic blonde reporterette, standing on the same roof as Bettina, but with City Hall in her background. "The County Republican Committee, the State League of Women Voters, and KXTC Channel Two News were working out a three-on-three Republican debate. Town Assemblyman Ryan Paulson, Solicitor Ted Mason, and former Sheriff's Deputy Louis Bailey are primarying Mayor Daniel Allgood, D.A. Miriam Walters, and Sheriff Antonio Griswold!"

Amber: "However, negotiations with the incumbent candidates themselves broke down after Sheriff Griswold and Mayor Allgood refused to participate in the multiple-office debate. D.A. Miriam Walters insisted on conditions that were not acceptable to the the State League of Women Voters nor KXTC nor her opponent, and that impasse has not been resolved. Back to you, Bettina..."

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

"Well, that was informative... not." said Deputy Chief Tanya P. Muscone as she, Command Deputy Sheriff Cindy Ross, Lt. Commander Teresa Croyle, Sheriff Griswold, Commander Troy (Me), ADA Paulina Patterson, and Chief Moynahan drank coffee and watched the Bettina broadcast.

I replied "They were trying hard to promote the debate on their channel and take shots at the Republicans, but -not- talk about the debates that will be on KFXU."

"And which debates will those beeeee?" drawled Chief Moynahan.

Sheriff Griswold growled "Mine, on Wednesday night... maybe. On Thursday night is the biggie: Daniel Allgood versus Ryan Paulson. It's going to be on KFXU, with Greg Wallace and Dana McMahon moderating."

"You said 'maybe', Sheriff, on your debate?" Tanya asked.

"Yeah." growled Sheriff Griswold. "Louis Bailey had wanted the three-on-three debate, but Daniel and I flat-out refused to participate in that joke. Then Bailey demanded KXTC moderators, and no others... they had to be from KXTC. I adamantly refused that, and demanded and insisted upon -no- KXTC moderators. So KXTC has scheduled the School Board Chairman debate at the same time that KFXU invited Bailey to face me on their stage. Bailey hasn't responded yet, and I really don't care which way he goes on it..."

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

7:45am, Monday, March 14. Lieutenant Mary Milton came to my office. I had her get some coffee and then sit in the near-side hot chair. Teresa was in the far-side hot chair.

Mary said "Sir, ma'am, I have some information on Bob Gold, Dean Allen, and Randy Luna. Chris Purvis has been quietly trying to look into Gold's finances as well as his business's finances. Lots of cash transactions, which suggests he hires Illegal Persons and pays them in cash. It could also suggest stuff under the table, like cover for drug operations, but neither Chris nor I have found any threads on that which we can tug on."

Mary: "Dean Allen has income from his late father's trust fund, and outwardly he appears to be living off that and not doing anything to generate income that would be redirected to Phil Kearns to settle the legal judgment. He lives in a condo on the northside of the County, which is owned by a Nevada corporation that I haven't gotten anything on yet. He has no credit cards, one debit card, and he only uses that to buy groceries at Kroger. So I can't get a paper trail on him at all."

Mary: "And this is off the record, sir, and I never said it, but his car's THEFT light and GPS are disabled, and its whereabouts and travels cannot be traced. And the only cellphone in his name remains at his home at all times; in other words, he never carries it anywhere. I suspect he uses burner phones, but I have nothing on those."

I said "If we want to know where he is going and what he is doing, we'll need a surveillance operation. Okay, what about Randy Luna and Rhonda Huntington?"

Mary said "Her bail was set at $100,000, and it was fully met, paid for with cash by Bob Gold. She has ankle monitoring, but the monitor has stayed at her apartment in the Rio Linda complex. Randy Luna... has disappeared completely. We have no idea where he is."

I said "Commander Croyle, have 2nd Precinct execute a health and wellness check on Rhonda Huntington at her apartment--- oh, come on in, guys." Deputy Chief Muscone and Command Deputy Sheriff Ross were in the anteroom, and Cindy had cracked the door open and peeked inside.

"Stay where you are, Lieutenant Milton." I said. "A mother of two qualifies as an Angel for at least this morning." Mary had risen but sat back down as Cindy poured herself and Tanya cups of coffee. After they were seated, Cindy sitting on the sofa behind the others, I said "Let's watch some TV." and expertly used the remote to turn on the television monitor...

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

"Hello and welcome to Fox University Sunrise!" said Catrina Pierce at 8:00am from the Fox Eight studios. "I'm Catrina Pierce and with me is Priya Ajmani, back from covering the State Legislature in Midtown. Welcome back, Priya."

"Thank you, it's great to be back." Priya said happily. "Good morning, everyone. Here's what's in the news. Three local debates are scheduled for this week, and two of them will be on Fox Eight News! Mayor Daniel Allgood will debate challenger Ryan Paulson on Thursday evening. Democrats Cori Bowman and Edna Carter, candidates for School Board Chairman, will debate Wednesday night on our competitor's channel."

Catrina: "A debate between Sheriff Antonio Griswold and former Senior Deputy Sheriff Louis Bailey is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday night on KFXU, but it is not finalized yet. Mr. Bailey was demanding that the debate be moderated exclusively by KXTC reporters, but Sheriff Griswold nixed that completely. Roll tape."

Tape rolled, showing Our Sheriff telling Priya: "KXTC has relentlessly attacked and lied about my Police Force and especially Commander Donald Troy, the greatest Detective and leader of Police I have ever known. He's suing KXTC for libel and defamation, which is a perfect testament to KXTC's bias, dishonesty, and corruption. And you think I'd agree to participate in any debate with -them- as moderators? Sheesh."

Back to Priya live: "The disputes in the Sheriff debate are part of a larger controversy. Town & County Assemblyman Ryan Paulson, Louis Bailey, and Town & County Solicitor Ted Mason are primarying incumbents Daniel Allgood, Sheriff Griswold, and D.A. Miriam Walters for the Mayor, Sheriff, and D.A. offices, respectively. Paulson has attempted to portray himself, Bailey, and Mason as a 'ticket', along with Bill Redmond, who is running unopposed for the Republican nomination for School Board Chairman. They were demanding a three-on-three debate on the same stage on one night."

Catrina: "Sheriff Griswold and Mayor Allgood completely rejected the three-on-three format, while D.A. Walters said she would not agree to the three-on-three format if the Sheriff and Mayor objected. Mayor Allgood said he'd debate Mr. Paulson one-on-one, but Sheriff Griswold set conditions on a debate that the State League of Women Voters, the sponsors of the debates, found unacceptable."

Priya: "KXTC Fox Eight News stepped in and offered to host the Sheriff's debate. The Sheriff accepted, and we are waiting to see if Mr. Bailey accepts. Meanwhile, our competitor scheduled the Democrat School Board Chairman debate for the same time as the Sheriff's debate on Wednesday night..."

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

"A good bit more detail, there." I said.

Teresa said "Sir, do you think the Sheriff should even debate Bailey? Why give that slug the time of day, much less the exposure?"

I shrugged my shoulders and said "I dunno. I'm not a politician, and I don't play one on TV."

"Maybe the Sheriff just wants the practice." Tanya ventured.

"What do you think, Mary?" I asked.

Mary said "I think... I'm voting for Sheriff Griswold no matter what. So the debate is a moot point for me. I'll probably watch the School Board debate, if I watch anything at all."

"Highly polished asskissing skills, the Sheriff would say." Cindy Ross said. "You might do all right in this Police Force, Mary." We all laughed.

Cindy said "I'm going to be at the Sheriff's debate, so I'll have to DVR the School Board one. You'll be there too, Don?"

"No." I replied, shocking everyone. "Unless violence or some kind of trouble starts up. The Sheriff agreed with me that my presence at his debate would give the Press something to use as a distraction."

Teresa said "They'll just attack you for not being there. Knowing Bettina and her bunch, they'll probably say you don't support the Sheriff."

Mary Milton said "Sir, Edna Carter was on the Charter Commission with you. Are you going to her debate?"

"No." I replied. "I'll either be at home or here in my office... writing the new State Constitution."

"How is that going?" Teresa asked.

"Relatively simple, so far." I said. "I've taken the current one and began copying the basic stuff into the draft of the new one. That's all the easy part. The problems are going to begin when I have to have hearings, and every Leftist special interest group is going to demand that their cause be enshrined as the cornerstone law of the State..."

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

2:00pm, Monday, March 14th. Lt. Commander Teresa Croyle came to my office.

"Our Patrol went by the Rio Linda Apartments." she reported. "Rhonda Huntington was not there. Her ankle monitor was sitting on the table, with a device that mimics body temperature and a heartbeat... pretty sophisticated stuff, so I'm told. Randy Luna was not there, either, and he may not have been there for some time. There are no mens clothes, shaving or toilet items, or anything that suggests he continues to live there."

I said "Notify the Sheriff's Department and the Court that Huntington has violated the conditions of her bail. They can contact the Federal Marshals as well as obtain a warrant for her arrest. We'll do nothing further unless and until we're asked to help."

Teresa looked at me as if I were an alien from Saturn. "You're washing your hands of this?" she asked, her voice connoting shock.

I shrugged. "What would you have me do? The evidence we have on Luna has been excluded, thanks to a dirty Activist judge, and the State Supreme Court won't help us. So yeah. Until the State Supreme Court acts, there's no point in doing anything."

Teresa came on in after closing the door behind her. "Don... what's wrong? What's bothering you? What's really bothering you?"

"I'll answer your question with a question." I said. "Have you heard anything else about 'redistricting', from Todd or anyone else?"

"No." Teresa said. "Todd's people at the State Capitol are saying that there is absolutely nothing being discussed about it. All talk has been locked down like a jealous Crusader's chastity belt. Cindy says Priya can't find anything out, which is a shocker considering how many blowjobs Priya gives to get info. So... not even your famous webs are getting anything?"

"I didn't realize my webs were famous." I said with a wan smile. "But no, I'm not hearing a peep. And that scares me a little bit. I -am- hearing that they might actually get a Budget passed this year, which scares me even more that that is a smokescreen to cover for something else."

As Teresa turned for the door, she said "Should I notify the Feds about Luna and Huntington? It's likely they crossed the State Line."

I said "Let the Sheriff's Department or the Court contact the Federal Marshals, which is normal procedure for bail-jumping like this." Teresa nodded and moved out smartly to complete her TCPD mission...

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

"Hello and welcome to the Republican primary debate for Sheriff!" said Dana McMahon at 7:30pm, Wednesday, March 16th, in the Civic Center auditorium. "I'm Dana McMahon, and co-moderating with me is Greg Wallace of the State Fox Networks. Hello, Greg."

"Good evening, Dana. Good evening, everyone." said Greg Wallace. "Tonight we're bringing you the first of what we hope will be a series of debates for various local offices. This debate is for the Republican nomination for Sheriff. Let's bring out the candidates."

The half-full crowd applauded as Sheriff Griswold emerged from the right side of the stage, the audience's left; and Louis Bailey came out from the other side. They were supposed to shake hands then go to their lecterns, and Griswold moved past his lectern to do so. But Louis stopped at his lectern and gripped its sides, and Griswold had to turn sharply and go back to his own lectern. Most people would not notice Griswold's mustaches twitching... with anger.

As was his right, Sheriff Griswold was wearing his semi-formal uniform with his full 'fruit salad' of ribbons, but not the MOV around his neck. Having retired, Louis Bailey could've worn his Sheriff's Department uniform; instead, he wore a civilian brown jacket, white shirt and brown tie, and brown pants. It was not a good look, and I remember a famous saleswoman telling me at one of Dr. P. Harvey Eckhart's business seminars that men shouldn't wear brown suits at seminars or sales calls.

Greg Wallace explained the rules, then said "We'll give each candidate one minute for an opening statement. Sheriff Griswold, you go first."

Sheriff Griswold said "Thank you." then looked right into the camera and said "Good evening. For the last three years, the Town & County Public Safety Department has responded well to many threats and incidents. We kept law and order, while The City and other big cities like the hellhole that is Wilmington, Delaware burned. We responded to the recent train explosion and ensured public safety. And our Police Department has solved many difficult criminal cases. All this was a team effort, and I want to continue leading that great team as your Sheriff."

Bailey got his turn: "Buildings on fire, or exploding. Blood in the streets. Relentless Police brutality by Commander Donald Troy that goes unchecked to this day. No decorum, no respect for the ranks and seniority within the Public Safety Department, creating chaos and strife. Now -that- is the legacy of Sheriff Griswold and his abusive Police, especially Commander Donald Troy. I remember Jacquez Wilson, Anthony Wilson, and especially Breonna Bryant. You should too... especially when you vote."

Dana McMahon had the first question, and she eagerly proved why she was an Establishment Elitist mouthpiece: "Mr. Bailey, you have been running as part of a three-man ticket, along with Ryan Paulson for Mayor and Ted Mason for District Attorney. You wanted a three-on-three debate with them against Mr. Griswold, D.A. Walters, and Mayor Allgood, but they refused to accept your challenge. What is your response to their refusal to debate as a team?"