Scavenger Hunt Ch. 01

Claire Michaels said "Weeks ago, we determined that one gang was doing these robberies while others were doing drug transactions---"

"No, the Feds were speculating that was the case." I said. (Author's note: 'Deliver Us From Evil', Ch. 01.) "Theo, Roark, I see what you're getting at. And Team Theo, you are now officially the lead investigators on this case. I want you to begin working on correlating these crimes with any others you can find, no matter how strange. You get dibs on one person in Intel to work on it with you."

Seeing that the meeting was getting very tense, and the Chief was getting bored with us, I said "Let's stop here for now. I want to review the tapes of interviews, and all your Police reports that I'm sure you completed in a timely manner because you knew I was going to ask for them. Theo, go get that search going. Lunch on me if you find the cellphones by noon..."

Part 2 - Angel Voices

9:30am, Monday, October 4th. Just before Chief Deputy Sheriff Cindy Ross and TCPD Deputy Chief Tanya P. Muscone came to my office, Lt. Cmdr. Teresa Croyle came in. Instead of sitting down, she stood before my desk practically at attention and said "I apologize, sir, for failing to get the job done. I should have insisted upon and even initiated that cellphone search---"

"Sitcho ass down." I replied, cutting her off. When she did sit down in the far-side 'hot chair', I said "Okay, your position is ideal for, and was created for, coordinating and implementing actions that need the manpower of Uniformed Officers, like that one was. But I don't blame you for not doing Claire Michaels's job for her. So what actually happened with that?"

Teresa said "None of this is excuse-making on my part, but after Roark made those really good observations about the cellphone mounts in the car, Theo was going to call for a search. Joanne Warner, whose hatred of Roark Coleman continues to be evident, nixed it; she said it was a needle-in-a-haystack search requiring huge manpower on a Sunday, and that they'd have better luck getting the phone numbers from Maribel Isadora's phone and pinging them."

Teresa: "They went to Claire, and Claire took Joanne's side. I went into Claire's office uninvited and asked what she was doing about finding the other cellphones, and what did she need from me in the way of Uniformed Officers. I considered that to be a 'hint', but she gave me what is now the boilerplate about the time and effort needed, not knowing if what we find is even the right ones, and so on and so forth."

Teresa: "And that's what I'm apologizing for, sir. I should've insisted, if not initiated the search myself, instead of letting Claire's decision be the final word."

"You could've." I said. "But I think you did right the way it went down. It was Michaels's call, and we now see that her decision was a bad one---"

*Whirrrrrrrrrrr*

That sound was followed by my door opening and Commander Tanya Muscone driving up in her motorized wheelchair and parking on the dime on the floor between the hot chairs. Chief Deputy Cindy Ross followed her in. I offered them all coffee, and they all accepted. I also refilled my own Airborne School mug as Cindy sat down and they all settled in.

I said "My apologies for the delay in starting this Angels Meeting. I go away for one weekend, and all hell breaks loose." My Angels laughed. Politely. "So, what else is going on?"

Cindy said "You won't be seeing much of me for a month. I'll be doing the Public Safety Department Budget, which has to be passed by Election Day next month. I'd like to find the S.O.B. that wrote it into the Charter that it has to be done by then, throw him into a boxing ring, and give him a massively painful crowbar beatdown."

She was tapping her green crowbar into the palm of her other hand as her ice blue eyes bored into my gray peepers. Tanya was openly laughing, and Teresa had a twinkle in her eye. Of course, Your Iron Crowbar was the one who had written that into the new Charter.

I reached under my desk, took hold of my red crowbar, brought it out, and began tapping it the same way she was tapping hers. I said "You are welcome to try. Just name the time and date, and I'll be right there." Tanya started laughing harder.

Cindy said "After the Budget is done, you're going to owe me a drink, big-time. Hell, what am I talking about? You're going to owe me a whole fucking bottle."

"Agreed." I replied. "As long as you share with the whole class." We 'crossed crowbars', i.e. clanged them together over my desk, and the deal was made. Tanya and Teresa fist-bumped; they liked free drinks, too.

"So how is your house construction going?" I asked Cindy.

"Very well." Cindy said. "We anticipate it being completed by the end of November, maybe by Thanksgiving. Hopefully we'll have a Christmas party as our housewarming party."

Teresa asked "No trouble with Eco-terrorists up there?" Cindy looked over at me.

I replied: "Not so far. We have cameras set up, that are visible light by day and infrared by night, and we have other sensors there, as well. You know how Ranger Halston is here at all odd hours, and he's been keeping up with those cameras for us. So far, no one has been seen trespassing up there. We also send double the patrols we used to along that road and to Promontory Point. Teenage traffic is way down. I understand the kids are going to Point Hollow for their 'extracurricular' fun nowadays."

Cindy said "We're building the house out of flameproof materials, a lot like what The Cabin was rebuilt with. So I'm not all that worried about anything right now. After we move in, I'll be a lot more cognizant of any security issues."

"Meeeeee, too." I said. 'Whassup with you, Lady Ironside?"

Tanya said "DEA Agents Dwight Stevens and Lorena Rose want to meet with us this morning. I asked if they're taking over the Toyota Gang case, and they said they weren't, but they did want to talk to us about it."

"Okay, but I want to review everything first." I said. "Contact them and ask if this afternoon will be okay. And invite Jack Muscone, if he's back from Apple Grove." Tanya looked at me in complete and utter shock.

"Uhh," she said, "I didn't know Jack was in Apple Grove."

"Oops." I said, realizing I'd erred. "I just fucked up, there. Yes, Jack and Julius Jefferson came up to Apple Grove yesterday morning. I didn't know you didn't know, or I wouldn't have said anything."

Tanya said "When Jack left at the crack of dawn Sunday morning, he said he was going on a (air quotes) 'quiet' mission, which means it's off the books, which means it's either very important or very unauthorized. He didn't say where he was going."

Teresa said "I know Todd's up there in Apple Grove, and why. Is Jack's presence there related to that?"

I said "I think I better take the Fifth on all that. I don't know what they want kept quiet."

"Oh, you can't leave me hanging now!" Tanya protested. I nodded as I stood up, took out my bug detector, and swept the room, particularly around Tanya's wheelchair. Then I turned on the bug-killer as I sat back down.

"Without going into detail," I said, "Jack came up to Apple Grove to pursue some leads regarding industrial espionage, possibly involving BigAgraFoods and BOW Enterprises. I was working with Apple Grove Law Enforcement on an attempted murder, which may or may not be related to all that. I did not get much of a chance to talk to Jack while we were up there, and so I really don't know much more about it than you do."

Teresa said "Why is an agricultural company so interested in a tech company like BOW? It would make more sense if we were dealing with BigCommo, BigWireless, or MegaTech Industries."

"And we may well be." I said. "I mentioned BigAgraFoods because they are the Big Boy of the Big Boyz in Fillmore County, but the others may be involved, and hiding behind BigAgraFoods to conceal their own involvement. But that's speculating without data, so let's stop it and move along."

Me: "I noticed in the meeting earlier that Chief Moynahan seemed to be heavily involved in things. Was that the case?"

Teresa replied "Yes sir, he was a lot more involved and hands-on during the operation Saturday night and in the aftermath yesterday. He basically did what you would've done in contacting those other LEOs to execute the search warrants. And he didn't say anything, but I got the sense he was evaluating everyone, especially the Lieutenants and Captain Michaels while you weren't here to be our crutch."

"Okay, good." I said. "All right, Iron Wolf, would you like to review the video footage with me?..."

Part 3 - Data Points

Teresa and I went into the Main Conference Room, and I invited Captain Michaels to join us as we watched the video footage. First came the interviews, such as they were.

I said "One thing that is always important to observe is the suspect's legal representation. If you don't know the lawyer, and in a huge city like Los Angeles that's likely, you can still check them out. In our case here in the Town & County, and pretty much in the State, certain legal beagles are becoming more and more well known to us. For example, three of the four attorneys are employed by Gresham & Mason, P.C., which is a 'no-kidding' law firm both in this State and nationally."

Teresa said "They're actually a (air quotes) 'no-shit' law firm, but you're being nice in your language because ladies are present." Claire failed to stifle a chuckle.

"Well... one lady and one Iron Wolf." I said wickedly, earning me a full-bore 'Teresa Cunt' look from said Iron Wolf, and a 'WTF' look from Claire. I hastily continued: "Just kidding, ladies. Seriously, though, you're right. Gresham & Mason are the 'no shit' legal beagles that the Swamp Frogs call in when they need help against me. But let's go granular on this."

Me: "Edward N. Parker was the attorney for Dr. Nadler in the Lost Greuze case, and he was working for Mitt Willis and BigCommo in the Matheson murders case." (Author's note: 'Send In The Clowns', Ch. 03-04; 'Price No Object', Ch. 04-05.) "He tends to be called in for the smarter, higher-level suspects. So I'm going to go out on a limb and say Peter Segui is the smart guy, and may be the group's leader."

Me: "Chip Blake is somewhat the backup for the Jew Hater, Nathan Masterson, and has better interpersonal skills than Masterson. He, Blake, tends to handle the less (air quotes) 'touchy' cases and works behind the scenes. He is exactly who I'd expect to be asked to represent Michael Carlena, whose name they probably want to keep in the background if Carlena's grandfather is the cartel leader he's alleged to be, and also as a gesture of respect."

Me: "Max Chambliss is just a sleazy dirtbag. He's the one they send when they're obligated to defend a client but really couldn't care less about that client. He's the one sent to defend Grahamnesty Collins after the murder attempt on Governor Jared." (Author's note: 'Fire In The Hole', Ch. 02.)

Me: "If I were Maribel Isadora, I'd ask for a public defender. For Max Chambliss to be her attorney means that she is the sacrificial lamb in all of this. Would you not agree, Captain Michaels?"

"If you say so, sir." Claire replied, her eyes shrewd.

I said "And that leaves Carl Rojas, who we should note is not being represented by Gresham & Mason at all, but by the local-to-this-County firm of Gaston & Bertram, P.C. That could mean Gaston & Bertram either have or want closer ties to Gresham & Mason, but my edumacated guess is that G&B were called in because they are (air quotes) 'connected', and so is Carlos Rojas."

Teresa said "Because he's running houses of prostitution?"

"Exactly." I replied. "And who knows what else... maybe drugs, though we haven't found any at all."

Claire said "Rudistan reported that our drug dog Sergeant Tango sniffed around the car and did not alert, at all. So far we are coming up less than zero on drugs being involved."

"Okay, let's look at these videos." I said. As we ran through them, I said "Maribel's claims of Police brutality won't hold up. Laurer made a good, clean takedown and Maribel resisted arrest, and we've got it on Laurer's Officer-cam and the videocamera from Laurer's vehicle. Noooo problems there."

After going over more of the tapes, I said "In all cases, the suspects called their lawyers, conferred with their lawyers, and immediately fully invoked upon being asked the first question. No attempts to probe to see what We the Police had, what we were thinking. Nope, they just shut it off."

"Does that mean anything in particular to you, sir?" Teresa asked (since Claire didn't).

"Yes." I said. "It means there may be others they're trying to protect, or keep us from knowing about..."

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

11:20am. Lt. Theo Washington came to my office. I had him bring his team of Detectives Lisa Monroe and Roark Coleman in, and the third ''hot chair' was brought out of hiding and put where Tanya Muscone usually parks her wheelchair. Teresa Croyle sat on the sofa behind them. Roark sat in the near-side (to the door) chair, Lisa in the middle, and Theo in the far-side chair (by his choice).

"K'plaa! sir." Theo said. "We found two cellphones on Riverside Drive just before the turnoff to cross the bridge they used to get out of Town and into the farm areas. Fingerprints on one phone belong to Peter Segui, and the other phone had Michael Carlena's prints in abundance."

"Excellent!" I said.

Theo: "We took the phones to County Jail, but none of the four perps's fingers would open either phone. We then took them to the 9-1-1 center and called to get the numbers of the phones. They're burners, both bought at the local North Street Wal-Mart, though at different times, and they're different lot numbers."

"Interesting." I said. "These perps don't live anywhere near here, but they were caught here and their burner phones were bought here. Okay, Mr. Roark, you were about to say something in the meeting when Lieutenant Washington cut you off. I'm taking it that you did that, Lieutenant, because you wanted to hold back in front of Captain Michaels and Lieutenant Warner. So... tell me now."

"Yes sir." said Theo. "They've been openly mocking our ideas, and it's all three of us discussing these things. You saw in the meetings how they openly attacked Roark and then me when we tried to bring it up to you."

"That's why you're here now." I said. "So what is your theory?"

Theo gestured for Roark to talk, and Roark said "Sir, I believe those holders for cellphones were there so the cameras can record the people in the car. The hidden cameras were for the same purpose, and could be transmitted via the built-in WiFi to YouTube, TikTok, or more likely a private, limited-access website like OnlyFans."

"That definitely fits the data." I said. "So let's use our imaginations and try to understand why they're doing that."

Lisa Monroe said: "Sir, it may be a competition of some sort. Whoever can steal the most money, stuff like that, and they need to be recorded to verify what they've done."

I said "I like that idea, except they can do that simply by turning in or showing the money they stole. And I'd think they'd be on rampages of thefts instead of irregular ones if money totals are the goal. But like I said, you've got some good ideas there, especially if others are involved. So go gather more data, and be ready to tweak your ideas to conform with that data."

"Sir, I have one more thing." said Roark Coleman. I noticed looks of surprise on Theo and Lisa's faces as he went on: "What you just said, about rampages of thefts... I just realized that these guys have been good enough to consistently rob places but not get caught for months. They should be good enough to hit bigger targets... like banks, or the railroads. But they never have, at least to my knowledge."

"True..." I said thoughtfully, seeing where he was going.

Roark: "One would also think that they could be moving drugs, and a lot of it. But again... absolutely nothing to indicate they're dealing in drugs. And we've seen them occasionally run for the State Line, but we don't hear of any of this stuff going on in the other States in the region."

"Soooo..." I said, drawing Roark out.

Roark: "Sir, my thesis is that they have avoided doing anything to cause us to bring the Feds in, or have the Feds come in and take over. And I think they have done that consciously, figuring it into their actions."

"Guys?" I said to the others, inviting their participation in the conversation.

Lisa Monroe said "That's a good observation, Roark. My only objection is that they could be running drugs or engaging in multi-State operations, especially out of Southport, and we just don't know it yet."

Theo said "I agree that Roark has made a great observation, sir. My question, not an objection but just a question, is why would they commit crimes in the Iron Crowbar's County, but be afraid of the Feds?"

"Commander?" I said to Teresa.

"The only thing I'll say, sir," she replied, "is that if Mr. Roark keeps this up, a blue crowbar will be coming his way... in a good way."

"True." I said with a smile. "Okay, let's keep going. And all of you guys on Team Theo are invited to our lunch with the other jurisdictions's LEOs. You get to hear first of any data they've gotten, and you get to meet other good people around the State..."

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

After everyone else left the office, Teresa said "May I speak frankly, sir?"

I took the opportunity to look at her funny, then said "Of course. Always, when we're not in front of any others. What is it?"

Teresa said "I'll put it this way: how's that MCD 'team' concept working out for ya?"

I nodded in understanding, then said "In some ways, good. Theo is standing up for his people, especially Roark... and against his longtime partner Joanne. Flip side of that, of course, is that the onetime very close partnership of Theo and Joanne are now openly feuding." Teresa nodded vigorously in agreement.

I continued: "So the concept is working well, better than it may appear to be. The real problem here is the lack of leadership, or perhaps I should say one-way-focused leadership, of Captain Michaels is showing itself... as is the lack of professionalism from Lieutenant Warner."

Teresa said "Do you want me to say something to Claire about it?"

"Uh, no." I said. "It's my job and my place to do it. Don't say anything to either of them, not even off the record... unless, of course, a situation is escalating to a point where you need to... and I trust you to know when that line is crossed." Teresa again nodded vigorously in agreement...

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

11:50am, Monday, October 4th. They began trickling in, some with evidence under at least two-man control, which was subsequently transferred to our custody with all the paperwork correctly done.

First were Midtown Detectives Nell Bell and Eric Hannum. With them was SBI-OER Agent Ted Orosco, formerly of the TCPD's Internal Affairs. "Yes sir," he said to me as we shook hands, "I helped these guys out. I used to be with the Midtown Police, you know. They asked for some SBI help, so I led the search of Carl Rojas's place in Jacksonville, then helped them with the other ones."

As I greeted Nell Bell, I said "And it will be Lieutenant Nell Bell very soon, won't it?"

"Shhh." Nell Bell said. "It's still a secret. Sort of. Of course, nothing gets past you, Mr. Crowbar." I grinned and congratulated her.

From Southport came Southport PD Lieutenant Eugene Graham, with whom we'd worked a few times before. (Author's note: 'Dark Side of the Force', Ch. 02-03; 'Riverboat Gambler', Ch. 01-02.) Eugene was black, and with him was a younger white man with black hair, clean-cut, lithe but in shape, with dark, peering eyes.