Schools and the Second Ch. 01

Bettina: "And in State news, the State House Judiciary Committee continues to hear from witnesses that claim deeply unpopular Governor Val Jared made an illegal phone call to coordinate with the Federal ICE Bureau the arrests and deportations of undocumented workers in a quid pro quo agreement. State Democrats are demanding that Governor Jared resign or face impeachment for his racist actions."

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

"Commander Troy made a comment to the press?" asked Commander Troy, that being me.

"No, you didn't." said Deputy Chief Cindy Ross. "The TCPD put out that statement about you, but it was not in your name nor did we imply in any way that it was from you."

We were drinking coffee in the Chief's Conference Room. To say the mood of the room was 'unhappy' would be a huge understatement.

"We need to force a retraction." growled Sheriff Griswold.

"Mizzzz Ross," said Chief Moynahan, "have Captain Thompson publicly demand a retraction by KXTC."

"That won't be enough." I said, getting out my personal iPhone and tapping out a text message. "I'm going to have Mike Todd file a slander lawsuit against KXTC. I'd prefer to file criminal charges and put Burt West and Betting Wurtzburg in jail... hint, hint."

"I'll speak to the District Attorney about that." said Sheriff Griswold, after a long moment of silence in which Chief Moynahan did not speak at all.

"What's with the Deputy Attorney General's speech?" asked Tanya. "It's not even an Election year, and he just put every one of his fellow Democrats behind the eight ball on the gun rights issue."

"I'm normally a political atheist." said Cindy Ross. "But gun rights is the one issue I totally side with Conservatives on---"

"That makes you a political heretic, not a political atheist." replied Teresa Croyle astutely.

"What I'm trying to say," Cindy said, "is that the gun rights issue is not a winner for the Democrats, just as the Abortion issue is a loser for the Republicans and the Christian Right. That speech can only harm the Democrats, so why make it at all, election year or otherwise?"

"They obviously think they can make something of it." I replied. "Why, I don't know. Maybe their pollsters are telling them something." I got up.

"Where are you going, Mr. Crowbarrrr?" asked the Chief.

"If you'll excuse me, Chief," I said, "I have two things to do. One is to tell the Detectives that I did not make that statement to the Press. The other is to email the entire Police Force and tell them the same thing." With that, I left the room, not stopped by anyone. I headed to MCD...

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

9:05am, Friday, May 3d. Mike G. Todd called and said that the lawsuit against KXTC had been filed, and that papers would be served to Burt West within the hour. Mike said that he included language in the lawsuit that any retraction was not sufficient and that the lawsuit would not be retracted, and any dismissal of it would be appealed. He also said he'd filed a complaint with the FCC, and asked that KXTC's television and radio licenses be revoked.

Ten minutes later, Cindy knocked on my door, and I had her come in. She remained standing as she said "KXTC called and said they'd issue a correction of your authorship of that statement if you withdraw your lawsuit against them."

I shook my head. "No." I said, calmly but strongly. "I'm in it to the bitter end. I intend to have them shut down."

"That's what I thought you'd say." Cindy said. "I'll have Captain Thompson---"

*BRING!* *BRING!* *BRING!* *BRING!*

It was my Police iPhone ringing, and it was FBI Special Agent in Charge Jack Muscone on the other end. "Hi Jack." I said in answering.

"Hi Don." said Muscone. "I'll be over there in ten minutes. Something's up. Something big..."

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

Sheriff Griswold had never left Police Headquarters, and he joined me, the Chief, Cindy, and Teresa in the Main Conference Room. Moments later, Jack Muscone, Martin Nash, and Julius Jefferson arrived, but they were not alone.

"Ladies and gentlemen," said Muscone, "this is Executive Assistant Director Owen Lange." Lange looked to be in his 50s, with a sallow face, dark penetrating eyes, and a bald spot surrounded by a ring of brown-black hair. He was 'not tall', maybe 5'9", and was relatively slender: 'wiry', I would call him. I surmised that he might be part Hispanic.

He did not speak to anyone, but fixed his eyes upon me. "So," he said, his voice gruff like that of a chain smoker, "you're the Iron Crowbar?"

"Yes sir." I said, holding his gaze.

"Think you can whip my ass?" Lange said, to everyone's shock. I met the challenge:

"Yes." I said simply.

"Let's find out." said Lange. "Got a gym around here?"

"Yes sir, and it's set up for our Police Boxing Matches." I said.

"Good. Let's go." said Lange. We headed down the hall, followed by an absolutely stunned Police Leadership and FBI Team Lazarus.

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

"Helmets are required, and there's noooo getting out of that." drawled Chief Moynahan as he handed Lange one of the football helmets we used in the Boxing Matches. We had changed clothes into gym shorts and t-shirts, Lange's being provided by the TCPD as a courtesy, me wearing my own gear.

"Crowbars or no crowbars?" Lange asked me as we faced off in one of the boxing rings, with Julius Jefferson as the referee.

"I'll make it easy for you." I said. "None."

"So be it." said Lange.

"Box!" yelled Jefferson, and we were on! We circled each other some, trying to feel things out, then Lange made a feint towards me. I felt Cindy watching closely, getting good 'intel' on me for a possible match in the all-important Police Boxing Matches, and I let that go as I concentrated on Lange. He feinted again, and I moved as if to attack. He attempted to engage, and I made a fairly simple Aikido maneuver and flipped him past me.

He rolled with it, and was back on his feet immediately, showing me that not only was he in excellent condition, but that he was good, very good. But I was observing his tactics, and deduced where and with whom he'd trained: Navy SEALs, if I did not miss my guess.

And I didn't. He came at me more aggressively, attempting a takedown. I anticipated that he'd maneuver out of it into a more martial arts maneuver, and thus countered his move efficiently. He went down again, this time harder. But as I moved in to press the advantage, he efficiently rolled out of it, throwing me over him. I rolled with it, and we were back on our feet immediately.

"I heard you had a bad back." Lange said. "Doesn't seem to be bothering you very much."

"Gonna take a lot more than Navy SEAL tactics to bother it." I replied. I saw the slight glimmer in his dark eyes, and knew that I had the psychological advantage on him. And I pressed that advantage.

I moved in swiftly, and he countered as expected. That enabled me to utilize a very advanced Aikido maneuver that I'd never tried before outside the martial arts studios where Carole and I were taking our Aikido lessons. But it worked.

*WHAM!*

I slammed Lange down onto his back, hard. It affected him. I could've gone for the 'kill', but let him get back up. Then, just to show Cindy what I could do, I engaged him again, and this time I slammed his chest to the mat and had his arm secured behind him.

"All right, what's the safe word?" Lange gasped.

"Yield, Mr. Director." I said.

"I yield." I let him go, then helped him up.

"You're as good as they said you were." said Lange. I went over and got the two sets of armor in the corner, and handed one to him, then put the other on. Then I got my red crowbar and handed him an international orange crowbar.

"Encore une partie?" I asked.

"Why not?" replied Lange. We engaged in crowbar battle, and I'm not sorry to say that it was not close. The clangs and whangs of iron-on-iron echoed through the gym as I pressed a terrific attack. Soon my crowbar blows were hitting his armor protection. Then I did one of Teresa's favorite maneuvers and took Lange's crowbar away and slammed him to the mats. It was over, and Lange admitted it.

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

Back in the Main Conference Room, Lange said "Thank you for indulging me in that little demonstration of alpha-male games, Commander. You really are as good as I've heard... and you'll need to be, for what's coming."

"Yes sir." I said. "And you're pretty damned good yourself. I appreciate the chance to practice for the upcoming Boxing Matches." It is possible that I looked at Cindy and Teresa as I said that. Cindy grimaced. Teresa didn't bat an eyelash.

"So, now that I've introduced myself to the Iron Crowbar, let me introduce myself to the rest of you." said Lange. "My name is Owen Lange, and I'm the new Executive Assistant Director of the FBI's Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch, known as CCRSB. As such, I'm directly over SAC Muscone and Team Lazarus. I was previously with the Navy SEALs, and Lieutenant Commander Waring was one of my people when he was younger. I was an EAD within the Navy structure, NCIS specifically, before moving over to the FBI in a similar capacity."

"I've read up on all of you," said Lange, "from Colonel Moynahan's military and Police careers, to Captain Croyle's father's career and her own outstanding heroism, and Commander Ross and Commander Troy's incredible actions. No one I've known has anything on your team, Sheriff Griswold."

"You got that right, Mr. Assistant Director!" said Griswold, his mustaches twitching with pride.

"Okay, Muscone, go ahead." said Lange.

"Thank you, sir." said Jack. "I was on my way here anyway when Assistant Director Lange arrived, but I'm glad you're getting to meet him, and he you."

Muscone then got to it: "There's several things going on, all involving you in this County. First, I just found out that Bob Rovers's BAU unit never left the City."

"Were they supposed to?" asked Chief Moynahan.

"I was told they'd been recalled to Washington after their disastrous intervention in your recent Fraternity case." said Muscone. "But they never did leave."

Owen Lange said "And that apparently came from someone far above my pay grade, maybe above the entire FBI's."

"What we don't understand, is why." said Muscone. "We had the idea that Rovers was trying to run interference for Edward Blassingame when you began pinning his son to the rape and murder charges he's facing. But that's all but over, and you've got Peter Blassingame inside hoops of steel. So why have they stayed in this area?"

"Are they basing in the Federal Building in the City?" I asked.

"No sir." said Martin Nash. "And as some background, BAU teams are made to be mobile, and can go anywhere in the country. Rovers's team is in a building near City Airport, where they have fast access to air transportation there or road transportation via the Interstate. We've been trying to monitor their communications, but can't get a fix on them."

"If memory serves me correctly," I said, "the CIA had a secret facility near the Airport that no one knew about." A facility I'd very nearly died at, I thought to myself. (Author's note: 'Dream Weaver', Ch. 03-04.) "Is this something similar?"

"No, it's more like they're in some office space, and just not generating any ELINT signatures." said Jack.

"Do they know you know they're there?" asked Cindy Ross.

"If they have moles in our offices in the City," said Nash, "they well could know. We are wondering if they're monitoring us."

"My thought is that they're there just to keep your attention on them." Cindy said. "And by watching them, you're attention is diverted from other things."

"That's Green Crowbar thinking, there." I said. Cindy and I exchanged thumbs-ups. "But no... I don't think that's why they're there. They'd situate themselves here in our Town & County if they wanted to distract us, or if it had anything to do with Blassingame. No, they're up to something... they're waiting for something..."

"Before you go into a reverie," said Muscone, seeing the 'symptoms', "there's something else, and this is classified, hush-hush stuff. We're getting word that the Deputy Attorney General of the US is going to come here... to this Town & County. Ostensibly to take up the civil rights issues generated by Eldrick X. Weaver and your arrest of Reginald B.F. Lewis, and all that Council stuff."

"That's the stuff they're telling you." said Owen Lange. "What I've learned is that he wants to have a gun control rally, maybe on the University campus, or somewhere in the primarily black districts of Town, on the southside."

"Any intel on that, Teresa?" I asked.

"No sir." said Captain Croyle. "Not yet, anyway. And we've got our ears tuned to it, what with those Antifa people generating trouble at every Council meeting. I'll have people sniff around, see what they dig up."

"Would they really be dumb enough to do something here, of all places?" asked Martin Nash.

"Depends on their goal, Agent Nash." I replied. "It depends on their goal..."

Part 6 - Banter

6:30pm, Friday, May 3rd. I was sitting with Cindy, Teresa, Todd, Tanya, Jack Muscone, and Sheriff Griswold on the outside deck of the Cop Bar, having beef nachos and beer. A fire was going in the fire pot. Inside, Jerome Davis was treating the MCD Detectives to similar foods and beer in the 'old' back room.

"Your boss is an interesting character, Jack." said Teresa. "Comes in, challenges the Iron Crowbar to a beatdown match. What was he thinking?"

"I think we were seeing some psychology, there." said Jack. "As well as a unique way of evaluating Don."

"Y'all shouldn't complain, my fellow Angels." said Tanya Perlman. "You got a free look at Don's tactics for the Boxing Matches. And he may have been Don's toughest test."

"He wasn't playing." I said. "He's got skills."

"What is your evaluation of his skills." asked Muscone.

"Very good." I said. "It was obvious that he's had extensive military close quarters combat training, and likely some experience in places around the world."

"Special Forces?" Cindy asked.

"Navy SEALs, I think." I said. "And to your previous comments about that, he's on par with the Green Berets, maybe a hair better."

"Crowbar fodder." Cindy said. Her respect for basic military personal combat tactics was... lacking.

"Girl, that was not Crowbar fodder that I was watching." Teresa said. "I'm glad you didn't have to fight him when he was twenty-something, Don. And as easily as you whipped him, there's no way anyone is going to beat you in the Matches."

"Yeah, but you already knew that." I said with a grin. "And no, you have no chance as I take your title away from you and claim it for myself."

"Oh, ko!" Teresa exclaimed, using Japanese slang.

"Oh, ko!" I said back. We exchanged the two-finger eye-pointing 'salutes'. Sheriff Griswold's mustaches were twitching merrily.

"You've got two rounds this weekend." said Tanya. "Better dig in to these delicious nachos." That was sarcasm: we were already digging in and had ordered more.

"It's what happened after that match that has me worried." said Cindy, though her appetite was not affected by any worry. "Why is any FBI unit sneaking around like they are? I could understand if it was a CIA unit, but not the FBI."

"Maybe they are a CIA unit," said Todd, "masquerading as an FBI unit."

"That's Iron Crowbar thinking, there." growled Griswold. "What, you related to the guy or something?" Everyone chuckled.

"It's a good point." I said. "But I've checked and Laura's checked. They're FBI, just potentially controlled by the Swamp Frogs."

"Is the Rovers gang controlling Trent and Quint?" Cindy asked. "Maybe they're going to try to bust Peter Blassingame and Susan Dougherty out of County Jail."

Teresa said "If they try, they will die. I've had some no-shit discussions with Abram and Irwin. We've seriously beefed up security; the isolation wing is on total lockdown. And I know I'm not supposed to say this out loud, but if there is any attempt to free those two by violent force, Peter and Susan will most unfortunately be killed in the crossfire, so sorry."

"Say what out loud?" I replied. "I didn't hear a thing."

"I think I heard a call for more beer." Cindy said, holding up an empty pitcher.

"I'm on it." said Todd, who got up, took the pitcher, and went inside.

"So, Teresa," I said, "are you ready for your first round match tomorrow?"

"Why does Officer Jeremy Hatch even bother to enter?" Teresa said. "He can barely handle his Police baton, as it is."

"For some, it's just to say they did it." I said. "And some see it as a motivator to improve. We've had great turnouts in the mornings for PT, and the weaponless defense classes."

"I'm glad you went to those morning PT sessions, Crowbar." growled the Sheriff. "And you better win your second round match, or I will never let you forget it."

"Who set up those brackets?" I asked, making Tanya grin happily and her eyes sparkle. If all went per the rankings, I'd face Chief Moynahan in the 2d round.

"I suspect Tanya was bribed with doughnuts by our Chief." said Cindy. "Just to say he fought the Iron Crowbar in the Boxing Matches."

"I neither confirm nor deny those allegations." Tanya said with another big grin.

"Hell," I said, "all you gotta do is become an FBI EAD if you want a shot at me." We all laughed. Todd brought out more beer, and we ate a lot more nachos. It was all fun, right now...

Part 7 - Gathering Clouds

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Channel Two News!" said the redheaded reporterette from the corner of College and University Avenues, with the University in the background, at 7:00am, Monday, May 6th. "Channel Two News has learned that the Deputy Attorney General of the United States is planning to visit our University in the coming days!"

Bettina began: "The Deputy AG's trip is being called a 'fact finding' mission regarding civil rights complaints made to the US DOJ by local officials. The Deputy AG said he is 'disturbed' by a local judge not including votes from a primarily black district in last November's Mayoral race, and he wants to know more about Commander Donald Troy's violent arrest of the only black Town & County Council member."

Bettina: "The Deputy A.G. also has been invited by University Professor of Political Science Lionel Carmela to give a speech on the Deputy A.G.'s recent theme of sensible gun control measures. In a statement to Channel Two News, Dr. Carmela says he strongly supports the Deputy A.G.'s call for much stronger gun control measures, and is happy to give the Deputy A.G. a platform to discuss views not in jackbooted lockstep with those of the NRA."

Bettina: "The Deputy A.G. did not say if he'd meet with representatives of Undocumented Workers regarding the racist tactics of oppression against them by deeply unpopular Governor Val Jared. He does intend to hold conferences with State Democrats on issues of racial tolerance during his visit."

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

I heard Chief Moynahan groan as he settled into his chair as we, the Usual Suspects, drank coffee in the Chief's Conference Room. "You okay, Chief?" I asked. "I've got some aspirin or ibuprofen, if you need it."

"What I neeeeeed, Mr. Crowbar," said the Chief, "is about 24 hours in a hot whirlpool bath."

"And the scary thing," said Sheriff Griswold, "was that he took it easy on you, Cav."

Yes, the first two rounds of the Police Boxing Matches (Freestyle Division) went as expected. Chief Moynahan had looked pretty good against Patrolman Drew in the first round, taking him down in the second round. I'd dispatched Officer Joanne Laurer 30 seconds into the first round.