Shipping and Handling Ch. 04

"It's downright anorexic." I said agreeably.

"So are you going to ask Jack about it?" Cindy asked.

"I don't know." I said. "He may be acting under orders from Washington. And something big really is going on at the Federal level about all this. My first educated guess is that they're seeing what you and I are seeing... that this smuggling ring has been serving the Establishment Elites, who were connected with groups like Superior Bloodlines and those CIA rogue cells that we crushed."

"That was 'you', not 'we', that crushed them, mon cousin." Cindy said. "But I get the point and I agree with you. What are your other 'educated guesses'?"

"It has occurred to me that someone within the Federal ranks wants to bust this ring and take all the credit." I said. "And I'd be more than happy to let them have all that credit, if they'd just stop treating me as if I'm an Agency of the Weak Minded."

"I've never thought of Jack Muscone as being that kind of guy." Cindy said. "So maybe its others in the FBI?"

"Or the DEA." I said. "Or the CIA, for that matter..." I stopped as a new train of thought boarded at the station. When I finally came out of the reverie, I was alone in my office...

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

11:00am, Saturday, March 30th. The Bell 206 helicopter landed at the State Government Complex outside of Rocktown. Julia Rodriguez, Teddy Parker, and Eric Hannum got out and went inside.

"Welcome to Rocktown." said the SDOJ Regional Director for Rocktown and the Southeast part of the State, Mark Grantham. "Polk County Deputies brought in Dr. and Mrs. Farris just a few minutes ago." Julia introduced herself and her colleagues as Sheriff Ormond came up to them.

"How did they react to being brought in?" Julia asked.

"He seemed confused about it all." said Sheriff Ormond. "She was pretty pissed off."

"Did either of them invoke?" asked Teddy Parker.

"No." said Ormond, "but she might, just as soon as she finds out what this is about."

"They're in separate interrogation rooms?" Julia asked.

"Yes, just like you asked us." said Ormond.

"We appreciate all your help, as does our Chief and Commander." Detective Rodriguez said.

"Glad to be of help." said Ormond. Grantham nodded.

"Okay guys," said Julia, "Eric, you're with me; we're going to talk to Dr. Nate Farris, then his wife Donna Farris. Teddy, Sheriff Ormond is going to escort you to executing that warrant at the Farris home."

"I always get the short straw, don't I?" Parker said with a wan smile. "I'll meet you back here." He departed with Sheriff Ormond. Grantham excused himself and went back to his office. Julia and Eric went into the interrogation room where Dr. Nate Farris was sitting.

"Dr. Farris, I'm Detective Julia Rodriguez of the Town & County Police, and this is Detective Eric Hannum of the Midtown Police." Julia said as she and Eric sat down opposite Dr. Farris. "We need to ask you some follow-up questions about your recent move to Rocktown."

"Uh, my wife said you guys found the furniture that disappeared, didn't you?" Dr. Farris said.

"We need to ask some clarifying questions." Julia said. "First of all, were you at your old home in the City, at 31 Hudson Street, when the movers came to get your stuff?"

"Er, no." said Farris. "I was driving one of our cars here ahead of time, to open the new home for the movers when they got here. But they never showed up."

"You left before the moving truck arrived? When did you leave to come down here?" Julia asked.

"Yes. The day before, with the kids." said Farris.

"How many trucks were used to pick up your belongings?" Eric asked.

"One, as far as I know." Dr. Farris said.

"So you don't know for sure that it was one truck?" Julia asked sharply.

"My wife said one truck came." said Dr. Farris. "I don't know why she would tell me that if it weren't true."

"Of course." said Julia. "So when you were planning your move, did you plan to load up everything, or leave some things behind?"

"We were planning to get some new appliances, and some new furniture for the kids." Farris said. "So we left the old stuff behind. My wife said she'd use the old stuff to stage the house for sale, then either the new owners could buy it all, or she'd arrange to have it sold."

"Have you been back to the house on 31 Hudson Street, Dr. Farris?" asked Eric Hannum.

"No, I've been very busy since coming down here." said Dr. Farris...

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

Teddy Parker and Sheriff Ormond came to the Farris's home in Rocktown. Possibly by coincidence, it was the house once owned and lived in by the family of Larry Wheeler. (Author's note: 'Whistleblower'.)

Parker's knock was answered by an elderly lady. "Hello, Mrs. Parsons." said Sheriff Ormond. "This is Detective Parker, and we have a warrant to look around the home."

"Oh my." said Mrs. Parsons. "Come in, then."

"Mrs. Parsons is the Presbyterian minister's wife." said the Sheriff as they went inside.

"Yes, I'm keeping the children while the parents are at Police Headquarters." said Mrs. Parsons. "I do hope they're not in trouble."

"They had some items stolen from them, ma'am." said Parker. "We're following up on that."

"Oh yes, they had such a time with that." said Mrs. Parsons. "But Mrs. Farris said the stolen items were recovered, were they not?"

"Some of them were, ma'am." said Parker, who was looking around the house, and being observed by three wide-eyed children. "I see they bought new appliances and furniture?"

"Oh yes." said Mrs. Parsons. "They were delivered a few days ago, so that the house was ready when they came down."

"Okay, thank you for your time, ma'am." said Teddy Parker. He and Ormond left.

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

Julia and Eric entered the interrogation room of Donna Farris. "Hello, Mrs. Farris. I'm Detective Julia Rodriguez and you know Detective Hannum."

"What's this about?" Donna Farris asked harshly.

"Follow-up questions regarding your stolen furniture." said Julia. "First, are these the two men that picked up your furniture at your home on 31 Hudson Street?" She showed photos of Saidy and Meadows.

"Yes, those are the men that picked up our stuff." said Donna.

"And to confirm, that is the right address, 31 Hudson Street?' asked Eric Hannum."

"Uh, yeah." Mrs. Farris said, her voice a bit sarcastic as she looked skeptically at Hannum.

"Did the movers pick up all of your stuff?" asked Julia.

"I went over this with you guys already." said Donna Farris.

"Yes, and we're just clarifying some things." said Julia. "Let me ask another way: when the movers picked up your things, was anything left behind, or was everything taken?"

"A few things were left behind." said Donna, as if reciting a memorized lesson. "Some of the old appliances in the kitchen were not brought with us, and some of the furniture."

"And everything was moved in only one truck, is that right?" asked Eric.

"Yes." said Donna. " Again, we've gone over this already. Why do you keep asking the same things over and over? You're wasting my time."

"Do you have a problem cooperating with our investigation, Mrs. Farris?" Julia asked, her voice harsh. Her tone was designed to get a reaction out of Mrs. Farris.

"I have a problem with you wasting my time asking the same questions repeatedly." said Donna Farris, not backing down at all. "I have a problem with not being able to get our furniture back, also. So what is your problem, Detective?" she barked, locking her eyes with Julia's.

Eric Hannum interjected: "Let me ask some fresh questions, then, which I know have not been asked of you before. Was your husband with you when the movers came to your home to load up your furniture?"

"No." said Donna. "He went ahead the day before in one of our cars. After he found his new job, he had to report to it immediately."

"Did he take any of your belongings with him?" Eric asked.

"Yes. Our kids." Donna said. Seeing that the joke had fallen completely flat, she said. "He also took some clothes, some items we wanted to keep with us instead of being put in the moving truck."

"Like what?" Julia asked.

"Personal items." Donna said.

"Specifically, what?" Julia pressed.

"None of your god-damned business!" Donna snarled. She stood up. "I've had enough of this. I'm leaving."

"Sit down, Mrs. Farris. We're not done yet." said Julia.

"Am I under arrest?" Donna yelled. "Unless I'm under arrest, I'm leaving---"

Her move to leave was blocked by Julia. "Sit down, Mrs. Farris, now! You are not free to go. You are being detained as a material witness until we get some answers. If you want to play it the 'under arrest' way, if you try to leave, I'll oblige you and take you through full booking, charge you with obstruction of justice, and make damn sure you have a felony criminal record once I'm done. So either sit down, or try to leave and be arrested."

"Then do it." said Julia. She attempted to leave. She opened the door to find a tall, broad-shouldered redhead in black clothing, a khaki trenchcoat, and the ubiquitous Tilley Hat in the doorway blocking her path. And yes, it was the red crowbar in his hands that gave his identity away.

"It won't do, Mrs. Farris." I said. "Get back in there. Detective Rodriguez, read Mrs. Farris her considerable rights, and facilitate her getting a lawyer to represent her... for my interrogation of her..."

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

As we waited for Mrs. Farris's lawyer to arrive, we congregated in the hallway outside the interrogation rooms. Julia Rodriguez asked "How did you get here so fast, sir?"

"That Cobra really does fly fast." I said with a grin. "It also burns a lot of fuel, so I will be getting a spanking from Chief Moynahan sooooonnnn."

Julia and Teddy chuckled at my excellent imitation of our Chief, then Teddy reported what he found at the Farris home: "All brand new appliances, sir. Refrigerator is stainless steel, side-by-side doors with freezer in the bottom. Microwave is top-of-the-line. Washer and dryer are brand spanking new. Please don't let Janice see them, or she'll demand I buy her a set for Christmas." We chuckled at Parker's joke referring to his girlfriend Janice Holloway.

"Television monitor is at least a 52 inch screen, and of course they have the DVD player for the kids." continued Parker. "And there's not much furniture in the house, but the kids have all new beds. And the master bedroom suite... well, one day I just might buy Janice something like that for us." Julia grinned at Teddy's hopes for his and Janice's future.

"Good report, Teddy." I said. "Thanks."

"Sir," said Julia, "this isn't like those other cases. No insurance claims have been made, the right truck apparently came and was waylaid, instead of a fake truck coming in..."

"Maybe." I said. "The murder changed everything about this one, if I am reading the riddle correctly. Oh, here comes the legal beagle. Hello, Mr. Stapler. Pretty long way from Southport, you are."

"And you're not exactly close to your home Town & County, Commander Troy." said Rick Stapler, who had represented Tiffany Grundfeld and her husband during the 'Riverboat Gambler' case. "Why are you here at all?"

"Why, you Gresham & Mason lawyers should always be glad to see me.." I said. "The number of billable hours you're generating because of me? You should be loving me by now."

"I hate your guts." said Stapler "You're nothing but trouble." I grinned, though surprised at Stapler's candid honesty.

"You here to represent Donna Farris?" I asked. Stapler affirmed it, and I said "She's in there. Go ahead on in, and call me when you're ready." After he went inside, I said quietly to the others: "That's interesting. He has his own law firm, but I happen to know he has connections to Gresham & Mason, P.C., the Establishment Elites's law firm of choice. This could be something big. Let me take the lead on the questioning..."

Part 16 - The Empty House

Detectives Julia Rodriguez and Eric Hannum came into the interrogation room with me. Julia and I sat at the table opposite Donna Farris and her attorney Rick Stapler. Eric sat in a chair against the wall behind us.

"Is my client under arrest, and if so, with what is she being charged?" asked Stapler.

"First of all," I said, "I'm going to read your client her legal rights." I did so from the card. "Do you understand the rights?" I asked.

"I've told her not to answer any questions except through me." said the beagle. "Once again, is she under arrest?"

"She is being detained... under arrest, if you insist upon stating it that way... as a material witness in the theft of her property, which was found in my home County." I said.

"You cannot be serious." said Stapler. "It was her property, which she legally cannot steal. She filed no insurance claims, so there's no potential for fraud there. Just what in the world can she be a material witness to?"

"First of all," I said, "there are discrepancies between her story and the actual facts on hand, and Lying to Police is a felony crime in this State."

"That's a Federal crime, not a State one." Stapler tried. It was a poor try.

"Believe it or not, Mr. Stapler," I said, "this State's Legislature actually passed some laws in recent years. One of those is a State version of the Federal law. Knowingly lying to local or State LEOs is a felony crime here, as is failing to follow an LEO's lawful and reasonable instructions. So you need to begin representing your client a lot more honestly." Stapler's face reddened at that.

"What is the alleged lie my client told?" Stapler asked wearily, as if we were making up things.

"When her truck full of furniture was found in our County," I said, "we began investigating. Your client confirmed with earlier answers today that her old home, from where the furniture was picked up, was 31 Hudson Street in the City. They have an excellent Neighborhood Watch in that neighborhood. Your client stated that only one truck came to pick up her things, and that some items were left behind."

"But as part of our investigation," I continued, leaning forward as I played one of my cards, "a search was made of that home at that address... and it was found to be empty... completely empty. Somewhere along the way, Mrs. Farris, there is a discrepancy in what you've told us."

"Maybe those left-behind items were stolen after my client left." said Stapler. I smiled a sardonic smile.

"You don't seem to be listening to me." I replied. "I said that there was a very good Neighborhood Watch in that neighborhood. They've confirmed that there were no other vehicles that came to the house."

"And you're going to try to use that to prove a Class E felony?" asked Stapler derisively. "Is this really how you try to get results?"

"Well, I don't insist on it." I said, making Stapler blink... and Julia blink, too. "But if her old appliances are found, or we find they're being sold off, you're going to have to explain some things, Mrs. Farris. Your husband's medical license could be revoked."

"My husband had nothing to do----" began Mrs. Farris, but her lawyer stopped her, and saved her. He whispered something to her.

Then he said "I'm also representing Dr. Farris, and I demand you not speak to him unless I'm present."

"You can't do that." I said. "He has to ask for you and invoke himself. But we digress. My point is that your story does not add up, Mrs. Farris, and you need to make it add up, or we're going to be digging deep, very deep into your life. You obviously are a favored employee of Edward Blassingame, for example. He even had you follow him from SPS to BigAgraFoods, and you got a nice bonus for that."

"That has nothing to do with any of this!" Stapler all but shouted. His protestations had not stopped me from observing what I had been looking to observe: Mrs. Farris's reaction, which was less shock than pure fear.

"Go ahead and invoke now." said Stapler, to Donna.

"Before you do," I said, knowing it was time to play my trump card, "and I'm not stopping you from doing it, and I'm not asking you any more questions before you decide... but you need to know this: we're not just investigating the theft of your property, Mrs. Farris. My Detective showed you two photographs and asked if they were the men that came and moved your furniture. You confirmed that they were."

"So what?" yelled Stapler.

"Mrs. Farris," I said, not even acknowledging the lawyer's existence, "both of those men have been found dead. Murdered. One of them was in the truck which had your furniture in it. The other was found last night in the City, murdered execution-style. And I'll again point out that we know you have a close relationship with Edward Blassingame, which will undoubtably become very public when we release our Police report of those murders to the Press."

"I need to speak privately with my client." Stapler said immediately, his eyes staring at something minuscule on the table between me and Julia.

"No doubt about that." I said. We Detectives all got up and left the room.

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

"She just about lost her cookies when you mentioned the murders and then immediately mentioned Blassingame." Julia Rodriguez said when we were back in the hallway. "I'm not saying this to kiss up, sir, but nobody does interrogations like you do."

"I am kissing up." Eric said humorously. "That was awesome."

"Give yourselves a lot of credit." I replied. "You asked the questions I told you to, which totally boxed her in and cut off any attempts at excuses the lawyer was trying to think of."

"Think she'll crack?" asked Julia.

"I dunno." I said. "What would you guys do now?"

"She really got defensive when you brought up taking her husband's medical license away." said Eric. "Maybe we press along those lines?"

"Julia?" I asked.

Julia replied: "I got the impression she was only worried about that because it would take her husband's means of income away, which would affect her children. She may not care about her husband; she may even be having a sexual affair with Blassingame. But she wants to be sure her children are cared for."

"Let that be a lesson, Eric." I said to Eric. "This is not sexist, but a hard, cold truth: women understand those things better than we men do." Eric just nodded.

"So," I said to Julia, "what do you want to do with Dr. Farris?"

"Sir, I don't think he knows anything." Julia said. "His wife sent him down ahead of the move."

"She also insisted upon coming up alone to identify their furniture." said Hannum. "Seemed innocent at the time, but with 20/20 hindsight..."

"Sir, are you thinking we should try to drive a wedge between them?" Julia asked. "Put thoughts into his head?"

"I'm sorely tempted." I said. "But if she really is innocent in all this... and she' not... I'd hate to do that to their kids. No, we'll keep that trump card in our back pockets for now. And he's likely enough to figure it out on his own..."

We were called back into the interrogation room, only to listen to Mrs. Farris invoke her Fifth Amendment rights...

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

We saw Sheriff Ormond coming up to us in the hallway. "Sheriff, I appreciate all your help..." I began, but he held up his hand, which held a cellphone.

"Commander, I just got word that U.S. Senator Russell tried to call me a few minutes ago." Ormond said. "Would you like to listen in when I call him back?" I grinned.

We went outside, and Ormond dialed a number on his cellphone. Whoever answered said to hold, then we heard on speaker: "This is Senator Russell."

"Senator, this is Sheriff Ormond." said Sheriff Ormond. "You just called me?"

"What's that noise I'm hearing?" Russell asked. "You on speaker?"

"I'm outside, Senator." Ormond truthfully replied.