Shipping and Handling Ch. 05

"And the others?" the Sheriff asked.

"Jack Muscone came to my office this morning." I said. "He is really being muzzled and pressured, I can tell. So he gave me a clue in an offhand comment he made. He said that our Town & County and me, were 'Ground Zero' in the Swamp Frog Elitists's war against the Side of Right. Besides the obvious nuke reference pun, I think he was letting me know that Trent and Quint and the Shimono Gang are either here, or coming here."

"Oh, great." said Cindy. "That's all we need."

The Sheriff had a peculiar look on his face. After a moment, he said "Miss Ross, would you mind checking on my wife. She may be thinking she needs to teach those other mothers how to change a diaper or something." Cindy chuckled, but got the hint and went inside.

"You're going to ask what Muscone wouldn't, aren't you Sheriff?" I asked, quite sure.

"Yes, yes I am." Griswold said. "Edward Blassingame was desperate in going in and browbeating the hell out of District Attorney Walters. She's a tough lady, she could've handled it, but she texted you to come in. And you did. And you let him know you were going to be your usual relentless self in pursuing Farley and Tolson. You put out the loudest, most public APBs possible, telling the very world their names, making them useless to Blassingame for future operations, and therefore expendable."

I smiled as the Sheriff continued: "You didn't mention Trent and Quint, who I, and all of us who know and love you, know full well are the greatest threat. But you mentioned Farley and Tolson... and they came over all dead. Satisfy an old cat's curiosity on that, would you? And don't tell me you had any expectation they'd be found alive once you whispered their names into Blassingame's ears."

"No, I didn't." I said. "I knew we'd never get a conviction for Saidy's murder; even if we caught Farley or Quint, they'd say Tolson did it, and vice versa. So, I put out the blast for them."

I continued: "I don't think Shimono and Barsbane are working directly for Blassingame. They're their own little cell, doing their own thing to a point. Trent and Quint, and The Geek as well, are likely working for a Swamp Frog, but I'm not sure who. So I knew that Blassingame would never give up Quint, even he wanted to. So I put out the word for the other two, both cold-blooded killers. And sure enough, they turned up."

"And no way to get them alive?" the Sheriff asked, his voice one of disapproval.

I understood what the Sheriff was really saying. Blassingame had correctly understood what I was saying when I said I'd pursue Farley and Thompson relentlessly, and Blassingame could never allow them to be captured alive to tell what they knew. I'd put a death sentence upon them, Blassingame had delivered it, and the Sheriff knew it... and so did Jack Muscone and the Feds, though Jack declined to ask about it on account of needing a Best Man for his wedding...

"It'd have been nice to know what they wanted Tolson for." said the Chief. "And we might never get the full truth about what happened to City Detective Sullivan."

"True." I said. "But I'm not sure Tolson knew anything in the first place. Or that we'd have learned whatever it is that he allegedly knew."

"Like maybe where the Consultant of Crime's hidden fortune is?" said Griswold. "We've never recovered it all, nor have the Feds."

"And why would the Consultant of Crime trust the loser punk Jimmy Tolson with those great secrets?" I asked, a bit acerbically. "I don't see it. Maybe Julie Newton, but we never got a clue from her nor her computers nor papers, either."

"And maybe Tolson knew who Bundy McGinty was." said the Sheriff. "Knew where McGinty kept his blackmail stuff."

Ahhhh, I thought to myself. Now we get to the truth. And the reason Laura came here with me tonight.

"We never found a Tolson connection with McGinty, Sheriff." I said. "As to McGinty himself: as the old chess adage goes, the threat is stronger than the execution. McGinty may've had people believing he had dirt, but it was all an illusion to keep himself alive. And all the Frogs's horses and all the Frogs's men have never found any of that dirt... unless you know something I don't, Sheriff?"

"Har." said the Sheriff. "No, I don't know anything about all that."

"Just some ideas whispered into your Klingon ears, eh, Sheriff?" I said teasingly.

"Not much gets by you, Crowbar." said the Sheriff, not looking at me but out over the blackness of Lake Reservoir beyond the fire.

I turned and peered at the Sheriff. "You think I did it wrong, Sheriff?" I asked.

"It's not that you did wrong, Crowbar." said Griswold. "You've always wanted Justice over rote application of the Law, and that's commendable, at least to me. And I've always been amazed at how you not only figure out what's going on, but the best way of going about solving the problem. This time... it just seems different. I'm not understanding what you were thinking. Sure we have two bad guys down and unable to hurt anyone any more... but it's just different."

I realized that the Sheriff was telling me a lot more than just his words delivered. Indeed, I'd been sloppy about this one. Arrogant, perhaps. I had not thought this through like I should have. I had acted quickly, and perhaps recklessly.

"Yes, Crowbar, no one is perfect." Griswold said, as if reading my thoughts. "Lord knows, I'm not, and God only knows where this County would be if you had not been sent by the Hand of the Lord to save it. But I'm always here for you, if you ever need to get outside advice."

"Thank you, sir." I said as I looked out over the lake.

"Don," said the Sheriff, "I agree with you that they are coming here. To you. Muscone is right about one thing: our Town & County has become the battleground for the philosophical differences that ultimately will destroy or save the future of the Nation, and maybe even the World. I don't know why, but it is."

"Yes sir." I said. "And we did not choose to be who and what we are. It is our karma."

Finis.