Smoke on the Water Ch. 03

"And that, ladies," said Shane O'Brady, coming into my office without knocking, "is a lesson I also had to learn the hard way."

"But you did." I said. "And you're good in your own right, Lieutenant-to-be O'Brady."

"I didn't know Lieutenants didn't have to knock." Teresa said, a bit darkly.

"We'll let the Pottsville Drama Queen have that one." I said with a grin, making O'Brady chuckle. "And I deduce by your presence that there is about to be a break in the 'Ancestry Discovery' case?"

"There could be, sir." said O'Brady, giving me respect to make up for barging into my office. "There could be. Detective Laurer phoned me last night and asked me to come up..."

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

Cindy said she needed to talk to me alone, so Teresa took Shane O'Brady to Captain Michael's office.

"I've got it." I said, reaching for my bug-killer and activating it, then sitting down by Cindy on the sofa so that we could talk in low tones. "I take it this is about Amber?"

"Yes." Cindy said. "You are not the only one in this family that is not an Agency of the Weak Minded. I know why Amber put out Elena's real name on the newscast, and I know why she went to Elena's funeral... because Elena's real last name, Von Telsing, is Betty Morelli's maiden name... Von Telsing. Amber literally exposed a DEA Agent's information just to take a cheap shot... at me."

"Yep." I said. "Elena's father is Betty's father's much younger brother, almost generationally younger. And yes, Amber just will not let it go, even though it is very likely going to cost her her life if she continues to pursue it."

Cindy said "I just want to ask you what the danger to Betsy is. Can the Von Telsings go after her? Try to claim custody of her?"

"Not really." I said. "But even if they did, there is one person who holds the ultimate trump card against their claims." And I did not have to say out loud that being the biological father of Betsy was my ultimate trump card.

"I'd hate for it to have to get to that point." Cindy said.

"Meeeeee, too!" I said in an excellent imitation of Carole. "But we'll burn those bridges, and Amber's ass, when the time comes. By the way, how does Betsy feel about that new baby brother on the way?"

"She's somewhat excited, but not enthusiastically so." Cindy said. "I don't think she fully understands it."

"And have you found a new house yet?" I asked.

"Callie and I are looking at a couple." Cindy said...

Part 17 - Cracks in the Armor

10:00am, Monday, November 16th. Detective Joan Laurer and State Attorney Jenna Stiles went into the Conference Room at 1st Precinct Headquarters, which was attached to County Jail. Awaiting them was Mr. Gibson Stelling of Succup & Payne, P.C., Ron Ellijay's new attorney.

"I understand you want to offer us a deal, Mr. Gibson?" said Jenna Stiles as the women sat down on their side of the table.

"This is in no way a confession of guilt, of course," said Stelling, "but my client will give you everything he has in exchange for full immunity for him and his three co-workers. I'll add that they are innocent and were duped by Bernie Parker and Alana Dalmore."

"Yet they took the commissions from the sales." Joan Laurer said. "And in amounts inconsistent with just sales of the software product. "You'll have to do better, Mr. Gibson. And your client had better have a lot of good, solid proof."

"I'm also not comfortable with this conversation being held without your client present." Jenna Stiles said.

They went to Interrogation-1, and Ron Ellijay was brought in. After a brief conversation between him and Stelling alone, Joan and Jenna came in and sat down at the table.

Stelling opened things up: "I'd like for you to hear a 'hypothetical' statement from my client, after which you will make him an offer of immunity in exchange for his truthful testimony on the stand."

"I don't like hypotheticals." said Joan Laurer, having learned well from the Iron Crowbar on that. "I think we have plenty of evidence to tie all of you in to the many counts of fraud... counts that are growing as more and more of your victims come forward. So why do I need your testimony at all?"

Stelling said "It'll make it very easy for you. You may get confessions and avoid trials for everyone. And the true criminals here will go to prison, not the innocents that were caught up in something they did not realize was going on."

Jenna Stiles said "Okay, here's the story. I am not promising you anything, anything at all. You make your hypothetical statement, and if it nails Parker and Dalmore to the wall, I'll consider much reduced or even dropped charges against your client. But no promises at all until I've verified what your client says."

"I'll take that." said Ron Ellijay. Stelling whirled to face him and stop him from talking, but Ellijay said "It's okay. She'll give us the deal we want." He faced the women and said "And I will reiterate what my attorney hopefully has told you, that immunity for my three colleagues, who are totally innocent in all this, is part of the package?"

"That's not a confession of guilt on my client's part." said Gibson Stelling. "And Ron, you need to let me do the talking, here."

Joan Laurer asked "And why are you worried about them? If they're innocent, that'll come out in the wash. And they can make their own deals."

Ellijay replied "Because the system doesn't work as cleanly as you'd like to have me believe. They don't have the financial means that I do to hire decent legal representation, and the State has nearly unlimited resources to prosecute them even if it's just to get one in the 'win' column... especially since Parker and Dalmore will more than likely skate if you don't build a more solid case."

Joan Laurer said "All right. Give us your hypothetical. But be warned that while I may can't use it against you if we don't offer you a deal, I will follow up on the information and use it against any of you whom it can be used against."

Ron Ellijay said "What if, hypothetically, the whole thing was concocted by Alana Dalmore? What if she enticed Parker and me into helping her with her scheme, to get children's parents's data and use it for identity theft?"

"Hypothetically, and in reality, I'd ask for your proof." said Joan.

"Or at least something that a Jury would find compelling." said Jenna.

"What if, hypothetically, I've been having a sexual affair with Alana Dalmore for over a year?" asked Ron Ellijay...

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

Thirty minutes later, Gwen Munson of Prodder, Ryder & Reems P.C. came into County Jail to represent her client, Mrs. Alana Dalmore, in a new round of interrogations.

"My client has invoked." said Munson in her sweet voice that belied her viciousness. "You arrested her without a warrant, which is going to get any case you have thrown out. She's been denied bail, which I will get overturned on appeal, and soon."

"Then we'd better work fast." said Joan Laurer. "Your client may find it in her best interests to hear what we have to say. First of all, Mrs. Dalmore, have you had a sexual relationship with Ron Ellijay?"

"She has had no (air quotes) 'relationship' with Ron Ellijay," said Gwen Munson, "except that he assisted Bernie Parker at some of his product demonstrations... which is not illegal, I might add."

"Vee shall see." said Laurer in her 'German' accent. "I'll ask my question more incisively, then: Mrs. Dalmore, have you ever had sexual intercourse with Ron Ellijay?" Joan and Jenna Stiles saw the shock on Mrs. Dalmore's face... and it was the shock of knowing she was caught, not of being offended.

"That is offensive!" Gwen Munson tried, pretending shock. "My client is happily married and devoted to her husband and to the State's school children through her PTA work------"

Joan held up her hand. "Spare me the platitudes."

"I won't spare them to the Jury in open Court during her trial!" Gwen spat. "And you believe him? Ron Ellijay? He's Wilson Hammonds's sycophant, and just as dirty and dishonest, like every other Republican on the face of this earth. He'll tell any lie to get off the hook for anything he's done."

Joan said "I've been warned about you, Munson. And the warnings are true; you're now trying to waste my time. So let's cut to the chase here. We'll be asking your client's husband if he's aware his wife has been having s sexual affair with Ron Ellijay. And we'll have a doctor and a female Police Officer examining your client about certain moles and birthmarks on her body, and we'll ask Mrs. Dalmore's husband if he's also seen those markings on the more... intimate... places on her body."

By now Alana was in total shock. "I need to speak to my attorney alone, and privately." she said. Joan and Jenna exited the room and went into the anteroom, where Paulina Patterson and Shane O'Brady were watching.

"Damned if you're not about to wrap her up with a bow." Paulina said with her lovely smile, a smile inherited and used by her daughter Tasha.

"Which brings up what we might offer her, deal-wise." said Jenna Stiles. "Shane, who is the Prosecutor for Pottsville?"

O'Brady replied "He punted, and said he would leave it up to the State. In fairness to him, Wilson Hammonds pressured him hard to drop all charges arising from the Pottsville jurisdiction. He told Hammonds he wouldn't go that far, but he'd leave it up to the SBI-OFI. So it's up to me, I guess, and I'll leave it up to you guys."

Paulina said "I know Commander Troy does not want Alana Dalmore to skate easy while the others have harsher sentences. And that's because of her associations with the Swamp Frogs."

Joan Laurer said "And I don't want her to get off light because I think she is the true brains behind this, even more than Bernie Parker. In fact, I'd rather give her nothing and take her to trial than anything that doesn't include jail time."

After a few moments, Gwen Munson went and tapped on the glass to let them know they could come back in. They did so and sat down at the table again.

Gwen started the negotiation: "In exchange for immunity for my client, she's prepared to give you both testimony and other information that will secure the convictions of the five employees of 'Ancestor Discovery', including Bernie Parker and especially Ron Ellijay, who you will find over time has connections to corrupt politicians."

Joan Laurer said "As opposed to honest politicians? Not too many of those around, especially the guy who rules Pottsville with an iron fist. And by the way, Ms. Munson, weren't you the one saying all the charges against your client would be dropped? So why are you offering a deal at all?"

Gwen craftily said "One reason is to put the true criminals behind bars. Another is to save you some time in doing so. Yet another is so my client can get this behind her and return to her normal life."

Joan said "I certainly agree that we need to put the true criminals here behind bars." Then she leaned forward and said "Which is why your client is the one that is going to do prison time. She is not going to get immunity, at all."

"I'll tell you what I will offer your client." said Jenna Stiles. "Right now, she faces up to ten years per infraction, and we're well into the double digits of instances being filed with various Police Departments around the State. I can offer ten years in a medium security facility, with possibility of parole after six years. And that's just to avoid decades of hard time at Madison County Women's Prison. You'll have to testify against the others if we direct you to, as well."

"And give us every last detail of this entire fraud operation." said Joan.

"That will get me killed." said Alana Dalmore, speaking up despite Gwen's protestations that she remain silent. After telling Gwen to let her speak, Mrs. Dalmore said "Look, I'll give you Bernie, his employees, and their operations on a silver platter, in exchange for that deal... except I want no parole at the end of my time served."

"Ears are to hear with." Joan Laurer said. "It's my way or the highway. You have our offer."

"Let's talk about it." Jenna said, to Joan. They got up and left the room.

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

"So why are you balking at the deal?" Joan asked Jenna as they talked in the conference room with Paulina, Shane, and SBI Agent Carter Fischer, who'd just arrived.

"I'm not balking," said Jenna, "but I want to discuss some things, and not in front of that harpy Munson. Alana Dalmore is the one that balked hard, at having to discuss anything further than the 'Ancestor Discovery' operation. And she literally just told us that it would be her death if she did tell everything she knows, which I suspect is considerable if she was associated with Edward Blassingame in the past."

Jenna: "So I'm thinking that if we press her, she might lie to get the deal, and then tell us a bunch of crap. She loses nothing by doing that; she's prepared as it is to fight in Court."

Joan Laurer said "I want her to have to have some time on parole. Otherwise, the time served won't be enough. I guess that's one of Gwen Munson's bugaboos, to get her clients no parole?"

"Gwen is not the legend she's made out to be." said Paulina Patterson. "The Iron Crowbar has destroyed her every time she's come up against him. And you're about to rip her a new one, too, Joan. My point is that we hold the trump cards, here, and Gwen is playing with an anorexically thin hand."

Jenna Stiles: "What I was thinking we can do is to give her the either-or choice. No parole? Then a full ten years, and she has to come correct with what she knows about 'Ancestor Discovery' -and- their connections to entities like SPS and BigAgraFoods, and whatever other Blassingame entities we can pretend to know about. Or she has to accept parole, and give us what she knows on Bernie Parker..."

Part 18 - Three By Three

"K'plaa!, sir." Joan Laurer exclaimed happily, saying the word 'success' in the original Klingon to me and the Sheriff when she came to my office at 2:30pm, Monday, November 16th.

"Outstanding!" I said, indicating for her to sit down in the hot chair. "What happened?"

"Mrs. Dalmore took the deal, sir." Joan said "Ten years, parole after six years with good behavior. Her testimony will confirm a lot of the data we already have. Ron Ellijay and his three co-workers will get suspended sentences, and their records expunged after three years if they don't have any more legal problems, including speeding tickets or DUIs and the like."

Joan: "When he heard that Mrs. Dalmore had flipped, Bernie Parker also turned. We gave him the same conditions we gave Mrs. Dalmore. Bernie told us that he was also having an affair with Mrs. Dalmore, and that he and Ron Ellijay would take turns banging her while her husband and sometimes State Rep. Lamar Linder watched." I remembered Linder and his wife from the 'Babymaker' case.

"Party animal, she is." I said "Okay, keep going."

Joan said "Judge Watts signed off on the plea deals half an hour ago, so it's a done deal... except for my close-out paperwork, of course."

"Har!" barked the Sheriff. "Yes, Detective, you're learning well."

"And you've done an outstanding job with this, Joan." I said. "You took the initiative to pursue that matter, went to the school and effected the arrests, and put it all together. And I was very pleased with your interrogations. You twisted Mrs. Dalmore in knots, and you you made Gwen Munson look like the incompetent fool she is, which always pleases me."

"I appreciate it, sir." Joan said.

"And he's making sure to say this in front of me, which shows this man's leadership abilities." growled the Sheriff. "I agree that you did an outstanding job with this case, Detective Laurer. Keep up the good work."

"Thank you, Sheriff." Joan said, blushing a bit...

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

4:00pm. Lt. Commander Teresa Croyle got Detective Joan Laurer out of Vice and led her down the hallway towards the gym. On the way, Teresa explained.

"As part of the Commander's inspections, random Officers are being chosen for the PT test." Teresa said. "So to make sure we do well, I'm choosing you as one of the participants."

They went into the gym. Twelve Officers in t-shirts and gym shorts were already there, as were other Officers milling about. The boxing ring was set up in the middle of the gym, though on a base only one foot off the ground.

"Go on into the women's locker room and get ready." said Teresa. Joan went in, and got a shock. An obviously pregnant Cindy Ross was there, but more importantly, she was standing next to a suit of plastic armor and a helmet... the standard wear of the Police Boxing Matches! Joan's heart surged at what this must mean...

"Suit up." Cindy said. "The Commander was very impressed with your handling of the 'Ancestor Discovery' case. And now... you're about to get the chance to find out just how good you really are in the Police Boxing Matches."

Joan quickly put on the gear, and Cindy checked to make sure the gear was being correctly worn. Then Cindy handed Joan a light blue crowbar and a helmet. "Good luck, Detective. And don't hold anything back."

"Yes ma'am." Joan said. When she came out of the locker room, she found Teresa waiting for her... and a gauntlet line of Officers and Detectives leading to the boxing ring. The lights were off except for one cone of light from the fixture above the ring. There were a lot more Officers, and the rest of the Detectives, waiting around the ring to watch, and everyone had a helmet and eye protection of some kind.

Inside the ring, suited up and holding a gold Wildcats football helmet with a Clan Crowbar icon on each side, and holding his red crowbar in the other hand... was Your Iron Crowbar. Also in the ring, suited up to referee the match, was Lt. Micah Rudistan.

Teresa led Joan through the gauntlet to the ring, whereupon I gave the challenge: "Would you like a shot... at the real title?"

With a smile of happiness, Joan replied "Don't mind if I do!" she replied. As all the Officers cheered and the lights came back on, she climbed into the ring.

"Okay, here are the rules." said Rudistan as we gathered at the center of the ring. "No intentional shots to the head, and no shots of any kind to the face plates, and especially no shots at the referee. There will be three rounds of three minutes each, and if there is no clear winner at the end of the third round, it will be declared a draw. I am not going to referee you guys all night long."

We chuckled at that, then Rudistan finished: "You cannot be saved by the bell, but no hits after the bell. Obey all my commands. Ready? Break!" We clanged crowbars and went to our corners. The bell rang, and we were AWN!

*WHANG!* *CLANG!*

Joan hurled into the immediate attack, but I easily parried her first attempts to gain an advantage. We circled and feinted, and Joan occasionally made a foray towards me, but could not gain an advantage. As for me, I did not really try to attack, as Joan gave me no avenues to approach, not overcommitting herself.

As we battled, I realized that I was not in peak physical condition like I needed to be at any age to engage in personal combat in the Police Boxing Matches. And Joan was in top shape, and in excellent physical condition. But I did have the advantages of experience, years of Aikido training that I had kept up with, attending classes with Carole, Jim, Ross, and Ian. And of course, I had the power of the Crowbar...

*DING DING DING!*

The first round ended, and we had a minute to rest, drink water, and get ready for Round 2. It wasn't hot at all in the gym, but I felt hot and out of breath from my exertions. All too soon the bell rang, and we were right back at it.